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Abaco

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A sailing ground of cays and colonial villages, seventeen marinas, a striped lighthouse still worked by hand, and an international airport four kilometres from Marsh Harbour.

Fly to Abaco All of Bahamas
Arrival
Leonard M. Thompson International · MHH
To Marsh Harbour
About 4 km from the airport
Private jets
Cherokee Aviation at MHH, customs daily
Best time
November to April

The city

Ferries, marinas and loyalist towns.

Life in the Abacos is lived on the water. Marsh Harbour is the working town, and from its docks the ferries leave for Elbow Cay, where Hope Town keeps its colonial houses, and for Man-O-War Cay, where boat-building is the old trade. Green Turtle Cay, reached only by boat, has the old lanes of New Plymouth. Offshore, the deep water brings blue marlin, sailfish and tuna to the anglers.

Winters are gentle, with highs of 23 to 26 °C and little rain from November to April. Summer is warmer and wetter, and from August to October the chance of a tropical storm is at its highest of the year.

  • Elbow Reef Lighthouse Red and white stripes above Hope Town since 1862, the last manually operated light of its kind in the country, with a spiral stair to the lamp.
  • Man-O-War Cay An island with a long boat-building tradition, reached by ferry from Marsh Harbour.
  • Tahiti Beach Reached by bike, by boat or on foot, with a sandbar that surfaces at low tide.

Arriving

Two airports on the Sea of Abaco.

Leonard M. Thompson International, formerly Marsh Harbour International, is the main door to the Abacos. Treasure Cay, further north, also takes international flights.

Business & First Class Scheduled service Schedules shift with the season. Delta has flown nonstop from Atlanta, and JSX from its private terminal at Opa-locka, near Miami. Business & First fares Private Jet Private flights Cherokee Aviation handles private aircraft at Marsh Harbour, an airport of entry with customs and immigration every day in office hours and later on request. The runway is 6,100 feet. Movements after dark need prior permission. Charter a jet
Approximate flying time by midsize jet
  • Nassau 35 min
  • Palm Beach 45 min
  • St Maarten 2 h 35
  • Los Angeles 5 h 30
  • Paris 9 h 25 long-range jet

When to go

November to April.

The northern Bahamas run cooler in winter than the southern islands, with January and February near 23 °C. Rain builds from May, and September and October bring the most of it, at the height of the storm season.

  1. 23° J 45 24°
  2. 23° F 58 23°
  3. 25° M 53 24°
  4. 26° A 59 24°
  5. 28° M 124 26°
  6. 30° J 142 28°
  7. 31° J 98 29°
  8. 31° A 112 29°
  9. 30° S 148 29°
  10. 29° O 155 28°
  11. 26° N 58 26°
  12. 24° D 54 25°
Best months weather2travel.com, long-term averages for Marsh Harbour

Where to dine

Where to book on the Abacos.

No MICHELIN Guide covers the Bahamas. These are the two Fodor’s Choice restaurants in the top price band of Fodor’s Abacos guide.

  • The Bistro Fodor’s Choice Seafood and steaks $$$$ Abaco Beach Resort, Marsh Harbour
  • Abaco Inn Restaurant Fodor’s Choice Island cooking $$$$ Hope Town, Elbow Cay, about 8 km by ferry

Elsewhere in Bahamas

More reasons to come.

All of Bahamas

Flying to Abaco?

Choose how you arrive.

A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.

Business & First Private Jet