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EXUMAS INTERESTING CAYS

Musha Cay

Owned by magician David Copperfiled, Musha Cay is not only his private penpen when he wants it, but one of the highest priced vacation rentals in the world. It has 5 beaches, an outdoor theatre, and many other amenities. See their awesome, Hollywood-like website HERE.

Little Hall's Pond: Home of Johnny Depp

After falling in love with the laid-back Bahamas lifestyle while filming “Pirates of the Caribbean”, Johnny Depp began a search for his own tropical island to get stranded on. And in 2004 he found it in the beautiful Exumas, buying Little Hall’s Pond Cay for US $3.6M as a retreat to enjoy with his songbird wife Vanessa Paradise and their two children. The actor recently made news by publicizing that his island will be run exclusively on eco-friendly solar power, as well as for having invited the (formerly) troubled ingenue Lindsay Lohan aboard for some time out of the public eye. There’s little question that escaping from the prying eyes of the paparazzi was also a prime motivator for Depp’s island purchase- he supposedly refers to his little piece of paradise as “F**k Off Island”.

Leaf Cay: Home to Nicolas Cage

Actor Nicholas Cage may have only purchased his Bahamian island in 2006, but he was no stranger to the small Caribbean country’s charms. Already enjoying a luxurious home on the exclusive Paradise Island, the famous actor is a long time Bahamas resident and a familiar face around the main city of Nassau. Located in the popular Exuma chain close to the island of his good pal Johnny Depp, Leaf Cay is an undeveloped paradise of long sandy beaches, tropical palms and even a little freshwater pond. Reportedly purchased for US $3M, it’s now back on the market and could be yours for US $7M.

Rooster Cay: Home to Eddie Murphy

The famous funnyman Eddie Murphy is known to be one of the highest paid actors in showbiz, so of course he’s found among the many famous private island owners. A little isle found just a 5-minute jaunt from Nassau, the actor bought the 15+ acre Rooster Cay in 2007 for a reported US $15M. Murphy isn’t new to the island buyer’s club, however, as he previously owned another Bahamian cay called Pearl, a tiny speck with a lighthouse that was right next to Paradise Island. It’s yet to be determined if the actor is going to keep his new acquisition as a private retreat or follow another celebrity trend of turning it into a business, but located minutes from Nassau and including a gated mainland lot, Rooster Cay is thought to be perfect for resort development.

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw's Exuma Island

You might imagine country music royalty preferring to relax on an old-school American horse ranch, but New Country stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw are actually king and queen of their own Bahamian island. Their piece of paradise is located in the rapidly growing Exumas, home to many luxury resorts, quaint towns and the island and mainland retreats of other celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan and Johnny Depp. Found in the sleepy mid-point of the chain, this couple’s beautiful little island is fully developed, with perfect sandy beaches and lots of trails throughout… perhaps for horseback riding?

Norman's Cay: Home of Drug Smuggling

When Lehder arrived in Norman's Cay in 1978 he started purchasing large pieces of property, including a home for himself, a hotel and an airstrip. Shortly after Lehder began pushing the native population and vacationers off of Norman's Cay and gained full control of the island. Following Lehder's arrival air traffic over the small island began to increase and armed guards began patrolling the beaches. In July 1980 a yacht belonging to a retired couple was found drifting off Norman's Cay- blood stains were found when the boat was searched, and a corpse recovered.

As part of the Medellín Cartel, he used the island as a transshipment base for smuggling cocaine into the United States. Lehder, through Norman's Cay, is often attributed with revolutionizing drug smuggling. The typical method of transporting small shipments often carried by human drug mules, either through digestion or in their luggage, onto commercial airlines, was surpassed by the use of small aircraft shipping entire loads of cocaine.

Lehder eventually constructed a 3,300-foot (1,000 m) long runway for his fleet of aircraft. In order to protect the island, armed guards patrolled the beaches and runway, radar was employed and attack dogs. Any pilot silly enough to land there was quickly warned off by heavily armed guards. The island served a strategic point as stop for Colombian drug flights to refuel and rest before proceeding to the United States.

With the Bahamian authorities looking the other way and the local inhabitants scared off, the island became a haven of debauchery for Lehder and his associates. Carlos Toro remembers, "Norman's Cay was a playground. I have a vivid picture of being picked up in a Land Rover with the top down and naked women driving to come and welcome me from my airplane... And there we partied. And it was a Sodom and Gomorrah... drugs, sex, no police... you made the rules... and it was fun."

In 1982, under pressure from US law enforcement, and despite years of turning a blind eye, the Bahamian government began to crack down on the activities on Norman's Cay, ultimately confiscating Lehder's land. It is now a tourist destination that can be reached by charter flight.

Crab Cay: High-end Development Near Great Exuma

Crab Cay is located just off the coast of Great Exuma, near Georgetown. Crab Cay will be an exclusive residential community located on a private island just off the coast of Great Exuma in The Bahamas. The Murphy family, developers of Crab Cay, has been drawn to the Exumas’ beauty for more than two decades. Crab Cay offers one of The Bahamas’ finest and most well-protected natural harbours and will welcome mega-yachts to a distinct harbour village. For more info, see their great website..........

Big Major Cay: Home of Swimming Pigs

Yes, swimming pigs! There are six pigs that have made this small island their home, and each one has become accustomed to the fact that visitors most likely mean food. So when they a see a boat floating up to shore they know it means a handout, and so they will swim out to beg. It is the coolest and craziest thing you will ever see in your life! Pigs in paradise—you gotta love it! You can have fun being “chased” down the beach by hungry piggies; a must do if you visit the Exumas.

Staniel Cay: Home of Thunderball Grotto

Staniel Cay is the jewel in the center of the long necklace of Exuma islands stretching for 100 miles southeast of Nassau. Less than a mile square and home to about 100 people, Staniel Cay is the hub for the Pipe Creek area, a group of islands stretching for eight miles north to Compass Cay.
With its 3,000 foot airstrip, little stores (Isles General, Pink Pearl, Blue Store), village, clinic, church, marinas, restaurants and vacation rentals, visitors to Staniel Cay find the best the Bahamas has to offer.
Of particular interest is "Thunderball Grotto," a hollowed-out island where James bond movies "Never Say Never Again" and "Thunderball" as well as "Splash" were filmed.

Bitter Guana Cay: Home of Iguanas

There is a colony of iguanas that run wild on this cay. It is the site of frequent excursions of Powerboat Adventures