Wander Far From Home are small snippets from our travels beyond North Georgia. Whether exploring the coast of Maine or the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, Wander Far From Home shares our thoughtful recommendations about the best places to eat, wander, and stay from around the world.
The Queen's Bath: A Guide to Eleuthera’s Hidden Gem
Tucked on the north side of the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, the Queen’s Bath is a wild and out of the ordinary spot. This natural pool, carved into the limestone of the island, offers visitors a tranquil escape and a unique opportunity to connect with nature. This guide will explore the history, best times to visit, travel tips, safety precautions, and essential information for first-time visitors to ensure a memorable and safe experience.
SAFETY: READ CAREFULLY
Before we get into any of the details, please do not read any further without giving the following some consideration. The Queen’s Bath can be an extremely safe place. It can also be wildly dangerous and even deadly if you don’t follow some basic rules. If you intend to get in the water, please observe some of the recommendations below.
1) Only go at low tide and on a calm day. It does NOT mean you won’t encounter potentially dangerous conditions but it greatly improves your chances that you’ll have a safer experience. The Queen’s Bath sits right on the Atlantic Ocean and is made up of jagged limestone rock. The water swells up and over the outer edges and fills the pools creating the distinctive “baths”. But at low tide, that usually doesn’t happen. It does not mean that it can’t happen. Even if you don’t see “white caps” or waves, the water can still swell up and over the outer edge filling the pools with a rogue wave out of nowhere. And remember, what comes in must go out. But if you go at low tide, the water usually doesn’t make it over the outer edge. If the water in the bigger pool is more than four or five feet deep, you’re there at a bad time to be in the pools. If the water is up and over the outer edge, you’re there at a bad time to be in the pools. If you see the waves spray up as they hit the rocks, you’re there at a bad time to be in the pools.
2) Pay attention to your surroundings. See above. Just because it’s calm or you don’t see waves or you’re there at low tide does not mean that the ocean won’t decide to send you a random swell of water out of nowhere. So be aware of the conditions, how much water is coming and going, and make sure you don’t end up in a spot you can’t get out of if things go wrong.
3) Wear shoes. The rocks are sharp and jagged and there are little urchins everywhere in the tidal pools.
4) The seasons affect the water. There are calmer times of the year and times when the ocean stays rough around the clock. Know the difference.
5) You can safely observe the Queen’s Bath and take all the pictures you want of this scenic spot without getting in the water or on the lower rocks. If you’re uncomfortable or unsure of the conditions, don’t be shy about trusting your gut and staying on high ground.
6) Remember there are no hospitals on the island of Eleuthera. If you end up in the wrong spot, a situation is going to go from bad to worse real quick. Be smart. Use common sense. Respect nature.
The History and Significance
The Queen’s Bath is located just south of the Glass Window Bridge. If you’re driving south, you’ll see a road side pull off area on the left hand side a few hundred yards after crossing the bridge. From there, walk through the trees towards the water. This will bring you out on a huge limestone cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The Queen’s Bath and Glass Window Bridge are known for the distinctive contrast of the dark blue Atlantic Ocean and the lighter, shallow, calm turquoise waters of the “Caribbean side”. The Caribbean side is actually the Exuma Sound and is separated from the dark blue Atlantic Ocean by the narrowest of strips in the Glass Window Bridge.
Oddly enough, the namesake of the Queen’s Bath, never visited the area. The name was probably given to the pools in honor of the British Queen or other royalty or high-ranking officials on their visits to the island.
The Geology
The tidal pools are created when the tide comes in and fills up the area with fresh ocean water. Again . . . why you only want to go during low tide. Like more traditional tidal pools you may find on sandy beaches, the pools here fill up with all kinds of sea life. Small urchins line the pools closest to the water while little fish and crabs and all sorts of sea life fill fill the water.
We actually found this to be one of the better spots to snorkel on the island. At least for our kids who didn’t quite have the endurance for some of the deeper water spots we visited across the island. Here the water is so shallow at low tide that they could safely float around and observe all kinds of life with their snorkel and mask. There are only a couple of pools and they’re pretty small so don’t get too excited. But if you want a very easy and low key way to see some cool stuff with a snorkel mask, this is a great spot assuming you follow the safety tips above.
THE LIMESTONE CAVES
The limestone rocks make up a huge section of the north eastern side of the island from the Queen’s Bath back towards Gregory Town. These rocks form the barrier – most often in the form of huge limestone cliffs – along this section of the island. These cliffs often become the home to huge hollowed out caves that have been carved out by the ocean over time. You can find two of those caves here at the Queen’s Bath back away from the water. If you’re nervous about getting in the water, these caves are a great space to go and take a photo. The further back into the caves you get, the more interesting the perspective of the baths gets.
If you’re looking for a cocktail or beer nearby, check out El Karaka Glass Window Bar & Grill. Back across the bridge to the north on your left sits a little thatched roof bar with a basic food offering but the drinks are great and the views of Exuma Sound even better. There is even a little beach area that are kid went down to swim at while we enjoyed our drinks. Keep your eyes open though as we saw a shark a few hundred yards off the shoreline. We couldn’t quite make out what kind it was but it was hard to miss the distinctive silhouette and swimming motion and 5-6 feet long.
If you’re looking for food I’d check out Daddy Joe’s about a mile south of the Queen’s Bath. Honestly, it was probably the best food we had on the island. We went to dinner there a few different nights and would go over to the Queen’s Bath or Gaulding Cay Beach across the street after dinner to enjoy the cooler temperatures. We’ll try to get up a separate review of Daddy Joe’s soon but honestly it was the best food on the island. Great staff and variety on the menu and we enjoyed everything we had.
The Queen’s Bath was one of our favorite spots on our visit to Eleuthera. If you’re smart about the time that you visit and follow some basic safety precautions, you’ll have a blast and enjoy one of the most unique spots in all of the Bahamas. Even if you don’t get in the pools, it’s a breathtaking spot to come for a picnic, take some photos and take in the Atlantic Ocean against the limestone rock shoreline.
