Swimming Pigs Bahamas: Nassau or the Exumas
Swimming pigs in the Bahamas: the famous ones are on Big Major Cay in the Exumas, about 134 km from Nassau. What the trips off Nassau are, and when each one fits.
Two different places share the name. The swimming pigs that made the Bahamas famous live on Big Major Cay in the Exumas, which the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism calls “also known as Pig Beach”. It is about 134 km from Nassau in a straight line, and reached only by boat. The swimming pigs from Nassau are on small islands a short ride from the harbour, Rose Island, Athol Island or Pearl Island depending on the boat. If you are staying in Nassau or stopping there on a cruise ship, the Nassau-side trip is the one that fits into a morning: BahaWaterTours’ 3 Islands Tour ends with 2 hours on Rose Island and costs from $175 per adult on Viator (checked November 2026), lunch included.
Swim with the pigs, Bahamas: the two places side by side
| Islands off Nassau | Big Major Cay, the Exumas | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the pigs are | Rose, Athol or Pearl Island: each boat names its own | Big Major Cay, an uninhabited cay in the Exumas |
| Getting there | A boat from Nassau or Paradise Island; 15 to 30 minutes each way on the trips that state the ride | “Only accessible by boat”, in the Ministry’s words |
| Distance from Nassau | The islands just east of the harbour | About 134 km in a straight line |
| Rules for visitors | None issued for these islands | Signs listing approved foods, and a feeding trough, per the Ministry |
| Who you go with | Beach clubs and boat operators; see what each trip includes | A boat tour or your own boat |
What the Ministry of Tourism says about the Exuma pigs
The Ministry’s page on the swimming pigs is about Big Major Cay only (bahamas.com, checked November 2026). In its words, “Big Major Cay is uninhabited and the pigs are not native to the island”, and “there are now about 20 pigs and piglets” there. The cay has signs “that communicate rules and regulations to visitors”, listing approved foods: “fruits, vegetables, bread, and pig feed that can be purchased locally”. A trough “acts as a designated place to feed the pigs so that they don’t ingest excess sand or saltwater”, and the Ministry encourages “visitors to act responsibly when interacting with our friendly pigs of Big Major Cay”.
Those rules belong to Big Major Cay. The page names no island off Nassau, and it states no rule for the pig stops on Rose, Athol or Pearl Island. On those, the operator running the beach sets how the feeding works, and the reviews describe it trip by trip: see are the Nassau swimming pigs wild.
Swimming with pigs in the Bahamas, starting from Nassau
The Ministry’s page also says: “If you’re staying in Nassau or The Exumas, you can easily book a day trip to see the swimming pigs.” From Nassau, a day trip to the Exuma pigs means a full day by fast boat or by small plane, priced well above the Nassau-side trips. This site does not compare those.
What it compares are the trips to the islands off Nassau, which take 3 to about 6 hours from the dock and back. On most of them the pig stop is a beach club on Rose Island, with a reef snorkel and a turtle stop on the way.
When the Nassau-side trip is the right one
- You are in port for the day. BahaWaterTours meets at the charter booths outside Senor Frog’s near the cruise port, at 10:00 AM or 1:00 PM, for about four hours. See swimming pigs from the cruise port.
- You want the pigs plus a snorkel. The 3 Islands Tour adds a reef snorkel at Pearl Island and an hour at Green Turtle Cay before Rose Island.
- You have children with you. BahaWaterTours prices children aged 6 to 12 at $150 and seats infants on an adult’s lap.
If seeing the original cay matters more than the morning, the Exumas trip is the one, and none of the boats on this site goes there. If a morning with the pigs is the point, the 3 Islands Tour is the simplest way to do it from Nassau.
The Pigs Off Nassau in One Morning
BahaWaterTours' 3 Islands Tour: a reef snorkel at Pearl Island, turtles at Green Turtle Cay and 2 hours on Rose Island with the pigs, lunch included, about four hours.
Check dates on Viator