Home to some of the bluest waters you’ll ever see, the Bahamas is a premier dog-friendly travel destination chock full of beaches, bars, boats, hikes and restaurants where your dog is welcome. We focused our trip this winter on North Eleuthera, so you’ll see all of our recommendations cover the long skinny island of North Eleuthera, as well as Harbour Island (reachable by a short 5-minute water taxi).
Where to Stay
After spending time in Nassau, Spanish Wells, North Eleuthera and Harbour Island this past winter, my recommendation would be to bypass Nassau at all costs and head straight to one of the islands that make up Eleuthera. This is the dog-friendly Airbnb we stayed at in Gregorytown (in between The Cove resort and Lenny Kravitz’s compound), which was a great base for exploring all of the island and nearby Spanish Wells and Harbour Island.
Where to Eat & Drink
Glass Window Bar & Grill: Frustratingly irregular hours (if you happen to drive by and the gazebo windows are open, stop in!), but worth the headache for the strong rum drinks and conch fritters that were some of the best we had all vacation. The outdoor gazebo bar overlooking the ocean is dog-friendly.
Daddy Joe’s: Caribbean comfort food and live music where dogs are allowed on the screened-in patio.
Tippy’s: Located further south in Governor’s Harbour, Tippy’s is a great lunch spot for painkillers and burgers. Dogs are allowed outside.
Buccaneer Club: A shady outdoor patio in downtown Governor’s Harbour where dogs are allowed everywhere.
Queen Conch: A casual lunch spot about a 10-minute walk from the ferry in Harbour Island. Dogs allowed inside.
Where to Beach
Pink Sand Beach, Harbour Island: If you’re just doing a day trip to Harbour Island, head to Ms. V’s for a chair and umbrella rental. They also serve food & cocktails on the beach and dogs are allowed everywhere. Ms. V’s is directly south of The Dunmore Hotel.
French Leave Beach, Governor’s Harbour: Another pink sand beach where you can explore the Club Med ruins. Most of the buildings were bulldozed after Hurricane Flloyd in 1999 but there are some structures and empty pools to explore.
Gaulding Cay, Gregory Town: A quiet beach right across the street from Daddy Joe’s.
Things to Do
Boat Day with North Eleuthera Excursions: Spend a day or half day with Captain Ron and his wife Linda to visit the swimming pigs, feed turtles and stingrays, explore sandbars, snorkle, and see sharks and dolphins. We packed in so many things in a short four hours, and Reggie was welcome on the boat!
How to Get There
By Plane: Check out this post with a few options for stress-free ways of flying from Florida to the Bahamas with your dog. We opted to fly Tradewind out of Stuart, Florida and you can read all about that experience here.
By Boat: Balearia offers very limited service between Florida, Bimini and Grand Bahama; the one-way pet fee is $150 and dogs/cats must travel in kennels. The Bo Hengy travels between Nassau, Spanish Wells and Harbour Island; the pet fee is $18-33 one way (depending on size) and dogs must stay on the outside deck on a leash.
Paperwork
Entering the Bahamas: This process (outlined on the USDA site) was slightly stressful, as there are a couple veterinarian-related forms and hoops to jump through. Keep in mind that rules can always change, but for our February 2026 trip, this is what we needed to provide to enter the Bahamas:
- A completed Bahamas Pet Import Permit (You can DIY the $10 permit yourself via a 90-page user guide, so we opted to use a facilitator who handled the process for us for $150. We engaged the facilitator about 2 weeks before our trip.)
- A health certificate (within 48 hours of importation) that attests that the dog(s):
- Have been continuously in the country of export for the previous six months, or if less than six months of age, since birth;
- Is free of internal parasites as determined by a negative fecal test;
- Is free of external parasites;
- Was actively immunized against the following diseases (this required me drafting a “vaccine certificate” outlining vaccine / date of administration / date of expiration that our full-time vet at home just slapped his signature on):
- Rabies
- Distemper
- Hepatitis
- Leptospirosis
- Parvovirus
- Adenovirus
In practice for a Monday flight, this meant a Friday afternoon vet appointment at Surfside Pet Hospital in Stuart, FL. They were super helpful with all of my questions and are pros at what’s required to bring a dog into the Bahamas. They’re also located right next to the airport in Stuart. My advice would be to work with a vet who has experience with the paperwork required to bring your dog to the Bahamas. Just call around and ask; I had to call a few different places before I landed on Surfside.
Coming Back to the US: Comparatively, this process is a complete breeze. You fill out the CDC Dog Import Form online form in advance (I did it 2 weeks before coming back to the US but you could do it the day-of your return flight) and show the email confirmation to the US immigration agent when you land.
