About The Abacos

The Abacos are an island hopper's paradise.

The Abacos are a group of islands and cays forming a boomerang-shaped 120-mile-long island chain that stretches over 650 square miles. Geographically, The Abacos are simply ideal for boating and sailing. Great Abaco’s coastline is scalloped with bays and coves and protected harbors that feature full-service marinas and resorts. Great Abaco Island and Little Abaco serve as the “mainland,” with a string of barrier islands separating them from the Atlantic. The body of water between – a turquoise nirvana for those boaters and sailors – is the calm, shallow Sea of Abacos.

Great Abaco Island

Marsh Harbour

Great Abaco Island is home to Marsh Harbour, the “bright lights and big city” of the Out Islands. And to put that into perspective, Marsh Harbour has exactly one traffic light (the only operating one in all The Bahamas Out Islands!). Along with having a great selection of hotels, restaurants and bars, Marsh Harbour is charter boat central, with several full-service marinas where you can dock your own boat or find a rental – both live-aboard sailboats and powerboats are available.

Treasure Cay

North of Marsh Harbour is Treasure Cay, a hotel, golf, marina and real estate development wrapped around a beach with the whitest, softest sand you’ve ever seen. To the south lies Little Harbour, a picturesque protected bay where you’ll find a small artist colony based around the Johnston family and Pete Johnston’s  Pete 's Pub and Gallery.

The Cays of Abaco

Set out across the Sea of Abaco from Great Abaco Island, and you can steer toward any one of a number of islands – each a vacation destination in its own right. This is an island hopper's paradise.

The Abacos were settled by English colonists who remained loyal to the crown after the American Revolutionary War, which is why the settlements like Hope Town on Elbow Cay and New Plymouth on Green Turtle Cay have the look of New England fishing towns complete with picket fences and gingerbread trim – of course with the distinctive Bahamian touch of pastel colors.

Hope Town

Hope Town is home to the famous candy-striped lighthouse, a favorite photo subject now, but quite controversial when it was under construction back in 1863 because up until then, the island’s residents had been making a comfortable living by salvaging ships that wrecked on the offshore reefs.

Man-O-War Cay

North of Elbow Cay, Man-O-War is another Loyalist settlement, a conservative “dry” island, and The Abacos’ boat-building center, with a wonderful naturally protected harbor and boat-fitting and sail shops. Next up the chain is beachy Great Guana Cay, famed for the Sunday barbecues thrown at Nippers Bar that sits atop the island’s tall sand dune, which overlooks Guana’s magnificent seven-mile-long beach.