Practical Information for visiting Bahamas

The currency is the Bahamian dollar (BSD), pegged at one to one with the US dollar, and both circulate interchangeably — you will get change in a mixture and nobody minds.

Cards are accepted at hotels, restaurants and shops in Nassau and Freeport. In the Out Islands, cash is often the only option, and card machines fail when the connection does.

ATMs are plentiful on New Providence and Grand Bahama and scarce or absent on smaller islands — draw before you fly out.

VAT is charged at ten per cent and is often shown separately from the advertised price, along with hotel levies, so the final bill runs above what you expected.

Tipping is expected at fifteen per cent in restaurants, though a service charge is frequently added already — check. A few dollars for porters, taxi drivers and boat crew.

Coverage for mobile networks is good on New Providence, Grand Bahama and the larger Out Islands, with 4G and some 5G from BTC and Aliv. Smaller cays, the southern islands and anywhere offshore have patchy coverage or none.

Roaming from the United States is often included in domestic plans; from elsewhere it is expensive, and a local SIM or eSIM is cheap and easy to get at the airport.

Wi-Fi is standard in hotels and restaurants in Nassau and reliable enough for work. On the Out Islands it is slower and drops with the power, which cuts more often than visitors expect.

If you are boating or diving off the main islands, do not count on signal — charter operators carry VHF for a reason.

The Bahamas is safe for the great majority of visitors, and the risks are concentrated geographically and in the water.

• Nassau has significant crime, largely confined to specific areas away from the tourist districts — parts of "Over the Hill" south of the centre in particular. Several governments issue specific advisories about it. Do not walk at night away from the main areas, and use licensed taxis.
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• The Out Islands are generally very safe, with little crime of any kind.
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• The water is the main hazard. Currents around cuts between cays are strong, jet ski operators in Nassau have a poor safety and dispute record, and unregulated boat operators exist. Use established operators and check for insurance.
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• Hurricanes between June and November. Follow official warnings without exception; evacuation from an Out Island takes time.
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• Firearms and ammunition laws are extremely strict, and visitors — particularly boaters from the United States — have been jailed for a single stray round found on board.
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• Drug offences carry severe penalties.

Medical care on New Providence and Grand Bahama is adequate, with Princess Margaret Hospital and private clinics in Nassau. On the Out Islands, facilities are basic clinics with a nurse and a visiting doctor, and anything serious means air evacuation to Nassau or, more often, to Florida. Insurance with air evacuation cover is essential here, not optional.

Vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid. There is no malaria.

Mosquito-borne illness — dengue occurs and there have been outbreaks. Use repellent, including during the day.

Sun. The UV index is high year round and is amplified by reflection off pale sand and shallow water. People burn badly on the first day, and the sea breeze disguises it.

Diving. There is a recompression chamber on New Providence. Given the depth of the wall diving and the blue holes here, DAN membership is a sensible precaution.

Tap water on New Providence is desalinated and safe; on the Out Islands it is often rainwater or brackish, and bottled is the norm.

Greet before anything else. Good morning or good afternoon on entering anywhere is expected, and skipping it is noticed.

Cover up away from the beach. Swimwear is for the sand and the pool; wearing it in shops, restaurants or on a jitney is genuinely frowned on. The Bahamas is more conservative than its resort image suggests.

Sunday is widely observed. Many businesses close, and dress and noise are moderated.

Firearms. Bringing any firearm, ammunition or component into the country without a permit is a serious criminal offence, and this has caught out many visiting boaters. Check your vessel thoroughly.

Do not take conch shells, coral, sand or protected marine life. Fishing and lobster seasons are regulated and enforced.

Photography. Ask before photographing people, including Junkanoo participants close up.

Emergency numbers: 911 or 919 for police, ambulance and fire on New Providence and Grand Bahama. On the Out Islands, response depends on the local clinic and police station, and your accommodation is usually the fastest route to help.

Medical. Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau is the main public facility; Doctors Hospital and other private clinics treat foreign patients and expect payment or an insurance guarantee. Rand Memorial serves Grand Bahama.

Air evacuation to Florida is the standard route for anything serious, and it is expensive — confirm your policy covers it before travelling, particularly if you are going to an Out Island.

At sea. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force coordinates marine rescue, and BASRA — the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association — is a volunteer organisation monitoring VHF channel 16. Carry a radio when boating.

Hurricanes. Follow the Department of Meteorology and local radio. Keep offline copies of your passport and insurance, and enough cash for an unplanned departure.