Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Partying at the famous Sunday pig roast at
Nipper's Beach Bar & Grill
(
Click here
) on Great Guana Cay
Sunning on the fabulous talcum powder sands of
Treasure Cay Beach
(
Click here
)
Diving among turtles, rays and crayon-colored fish in the
Abacos'
(
Click
here
) reefs and marine parks
talking history with the loyalists on
Man O' War Cay
(
Click here
), where
little has changed in 200 years
Making new friends at
Pete's Pub & Gallery
(
Click here
) in Little Harbour
- hard to get to, but so worth it
Climbing the iconic red-and-white
lighthouse
(
Click here
) at Hope Town,
Elbow Cay
Bonefishing the endless, uninhabited mangrove wetlands of
the Marls
(op-
posite )
History
After decimating the Lucayan Indian population on 'Habacoa,' early Spanish explorers
moved on to more fruitful lands. It was not until the American Revolution, when numerous
Loyalists left the newly independent USA in the 1700s and settled in the Abacos, that a
thriving population began.
Their names linger on today in quaint communities whose residents cherish their past
and independence. On the eve of independence in 1972, Loyalist Abaconians petitioned the
Queen to be made a British crown colony, separate from the Bahamas. Upon refusal, some
even contemplated a revolution. Each cay still follows its own Protestant church, but the
islanders share a strong Christian ethic.
The Loyalist settlers were mostly merchants and craftspeople involved in trading, boat-
building and salvaging shipwrecks, and they became relatively wealthy.
This island group was severely affected by Hurricane Floyd in 1999 and Jeanne and
Frances in 2004. However, rebuilding began immediately after the hurricanes passed, al-
though roads remain potholed and many outlying villages still bear visible damage.
National Parks & Reserves
The Abacos has four national parks and reserves: Pelican Cays Land & Sea Park (
Click
here
), which preserves the barrier islands and coral reefs south of Tilloo Cay; Tilloo Cay
National Reserve (
Click here
) is an 11-acre shoreline area, popular with birdwatchers; the
Abaco National Park (
Click here
), which protects the native habitat of the endangered Ba-
hama parrot and other wildlife; and Black Sound Cay National Reserve (
Click here
), which
has mangrove habitats loved by birds.
