Cruising the Bahamas Out Islands: Cat Island, Rum Cay & Beyond

Remote Bahamas Islands Worth Exploring

The Bahamas is filled with famous cruising destinations, but some of its most rewarding islands remain among the least visited.

This island-hopping guide explores four lesser-traveled Bahamian out islands:

• Cat Island
• San Salvador
• Conception Island
• Rum Cay

Each offers a completely different experience, from historical landmarks and remote anchorages to coral reefs, salt ponds, and unspoiled wilderness.

---

What are the best lesser-known islands in the Bahamas for cruisers?

Some of the best lesser-known Bahamas cruising destinations include Cat Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador, and Conception Island. These islands offer remote anchorages, snorkeling, hiking, historical sites, and fewer crowds than the Exumas or Abacos.

---

This month we’re back in the Bahamas to focus on four specific out islands. These four islands are grouped near each other but are some of the least visited islands in the Bahamas.  Each island has its own call to fame. Cat Island was the retirement home of a priest that worked for decades in the Bahamas. San Salvador is the suspected first landing site of Christopher Columbus in the New World. Conception Island is completely uninhabited and a national park. Rum Cay was named due to a shipwreck where casks of rum washed ashore. If you visit any of the islands you will be amazed at the friendliness of the islanders. I arrived the day of the Rum Cay Christmas tree lighting party & dinner and a local rowed out to make sure I knew I was invited to the party. Great experience. Now let’s get to my top ten in these islands.

10. Lighthouse & Castle (San Salvador)

While we will come back and talk about the landing of Columbus, this entry is for some of the lesser places on the island. This includes a great view from a traditional lighthouse at Dixon Hill and a “castle” which is really the great house of a Watling’s Plantation at the southern end of the island. The interesting thing about this plantation was the cellar is still visible and accessible. There are also a couple of small blue holes around the southern part of the island but nothing to get too excited about since there are better blue holes all over the Bahamas

9. Churches (Cat Island)

After Long Island I found Cat Island to have some of the prettiest churches. My favorite was the ancient looking Catholic church at Old Bight, but the church at New Bight was the last church built by Father Jerome. You also have a church at Arthur Town and while it’s not a church the Armbrister’s Great House has some cool architecture.

8. Little San Salvador (Cat Island)

The interesting thing here is it’s called Little San Salvador Island but it’s actually off of the northern part of Cat Island. This little cay is a cruise ship destination for Carnival and Holland American cruise lines. I anchored in the beautiful Half Moon Bay and swam ashore to walk among the cruise ship guest and hang out. It’s fun but not the end-all be all if you know what I mean. I did like the pirate ship building that they used for the bar.

7. Salt Pond (Rum Cay)

The settlement on Rum Cay is Port Nelson, located on the southern coast. To the east is a beautiful salt pond that at one time was actively used to mine salt. The entrance is on the southeast corner of the island and is navigable by dinghy. I even found a shallow cave half underwater that had beautiful coral growing around it. The unlucky part for me was that I spun a prop earlier and it finally doomed the dinghy here and I had a walk across this salt pond all the way back to town and get a ride to the boat. Oops!

6. The Bight (Cat Island)

This is a large expanse of shallow water. In fact, it’s no more than 20 ft deep, runs the entire length of the island on the western side, and extends almost 5 mi from shore. What’s amazing is anchoring anywhere along the island that the winds dictate at the moment and you will be over this amazingly beautiful white sand. I was there during a full moon and was absolutely amazed that I could almost read a book at night with the moon light and the light reflecting off of the sand below me. It was a surreal moment. 

5. Flamingo Bay (Rum Cay)

Sitting on the northwest part of Rum Cay is a beautiful bay that doesn’t have great protection but has amazing coral heads all over the place. Also, about a mile along the coast you can find the Hartford Cave with same spectacular Lucayan petroglyphs that are rarely visited. The only thing I advise is to be careful as the surf can be fairly large along the north coast. I found this out when I dumped my kayak on the approach. As I always say, experience is the thing you get right after you needed it. Haha.

4. HMS Conqueror wreckage (Rum Cay)

staying on Rumpke but this time being off the southern coast you can find the 1861 wreckage of the 240 feet, two deck, ship of the line there was one of the first to be screw propelled. Their wreckage is on the reef protecting the anchorage and sits in 20 to 30 ft of water. You can find the shaft, cannons, the chain, anchor and more. This was one of my first wreck snorkels and I found it fascinating and would love to go back now that I’m a much more seasoned snorkeler. 

3. Columbus memorials (San Salvador)

Now let’s talk about the first landfall of Christopher Columbus in the New World in 1492. San Salvador is the most likely candidate for that distinction. On the island you will find many memorials from different organizations memorializing this historical event. My favorite memorial was out in the anchorage in 40 ft of water where his anchor supposedly touched down for the first time. The funny part was trying to find the exact location was difficult even from the locals on the island as they usually said “Oh yeah, that’s right. I remember something out there”. There are also memorials for the 1968 Olympics held in Mexico when the torch passed through this island and a statue of an iguana.

2. Conception Island

This is the only entry for Conception Island, but that’s because this is an uninhabited small island that’s a national park. Therefore, there’s only one thing to do here and that is to enjoy the nature. The island is very low lying and has tidal creeks running all through it, so it is fantastic to explore by kayak. You can find mangroves, turtles, fish, and many other nautical wildlife. I also found a radio tower to climb up and see how beautiful the island was from the air. Gorgeous place to spend several days if the weather allows. 

1. The Hermitage (Cat Island)

For me the retirement home of Father Jerome, who spent decades ministering in the Bahamas and using his architecture knowledge to build beautiful churches, was one of the top three things I wanted to see even before I visited the Bahamas and it did not disappoint. The Hermitage sits on the highest point in the Bahamas and as you walk up the hill to it you pass various hand carved artwork depicting the 14 stations of the cross that Father Jerome built. At the Hermitage you realize this was a small man as you explore his hand-built retirement monastery with a bedroom, kitchen, chapel, bell tower, and other items he would need to hermit away for the last 10 to 20 years of his life.

---

What This Means for Cruisers

These islands showcase a quieter, more authentic side of the Bahamas that many cruisers miss while focusing only on the Exumas or Abacos.

For sailors willing to venture farther south and east, the rewards include:

• Less crowded anchorages
• Strong local culture
• Excellent snorkeling and kayaking
• Historical landmarks
• Exceptional natural beauty

The friendliness of local communities remains one of the defining experiences throughout these islands.

---

What to Do Next

• Add Cat Island and Rum Cay to your Bahamas route
• Research weather windows carefully for exposed anchorages
• Bring kayaks or paddleboards for tidal creek exploration
• Plan extra time for Conception Island if conditions allow
• Visit local churches, settlements, and small museums ashore

Shane McClellan has written for ALL AT SEA since 2016.