Arawak natives inhabited the islands when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World on San Salvador Island in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, the Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US. Because the country is tax-free, it is well known as a business destination, and may companies have branches here.
The official language spoken in the Bahamas is English, however the dialect and slang is difficult for most Westerners and Europeans to understand, especially on the "out islands."
The locals speak very fast and use indigenous phrases. In general, the vast majority of Bahamiams are friendly, polite, and helpful to tourists. With the exception of Nassau, violent crimes are rare in the Bahamas.
The populace is predictably friendly and more religious than one might expect: the Bahamas have one of the highest ratios of churches per capita in the world, with Baptists being the largest single group. Local newspapers will reveal religious references by elected officials in a manner that exceeds what would be found in the United States. This devotion does nothing to prohibit the activities of visitors nor is it intended to. There is a very "libertarian" attitude about personal morals.
The biggest event in the Bahamian calendar is 'Junkanoo', a street parade held on Boxing Day (26 December) and New Year's Day (1 January). Junkanoo groups "rush" through the streets of towns, especially [wiki=b3a3a0c6d2cb7b5adc8d3568f73ad8b2]Nassau[/wiki], wearing spectacular yet disposable costumes of crepe paper and playing distinctive Junkanoo music, which combines African rhythms with loud brass and cowbells, fusing them together in a medley that veers on cacophony but is exceedingly danceable. The costumes, made from scratch every year, are disposed of on the streets as the party ends and make a great free souvenir to bring home!
There are many types of music known in the Bahamian culture but the four most prevalent forms of music are Calypso, Soca, Junkanoo and Rake and scrape. The music of the Bahamas is associated primarily with junkanoo, a celebration which occurs on Boxing Day and again on New Year's Day. Parades and other celebrations mark the ceremony. Groups like The Baha Men, Ronnie Butler and Kirkland Bodie have gained massive popularity in Japan, the United States and elsewhere.
The northern islands are subtropical have a very similar climate to South Florida. Summers are hot and rainy, while winters are drier and warm. Average winter lows are in the 60s, but cold snaps occasionally drop these into the 40s and 50s. The southern islands experience a tropical climate, with very stable warmth year round.
The Bahamas archipelago are in fact the tops of banks that were formed some time between 120,000 and 90,000 years ago from coral reef formation. The well known pink sand beaches of the Bahamas get their vibrant appearance from the fractured pieces of seashell combined with the sand.
The highest point in the Bahamas is Mount Alvernia on Cat Island, which is 63 meters (over 200 feet) high.
Wildlife in Bahamas contains various species. Many different breed of crabs can be found on the beaches. Hermit and Cardisoma guanhumi are two of the land crabs to be noted frequently in the island. The wild horses of Abaco are famous in The Bahamas.
During a tour of the Bahamas, tourists can come across various other species including the Bahamas Hutia, numerous frogs, rocky raccoon, snails such as Cerion, cicada, blind cave fish, ants and reptiles.
Bahamas Wildlife features a wide range of amazing birds. Parrots and pigeons are two of the most common and popular birds found in The Bahamas.
The Bahamas is also home to numerous aquatic life. Sharks, manatees, dolphins, frogfish, angelfish, starfish and turtles can be viewed in the waters surrounding The Bahamas. Apart from numerous species of fish, tourists can spot several types of worms also.
Long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills. The highest point is Mount Alvernia (63 m), on [wiki=1c6d2b5877583fbf9294cef67019ebb3]Cat Island[/wiki].
[wiki=379ac5b583924357f998f67f098f906a]Grand Bahama Island[/wiki] features breathtaking white sandy beaches, beautifully clear turquoise blue waters and plenty of lush, tropical foliage.
Officially 120V, 60Hz, which is identical to the US and Canadian standard. Outlets are North American grounded outlets, identical to standard US and Canadian wall outlets. Occasionally non-grounded outlets may be found, which do not accept the third, round pin present on grounded plugs, and require an adapter. Older North American outlets may not be polarized (with one slot wider than the other). Otherwise, adapters are available which accept a polarized plug and adapt it for use with a non-polarized outlet.
The Bahamas is listed as an independent member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The political and legal traditions of Bahamas closely follow the British ones, owing to their commonwealth membership.
The country has a parliamentary form of democracy and regular elections are held. The Bahamian senate consists of 16 members, who are appointed by the Governor-General. The Governor-General also appoints the Chief Justice on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Privy Council of the United Kingdom serves as the highest appellate court.
The local government districts in Bahamas elect local councils for town planning, business licenses, traffic issues and maintenance of government buildings. Lower level town councils are also accorded minor responsibilities in some large districts.
