Visas & entry
Bahamas entry rules depend on passport: U.S., Canadian, UK and many European visitors are generally visa-exempt for short tourist stays, but passport validity, return/onward travel and any visa requirement must be checked with Bahamian Immigration before booking. Do not assume a U.S. visa or residence permit substitutes for a Bahamian visa.
Getting in
- Nassau, New Providence: The essential international gateway. Most visitors fly into Nassau, then connect on a domestic flight to one of Cat Island’s two airports; leave generous connection time because small-island schedules and weather can disrupt same-day plans.
- Arthur’s Town Airport, northern Cat Island: Use ATC for Arthur’s Town, Orange Creek and the north. It is the right arrival point for the Rake ’n’ Scrape Festival or a north-island base; it is not convenient for Greenwood or the southern resorts.
- New Bight Airport, central Cat Island: Use TBI for New Bight, Mount Alvernia, Old Bight/Fernandez Bay, Port Howe and Greenwood. It is the more useful airport for a first visit, but the south still requires a prearranged car or transfer.
Getting around
Rent a car; on Cat Island it is not optional unless you are staying at a resort and deliberately not exploring. Prebook it with accommodation or a local operator before flying in, and choose the airport that matches the car handover: ATC for the north, TBI for the centre and south. Roads are slow, narrow and potholed in places, signage is thin, and a 28-mile ATC–TBI run can take an hour or more; avoid driving after dark and do not plan daily commutes between the north and south. There is no useful public-transport network for visitors, and taxis are a limited, prearranged service rather than an on-demand fallback.
Money
The Bahamian dollar (BSD) is pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar, and U.S. cash is widely accepted. Cards work at better-established hotels and businesses but should not be your only payment method: carry U.S. dollars/Bahamian dollars in small notes for local meals, fuel, tips and places with patchy connectivity. Confirm whether tax, service charges and gratuity are already included before adding a tip.
Daily budget · BSD is pegged 1:1 to USD; both are widely accepted, so treat quoted prices as USD/BSD unless stated otherwise.
- Value
- US$170–260 per day
- Mid-range
- US$290–460 per day
- High-end
- US$600–1,000+ per day
- Per-person daily figures assume two people sharing a room and rental car, excluding international flights and specialist activities such as oceanic-whitetip dives or private fishing charters.
- Value is a simple cottage or guesthouse, groceries plus one casual meal, a shared basic rental car, and mostly free beach and self-guided days.
- Mid-range buys a good beach cottage or small inn, usually an SUV, a mix of self-catering and restaurant meals, drinks, and an occasional modest paid activity.
- High-end means a better beachfront villa or resort room, frequent restaurant meals, upgraded transport or private transfers, and room in the budget for diving, fishing or private guiding.
- Cat Island is not cheap just because it is rustic: accommodation is scarce, supplies are imported, and a car is effectively compulsory. A kitchen is the most reliable way to control spending.
- Budget roughly US$40–55 per person per day for a rental car when two share it, before fuel and insurance. Prebook the vehicle; availability is limited.
Eating well
- Do not arrive expecting reliable late-night dining or a choice of restaurants every evening; plan dinner before sunset and confirm opening hours locally.
- Grocery-shop immediately after landing, particularly if staying in Old Bight, Greenwood or another remote beach area.
- A kitchen is a practical upgrade, not a luxury: groceries are expensive, but limited restaurant hours can be more restrictive than price.
- During the Rake ’n’ Scrape Festival in early June, reserve accommodation and make meal plans early; food service can be overwhelmed.
- Keep water and snacks in the car for long drives—settlements are spread out and roadside options are not dependable.
Book before you land
Oceanic whitetip shark-diving expeditions around Greenwood/Port Howe (roughly late March through June); reserve before booking flights and build in weather-contingency days.
- Choose the airport to match your base: ATC for Arthur’s Town and Orange Creek; TBI for New Bight, Old Bight/Fernandez Bay, Port Howe and Greenwood. They are not interchangeable in practical terms.
- Book accommodation, rental car and any airport transfer together. Car availability is limited, and a missing handover can strand you far from your lodging.
- Shop and refuel when you pass New Bight or another reliable service point. Remote bases such as Greenwood, Port Howe and the north are poor places to discover you need groceries, cash or fuel.
- Treat restaurant hours as provisional. Keep water, breakfast supplies and at least one self-catered dinner available, especially on Sundays, in low season and after bad weather.
- Download offline maps and ask locally about road, cave and blue-hole access after rain. Do not enter caves or blue-hole systems without suitable training and a qualified operator.
- Plan outdoor drives, beach walks and inland stops in daylight. Dinner options close early, roads have little lighting, and night driving is an unnecessary risk.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this region.
Season by season
December–February
Drier, less humid weather brings days mostly in the upper 70s to low 80s °F, cooler evenings and generally simpler beach, driving and hiking logistics.
first visitsbeach staysMount Alvernia hikesfishing
Beachfront cottages and small resorts book first, especially over Christmas, New Year and school holidays; breezy days can disrupt exposed beaches and boat plans.
March–June
Warm water, manageable rain risk and shoulder-season space make this the strongest all-round warm-weather period; oceanic-whitetip expeditions usually run from late March into June.
shark divingphotographyculturewarm-water beach trips
Early June's Rake ’n’ Scrape Festival makes Arthur’s Town busy and strains the island's limited rooms, cars and food service; late-season rain and storm risk begin to rise.
July–August
Expect hot, humid days, bath-warm sea temperatures, greener landscapes and intermittent heavy showers or thunderstorms.
solitudeself-catering staysquiet beach timewater sports
Heat, mosquitoes after rain, weather-related flight or boat interruptions and reduced restaurant opening make this a poor fit for a tightly timed week.
September–November
This is the quietest period, with September and October carrying the greatest tropical-weather risk; conditions usually improve through November as humidity eases.
flexible repeat visitorslower-demand travellong stays with backup plans
Storms can disrupt flights, power and provisioning, while small properties, restaurants and activity operators may reduce service or close temporarily.
Events worth planning around
Cat Island Rake ’n’ Scrape Festival · Usually around the Bahamas Labour Day weekend in early June; confirm dates when officially published. · Arthur’s Town
This is Cat Island’s major cultural weekend. Reserve flights, rental cars and accommodation as soon as dates are announced; expect scarce inventory, crowded food service and less of the island’s usual quiet rhythm.
What to eat
Eat around the island’s supply rhythm, not a city dining schedule: book accommodation with a kitchen, stock up as soon as you arrive, and treat local fish fries and host-arranged meals as the dependable highlights. Cat Island cooking is plainspoken Out Island food—fresh fish and crab alongside goat, peas, cassava, yams and sweet potatoes—rather than a restaurant-hopping destination.
Fresh local fish, especially at fish-fry style mealsCrabGoatPeas, cassava, sweet potatoes and yamsBush tea
The Bight / New Bight: New Bight Fish Fry for local fish-fry meals · The island’s most practical area for groceries, fuel and casual local food
Arthur’s Town: Local, host-arranged meals · Best area to pair food with Rake ’n’ Scrape festival culture in early June
Old Bight / Fernandez Bay: Self-catered beach stays; kitchen-equipped lodging is especially useful because dining is thin
Port Howe / Greenwood Beach: Restaurant service at Greenwood Beach Resort, useful in the remote southeast
French Bay / Hawk’s Nest: Resort restaurant dining at Hawk’s Nest Resort & Marina