{"id":13595,"date":"2016-03-16T11:46:09","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T11:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"\/inspire\/?p=13595"},"modified":"2019-11-12T21:56:50","modified_gmt":"2019-11-12T21:56:50","slug":"5-wild-animal-encounters-can-bahamas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelocity.com\/inspire\/5-wild-animal-encounters-can-bahamas\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Wild Animal Encounters You Can Only Have in The Bahamas"},"content":{"rendered":"

A vacation in The Bahamas isn’t complete without a walk on the wild side! We’ve partnered with travel blogger and outdoor adventurer Angie Orth from Angie Away<\/a> to see which animals to look for during your island escape.<\/i><\/p>\n

The Bahamas<\/a>, a string of 700 islands off the southeast coast of Florida, have long been a staple spring break destination. They\u2019re easy and affordable to get to, offer accommodations for almost every budget and have everything you\u2019d expect from a tropical island paradise \u2013 palm trees, mixed drinks, white sand beaches and turquoise seas.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re only hanging out at the hotel pool though, you\u2019ll miss interacting with some of the most interesting locals \u2013 the animal residents of The Bahamas. Read on for my suggestions to make your tropical trip a safari like no other.<\/p>\n

1) Bahamian Rock Iguanas<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The best place to spot one of the rare Bahamian Rock Iguanas is on Allen\u2019s Cay, an uninhabited island located in the glorious Exuma island chain. The Exumas are a strand of 365 islands and cays that cover 100 square miles of untouched, azure sea. The island is only accessible via boat<\/a>, so rent one or hop on a Four C\u2019s Adventure tour<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The friendly and curious iguanas are a pinkish hue, and they\u2019ll scurry up to a tour boat by the dozens in the hopes of acquiring tasty grapes, lettuce or other produce.<\/p>\n

There are only 5,000 Bahamian rock iguanas left in the wild, so interacting with them is a real treat.<\/p>\n\"FullSizeRender<\/a>\n

2) Swimming Pigs <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Unlike their rock iguana neighbors, the swimming pigs are not endangered \u2013 in fact, more and more hydrophilic swine are popping up around The Bahamas as demand for the experience grows. The original and now, world famous, swimming pigs of Exuma<\/a> live on Big Major Cay, an uninhabited cay just around the corner from yacht outpost Staniel Cay. You can book day trips via boat from Exuma or Nassau, or fly into Staniel Cay\u2019s tiny airstrip and rent a boat on your own. Just don\u2019t forget snacks \u2013 these little (and large) piggies love lettuce, apples and all sorts of produce.<\/p>\n\"IMG_2961\"<\/a>\n

3) Sting Rays<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The water in The Bahamas, considered by many to be the clearest in the world, affords perfect visibility of Southern Rays as they glide gracefully through the shallows.<\/p>\n

You can spot Southern Rays, affectionately known as the puppy dog of the sea, all over the islands, but some of the friendliest ones pop up every day for snacks at Chat n\u2019 Chill<\/a>, a casual beach bar on Stocking Island, across the harbor from Great Exuma. As many as four rays at a time will glide up to the shore to say hello, flying over your toes with their smooth skin and taking conch, fish or crab right out of your fingers. Don\u2019t worry about the \u201cstinger\u201d \u2013 unless you step on a ray or threaten it, the only surprise is just how friendly these elegant \u201csea pups\u201d can be.<\/p>\n\"FullSizeRender<\/a>\n

4) Abaco Parrot & West Indian Flamingos<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Bahamas are a bird watcher\u2019s paradise, though many don\u2019t realize it because it\u2019s hard to turn away from the gorgeous water. Great Inagua is the third largest island in The Bahamas, and nearly half of it is covered by Inagua National Park, home to more than 80,000 West Indian Flamingos, the bright green Bahama\/Abaco parrot, and 140 species of pelicans, ducks and hummingbirds, some which are found nowhere else. You likely won\u2019t be able to get too close to the majority of the skittish fowl, so bring a good zoom lens.<\/p>\n\"76445_10100578284694651_1383560_n\"<\/a>\n

5) Sharks <\/strong><\/h3>\n

The quickest way to meet sharks in The Bahamas is to go straight to Stuart Cove\u2019s in Nassau and sign up for the Shark Adventure<\/a>, a 2-tank dive where Caribbean Reef Sharks swarm around ecstatic divers below. On the island of Bimini, divers can hop aboard a boat at Bimini Big Game to experience the Great Hammerhead Shark Dive, which is available only during the winter months. The truly adventurous can head to Grand Bahama Island for a cage-free Tiger Shark dive, one of the most thrilling underwater experiences in the world.<\/p>\n

Good news for the shark-averse traveler: spotting one is actually pretty tough unless you\u2019re specifically searching for them. Swim with abandon!<\/p>\n\n\n\t