Bahamas

Visited: February 2025

Duration of visit: 4 days

Capital city: Nassau

Population: 410,000 (2025)

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

• Americanized island which completely depends on foreign visitors, mostly from cruise ships.
• Lack of proper culture, landmarks, historical events and local cuisine.
• Exploring the New Providence Island by car and trying to access limited public beaches.
• Extremely high prices and a scarcity of locally grown fruits or vegetables.

The Bahamas consists of 700 islands and 2,400 cays in the North Atlantic Ocean, located southeast of Florida and north of the Caribbean region. Only 30 islands are populated. A Paradise Island and a luxurious destination, famous for upscale resorts, became a pirate haven in the late 17^th and early 18^th century, earning a reputation as the Pirate Republic.

The Bahamas was the first place where Columbus set foot in the New World, and after being under British rule for two and a half centuries it finally gained independence in 1973.

The Bahamas welcome more than 11 million visitors annually, with 85% of these tourists arriving via cruise ships.

After the United States and Canada, the Bahamas is the third richest country on the American continent.

This statistic clearly indicates that the Bahamas is not a place favored by backpackers. All year-round destination attracts mostly American-Canadian tourists who use the limited time, when the cruise ship is docked, to explore the islands main attractions, or resort visitors engaging in package tours to explore what is going on outside of their resorts.

Independent travelling in Bahamas is expensive and pretty boring. There is hardly any historical sights, markets or landmarks that would be worthwhile, besides water activities. Most of the activities are suited to cruise ships visitors or those who are willing to spend huge amounts of money to reach rather exclusive locations or involve in bizarre activities.

Since I was aware of ridiculously high prices for taxi from the airport to Nassau downtown, which is approximately 20 kilometers far, I wanted to try other alternatives. There were no buses available on Saturday evening, so the only other option was hitchhiking. I was travelling with my partner. We stood along the main road from the airport and waiting on the left side of the road.

The fact that cars drive on the left in the Bahamas serves as one of the few reminders of its British colonial past. Most of the cars were passing by without even looking at me. Some empty taxis stopped, but I was not interested in their offers.

It was getting late and I started to consider a discounted taxi fare as an acceptable option as well. An old taxi pulled over and asked me about my final destination.

“An apartment on the beginning of Shirley Road, next to Harbor Bay Shopping Center!” was the most straightforward explanation of my Airbnb location on the eastern side of the New Providence Island.

“This is very far, on the other side of Nassau downtown! 50 US$! Only for you, because I am going to that direction anyway!” was the first offer from the driver.

“Thank you for your kindness, but I can only offer you 30US$!” was my best offer.

“30 dollars, what is wrong with you? Why did you come to Bahamas if you don’t have money? You can’t even pay for a taxi!”

My intention was to remain respectful and avoid any offensive discussions, while simply insisting on my price.

“Come in my car. I will take you there for 30 US$. You shouldn’t come to Bahamas if you can’t afford to pay for a taxi!”

The driver kept repeating his mantra for another 5 minutes, until he finally asked: “Where are you from?”

“I am from Slovenia.”

“I have no idea where your country is!” he finally gave up and stopped blaming me for visiting his homeland with limited funds.

The discussion came to an end.

The next morning, I visited a nearby supermarket for grocery shopping.

Perfectly designed and arranged Solomon’s Fresh Market confirmed the fact that the Bahamas stood out as the most expensive country among the 150 countries I had visited to date.

2.5US$ for an orange, 1.5US$ for a lemon, 4.5US$ for a cucumber and 10US$ for a kilogram of apples. Prices for all other products were two to three times higher than those available globally, while the packaging dimensions were similar to those in the United States. Once I finally selected a portfolio of items that I considered essential and the most reasonably priced, I proceeded to pay 90US$ for a single bag of merchandise.

It appears that during informal negotiations for various services, such as taxi rides, jet ski or car rentals, the quoted prices tend to be rounded to the nearest five or ten, while values in between are not considered. Statistically, the Bahamas is positioned as the third richest country in the Americas, following the United States and Canada. Nevertheless, I believe that the quality of life for the local residents does not correspond with this high economic ranking.

The capital city, Nassau, is not particularly picturesque and it lacks real landmarks or attractions. Each morning, the Nassau Cruise Port is invaded by a considerable number of cruise tourists, who stroll to a downtown area bustling with souvenir shops, clothing and jewelry stores, bars, and various fast food outlets. The area is crowded until 5:00pm when most of the business close their doors and the transformation to a ghost town is immediate. Nassau is typical town that has been notably altered by the profound influence of the large volume of daily tourists.

Queen’s Staircase was hewn out of solid limestone rock by 600 slaves between 1793 and 1794 to provide a direct route from Fort Fincastle to downtown of Nassau. Today, there are only 65 steps visible, because the pathway that leads to the steps was paved and the bottom step is buried under the asphalt. In the 19^th century the steps were named in honor of Queen Victoria, who ended slavery in the British Empire.

