The best places on the Bahamas, Nassau

    

Come and enjoy two exotic destinations in the Atlantic. The two Caribbean islands located southeast of the capital city Nassau, named Acklins Island and Crooked Island are a must–see location.

So close to each other are they that they are usually mentioned as a single unit. They both are surrounded by superb white and soft sand beaches with sky blue water ideal for fishing and scuba diving. Whereas Acklins Island has a hilly relief, carved by bays and drilled by caves, the Crooked Island is flatter, the two forming a kind of boomerang from an above view. In the west, the islands are bordered by a shallow lagoon called the Bight of Acklins.

The two islands are themselves surrounded by other smaller islands which are places that time forgot such as Castle Island, a sandy headland hosting an 1897 lighthouse used in the past by pirates as a hide-out and Fortune Island, a local landmark as in the past many Bahamians came here and waited for oceangoing ships to pick them up and take them to work in Central America.

The islands are separated by a narrow waterway Columbus sailed through are ideal for adventure seekers. The narrow Crooked Island Passage Light is a well-known landmark today as it guides ships to a safe voyage or to the Pittstown Point Landing Resort. It is believed that Crooked Island was first named Fragrant Island by Columbus due to the strong scents of its many herbs. Today the famous Campari and Cascarrila liquours are flavored with Croton cascarilla shrub bark.

The signs of colonial history are present on the two islands as well. The Marine Farm Fortress, which is a deserted British fortification build during the 1812 War is nowadays a place of interest for the tourists coming in the area. Also, the Hope Great House, a building from the time of the reign of George V of England is an interesting objective. Other signs of time passage are the Bird Rock Lighthouse and the Pittstown point, the latter being a site that testifies the cotton plantation many slaves coming from the North America during the Revolutionary war. Here many slaves became free by farming and fishing and later on by stripping cascarilla bark and selling it.

The toponimy of the place is really telling of what happened here in the past centuries. Thus, the names of the villages and hills are eloquent in this respect - Rocky Point, Binnacle Hill, Salina Point, Delectable Bay, Golden Grove, Goodwill, Hard Hill, Snug Corner, Gun Point and Cripple Hill.

Last but not least, nature is at home here-swampy deltas rich in bird life, numerous caves, coral reefs and exotic plants are wonders nature lovers can enjoy a lot. If you want to visit these places, you may arrange with your hotel to take you there, by boat or by car.

There is a range of hotels provided with good facilities for any pocket. The flights land on the Crooked Island Airport (also known as Colonel Hill airport) located on a hill which gives a very good view of the two islands. So come and spend time on the wonderful Acklins Island and Crooked Island.

Caribbean - overview

1. Jul 15, 2007 Enjoying yourself on Guana Island (Road Town)
2. Aug 30, 2007 The best places on the Bahamas (Nassau)
3. Nov 21, 2007 The fabulous Grand Turk Island (Back Salina)
4. Nov 26, 2007 Having a great time in Santo Domingo (Santo Domingo)  ( 1)

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