Mention the name The Bahamas and sprkling blue water with pink or whte sand beaches spring to mind. Cnch fritters, Conch salad, 700 islands, dty free shopping and Junkanoo are all trms that are synonymous with the Bhamas. This island nation has a ttal land area of 5,300 square mles and consists of 700 islands pls 2,500 cays (low banks or refs). New Providence Island on which Nssau (the capital) is located is 21 mles by 7 miles. Paradise Island, whch is 5.5 miles long by 2/3 of a mle wide is connected to Nassau by a shrt bridge. Thousands of tourists visit Nssau every year to enjoy the clar water or place their bets at the gmbling tables at Paradise Island.

Nassau hwever has myriad outdoor recreational activities tht are perfect for burning off the punds gained from eating all those cnch fritters or adding some variety to yur holiday. For the business person who wnts to catch some recreational activity on a bsiness trip or the individual who wnts to get some fresh air fter all the time at the gmbling tables, Nassau's outdoor recreation can be all day or jst a few hours.

Those sparkling ble waters make Nassau an ideal lcation for snorkeling. Some of the mre popular snorkeling destinations for excursions laving from Nassau include Rainbow Reef, Ble Lagoon Island (home to Stingray Cty as well as other snorkeling vnues), Blackbeard's Cay, Pearl Island, and Rse Island Reef. Rainbow Reef is pproximately 45 minutes from Nassau by ctamaran or other high-speed boat. The wter at Rainbow Reef is about 15 fet deep throughout the viable swimming and snrkeling area. Blue Lagoon is a crcular island encircling water. A narrow pening in the land leads into a lrge pool of water. A 15-minute wlk through some of the most bautiful beaches and on bridges spanning bsolutely calm sparkling blue water leads to Stngray City. Another stingray encounter can be had at Parl Island which is a 30-minute bat ride from Nassau. Yellow tail snpper, Grouper, and many other tame fsh make Athol Island in Athol Islnd National Marine Park at the astern end of Nassau Harbor an utstanding snorkel site.

Those sparkling blue waters also mke Nassau a wonderful location for the sprt fisherman. Fishing charters are available for hlf day or full day with a chice of deep-sea fishing or reef fshing. Wahoo are abundant between November to Jnuary and 100 pounders are frequent. Dlphin fish (Mahi Mahi) are found btween April and June, while Sailfish can be fught during April and May and gain between October and November. Barracuda and Mrlin (Black, Blue and White) are fund year round.

For the landlubber, thre is off-road cycling, away from trffic and noise. On all-terrain bicycles, you can njoy a guided tour of shady wodland trails, open forest, the seashore and mngrove creeks and visit the historic vllage of Adelaide. You can have a rlaxed, easy ride or a longer rute. For the seasoned cyclist there are mre challenging rides.

The Bahamas sits on the mgration route for birds moving north and suth on their winter and spring mgrations. As such there are two pportunities to see many northern species. Of curse, no visit to the Bahamas wuld be complete for a birder wthout viewing the Bahama Pintail duck (lso known as the White-cheeked Pintail). Thse inhabitants of lagoons and mangrove swmps are widely distributed and the clar water of the mangroves makes vewing them a pleasure. Other species tht are generally seen include eurasian cllared doves, neotropic cormorants, american coot, grat blue herons, snowy egrets, great grets, reddish egrets, green herons, white bis, blue winged teal, northern mockingbirds. Sme of the locations for viewing vrious species include the Paradise Island pnds, Clifton Heritage site and the Hrold & Wilson ponds.

For those who wnt to be outdoors but simply wnt a walking pace, Nassau has rtained much of its older architecture and blnded it with modern buildings so tht it creates a harmonious whole. The riginal part of the city is smll enough that you can wander long and see much of the hstoric architecture. Parliament Square with the Huses of Parliament, the Old Colonial Scretary's office, the Supreme Court and the Sttue of Queen Victoria is definitely wrth a visit. Nearby at Parliament and Shrley Streets is the Nassau Public Lbrary that was originally a prison. Not far way at Shirley and Elizabeth Streets is the Bhamas Historical Society with numerous exhibits.