Fort Fincastle, strategically built atop Bennet’s Hill in 1793 to protect Nassau, is shaped like a paddle steamer. If it offered beautiful view to the old town and harbor in the past, the new US Embassy has been blocking the view since 2024.

As we strolled around this area in the late afternoon, I didn’t notice any other visitors. A handful of street vendors were cleaning their stalls and getting ready for a well-deserved rest. In a conversation with the Bahamian woman, whose athletic build caught my attention, I learned about her struggles and the harsh realities of living on a basic salary, while contending with inflated prices for essential items. With a weekly income of 220US$, it appears to be difficult for the average Bahamian to cover their daily expenses.

New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It serves as the main commercial hub, also offering home to over 400 banks and trust companies, providing services for numerous off shore companies. Its hotels and the main port receive more than two thirds of 10 million-plus tourists who visit the country each year.

What expectations might I have regarding the island that features the primary attraction of Swimming Pigs and a day visit to the Caribbean’s most famed mega-resorts, Atlantis?

I decided to avoid all bombastic tours such as swimming with the pigs, snorkeling with the sharks and spending a wonderful day at the Atlantis resort due to two main reasons: extremely high prices and activities that don’t reflect the local heritage or culture.

Instead, I rented a car and explored the island on my own for two days. Although public transport is available, it is very limited and unpractical to use, if you want to stop at various points, visit beaches, search a particular restaurant or observe residential areas. The custom of driving on the left is a legacy of the British Empire, but it is notably one of the few elements that I cannot relate to the dominant American influence.

Although the Bahamas is known as the perfect beach destination and public access to beaches is generally free and open to the public, the reality is very different. The most beautiful beaches are accessed only through private properties, hotels or resorts. I was struggling to find a path or a connection that would lead me to some beach areas, that are officially still open to the public.

The first beach I explored was Cable Beach, renowned for its nearly 4-kilometer stretch of white sand. I parked my car in a neglected parking, alongside resort workers vehicles, and accessed the beach on a narrow street, just next to Sandals Royal Resorts. The beach was very narrow, limited by enclosures of abandoned or closed hotels. As I walked along the seaside, the sandy stretch of 10 to 15 meters was soon interrupted by boulders and hotels’ walls, preventing me from continuing a considerable distance along the shoreline. I missed shadow of palm trees.

My exploration of Love Beach was even more bizarre. I attempted to locate alternative paths to reach the seaside walking or driving, but I was unsuccessful. A number of people in the vicinity seemed to lack any knowledge regarding how to approach the beach, reminding me, that there are many resorts blocking the way.

Jaw’s Beach on the extreme western side of the New Providence Island was different, offering a comfortable parking; no facilities though. The relatively shallow waters, accompanied by some areas of seaweed were not the most spectacular for swimming; nonetheless, the serene environment and perfect sand made me pleased that I opted against walking to the nearby Flipper Beach.

Montagu Beach was only 5 kilometers walking from the apartment that I rented. It is not very popular among foreigners, due to location nearby fish market and inhabited area. Perhaps it was due to the wind on the south-eastern end of the island, which was blowing much stronger than on the other areas of the island, that the beach was mostly empty. The water was clean, some bars in the are were offering cold drinks and overpriced cocktails.

Cabbage Beach on the north coast of Paradise Island is the most stunning beach that I visited. The soft, powdery sand and clean, turquoise waters create a perfect environment for sunbathing. Although there are several resorts in proximity to the beach, a short walk away reveals a less crowded atmosphere. Vendors, offering cocktails, sun loungers and parasols, were not intrusive. I enjoyed stronger waves than on the other beaches, which provide a perfect opportunity for fun.

West Bay Street area west of Nassau downtown is well-known for restaurants that offer fresh traditional Bahamian dishes. Doing research before the trip, I encountered excellent reviews of several restaurants, so I decided to plan a late lunch in one of them.

I ordered some of delicacies and scarce non-meat options on the menu:  famous conch fritters, fried fish and chips. According to my opinion, the unappealing and greasy food would likely be regarded as inedible in any setting apart from the Bahamas or the USA.

I was unable to find any markets that would provide locally grown fruits or vegetables. Nearly all food is imported, predominantly from the USA. Shopping is rather inconvenient, knowing that most items are priced up to two times higher than usual, which is already regarded as costly.

An easy and inexpensive access from Florida, combined with all-year round good weather, Americanized culture, habits and values, made the Bahamas one of the most popular destinations in the region. Nevertheless, when analyzing the structure of millions of visitors every year, it is obvious that the Bahamas are a very challenging destination for backpackers with limited budget and expectation to deeply explore the country.

The combination of inflated prices, restricted access to the public beaches, relatively unfriendly locals and nonvisible cultural heritage, are the main reasons I rank the Bahamas among the least appealing travel destinations in the Americas. Four days were more than enough to explore the New Providence Island and move on to far more vibrant and exciting Jamaica, the final country I had yet to visit on the American continent.