Abacos Travel Guide

This trip was truly one of a kind. Clinton’s family has always loved doing boat trips. They have explored Italy, The Exumas, and even the Abacos by boat one time before this trip. It is truly a great way to see the multiple islands in one trip. I definitely recommend staying 5-6 nights on the boat to make sure you get to see as much as possible and trust me there’s a ton to see in the Abacos! Chartering a boat is by far the best way to see all that the islands have to offer. We chartered our boat through Cruise Abaco and stayed on the Sea Dove! This trip is perfect for you if you like to snorkel, explore, and if you enjoy the rustic island life. I asked you guys a few weeks ago to send me the questions you had about the trip, and I have summed them all up in this post! Happy exploring.

How did we charter our own boat?

You actually do not have to have a sailing license to charter the boat we went on. However, it is highly recommended (obviously) that whomever is captaining your boat have a great deal of boating experience. Clinton and his dad had to do a test drive with the owners of Cruise Abaco to prove they knew how to handle a boat that size, which included using the anchor, docking, and all of the other stuff that goes over my head. If you would rather sit back and relax on your trip and not worry about driving the boat, they do have an option where you can have someone drive it for you; it just cost a litttttlee (a lot) more ;)

How did we choose the islands we went to?

Clinton and his family had been to these islands before so they did have an idea of which islands we should check out; however, Cruise Abaco has a recommended itinerary of the islands they suggest you visit. You can follow that itinerary or simply hit the spots you would like. The good thing is, you can’t go wrong with any spots you decide to go. I recommend checking out this website, to learn a little about each island you can visit. Each offer a unique experience.

Our full Itinerary:

Day 1

We flew into Marsh Harbour and checked in with Cruise Abaco. You can get your boat fully stocked with groceries, but we decided to go to the grocery store located 5 minutes away. There are tons of taxis that can take you anywhere around the island. We docked at Marsh Harbour night 1 and had dinner at Angler's. They have an awesome outdoor bar with life music and a pool you have full access to if you are chartering a boat or staying at the resort in Marsh Harbour.

Day 2

We set off to Hope Town. Hope Town, is where the iconic red and white lighthouse is located. We anchored outside of the marina that night and took the dingy boat to the island to explore. We ate at Cap’n Jack’s for dinner that night and it was so delicious.

Day 3

We woke up early and set sail to Tahiti Beach. It was probably my favorite spot of the trip and my favorite day! We snorkeled, explored the island, and had a blast jumping off the boat. This is the island with the giant leaning palm tree. You can walk on one side of the island and see the pass into the Atlantic Ocean, which is truly something to see. That afternoon we took the dingy over to Cracker P’s, in Lubers Quarters Cay for appetizers. After we had a few rum punches, we came back to the boat and grilled out burgers for dinner. It was the perfect day.

Day 4

Halfway through our journey we decided to go to Great Guana Cay. Out of all of the islands we went to, this was the one with the most activities. Nippers is a very popular bar and restaurant that has beautiful beach access (great snorkeling) and this is where we hung out the majority of the day. On Sunday’s they do a pig roast, and it was an absolute blast. The colorful tables are really cool. We actually saw the guy who recently won American Idol at the bar.

Day 5

There was so much to do in Great Guana Cay that we stayed two nights. We spent the majority of our second day on this island at Grabbers. Grabbers is another (more kid friendly) restaurant and bar with beach access as well. We loved Grabbers because they gather conk shells and make conk salad right in front of you. If you have never had conk salad… it is life changing. They also have several hammocks that line the beach. It is a must see spot in the Abacos.

Day 6

We made our longest haul over to Little Harbour for our final day out on the water. We stopped at Tilloo Cay along the way. Tilloo Cay had so much wild life. The sting rays were longer than my body, and we found so many conk shells. There was also a super neat spot with rustic swings. Once we made it to Little Harbour it was a breath taking spot. When we were pulling in, we saw about 10 turtles. They were everywhere. We ate at Pete’s Pub that night, which was out favorite dinner of the entire trip. The restaurant has a pathway that leads to the Atlantic Ocean. The view is unbelievable.

Day 7

This was our last day before setting sail back to Marsh Harbour. We woke up and played on the epic swings in Little Harbour. Clinton and I took the dingy to a dock that had stairs to a birds nest that over looked the entire island. We captured some fun drone coverage and ahh it is something I will always remember. After we spent the morning exploring, we traveled back to Marsh Harbour to spend one last night at the docks. It was hard to leave, but we are already brainstorming our next boat trip. The islands are always calling our name.