Citizens of the following countries/territories do not require a visa to visit the Bahamas for 3 months:
Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Azores, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gambia, Galapagos Islands, Georgia, Germany, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong SAR (HKSAR passport or CI), Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea-South, Kuwait, Latvia, Lesotho, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montserrat, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norfolk Islands, Norway, Oman, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent & The Grenadines, Saint Marten, Saint Pierre & Miquelon, Sao Tome & Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tahiti, Tanzania, Tokelau, Trinidad & Tobago, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Samoa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
Citizens of [wiki=f7e68bf0791888ebcd5bfc62e022aa83]Antigua and Barbuda[/wiki], [wiki=6c1674d14bf5f95742f572cddb0641a7]Belgium[/wiki], [wiki=445d337b5cd5de476f99333df6b0c2a7]Canada[/wiki], [wiki=31f47a0fd8d27394c362d03c701c3153]Demark[/wiki](including Greenland and Faroe Islands), [wiki=6b718641741f992e68ec3712718561b8]Greece[/wiki], [wiki=b78edab0f52e0d6c195fd0d8c5709d26]Iceland[/wiki], [wiki=1007e1b7f894dfbf72a0eaa80f3bc57e]Italy[/wiki], [wiki=da4e3775bd2de6c37fadd9b0188f7a4e]Liechtenstein[/wiki], [wiki=06630c890abadde9228ea818ce52b621]Luxembourg[/wiki], [wiki=3ad08396dc5afa78f34f548eea3c1d64]Switzerland[/wiki], [wiki=221cdfb73049678e244380b45872cbb2]Turkey[/wiki], [wiki=89f9c9f489be2a83cf57e53b9197d288]United Kingdom[/wiki](Including all territories), and [wiki=f253efe302d32ab264a76e0ce65be769]United States[/wiki]/[wiki=b86f99753a08d00fa3ca946d07ecac29]American Samoa[/wiki] can visit 8 months visa-free.
Visitors will be asked to complete an immigration form, which must be (presumably) returned upon departure from the Bahamas.
Holders of diplomatic or official passports issued to nationals of Haiti and holders of diplomatic, official or service passports issued to nationals of Cuba do not require a visa for the Bahamas.
If you require a visa to enter the Bahamas, you might be able to apply for one at a British embassy, high commission or consulate in the country where you legally reside if there is no Bahamian diplomatic post. For example, the British embassies in Al Khobar[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/saudiarabia/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null],]Amman[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/jordan/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Belgrade[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/serbia/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Budapest[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/hungary/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Damascus[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/syria/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Guatemala City[url=http://ukinguatemala.fco.gov.uk/en/visiting-uk/visas/countries-issue[/url],]Helsinki[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/finland/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Jakarta[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/indonesia/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Jeddah[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/saudiarabia/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Kiev[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/ukraine/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Moscow[url=http://www.ukvac-ru.com/images/Commonwealthcountries.pdf[/url],]Phnom Penh[url=http://ukincambodia.fco.gov.uk/en/visiting-uk/visas/faq/faqs-visa/commonwealth-visa[/url],]Prague[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/czech-republic/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Pristina[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/kosovo/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Qatar[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/qatar/commonwealth-bots/?langname=UK%20English[/url],]Rabat[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/morocco/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Riga[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/latvia/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Riyadh[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/saudiarabia/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Rome[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/italy/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Sofia[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/bulgaria/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Tallinn[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/estonia/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Tashkent[url=http://ukinuzbekistan.fco.gov.uk/en/visiting-uk/visas/faqs-main/visas-general/commonwealth-countries[/url],]Vienna[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/austria/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url],]Warsaw[url=http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/poland/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url]]and Zagreb[http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/croatia/commonwealth-bots/?langname=null[/url] accept Bahamian visa applications (this list is not exhaustive). British diplomatic posts charge £50 to process a Bahamian visa application and an extra £70 if the authorities in the Bahamas require the visa application to be referred to them. The authorities in the Bahamas can also decide to charge an additional fee if they correspond with you directly.
Travellers returning to the United States from the Caribbean must display their passport to get back into the States. This applies to minor children as well as adults. US immigration pre-clearance facilities are available at Nassau and Freeport.
