Visiting Pig Beach in Exuma: A Complete Guide (2025)

Big Major Cay — better known as Pig Beach — is the single most-photographed spot in the Bahamas. The pigs swim out to greet your boat, climb into the shallows, and pose for selfies that have racked up billions of views online. It's also the trip that visitors get wrong most often: wrong tour, wrong time of day, wrong expectations. Here's how to do it right.

Where is Pig Beach?

Pig Beach is on Big Major Cay, an uninhabited island in the central Exuma chain, just north of Staniel Cay. It's about 80 nautical miles north of George Town (the main town in Exuma) and roughly the same distance south of Nassau. There are no roads to it — the only way in is by boat or seaplane.

How to get there

You have three realistic options, depending on where you're starting and how much you want to spend:

Option 1: Day tour from George Town (Great Exuma)

This is what most app users do. Local operators run full-day boat tours that leave around 8 a.m., hit Pig Beach plus 4–6 other stops (swimming with nurse sharks at Compass Cay, snorkeling Thunderball Grotto, iguanas at Allen's Cay), and return by sunset. Expect to pay $250–$350 per person. The boat ride is ~2 hours each way; bring sea-sickness medication if you're prone.

Option 2: Fly to Staniel Cay

Staniel Cay has its own airstrip and a handful of charter flights from Nassau and Fort Lauderdale. From Staniel Cay, Pig Beach is a 10-minute boat ride. This is the move if you have the budget — you'll arrive before the day-tour crowds and can stay at the legendary Staniel Cay Yacht Club.

Option 3: Day trip from Nassau

Several operators run day trips from Nassau that fly you down on a small plane, do a quick boat tour, and fly back. ~$600+ per person. Convenient if you're already in Nassau, but you'll spend most of the day in transit.

The best time of day to go

Aim to be at the beach before 10 a.m. or after 3 p.m. The midday window (11–2) is when every tour boat in Exuma converges, and the pigs get over-fed, tired, and grumpy. Early morning is also when the light is best for photos.

What NOT to do

The pigs are wild animals living on a protected cay. A few rules that locals and the Bahamas Humane Society have asked tourists to respect:

• Don't feed them anything except what your guide provides. Bread, junk food, and beer (yes, people have done this) make them sick. Several pigs have died from improper feeding.
• Don't ride them, sit on them, or pick up the piglets. They're large animals and will bite if startled.
• Don't chase them into the water for a photo. They swim out when they want to. Be patient.
• Take all your trash with you. There are no bins on the cay.

What to bring

• Reef-safe sunscreen (regular sunscreen damages the coral around Thunderball Grotto)
• A waterproof phone case or GoPro
• Cash for tips ($20–40 per guide is standard)
• A light long-sleeve rash guard — the sun on the open boat is brutal
• Motion sickness medication, especially for the ride back when the wind picks up

Other stops on the typical tour

Most full-day tours combine Pig Beach with several other showstoppers in the central Exumas:

• Thunderball Grotto — the underwater cave from the James Bond film. Snorkel-through, best at slack tide.
• Compass Cay — swim with friendly nurse sharks in chest-deep water.
• Allen's Cay — feed the endangered Bahamian rock iguanas (with grapes provided by your guide).
• Iguana Beach (Bitter Guana Cay) — fewer crowds, similar iguana experience.

Is it worth it?

Yes — but go in with realistic expectations. It's a long boat ride, the beach is small, and there are usually 50–100 other tourists there at peak times. But the pigs are real, the water is unbelievably clear, and the combined tour with Compass Cay and Thunderball Grotto is one of the best single days you can have in the Caribbean.

Pair this with a longer beach trip

Coming from George Town? Plan a beach day on either side of your Pig Beach tour. Our guide to the best beaches in Exuma covers the spots locals actually go to.

Plan it in the app

The Exuma Secrets app has tour operators rated by real users, a full trip planner, sunrise/sunset and tide tables, and offline maps so you don't lose service mid-Cays. Free download on iOS and Android.