Bahamas Swimming Pigs Tours

The original swimming pigs live on Big Major Cay, an uninhabited island in the Exuma Cays better known as Pig Beach, about 80 miles southeast of Nassau. Since they became famous, smaller colonies have been kept for visitors on islands near Nassau (Rose Island, Athol Island and Pearl Island) and in Freeport on Grand Bahama. Both are real pigs in real water; the difference is the setting and the trip it takes to get there.

Yes. Half-day tours from downtown Nassau and Paradise Island reach pig beaches on Rose Island or Athol Island in 20 to 35 minutes by boat, usually with lunch, snorkel gear and beach time included. They run from about $79 to $150 and take 3.5 to 4 hours, which makes them the default pick for cruise passengers.

Around Nassau, expect $79 to $150 per person for a half day. Full-day powerboat trips from Nassau to the original Pig Beach in the Exumas run about $330 to $440, and fly-in tours about $850. If you are already staying on Great Exuma, cays tours start around $308. All prices on this page are live Viator from-prices and move with the season.

If the original Pig Beach, the Exuma water colours and the nurse sharks are the point of your trip, yes: reviewers rate these tours 4.7 to 4.8. Just know what you are buying. The boat ride is about two hours each way and can be bumpy, and most stops last 15 to 30 minutes. If you mainly want to feed and hold a piglet, a Nassau beach-club tour gives you more pig time for a third of the price.

Easily, from Nassau. The half-day Rose Island and Athol Island tours meet within walking distance of Prince George Wharf and return in about 4 hours, and the flagship offers a 2.5-hour highlight version. Full-day Exuma trips leave around 8:00 to 8:30 AM and return late afternoon, so only book one if your all-aboard time is well into the evening. More in our cruise guide.

They can nip, mostly by accident while grabbing food. Feed with a flat palm or the stick or cup the crew gives you, keep snacks out of sight until you are ready, and never hold food above a pig so it jumps at you. Big boars can be pushy in the water; let the guides manage them and keep small children close. See the rules guide.

In 2017 several pigs on Big Major Cay died, and vets found large amounts of sand in their stomachs, linked to visitors throwing food onto the beach during a dry spell. The response was feeding troughs, fresh-water tanks, volunteer care and the now-standard rule: feed in the water, never on the sand, and never give pigs alcohol or processed food. Choose operators that follow it.

Mornings, when the pigs are most active and hungry, and the calmer months from roughly November to May. December to April is peak season with the most boats; September to mid-November is quietest but sits in hurricane season, when trips can be cancelled for weather. Afternoon visits often find the pigs napping in the shade.

Yes, most tours take all ages, and piglet-holding is a highlight for kids. The Nassau half-day tours are easier for young children; the full Exuma powerboat days are long, sunny and bumpy, and several operators recommend them for ages 12 and up. Pregnant travellers are not permitted on the Exuma powerboat runs.

By powerboat tour (about 2 hours each way, from Paradise Island marinas), by small plane to Staniel Cay (about 40 minutes) and then a 10-minute boat ride, or by private charter. There is no public ferry to Big Major Cay. Our Pig Beach guide compares all three.

Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, water shoes (some beaches are rocky), a waterproof phone pouch, a towel (not every tour provides one), seasickness tablets for the Exuma powerboats and cash for tips and drinks. Leave your own pig snacks at home unless the operator says otherwise: tours supply appropriate feed.