Exuma Escapes Bahamas Ltd. — Attraction in New Providence

My wife has been wanting to swim with the pigs for about 10 years, I finally gave in, and we went to the Bahamas to primary swim with the pigs. We originally booked the Exuma Flight Tour, but unfortunately, that tour did not meet the passenger requirement, so they had to cancel. So, alternatively we booked the Exuma Swimming Pigs Five Island Adventure by powerboat. We arrive at the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal at 8:15 am as we were instructed and there wasn’t anybody at the booth at the dock, it started to rain, and it did not look good. At approximately 8:30 am the someone showed up at the booth and informed us that the tour is still on. She give us our safety instructions inside the Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Bar (she was very professional). The boat arrived a little late, approximately 8:55 am, we loaded onto the boat, its was still rain, but the crew said that it was going to clear up. We left the dock and the crew informed us it would be a little over an hour to Allen’s Cay, as we start sailing out of Nassau Harbor, I looked at my wife and said, “it a good thing I love you because if this was a fishing trip that I usually go on I would be back at the hotel”. Approximately 20 minutes into the trip, it started to clear and when we arrived at Allen’s Cay, it was sunny. The rock iguanas were fun feeding. We then proceed to Pablo Escobars sunken plane and had cocktails on the boat, which was alright. Next Compass Cay to swim with the sharks, the sharks were fun to hold (The Exuma Islands are Beautiful). Next Stop Pig Beach to swim with the World-Famous Swimming Pigs. The pigs are great, they swim up to your boat as you arrive. I would say there are about 25 pigs, some very large and some piglets. You can hold the piglets, but a girl on our boat did get bit my one of pigs. We then had lunch on Great Guana Cay, a Bahamian Style Buffet (wings, ribs, fried fish & salads). We then started to sail back with a stop at a sand bar near Little Norman’s Cay. We could have skipped the sand bar, but overall we had an AMAZING experience with the crew Ace, Randy, &...

We booked this excursion through our hotel they pick you up at the hotel and drop you off at the end. It took about 1 hr to get to the island with the iguanas. Once we got there, spent about 10 with the iguanas. Then headed to pig island which took another 50mins to get to. Tour guide said we would be there for 40 to 45 mins and at 20 min mark he was telling everyone to start broading. My husband & a few others mentioned that we had just gotten there, he let us stay for 10 more mins. (30 mins total) Afterwards we went to lunch & than the sharks. We stayed 30mins with the sharks which was perfect & the guide actually timed it this time. It was beautiful & my favorite part. Then we headed to a private beach for about 20 mins.

Honestly, I would have preferred to just do the pigs & sharks, it was pointless to waste 1 hr to go see the iguanas if its only going to be 10 mins. With them & spend more time with the sharks & pigs. We fed the animals wonder bread, other companies had grapes and carrots.

The boat was uncomfortable we sat in the only actual seats that werent bean bags.We had a miserable time during the boat rides, the captain of the boat was driving so fast & unsafe that we kept getting splashed by water in the face and there is no cover for shade so our faces were so burnt even with sun block. We thought it was just the back of the boat but ppl in the front said they were jumping off their bean bags.

For $400 i would expect to have shade & more seats for everyone and actual fruits and vegetables for the animals; other boats had it for the same price. We were offered 1 8oz water & 1 bag of chips for an 8 hrs excursion that felt very rushed the entire time. We left the dock after Hidden Beach excursions tour guide company & arrived before them thats how fast they were rushing us. And it was the same excursion.

Overall, this company can be great they just need to invest all the money they are making into providing a better experience...

Check in was at 07.45am, but you don’t board the boat until 08.30am, after receiving a safety briefing. It took approx 1 hour to reach our first stop - feeding the rock iguanas at Allen Cay. This stop was approx. 20 minutes. Loved feeding them blueberries from a stick and they are very wary creatures and don’t like the water, lol. Next was a further ride of approx. 45 mins to Compass Cay to swim with the nursery sharks. What a fantastic experience. The water in Exuma is so clear! We stayed approx. 30 mins here. Next was another 10 minute ride to see the swimming pigs. This was such fun to see them swimming out to meet the boat! We then got off on to the beach and spent another 30 mins here. You do have to watch the big pigs as a couple people on our boat got bitten. As long as you follow the rules given, you are ok. Always keep the pigs in front of you and raise hands to show no food. They get feisty if they think you have bread! The piglets were adorable and you can get a quick photo with one, and kids are able to bottle feed the baby piglets. Next was another 10 minute ride to black point for lunch at Scorpios restaurant. The food was great. We had Chicken, ribs, salad, rice and peas, fried fish, mixed veg, corn on the cob and mash potato. This stop was approx 45 mins. We then had an hour ride back up the Cays to a sand bar where we were able to get off and sit on the sand bank with a drink for about 30/40 minutes. There was water, canned pop, vodka and golden rum available as well as crisps, as a snack during the entire day. The last part of the journey was another hour ride back to Nassau. The crew - Captain Joe and Randy took very good care of us, helping us on/off the powerboat. It was an amazing day, one we thoroughly enjoyed and is definitely a don’t miss experience. Exuma escapes is definitely recommended for this trip, with easy access via the ferry terminal beside Margaritaville on Paradise Island....