The largest airports in the Bahamas are at the capital [wiki=b3a3a0c6d2cb7b5adc8d3568f73ad8b2]Nassau[/wiki], on New Providence, and [wiki=ca3fa8834badb58543e5349465c8ccf2]Freeport[/wiki], on Grand Bahama. Smaller airports are scattered amongst the other islands. As of July 1, 2013, a new tax has been imposed on planes landing in the Bahamas, whether it be private or commercial, for a stay or a technical stop, all will now incur an extra usage fee. Private flights using the C7A Inward General Declaration forms will be charged a $50.00 fee upon arrival, paid to Customs. The Outbound General Declaration Form is covered in the initial fee. Commercial flights using the C7 Inward General Declaration forms will now be charged a $75.00 when entering and another $75.00 when exiting the Bahamas to be collected by Customs. These taxes are in addition to the Departure tax of $25.00 per person, including crew.
The Bahamas are a popular port of call for cruise ships plying the Caribbean. The capital, [wiki=b3a3a0c6d2cb7b5adc8d3568f73ad8b2]Nassau[/wiki], on [wiki=fc4c602ded4240223d9e8fdd050f2c58]New Providence Island[/wiki] is one of the world's busiest cruise ship ports, and is well served by ships that originate from [wiki=eeaca0ed2f6a35370c77de30792debb8]Florida[/wiki]. [wiki=ca3fa8834badb58543e5349465c8ccf2]Freeport[/wiki] on [wiki=379ac5b583924357f998f67f098f906a]Grand Bahama Island[/wiki] is a growing destination as well.
Most island groups have customs and immigration available for those arriving by yacht. The customs fee for a private yacht is $150 for 35' and under and $300 for over 35'.
Royal Caribbean has their own island in the Bahamas called Coco Cay. This island is leased by Royal Caribbean, rather than being fully owned such as Disney's ownership arrangement for Castaway Cay. It is strictly for Royal Caribbean cruisers. The island has 25 little shops for souvenirs and their own private beaches, as well as water games in the middle of the clear crystal blue ocean. They have a BBQ and main picnic area for the cruise employees as well as the people that Royal Caribbean hire to live and work on the island. Royal Caribbean is busy all year round because of the hot climate in the bahamas, that they have frequent travelers through all the months of the year.
Disney's Castaway Cay, formerly known as Gorda Cay, is a privately owned island near the island of Abaco, close to Sandy Point. This island differs from most of the leased cays in the fact that it is privately owned by The Walt Disney Company and has its own dock so that tendering is not necessary. Castaway Cay has separate areas for families, teens an adults. The island also contains a fiber optic network which connects to the ship.
There are ferries that leave from Fort Lauderdale.
The coastal Bahamas is defined by its shallow waters and it is distinguishable from most other Island areas of the Caribbean for this reason. ‘Bahamas’ actually equates to ‘shallow water’ in old Spanish. Shallow coastal water is a doubled edged sword for tourism, because although it often means the scenery, beaches, anchorages and landscapes are scenic and perfect for water based activities it also means yachts with deep draughts cannot easily cruise the area. One solution is catamarans and another is shallow draught motor yachts. There are a number of shallow boats based in the area and typically shallow boats visit in larger numbers than deeper ones. Accordingly, visiting and local yacht charter boats tend to also have shallow keels.
Bahamasair [url=http://www.bahamasair.com/]]offers a comprehensive network radiating out from [[Nassau[/url]] and covering most population centers. However, fares are expensive, frequencies are low, planes are small and the airline is notorious for extensive delays, and many travellers in a hurry opt to charter planes instead.
Another option to travel around the islands of the Bahamas is to take some of the newest alternative airlines such as Sky Bahamas, Western Air, Southern Air, Flamingo, Pineapple or Lee Air. Sky Bahamas occasionally travels into Ft Lauderdale to and from the Bahamas from Bimini Island. But the other airlines as mentioned before can take you from Nassau (the capital) to Freeport in the North to as far as Rum Cay in the Southern Bahamas. Check out the destination list below to see which airline fly's to which destination in the Bahamas.
Sky Bahamas- Nassau to Freeport, Exuma, Long Island, Bimini, Abaco, Cat Island & Ft Lauderdale.
Western Air- Nassau to Freeport, Abaco, Bimini, Andros
Flamingo Air- Nassau to Staniel Cay, Exuma
Lee Air- Nassau to Eleuthera, Staniel Cay, Exuma
Southern Air- Nassau to Eleuthera, Long Island, Rum Cay, Cat Island
Pineapple Air- Nassau to Eleuthera, Cat Island
[http://www.bahamasstayandplay.com/trips-to-the-bahamas.html]
Nassau/New Providence have a system of buses called jitneys, discussed in the [wiki=b3a3a0c6d2cb7b5adc8d3568f73ad8b2]Nassau[/wiki] article. Bus travel on the other islands (with the exception of Grand Bahama) is very limited.
Taxis are very expensive. A short ride from the airport to Cable Beach costs $18 and to downtown Nassau is $26. Between Cable Beach and downtown Nassau expect to pay $15-$20 with no room to negotiate.
