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Southern Bahamas TELEPHONE CODE: 242 / POPULATION: 4957 / AREA: 1179 SQ MILES

Why Go? Long Island ...... 182 Tear up what you think you know about when North Long Island ...... 183 you come to the remote islands of the south. Yes, the sand is just as white, the water the same extraordinary blend of blues South Long Island ...... 187 and the welcome just as friendly (if not more so) – but the Crooked Island District 189 simple diff erence here is that of development. No megaresorts Crooked Island ...... 189 or fast food restaurants blight the coastline, seeing another Long Cay ...... 191 person on a beach is a crowd, and traffi c is virtually nil. Island ...... 192 The largest island in the Southern Bahamas is aptly Inaguas & ..192 named Long Island, though it’s hard to imagine anywhere Great & Little ....193 less like its New York namesake. While it is lined with great Mayaguana ...... 195 beaches and enjoying some beautiful scenery, there are just a handful of small resorts on the island and fi nding total seclusion is never a problem. The other islands in the south are Crooked and Acklin Best Beaches Islands, both near-wildernesses with some of the country’s » True Blue Beach (p191) best bonefi shing, and the truly remote Inaguas, famed for salt production and fl amingos. Look no further if you’re » Farquharson Beach (p194) seeking the off -the-beaten-path Bahamas. » Shell Beach (p190) » Cape Santa Maria Beach When to Go (p185) Mayaguana °C/°F Te m p Rainfall inches/mm Best Places to 40/104 12/300 Stay 30/86 8/200 » Chez Pierre Bahamas (p186) 20/68 1/100 » Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort (p185) 10/50 0 » Long Island Breeze Resort J FDNOSAJJMAM (p187) » Beach Bungalow (p186) May Watch February & March December Great sloops from all This is the best Inagua’s annual over the country time to see the Junkanoo parade take part in Salt flamingos at the has lively danc- Pond’s Long Bahamas National ing, music and Island Regatta. Trust Park. great costumes. - fi (p191), (p191), (p188), Long Cay Long Charter a boat and enjoy and enjoy a boat Charter Swim at incredible at incredible Swim a picnic on Shell Beach and a picnic on Shell Beach a visit to Dean’s Blue Hole Dean’s the 660ft-deep entrance to to entrance the 660ft-deep largest the world’s one of caverns underwater Crooked Island Crooked 6 7

You’ll also come to a myriad of magni a myriad also come to You’ll cent bays, blue holes, and miles and miles miles and holes, and blue cent bays, in inhabitants live of beach. The island’s bananas growing about 35 settlements, stunning white and sky-blue Gothic sky-blue and white stunning villages attractive lush greenery, churches, scrub forest. of virgin and miles (opposite) Guana Key Island Guana Key Head for Long Island’s Island’s Long for Head Hike up to the up to Hike gorgeous gorgeous to see the snoozing resident resident the snoozing see to iguanas (p187) Christopher Monument honoring the explorer’s world in the new arrival 5 4 Crusoe in a beach hut at in a beach Crusoe Bahamas Pierre Chez (p186) amingo amingo fl Million Dollar

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Birdwatch and Birdwatch Dive Crooked Island’s Island’s Crooked Dive Eat and sleep like a and sleep like Eat wreck, the wreck, Mistake haunting in the count the of landscapes Trust National Bahamas Park maybe the odd quarter still the odd quarter maybe lies very comfortable Robinson Robinson comfortable very 3 2 1 Southern Bahamas Highlights Southern Bahamas

LONG ISLAND POP 2978 and bottom from top to 80 miles At over fewjust a point, at its widest miles across certainlyLong name. up to its lives Island islands in the most attractive one of It’s ruins, boasting plantation the Bahamas,

182 SOUTHERN BAHAMAS LONG ISLAND