An Introduction To Vacation Rentals, Resort Hotels and Map Guide Information on The Islands and Settlements of The Bahamas' Abaco Islands Including Maps and Photography of The Bahamas' Undiscovered Abacos

All About
The Unforgettable Abaco Islands
(Part 3)

More to come!
Over the next few months, Go - Abacos will be expanding its selection of vacation rentals and related services for Green Turtle Cay, Marsh Harbour, Elbow Cay-Hope Town as well as many of The Abacos' other cays. We are constantly working to add undiscovered, exciting or unique vacation-oriented content to Go - Abacos' site.

Civilized yet uncrowded - the Abaco islands offer significant man-made amenities:
Although you won't find the sets or sights of "Bali Hai" or "Blue Lagoon" anywhere in The Abacos, each of these un- or under-populated and ridiculously picturesque islands and settlements has its own unique charms as well as a surprisingly civilized selection of man-made attractions for Travelers. For these reasons and many others, The Abacos is a favorite destination of island experts, knowledgeable Travelers, yachtsmen, fishermen and sailors who call it the "The Winter Sailing Capital of the World". In addition to the islands' unique natural and cultural assets, The Abacos' man-made assets include:

20+ marinas
Museums of History (Hope Town, Coopers Town and Green Turtle)
Museum of Island Marine Life
Abaco National Park - 20,500 acre sanctuary for the Abaco Parrot
Underwater parks and preserves - 2 (please see our "Diving" pages)
Medical facilities - nurses can be found in all populated areas
Doctors, dentists and opthalomogists can be found in Marsh Harbour
Clinics - the largest are in Treasure Cay, Marsh Harbour and Coopers Town
An 18 hole golf course (Treasure Cay)
8 airstrips-airports (located throughout the mainland and on several cays)
11 tennis courts (Marsh Harbour, Elbow, Green Turtle and Treasure Cays)

An exceptionally convenient location
Located just east of Grand Bahama island and extending on latitude lines which intersect (approx.) Palm Beach, Florida on the north and (approx.) Miami on the south, the cays of The Abacos look a lot like the South Sea Island hideouts that occupy the dreams of romantic escapists.

Even though The Abacos are less than 70 minutes by air from South Florida's three international airports (and approx. 25 miles east of Grand Bahama's eastern-most tip), they have (fortunately) yet to be "discovered" by the hoards of disco dancing, black-socks-and-sandals wearing, casino gambling, all-night-partying Tourists who, like a gaggle of geese or a mindless swarm of moths, flock to the seemingly all-pervasive neon lights, disco-'till-dawn, wall-to-wall crowds traditionally associated with the heavily advertised and equally heavily promoted Bahamian highrise havens of Freeport and Nassau.

According to the experts
According to the internationally noted cruising authority, Julius Wilensky (author of "Cruising Guide To The Abacos") ...

"I've explored the Biminis, the Exumas, the Berry Islands ... and The Abacos wins hands down for variety and interest ashore; excellent harbors; interesting and hospitable settlements and excellent beaches (114K DOWNLOAD - but worth it!) The Abacos waters are among the world's clearest and most colorful, (and) Abaco fishing equals that of Bimini, which is among the best anywhere."

The Abaco islands are the second largest of The Bahamas' Out Island groupings (Andros is #1). With a 1997 population estimated at 12,000+, the Abacos' main islands (Great Abaco and Little Abaco) and myriad offshore Cays cover approximately 650 square miles of land area and extend for about 120 miles from Walker's Cay on the north to Hole in the Wall on the southern end.

The Abaco mainland's recently completed (and fully graded and tarred) highway now connects all the "mainland" Abaco settlements, with electricity, phone and associated services gradually extending throughout the entire island group. Originally settled by the Arawak (sometimes called "Lucayans") Indians, and then resettled by American Tories during and after the U.S.'s Revolutionary War, the islands have towns with names like New Plymouth and gingerbread New England-style homes with front porches. These slow-paced, laid-back islands (thankfully, some don't have cars or televisions) are known for their superb shipbuilding skills, exceptional diving & fishing (sailfish, wahoo, grouper, sailfin tuna, kingfish, amberjack), great sailing waters and, above all, the unequaled hospitality and genuine friendliness of the Abaconians.

ACCORDING TO THE EXPERTS || ABACO CAYS and SETTLEMENTS || CONVENIENT LOCATION || THE BARRIER REEF || MAN-MADE AMENITIES

The world's third largest barrier reef system runs almost 100 miles from Walker's Cay to about 20 miles south of Elbow Cay, and Abacos' exquisite string of offshore cays extends almost the same distance from Walker's to just off Little Harbour. The reef system and the Abacos' hundreds of primarily unpopulated offshore cays combine to create The Sea of Abaco, one of the safest and most exciting cruising grounds in the world. Ranging from 1.5 miles to over 5 miles in width, this reef-and-cay sheltered body of water is relatively shallow throughout its entire 100 miles, thereby assuring calm, safe cruising (except during a nor'easter or a rare summertime tropical disturbance) on waters among the clearest and cleanest in the world.

The Abacos' CAYS and SETTLEMENTS:
The mainland of Great Abaco actually consists of two islands -- Great Abaco and Little Abaco -- and a 100 mile long string of more than 100 individually exquisite offshore cays. While the majority of Abaco's cays remain uninhabited, over the past 15-20 years, several islands have "been discovered" by travelers and yachtsmen following paths less traveled.

The Abacos' larger OFFSHORE CAYS (from North to South - inhabited and uninhabited) include the internationally acclaimed sports fishing mecca of Walker's Cay as well as Double Breasted Cay, Spanish Cay, Powell Cay, Ambergris Cay, Manjack Cay (or Munjack), Fiddle Cay, Green Turtle Cay, No Name Cay, Whale Cay, Matt Lowe's Cay (a unique vacation rental on a private island), Great Guana Cay, Scotland (a private island), Fowl Cay (home of a unique underwater national park), Man O' War Cay, Elbow Cay (and Hope Town), Tiloo, Lubber's Quarters, Pelican (site of another underwater park) and Lynyard Cays.

Great Abaco's larger "MAINLAND SETTLEMENTS" (from North to South) include the picturesquely named settlements of Coopers Town, Fire Road, Mango Hill, Old Place, Treasure Cay (it's really on Great Abaco!), Joe Creek, Red Bays, Water Cay, Marsh Harbour, Snake Cay, Wilson City, Little Harbour, Cherokee Sound, Sandy Point (on the west coast) and Hole in the Wall (the "bottom" of Great Abaco).