Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for bahamas
Ecotourism in the Exumas
By Linda Tancs
The Exumas are an archipelago of 365 cays and islands, beginning just 35 miles southeast of Nassau, Bahamas. Its sapphire blue waters are home to two national parks. The 176-square-mile Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, created in 1958, was the first land and sea park in the world. An ecological preserve and wildlife refuge, it’s home to rare coral life, limestone reefs, scores of tropical fish, the endangered Bahamian iguana and the elusive hutia (a Caribbean rodent). More ecological wonders await at Moriah Harbour Cay National Park, covering 13,440 acres. In addition to phenomenal sandbars, the park includes sights like Thunderball Grotto, the Blow Hole at Boise Cay with a 10-foot geyser and Dripping Cave at Guana Cay.
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Slavery and Emancipation in the Bahamas
By Linda Tancs
The Pompey Museum in the Bahamas boasts a permanent collection exploring the history of slavery and emancipation in the island nation. Located in Nassau, the museum is named in honor of Pompey, a courageous slave who led a revolt against unfair conditions on the Rolle Plantation in Exuma. The site of several renowned exhibitions on slavery, the museum is located in a historic arcaded pink building at Bay and George streets.
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Marine Life Thrives at Atlantis
By Linda Tancs
Atlantis in the Bahamas is a resort of choice for Caribbean travelers seeking fun in the sun. It also happens to be the site of the world’s largest open-air marine habitat. The exhibition encompasses 14 lagoons, eight million gallons of salt water and more than 50,000 aquatic animals representing over 250 marine species, including dolphins, sea lions, sharks, rays, barracuda, piranha, eels and even endangered alligator gar. Admission is free for resort guests; otherwise, you’ll have to settle for a day pass, subject to availability (especially during peak season).
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Birder’s Paradise in the Bahamas
By Linda Tancs
The flamingo is the national bird of the Bahamas. You can see 80,000 of them on Great Inagua Island at Inagua National Park, which houses one of the largest colonies of this graceful bird in the world. Other resident exotic birds include parrots, pelicans, herons, egrets, and Bahama pintail ducks. You might think that birding is the primary feature of Inagua. Although delightful, the island’s main industry is salt. Morton Salt produces about a million pounds of salt per year here—the second largest saline operation in North America. Kind of gives new meaning to the term “salt of the earth.”
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Craft Market Reopens in Bahamas
By Linda Tancs
After being gutted by fire in 2001, Nassau’s Straw Market in the Bahamas is open for business. The Bay Street fixture offers local handiworks and is accessible by cab or jitney from Cable Beach. Unless you’re a polar bear by nature, you likely won’t be swimming there in January, so why not shop till you drop!
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Your Own Private Idaho
By Linda Tancs
The idllyic surroundings of Musha Cay and the Islands of Copperfield Bay may seem like an illusion but that first step into the natural nirvana of the monkey jungle assures you that it’s all very real. The jungle is only one of several hidden exotic locations on Musha Cay and the surrounding islands, a Bahamas retreat owned and designed by magician and entertainer David Copperfield. Hosting up to only 24 guests at any given time (at a rate of $37,500 per day with a four-night minimum), this ultra-luxe experience delivers the kind of magical moments only the likes of Copperfield could provide. Are you ready for a wonder-full experience?
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Royal Golf
By Linda Tancs
St. Andrews, move over. Soon they’ll be another “royal” kid in town. Royal Island, Bahamas will host its own golf club courtesy of The Golden Bear (that’s Jack Nicklaus for you non-golfers out there) when construction is completed in 2009. Okay, maybe that’s not soon enough.
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