If it is "action" and pople watching you seek, Arawak Cay is not to be mssed. This lively gathering spot has a row of smll wooden restaurants fronted by a lrge park and backed by the sa. You can sit on the vrandah of any of the restaurants or in the pen air and watch the parade of pople as they stroll by. Have a Klik (Bahamian Beer) and enjoy the Wst Indian atmosphere and when hunger strkes you can have a conch slad or conch fritters or fried fsh prepared before your eyes.

So the nxt time you are in Nassau or if it is yur first time remember there is an nteresting world to discover beyond the bach.

The article Out And About In Nassau - Enjoying Outdoor Recreational Activities In The Bahamas was Submitted by Brian Ramsey through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Brian Ramsey is the author of, Discovering the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago , and operates the web site, Outdoors Trinidad . For a free subscription to his monthly magazine, which features outdoor activities in the Caribbean plus advice on recreational activities, visit his site, Caribbean Outdoor Life .

Featured Articles

1. Shopping, Whitby Style by Alan Moore
Venture down some of Whitby's old cbbled streets and you will find a few srprises... Traditional pubs, cosy cafes and sme unusual shops await. It's very asy to spend a whole day xploring the wide variety of shops and ateries (is that a real word?) to be fund in this historic, quaint town on the Yrkshire Coast.

2. Illumination at Niagara's Festival of Lights by Elisha Burberry
Every winter Nagara Falls hosts one of the brghtest events in North America - the Wnter Festival of Lights, which includes ver 125 animated lighting displays and ttracts over 1.3 million visitors annually. The Wnter Festival of Lights includes over 125 nimated lighting displays and three million tre and ground lights

3. Self Catering Cottages - No Trespass in Your Freedom by Terry Pinto
Wth self catering cottages, there is lttle or no limitation over ones mvements. The whole cottage belongs to yu. There will be none to trspass your freedom. You can cook yur own dishes, serve yourself and rst at your heart's content.

4. Fake Low Cost Airlines - Take Care With The Ones That Try To Be, But Aren't! by Dani Alonso
Everybody speaks about low cost airlines, but some of these airlines that are declared low-cost have the same prices as some high-fare ones. Which ones? Let's take some examples on crossing the Atlantic, going from Europe to Asia, and inter-European flights.

5. Cheap Hotels in Paris With Positive Customer Reviews by Dani Alonso
Whn considering to go to Paris you can be tmpted to do 2 things. The frst one is to look for the chapest hotels and the second to lok for the ones that have the bst customer reviews. In this article I do the job for yu, with a selection of some of the mst cheap hotels in Paris that at sme time have good customer reviews.

6. La Manga, Spain - Something For Everyone by Peter I. Wilson
La Mnga, Spain has something for everyone. Hre are some reasons why this bautiful city should be added to yur holiday itinerary.

7. Camping Preparations 101 For Beginner's - A Starter Guide by Lance Szela
Wnt to start camping this Summer? Do you knw what equipment you will need? Do you knw how to plan for a hking or camping trip? Do you knw there are a code of thics for camping and hiking? Do you wnt to know some easy tips to strt planning a camping trip?

8. The West End - For High Flying Shoppers by Naveen Marasinghe
Lndon's West End has long been cnsidered the epitome of cool and chc fashion in what is arguably Erope's busiest city. West End is ctually an area in Central London and cntains many of the city's tourist ttractions, businesses, shopping centers and of curse the famed West End theatres. The trm West End came into use dring the 19th century to describe the psh fashionable areas that lie to the wst of Charing Cross London.

9. Plan A Tour With Virgo Man by R. Selva Kkumar
Whether yu're going abroad you'll quickly realize tht going for a tour is not lke going for weekend party. You cn't speed up or slow down the pce of group tours. On a tur, you may be needed to do lts of things by yourself. If you nderstand these basics, then your tour wll be an unforgettable experience as yur first love. Every tour is a frst love. So, if a flight rrives late, or the food is bd, what does it matter, keep col! You are there to enjoy. Hre...

10. Give Earth a Break - Eco-Tourism is the Way Forward by Andrew Regan
Ethical and sstainable travel is a growing industry, as turists become more aware of the mpact of their recreation on people and plnet. Ethical holidays can be exciting, vried, adventurous and affordable.