Major car rental agencies are available at the international airports at Nassau and Freeport but are harder to find on the Out Islands.
The car rental agencies at the airports use the secure parking lot model where they walk out with you to the car. When you come back, you go back into the car rental center to return the key and close out your account.
Unfortunately, like many other CARICOM nations, the Bahamas government has failed to implement common sense reforms to make rental cars visually indistinguishable from ordinary private vehicles. Rental cars are marked as such by a "SD" (self drive) prefix on their license plate numbers, which marks tourists as targets.
Bahamians drive on the left like British drivers and the signage and road design are British. This includes the British tendency to implement roundabouts instead of traffic lights where space allows. Most Bahamians drive aggressively and recklessly, similar to New York City residents, and this is most evident in congested central Nassau. Lane markings fade rapidly in the tropical heat and rain, there are huge potholes everywhere, signage (especially street name signs) is frequently missing or unclear, and driveways lack the reflecting mirrors used in the United States to help drivers see around blind corners.
Renting a car is very expensive in Nassau and Freeport ($80 per day and up) and less expensive ($60 per day and up) on the Out Islands. Many car rental agencies do not offer Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) or cannot offer CDW that will completely reduce your liability for damage to the vehicle to $0. Most Nassau agencies offer relatively new vehicles but that is not always the case on the other islands.
Also, many luxury resorts have only valet parking or charge high self-parking fees.
Remember that you are not in Hawaii or Puerto Rico; the Bahamas lack significant mountains or tropical rain forests and are dominated by scrub brush. (There were a few forests on some of the larger islands but they were all cut down by early European settlers.) Outside of the cities, resorts, and beaches, there is really not that much beautiful scenery to see. Thus, whether you can justify the cost of renting a car comes down to the pure convenience of being able to go where you please when you please, without having to wait for a jitney or having to keep finding and paying taxi drivers.
Mail boats serve almost all populated islands in the Bahamas, and are amongst the cheapest way to reach many areas, though far from the fastest or most comfortable. The government has a mailboat schedule of mailboat routes online[http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/BahamasWeb/Port+Department1/sitehome.nsf/Subjects/Mail+Boat+Schedule] which may or may not reflect reality.
* Yacht charters are common, especially for wealthy visitors who hire larger super and mega yachts for the high season in the Caribbean.
Soda can be quite expensive in the hotels, and you will find it only on a soda tap if you are in a good restaurant; otherwise, you will usually get it in a can. The cheapest way to get this would be to go to a local "Food Mart."
"Goombay Punch" is the local soda. It has a pineapple flavor and is what the locals call a "Sweet" soda versus a cola. It is sold in cans at all grocery stores and also available in almost every Bahamian eatery.
Non-alcoholic malt beverages are also very popular. The primary brand of choice is Vita-Malt.
Kalik is the national beer of the Bahamas and is always served at "all-inclusive" resorts. There are three rather distinct types: "Kalik regular" which has 4% alcohol and a smooth refreshing taste, "Kalik Light" which has been often compared to a Budweiser is a light lager which delivers the same great taste as the regular kalik but with a lower alcohol content and less calories, "Kalik Gold" has 7% alcohol, though very potent it has an excellent taste, which gives you an extra feel of the island. Guinness is also very popular.
A new beer is available -- called Sands. It can be obtained at many resorts and in the local liquor stores. It is a similar style product to Kalik. Sands is now readily available in both regular and light.
Imported beer can be incredibly expensive in the hotels but is not overly priced in bars and liquor stores. Cases of beer are available in a variety of Duty Free liquor stores.
In Freeport, the Port Lucaya Marketplace and Marina has many bars offering two Kaliks (and some other brews) for $5.
The drinking age is 18, however it is weakly enforced and teenage drinking is common.
The Bahamas has significant amount of liquor stores in relation to the population of the country. You can find liquors stores downtown, in the hotels , the port lucaya marketplace and as you continue to the tour the island, if you may not be sure of exactly where one may be located please feel free to ask for assistance.
It is illegal to import a firearm or ammunition into The Bahamas or to possess a firearm in the country without appropriate permission. Tourists who arrive by private boat are required to declare firearms to Bahamian Customs and leave firearms on the boat while in The Bahamas. Penalties for illegal possession of a firearm or ammunition are strict, and can involve heavy fines, lengthy prison terms, or both.
Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offences. Persons violating Bahamian laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. Police enforcement is aggressive in tourist areas, as drug dealers are known to frequent areas where tourists congregate. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in the Bahamas are strict, and convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and heavy fines.