How much does a trip to the Exumas cost? Day trips, charters, park fees and permits

An Exumas trip splits into four costs: how you get there, the boat or the tour, the fees you pay along the way, and the supplies you buy once you arrive. Hotel rates and airfares are not covered here; see where to stay in the Exumas for lodging.

Cost at a glance

Item	Price	Notes
Nassau powerboat day trip	$299 per adult + 10% tax1	Children $190 + tax1
Nassau plane day trip, Staniel Cay Adventures	$597 round trip6	Children 6 and under $2346
Nassau plane tour, Bahamas Air Tours	$850 per person7	Transfers and lunch included7
Bareboat charter, 7 days, 2 people	From $4,5292	Low-season starting price2
Park mooring, charter boat under 40 ft	$30 per night3	VAT included3
Cruising permit, 30 days, boat 30 to 50 ft	$2504	Plus $20 arrival tax per person in some cases4
Water at Staniel Cay Yacht Club	$0.40 per gallon5	Ice $7 per bag5

Prices are in dollars as the sources quote them. Operators change prices without notice, so confirm before you book or pay.

Day trips from Nassau

Most visitors who see the Exumas without their own boat do it as a day trip from Nassau. Three operators publish prices.

Original Powerboat Adventures charges $299 per adult plus 10% tax, and $190 plus tax per child¹. The boats leave daily around 9am from the Paradise Island ferry terminal and arrive back in Nassau around 5pm¹². A cooked lunch, a conch salad show and an open bar are included¹.

Staniel Cay Adventures flies guests out: the Nassau departure is at 8:00 AM, arrival is at 8:45 AM, and the price is $597 round trip⁶. Children 6 and under pay $234⁶. Its prices exclude 10% VAT and a 5% credit card processing fee⁶.

Bahamas Air Tours prices two versions. The plane tour is $850 per person, with a 30-minute flight, 7 Exuma attractions, and transfers and lunch included⁷. The powerboat tour is $550 per person, with a 3-hour boat ride one way and 4 Exuma attractions⁷.

For two adults on the powerboat trip, the cost is $598 before tax, or $657.80 with the 10% tax¹. The Nassau day trip guide covers how the options differ.

Chartering a boat for a week

The Moorings, a charter company based at Palm Cay in Nassau, quotes starting prices for a seven-day Exumas charter for two people from $4,529 to $49,919². A bareboat starts at $4,529 in low season and $15,559 in high season². Adding a skipper to a bareboat costs $345 per night², which is $2,415 over seven nights².

Additional costs for two people on a seven-day charter start from around $1,300². That puts the cheapest bareboat week for two at about $5,829². The base offers Wi-Fi through a service partner for approximately $150 to $200 for a seven-day rental¹⁰. Guests can pre-order provisioning online, and it must be ordered 6 days before the charter starts¹⁰.

The company also holds a refundable security deposit at the base, paid by Visa or Mastercard, returned at the end of the charter if there is no loss or damage¹⁰. A full tank of fuel is included in the price for all of its sailing yachts¹¹.

Other charter companies price differently. Our Exumas yacht charter guide covers how to compare them.

Park fees and moorings

The Bahamas National Trust collects park fees through its ParkPay page, and all marine and park fees carry 10% Bahamas VAT, applied at checkout, since 1 January 2022³. The table shows the ParkPay prices for charter-vessel mooring products, with VAT included.

Boat length	Mooring, per night
Up to 39’11”	$303
40’ to 49’11”	$403
50’ to 59’11”	$503
60’ to 69’11”	$803
70’ to 89’11”	$1153
90’ to 119’	$1503
120’ to 150’	$1903

Charter vessels also pay an additional $14.00 per person per day on top of mooring and anchorage fees³. A 45-foot charter boat with four guests on a mooring ball for seven nights therefore pays $96 a night, or $672³. For private-boat rates and anchoring fees, see the full park fees and mooring fees page.

Camping needs a permit that costs $250 and is valid for a maximum of 10 days⁹. The daily user fee for kayaking and camping is $25.00 per person per day⁹. Camping is only allowed at Hawksbill, Warderick Wells and O’Briens⁹.

The Trust takes no mooring reservations, and paying in advance does not guarantee a mooring³.

Entry fees for your own boat

A boat arriving under its own power clears in at a designated port of entry and buys a cruising permit from Bahamas Customs. The 30-day temporary permit costs $150 for a boat not exceeding 30 feet, $250 from 30 to 50 feet, $350 from 50 to 100 feet and $600 over 100 feet⁴.

Permit	50 ft and under	50 to 100 ft
6 months	$3004	$7504
12 months	$5004	$1,0004

The 6-month permit includes one free return visit and the 12-month permit includes two⁸. A passenger arrival tax of $20.00 per person applies to a pleasure vessel that brings more than three crew or passengers aged six or older who are not Bahamas residents⁴.

An anchorage fee for the permit applies only when the vessel is not mooring at a marina, and the 30-day rates are $50, $100 and $200 by size band⁸. When you leave, a clearance certificate for your next port outside the Bahamas costs $75.00⁴. The cruising permit cost guide has the full table, and the customs clearance guide covers the process.

Fuel, water, ice and trash

Staniel Cay Yacht Club’s marina sells fuel, electricity, fresh RO water, ice and bait⁵. Water is $0.40 per gallon, ice and bait ice are $7 per bag, and trash charges are $8 per bag⁵. The fuel dock is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily⁵.

Trash disposal is not available inside Exuma Park, so take out everything you bring in⁹. The fuel, water and provisioning guide lists what else you can buy along the chain.

Putting a trip together

Add the pieces that match how you travel.

• Day trip: ticket price plus tax, plus a landing fee if your operator does not include it^1,3.
• Charter week: base price, any skipper, the $1,300 starting figure for extra costs, and the park’s mooring and per-person fees^2,3.
• Own boat: cruising permit, arrival tax if you carry more than three passengers, park fees, and marina supplies^4,3,5.

Fees change. For more planning pages, start at the Plan hub. Check the Trust’s ParkPay page on the day you pay, and Bahamas Customs for the permit you need.