Three hundred and fifty years ago a small band of English pilgrims who left Bermuda seeking religious freedom landed on the Island Eleuthera and gave it the ethereal name: Eleuthera which means “freedom” in Greek. The name seems to be as apt today as it was then. Eleuthera delivers in its initial promise by bestowing its gifts upon the lucky who’ve stumbled up on it, or the smart who know where to go.
One hundred and ten miles long and averaging two to three miles wide (eight miles in places whilst down to the width of a road at Glass Window Bridge) it has 10,000 plus inhabitants scattered amongst some eighteen settlements linked by a single highway running from North to South and deferentially called the Queen’s Highway. To the north, it shelters Spanish Wells one of the original and now fully modernized Bahamian fishing cays, and the Celebrity’s get-away cay of Harbour Island.
Miles of glistening pink and white sand beaches, colorful settlements with friendly faces, and echoes of rolling acres of pineapple plantations and farmland all make Eleuthera an island of the most casual sophistication. The cool laziness of Eleutheran life and warm sun-drenched colors of the island give it the feel of a giant illusion; it seems to have a kind of unbounded air of calm and grace.
About Eleuthera
Eleuthera is not really the sort of place that lends itself to plans but there is so much to explore. At the southernmost tip of Eleuthera, reached by a four-gear friendly track is one of the finest beaches in the world – Lighthouse beach, sandwiched between the Atlantic and the Bahamian waters is named after an Old Admiralty Lighthouse from which you can gaze over azure seas, beaches and coral reefs and just never want to leave.
In the North, and in sharp contrast is Preacher’s Cave, a subterranean cave in which the Eleutheran adventurers, the pilgrims who first landed here, took refuge. It is not the only magnificent cave on the island and there is one at Hatchet Bay which is a mile long. These caves have yielded up many treasures, if not that left by the great Pirates of the Caribbean, and archeologists are still finding remains of the early pilgrims and more excitingly Lucayan Indians. These early inhabitants came from the Americas and lived on the island until killed off by the Spanish who took them as slaves following Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Bahamas and Caribbean.
Glass Window Bridge is a magnificent sight, which spans a gap in which the turbulent waters of the Atlantic meet the calmer seas of the Exuma Sound on the island’s leeward side. The current “battered” bridge has replaced a naturally formed bridge that was blown away during a hurricane years ago, but the view of the deep blue ocean crashing surf is still as spectacular as when it captured the painterly eye of Winslow Homer.
Ocean Holes, and seawater wells connected to the open sea, cover the length of the island. The best known of these is in Rock Sound. It is extremely large, of indeterminate depth, and provides the visitor with close-ups of countless fish which owe their continued survival to the bad luck that ‘evidently’ befalls those who snare them. Those who wish to fish however are spoilt for choice, with the lagoon at Savannah Sound providing an idyllic setting for Bone Fishing…….. while competing Sea Eagles provide Birdwatchers with the fullest of feathered dossiers.
Surfer’s beach near Gregory Town is a gem for those inclined, with Atlantic rollers given a free pass through the maze of reefs that shelter other beaches on the Atlantic side.
The settlements of James Cistern, Bannerman Town, John Millers, and Deep Creek ………… are yet more names steeped in Bahamian folklore…..and if ever there was an island whose name lives up to its expectation, Eleuthera is it; a Treasure Island, where freedom is everything.
Things To Do In Eleuthera
- BEACHES…BEACHES…BEACHES
- Beautiful Atlantic and Caribbean waters for swimming, snorkeling, diving, and fishing.
- GLASS WINDOW BRIDGE
- North of Gregory Town at the islands narrowest point where you can see the contrast of the deep blue ocean and the emerald green of the shoal waters of the sound.
- HATCHET BAY
- Cave exploring.
- THE CURRENT
- Preacher’s Cave where 17th century Eleutherian adventurers took shelter when shipwrecked with no provisions.
- Boiling Hole – a shallow hole that boils at changing tides.
- OCEAN HOLE IN ROCK SOUND Feed the fishes.
- TAKE TAXI FERRY TO TOURIST SPOTS
- Harbour Island – tour the island in a rented golf cart and visit Pink Sands Beach.
- Spanish Wells
- SOUVENIR SHOPS
- ART GALLERIES
Resorts In Eleuthera Island
Eleuthera Island is known for its prestige beaches. It is known for the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean region. Eleuthera has lots of Vacations resorts too. Let’s check the some famous and best all-inclusive resorts on this island.
- French Leave Resort
- The Cove Eleuthera
- Valentines Resort
- Coral Sands Hotel
How To Reach Eleuthera
The nearest airports are Governor’s Harbour Airport (GHB) approx. 8.5 miles
south of the “where else” home and North Eleuthera Airport (ELH) is approx.
25-30 miles north of the home.
Please be advised that Vacations-Islands does not endorse any
the particular airline, but would like to give you some references on airlines that fly
into Eleuthera. Please contact the airlines directly to confirm dates and schedules
as airlines frequently make changes and they may fly to Eleuthera on a particular
day at a particular airport (GHB or ELH)
From Ft. Lauderdale, FL:
Air Sunshine: www.airsunshine.com 954-434-8900 US & Canada 800-327-8900
BelAir Transport: (to North Eleuthera) ELH 954-524-9814
Cherokee Air (charters to GHB or ELH) www.cherokeeair.com 242-367-2089
Continental Connection: (daily to North Eleuthera ELH) 800-992-8532
Golden Airlines: (to Gov. Harbour) 800-611-7976/954-359-8010
Island Express: (to North Eleuthera ELH) 954-359-0380
Lynx Air: www.lynxair.com 1-888-LYNX-AIR
Twin Air: 954-359-8266 daily flights to either GHB or ELH
From Miami, FL:
Continental Connection: (daily to North Eleuthera ELH) 800-992-8532
US Airways Express: www.usairways.com 800-622-1015
From Nassau, Bahamas:
BahamasAir: www.bahamasair.com 800-222-4262 daily to GHB or ELH
Sandpiper Air: 242-328-7591
Major Airlines Flying into Florida or Nassau, Bahamas:
American Airlines/Eagle: 800-433-7300
Continental Connection: 800-992-8532
Delta: 800-221-1212 Domestic/800-241-4141 International
TWA: 800-892-2746/800-221-2000
United: 800-241-6522
US Airways Express: 800-622-1015
FERRY BOAT TO ELEUTHERA from Nassau, Bahamas:
Bahamas Fast Ferries:
From Nassau to Gov. Harbour or North Eleuthera (check schedules for days/times)
www.bahamasferries.com Nassau 242-323-2166
Eleuthera Island Map
Below is the Eleuthera Island map. This map shows all the prime regions of this Island. You can also see the Nasa Satellite image of this Island.
