What is the Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park? Size, rules and who runs it

The Exuma Cays Land & Sea Park is a protected stretch of cays and water in the Exumas, run by the Bahamas National Trust³. This page covers what it is, how big it is and who is on site. The full picture is on the park hub.

What the park is

Established in 1958, the park is the first marine reserve in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean¹. The Bahamas National Trust calls it the first of its kind in the world, set up after the government adopted the recommendations of a survey team¹. The team was a group of Bahamian and North American conservationists that Ilya Tolstoy assembled in 1958, and its report concluded that the area had “outstanding natural values”¹. The Bahamas National Trust Act was then signed on July 13, 1959, creating the Trust¹. The full story is in the park history.

The boundaries and map page shows where the line runs, and the park versus the wider Exumas sorts out which sights fall on which side.

How big it is

The park covers 112,640 acres of land and sea, or 176 square miles¹. Its centre is about 24.42 N, 76.69 W³. A survey report proposed a park of the cays from Shroud Cay to Bell Island, leaving out cays already under lease or privately owned⁴.

Who is on site

Wardens and Bahamas Defence Force officers are stationed at Warderick Wells and keep up constant patrols and surveillance of the park¹. Three Defence Force officers are stationed at park headquarters to help park staff with enforcement¹. The headquarters are on Warderick Wells².

To report poaching or other suspicious activity, call “Exuma Park” on VHF channel 09¹. For the base itself, see Warderick Wells headquarters.

What it protects

Visitors can see birds, fish, turtles and iguanas in the park, and the park has high bird activity¹. For more on what lives there, read wildlife in the park. In 2018 the park won the Platinum Global Ocean Refuge Award¹. As the first Land and Sea Park in the world, it has contributed significantly to the development of marine protected areas around the globe¹.

Pets have destroyed bird nesting sites and cost the park rare or endangered species, including the rock iguana and the hutia². That is the reason for the pet policy: pets are restricted to beaches only and may not go on trails or into the brush².

The hutia is nocturnal and the only land mammal native to The Bahamas⁶. A small population was transplanted to Warderick Wells⁶. The hutia is protected under the Wild Animals (Protection) Act⁶.

Camping and kayaking

Camping and kayaking in the park need a camping permit, which costs $250 and is valid for a maximum of 10 days². Camping is only allowed at Hawksbill, Warderick Wells and O’Briens². Campers and kayakers also pay $25.00 per person per day in user fees². The park rules cover the rest of the camping policy.

The rules in one minute

Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park is a NO TAKE ZONE: no fishing, conching, shelling or lobstering. Nothing living or dead may be removed from within the boundaries of the park².

Poaching brings fines and confiscation of vessels². There is no trash disposal in the park, so take out everything you bring in². Read the full list, including anchoring, idle speed, pets, camping and fires, in the park rules, and the no-take zone guide for what counts as taking.

Fees, moorings and the office

Boats pay a daily fee through ParkPay, and the park takes no mooring reservations⁵. Every rate, by boat length, is on the fees and mooring fees page.

Call “Exuma Park” on VHF channel 09¹. The office is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 9am to noon¹. It sits on a small, remote island, so contact can sometimes be challenging¹. Channel 16 is monitored 24 hours a day for emergencies¹.

If you are weighing a day trip, the Nassau day trip guide covers it, and how to get to the park lists every route. The park is the most visited national park in The Bahamas¹.