Travel Guide for Crooked Island, Bahamas - Crooked Island Purple Travel Guide
Crooked Island is the best guarded secret of the Bahamas. If you are looking for the true Bahamas with endless white sand beaches, palm trees, turquoise waters, excellent swimming, snorkeling and diving, fishing and especially bone fishing, solitude and some of the friendliest people on the planet, look no further. Crooked Island is calling your name. We have lots of photos so you know what you will see.
With a size of 57 square miles (148 km2), Crooked Island is about 70% of the size of New Providence Island where Nassau is located. But its population of 330 people is only a tiny fraction and makes for a population density of only 6 people per square mile (2 people per km2). So, if you want to get away from it all, look no further. Crooked Island is calling your name.
On a cloudless night, you can enjoy gazillions of stars as there are only few artificial light sources.
If you stay on the beaches on the west side of Crooked Island then you will see the occasional cruise ship far away on the horizon and realize that you have found your place in paradise.
As to the pronunciation of Croked Island: The ee" in Crooked is not silent and pronounced as in footed.
We have made two videos about Crooked Island. The Snorkeling in Crooked Island video (16 min) is an excerpt of the Crooked Island – Hidden Paradise in The Bahamas video (34 min).
General Information
How to get to Crooked Island?
Crooked Island is off the beaten track and only very few tourists find their way to this remote island in the Bahamas.
The only options to get to Crooked Island are:
two weekly flights (Wednesday and Saturday) from Nassau with Bahamas Air
pre-Covid: the mail boat from Nassau which also brings supplies and typically arrives on 3 Fridays per month after a multi-day voyage
private yacht or plane
pedestrian ferry from Acklins Island
Is there public transportation on Crooked Island?
There is no public transportation on Crooked Island.
Ask your hotel if they can get you a rental car and expect to pay $65 per day. Remember, cars drive on the left side of the road like in England and Australia. There are almost no road signs, so make sure to download the Crooked Island map to your favorite GPS.
Where do people live on Crooked Island?
There are only 330 people who live on Crooked Island. In general, people on Crooked Island live in several settlements on the main road (Landrail Point, Seaview, Moss Town, Fairfield, Colonel Hill, Major's Cay, Bullet Hill, Brown's). Landrail Point and Colonel Hill are the main settlements.
On the beaches to the west and north, you will mostly see houses from American and European snowbirds who typically come for the winter and leave the island during hurricane season.
Where is the Police Station on Crooked Island?
There is a police station across the street from the Colonel Hill airport.
Crooked Island has 5 active police officers and 2 in reserve.
Where is the Post Office on Crooked Island?
Located in the administrative office across the street from St. Michael Anglican Church, behind the door closest to the main road is the post office.
It also offers some banking services for locals who have accounts with it, but visitors cannot get any cash on Crooked Island, so make sure to bring enough money with you.
The first post office in The Bahamas used to stand in Pitts Town, but it is long gone.
Is there a bank or ATM on Crooked Island?
There are no banks or ATMs on Crooked Island. Limited banking for locals that have accounts is available at the post office. Visitors cannot get any cash here, so make sure to bring enough money.
Are there clinics on Crooked Island?
Crooked Island has two clinics. They are only equipped to handle minor health issues.
One is located behind the library in Landrail Point and one across the street from Crooked Island high school close to the Colonel Hill airport.
The only nurse on the island, Beulah Carroll, is sharing her time between both clinics.
The clinics are open from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday and can be reached under these phone numbers:
Colonel Hill clinic: +1-242-344-2350
Landrail Point clinic: +1-242-344-2166
Some stores and hotels accept credit card payments. But other stores only accept cash or charge an extra 7% if you use a credit card. There are no banks or ATMs on Crooked Island, so make sure to bring enough cash.
Sand flies and mosquitoes will eat you alive when they come out just before sunset or after a rain shower or storm. So bring plenty of DEET containing mosquito spray or buy it as soon as you arrive. I used a non-DEET creme at first and got bitten a lot.
Even if you use DEET, chances are that sand flies will bite you. Their bites itch and it is nearly impossible to resist the urge to scratch which can lead to infections. The itching may keep you awake at night. A good temporary remedy is Hydrocortisone cream. You should definitely bring some or buy it as soon as you arrive.
Crooked Island is large and distances between different points of interest may be too big for a leisurely bicycle ride, especially considering the heat in the daytime and the relentless sand flies in the evening. So chances are that you will need a rental car at some point during your stay. And that means that you need to bring your Driver's License. Be advised that you need to be at least 24 years old to drive a car on Crooked Island.
What to bring to Crooked Island?
What part of Crooked Island do you want to explore now?
Author: Rudy at Backpack and Snorkel
Bio: Owner of Backpack and Snorkel Travel Guides. We create in-depth guides to help you plan unforgettable vacations around the world.
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