How to get to the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park

Sort out three things before you head in: the park office on VHF 09, payment through ParkPay, and the rules for arriving boats. The park’s headquarters are at Warderick Wells. Staniel Cay lies outside the park boundary¹.

What is the best way to get to the Exumas?

The park is part of the Exuma chain, so your first job is to reach the Exumas. Staniel Cay is accessible by boat, regularly scheduled flights, charter airplanes and private planes, and sits about 75 miles southeast of Nassau². Staniel Cay and Black Point also have small airstrips served by charter or scheduled charter airlines⁸.

Exuma International Airport serves the island of Great Exuma, including George Town, directly from Nassau, Miami, Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Charlotte and Toronto⁸. The getting-there hub lists every route. For the air side, see flying to Staniel Cay and flying to Great Exuma. If you cross from Florida in your own boat, read Florida to the Exumas by boat.

How long is the boat trip from Nassau?

Wikipedia states that boat travel from Nassau to the Northern Exuma Cays is approximately one hour⁸. The Nassau to the Exumas by boat guide covers the passage for your own boat.

If you would rather book a guided trip than run your own boat, Powerboat Adventures says its boats leave daily around 9am from the Paradise Island ferry terminal and arrive back in Nassau around 5pm¹¹. Bahamas Air Tours puts the flight from Nassau to Staniel Cay at approximately 30 to 40 minutes, and confirms flight details the evening before¹⁰. The Nassau day trip guide lists what to ask a tour operator.

Can you reach the park from George Town?

George Town is on Great Exuma, which Exuma International Airport serves⁸. Staniel Cay Adventures lists a group tour that runs through the Exuma Land and Sea Park to Normans Cay⁹. The George Town to Staniel Cay guide covers that leg, and Great Exuma and George Town covers the island.

How do you get from Staniel Cay into the park?

Staniel Cay is outside the park¹. Staniel Cay Yacht Club says the approaches from both the banks to the west and the Exuma Sound to the east are relatively straightforward². The club also says it greets guests at the Staniel Cay Airport for transfer to a vacation rental².

Staniel Cay Adventures describes the lagoon on the north end of Compass Cay as bordering Conch Cut, an inlet from Exuma Sound, and the southern boundary of the park⁹. To go from the cay to the park, see Staniel Cay to Exuma Park.

How do you call the park office?

The park office takes calls on VHF channel 09: call “Exuma Park”¹. The office is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to noon on Sunday¹. The office sits on a remote small island, so a call can take time to get through¹.

For emergencies, use channel 16, which is monitored 24 hours a day¹. Contact the Bahamas Defence Force on VHF 16¹. More channels are in the VHF channels guide.

How do you pay park fees?

Park fees are paid through the Bahamas National Trust’s ParkPay app or site³. The park does not take reservations, and paying in advance does not guarantee a mooring³. All marine and park fees carry 10% Bahamas VAT at checkout, a rule in force since 1 January 2022³.

The rates by boat length are in park fees and mooring fees, and how moorings work explains getting a ball. The mooring fields guide lists each field. Fees change. Check the ParkPay page on the day you pay.

What rules apply when you arrive?

Anchoring is not permitted in the mooring fields or on coral reefs, every vessel runs at idle speed in a mooring field or anchorage, and the park is a no-take zone⁴. Read the park rules, the anchoring rules and the dinghy rules before you go.

How do you clear into the Bahamas by boat?

If you sail in from outside the country, Bahamas Customs sets the cruising permit. These are the 6-month and 12-month fees for boats of 50 feet and under and for boats over 50 and up to 100 feet⁵:

Permit term	50 ft and under	Over 50 ft, to 100 ft
6 months	$300	$7505
12 months	$500	$1,0005

Customs adds a passenger arrival tax of $20 per person for non-resident crew and passengers aged six or older on a pleasure vessel with more than three of them⁶. A vessel cannot be approved by a Customs Officer until it is paid in full⁶. The cruising permit guide and the guide to clearing customs by boat have the full picture.

How do you use Staniel Cay as a staging point?

Staniel Cay has a 3,000-foot airstrip for arrivals by air, and Makers Air flies there daily from Fort Lauderdale². Staniel Cay Airport closes Sept 21 to Oct 31, and Makers Air flights operate via Black Point in that window⁷. The Staniel Cay flights page has the airstrip details, and Staniel Cay covers the cay itself.