Best of the best
These top attractions will make your holiday rock!
Flying Cloud
If you have half a day to spare and fancy heading out into the beautiful blue waters around Nassau, the Flying Cloud lets you do it in style. This 57-foot sailing catamaran takes visitors to a secluded island beach for a half-day adventure, complete with free snorkelling lessons and complimentary tropical cocktails. Flying Cloud also offers a romantic evening cruise gliding around Nassau Harbour to watch the sunset, and a full-day Sunday cruise to nearby Rose Island, which includes beach activities, a lunch buffet and snorkelling over beautiful coral reefs.
Flying Cloud operations manager Michelle Major says: “It is an unforgettable experience, giving our guests peace and tranquility, with a beautiful beach and a coral reef where the fish will come and eat right out of your hand.”
Ardastra Gardens
Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Center is home to a large colony of well-trained flamingos. To see these long-legged birds on parade, catch one of their daily shows when they march on command and interact with visitors. Activities include feeding colourful lory parrots and visiting the petting zoo. Ardastra is also home to a variety of wildlife including lemurs, jaguars and monkeys. Amateur botanists and nature lovers will enjoy strolling around the lush gardens created in 1937.
Phillippa Whymns, public relations and education manager at Ardastra, says: “It is one of the best attractions on the island and has something for everyone. If you are an animal lover, it’s a must-see.”
Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas
Whether you are an experienced diver or a complete beginner, you’ll find something exciting to do at Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas. Along with wall, wreck and reef dives, Stuart Cove’s offers snorkelling excursions and the unique SUB (Scenic Underwater Bubble) adventure for neophytes. Even if you can’t swim, you’ll be perfectly safe piloting your own seahorse-shaped SUB along coral reefs and through schools of brightly coloured fish. For the ultimate thrill, experienced Stuart Cove’s staff will take you on a shark-feeding dive where you will watch as Caribbean reef sharks circle in to take bait offered by the shark feeder. The company also offers several training courses, including the Discover Scuba programme which takes first timers out for a dive after a short training course in a hotel pool.
Dolphin Encounters
Dolphin Encounters lets you get up close to some of the friendliest animals in Bahamian waters. Blue Lagoon Island, where the programmes take place, includes a large dolphin and sea lion habitat where visitors can meet the animals face to face. “It’s an all-natural ocean environment,” says Janay Pyfrom, marketing coordinator at Dolphin Encounters. “For over 20 years there’s been a great family atmosphere here where you can interact with our amazing mammals and see the beautiful beach in a fun, safe environment.”
You can feed the dolphins, watch as they perform tricks and take part in the famous “foot push” whereby the dolphin gently pushes against the swimmer’s feet so he or she glides along the surface of the water.
Aquaventure at Atlantis
Ahighlight of Atlantis’s outdoor attractions is Aquaventure, a large water park based on the Atlantis myth. The park features a lagoon, fun river rides and exciting water slides. Raft on the Lazy River ride, which meanders around the park, while thrill-seekers can enjoy the 120-ft-tall Power Tower, the Abyss’ almost vertical drop, or the Leap of Faith–a slide that plunges through a shark-filled lagoon. If you don’t fancy getting wet, there are rock-climbing walls to test your skills, and a large private beach where you can simply relax in the sun.
Bahama Divers
The Bahamas may be beautiful above ground, but there’s plenty to marvel at below sea level as well. Bahama Divers takes clients to some of the most breathtaking spots in the seas around Nassau, including the Lost Blue Hole–a 200-ft-wide almost perfectly circular opening in the ocean floor–and a wall dive on the Tongue of the Ocean–a mile-deep trench that curls around New Providence. Divers can view teeming marine life and coral reefs, which attract many forms of marine life. The company provides half-day snorkelling trips, comprehensive scuba courses and daily dives. All programmes are manned by an expert crew. Dive operations manager Tony Lowe says: “We treat every guest as family. We go out of our way to make sure everyone is happy. That’s what makes us so special.”
Dolphin Cay
Situated in the Atlantis Paradise Island complex, 14-acre Dolphin Cay is one of the largest dolphin habitats of its kind in the world. The Cay, which also houses a family of sea lions, is an adventure and learning centre. A number of programmes are offered, including the deep water swim, where swimmers take a water scooter into the lagoon and snorkel alongside the dolphins, and the shallow-water interaction, which gives you the chance to hug, kiss and play with the dolphins.
Also available is the sea lion interaction and the popular trainer for a day programme, where anyone above the age of 10 is invited to participate in training the animals and seeing behind the scenes of a day in the life of the trainers and staff at Dolphin Cay.
Island World Adventures
The popular full-day excursion offered by Island World Adventures takes guests on an exhilarating high-speed boat trip to tranquil Saddleback Cay, a private island at the northern end of the gorgeous Exuma chain. The day is yours to enjoy. You’ll be welcomed with an all-day open bar and delicious buffet for snacks and lunch. Guests save scraps and feed an assortment of fish, including sharks that gather for the feast. There’s an absolutely gorgeous beach, lapped by the clearest water imaginable. There’s a nature walk if you are so inclined, and a visit to a sandbar. The trip home is special. There’s time to stop at a lovely reef for a bit of snorkelling and to visit Leaf Cay where you’ll be greeted by a colony of Bahamian iguanas. These miniature dinosaurs will stand up on their hind legs and tails to take grapes stuck on a stick. If you’re lucky you may spot a pod of wild dolphins traversing the shallow waters of the Great Bahama Bank. “Come and see the real Bahamas,” says Island World owner Steven Claridge. You’ll enjoy “the colour of the water, all the marine life and the beauty of the place.” Island World will pick you up at your hotel and deliver you back at the end of the day.
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Feature_BestOfBest_WTDNJul10
Best of the best
These top attractions will make your holiday rock!
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