More location information and points of interest are available in the above map

ANDROS, BIMINI & THE BERRY ISLANDS

The north-western islands of Andros, Bimini, and Berry lie just off the east coast of Florida. Bimini is 50 miles from Miami; the Berry Islands are a 30-cay chain 100 miles east of Bimini. Andros comprises the Bahamas’ largest landmass (about half of all the Bahamas’ land in total), and is split into three islands: North and Central Andros, Mangrove Cay, and South Andros. Two tidal estuaries called Northern and Middle Bight separate North and Central Andros from Mangrove Cay, and the Southern Bight splits Mangrove Cay and South Andros. Remote beaches and small settlements stretch along the eastern shores while a vast wilderness of mangrove estuaries and swamps characterize their western leeward coasts.

TOP REASONS TO GO

• Bonefish - Andros, Bimini, and the Berry Islands have world-class reputations for bone fishing. Hire a guide to show you how to fly-fish, then hunt the bights of Andros or the shallow flats of Bimini and the Berries in pursuit of the elusive “gray ghost".

• Casino cruise - From Miami, catch the Bimini Superfast cruise ship to Resorts World Bimini for gaming, beaching, and a menu of fun shore excursions.

• Dive Andros or Bimini - Go with the diving experts at Small Hope Bay or Kamalame Cay and drop “over the Andros wall” or at Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Centre to explore magnificent wrecks and reefs.

• Fish for big game - Charter a boat and experience the thrill of catching deep-sea prizes such as marlin, mahi-mahi, tuna, and wahoo.

ELEUTHERA & HARBOUR ISLAND

The Nantucket of the Bahamas, Harbour Island—rimmed by its legendary pink-sand beach—is the chicest Out Island. Eleuthera is the opposite, with historic churches and pretty fishing villages, unpretentious inns, and a few upscale, intimate beach resorts. Eleuthera, at the centre of the Bahamas chain, is a narrow, 110-mile island. The fierce, deep-blue Atlantic is to the east, and the usually placid azure and teal shallows of the Bight of Eleuthera and Great Bahama Bank are to the west. Eleuthera’s mainland holds the majority of the island’s residents, about 8,000. The rest of the 3,000 residents are split between 3-mile Harbour Island, 1 mile off Eleuthera’s northeast coast, and 2-mile Spanish Wells, 1 mile off Eleuthera’s northern coast. The island is 200 miles east of Florida and 50 miles east of Nassau.

TOP REASONS TO GO TO ELEUTHERA & HARBOUR ISLAND

• Play in pink sand - Glorious, soft pink sand, the ethereal shade of the first blush of dawn, draws beach connoisseurs to Harbour Island. Plenty of pretty pink beaches also dot Eleuthera’s east and north coasts.

• Ogle island architecture - Historic homes with storybook gables and gingerbread verandas are the norm on Harbour Island and Spanish Wells. Picturesque Victorian houses overlook Governor’s Harbour in Eleuthera.

• Savour soulful sounds - Nights here rock with the Bahamian group Afro Band, the hip-hop of TaDa, the traditional sound of Jaynell Ingraham, and the calypso of Dr. Sea Breeze.

• Indulge in alfresco dining -Harbour Island’s intimate restaurants have reinvented regional cuisine. On Eleuthera, Governor’s Harbour has a number of laid-back spots with memorable menus and magnificent views.

THE EXUMAS

Hundreds of islands skip like stones across the Tropic of Cancer, all with gorgeous white beaches and the most beautiful water in the Bahamas. Mainland Great Exuma has friendly locals and great beach parties. Thirty-five miles southeast of Nassau, Allan’s Cay sits at the top of the Exumas chain of 365 islands (most uninhabited) that skip like stones for 120 miles south across the Tropic of Cancer. Flanked by the Great Bahama Bank and Exuma Sound, the islands are at the centre of the Bahamas. George Town, the Exumas’ capital and hub of activity is on Great Exuma, the mainland and largest island, near the bottom of the Exumas’ chain. Little Exuma is to the south and connected to the mainland by a bridge. Together, these two islands span 50 miles.

TOP REASONS TO GO TO THE EXUMAS

• Party like a local - Hot spots include the Fish Fry on weekends for conch salad and fresh fish and Chat ’N’ Chill on Stocking Island for Sunday pig roasts.

• Island-hop - Spend a couple of days boating through the 365 cays (one for every day of the year, as the locals say), and spot iguanas, swimming pigs, and giant starfish.

• Enjoy empty beaches - Empty stretches of bleach-white sand are yours to explore.

• Explore the Land and Sea Park - Snorkel in the 176-square-mile Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park and see queen conchs, starfish, and thriving coral reefs, as well as the endangered hawksbill and threatened green and loggerhead turtles.

THE SOUTHERN OUT ISLANDS

The Bahamas’ southernmost islands have so few visitors and so many natural wonders. Cat Island boasts the highest natural point in the country, San Salvador marks Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the Western world, and Inagua is home to one of the largest flamingo colonies in the world. The southernmost Bahamas islands are remote, exposed to the open Atlantic, and ruggedly dramatic. One hundred thirty miles southeast of Nassau, Cat Island lies to the west of diminutive San Salvador, about the size of Manhattan. Long Island stretches 80 miles across the Tropic of Cancer, due south of Cat Island. Windswept Crooked and Acklins islands, with about 300 and 600 residents, respectively, are southeast of Long Island. And way down at the southernmost point of the country is Inagua, only 55 miles northeast of Cuba and 60 miles north of Haiti.

TOP REASONS TO GO TO THE SOUTHERN OUT ISLANDS

• Disappear - Discover your inner castaway on islands way off the trampled tourist track. Pink or white sand, calm azure coves, or rolling ocean waves - you’ll have your pick.

• Create your own tall fishing tale - Whether deep-sea fishing past the Wall off southern Inagua or bone fishing in the crystal-clear shallows on Cat Island’s east coast, your fish-capades will be ones to remember.

• Explore historic lighthouses - Surrounded by treacherous shoals and reefs, the Southern Out Islands have the country’s most famous 19th-century lighthouses, most of which you can climb for stunning views.

• Feast on the reefs and walls - Spectacular diving and snorkelling, and even specialty shark dives, are on the menu for nature lovers when visiting these secluded southern isles with their calmer, clearer waters undisturbed by cold fronts.