June 2018
In 2017, my traveller Cadi told me she wanted to swim with pigs so I told her I was quite certain pigs did not swim. I grew up on a farm after all and our pigs just laid around eating Twinkies. Today, of course, the secret is out but I needed some convincing. After watching a few YouTube videos, I was super pumped and we booked our tickets. We stayed at the Peace and Plenty Hotel, right on the ocean in the heart of George Town on Great Exuma. We were within walking distance of a cute little breakfast spot and the local market. I believe it’s more developed now but at the time, the only two attractions were excursions to see the pigs at Pig Beach and the unbelievably gorgeous Tropic of Cancer beach. Other than that, the island was undeveloped and free from throngs of tourists. It was lovely.
The excursion we booked was a full day cruise that included an up close and personal look at the magnificent ancient rock iguanas at Allen Cay, snorkeling at Thunderball Grotto, a meet-and-greet with LOTS of gentle nurse sharks at Compass Cay, and of course lots of snuggle time with the surprisingly large famous swimming pigs on Pig Island!!!
As an added bonus, we also got an unofficial scenic boat tour of celebrity Cays, including Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s, Johnny Depp’s, John Travolta’s, and David Copperfield’s renowned Copperfield Bay which which rents for over $45,000 per night and is rumored to be the home of monkeys, elephants and various other critters.
The next day, we took a quick water taxi over to the Chat and Chill Beach Bar & Grill on Stocking Island to eat lunch and swim with the Stingrays. We also saw a Caribbean reef shark near the beach who was definitely not interested in being petted.
Afterwards, we decided to rent a car and find our way to the Tropic of Cancer beach, a hidden gem on Little Exuma. One of the best parts of travel is finding the places that are too challenging for the faint of heart. The rental car in itself was questionable, especially without cell service, and we were not confident that it would survive the trip. The road from Great Exuma to Little Exuma and on to Tropic of Cancer beach is in disrepair and the number of potholes increases exponentially the closer you get. At least one of our bald tires was in a pothole at all times. The entrance is somewhat hidden. There was only one car there when we arrived and they were on their way out. You must navigate through an overgrown path to reach the beach but holy cow, was it ever worth it!
Without question, Tropic of Cancer beach is THE most beautiful, pristine beach I have ever seen. Hawaii, Maldives, Thailand, Cayman, Mexico…no way. Nothing I have seen compares. The colors, the sounds, the smells, the feel of the sand and the remoteness…no one else on the beach with us. Absolutely incredible.
Pure happiness to experience this untouched beauty with my girl!
