The Route
Miami to Exuma by Private Charter Flight
Exuma is a chain of about 365 cays that runs for more than 100 miles through the middle of the Bahamas, from the protected cays of the north down to Great Exuma and Little Exuma in the south. Exuma International Airport on Great Exuma lies about 275 nautical miles southeast of Miami. Flights from Miami to Exuma land there, the aircraft is reserved for your group alone, and by jet the time in the air is about an hour to an hour and a quarter.
Each Miami to Exuma flight is arranged by Velvet Air and flown by a licensed carrier. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we send back the aircraft that suit the trip, each with a single total. Passenger names, passport numbers and the paperwork for both borders are filed by us, so your part is the passports and the luggage.
This route to Exuma is offered on four kinds of aircraft: a seaplane, a helicopter, small planes and a light jet. The overview right below sets them side by side, and if none stands out, ask us which one suits your group in Exuma. Our other routes from Miami are listed on our home page.
Plan Your Exuma Flight
Choose Your Aircraft
Aircraft for the Miami to Exuma Flight
Flights from Miami to Exuma start with the choice of aircraft. A seaplane, a helicopter, small planes or a light jet can take your group to Great Exuma. Tell us your dates, how many of you are travelling and what you are packing, and we match the aircraft to the trip. Every aircraft and its specifications is listed on our fleet page.
Seaplane
Cessna Grand Caravan EX Amphibian. On the way to Exuma it lands on the runway at Exuma International Airport on Great Exuma, where customs and immigration are on site. The time in the air comes with your quote.
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Helicopter
Bell 407, Agusta 109 or Sikorsky S-76. The helicopter lands where the small planes land, at Exuma International Airport on Great Exuma, and the time in the air for your date comes with the quote.
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Small Plane
Beechcraft Baron 58, King Air C90, Piper Aztec, Cessna Grand Caravan EX, Cessna 402C or Piper Chieftain, about an hour and a quarter to two hours in the air depending on the model. Lands on the runway of about 7,000 feet at Exuma International.
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Private Jet
The light jet, the Cessna Citation CJ3/CJ3+, about an hour to an hour and a quarter in the air. It lands at Exuma International Airport on Great Exuma, with customs and immigration on site.
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How It Works
How a Flight from Miami to Exuma Works
Whether you fly from Miami to Exuma by seaplane, helicopter, small plane or light jet, flying from Miami to Exuma follows the same steps on every aircraft. Here is what each flight includes, from your first message to the moment you step out on Great Exuma.
Plan Your Exuma FlightDistance and Time
Great Exuma, About 275 Nautical Miles Southeast
Flying from Miami to Exuma covers about 275 nautical miles to Exuma International Airport on Great Exuma, five times the distance to Bimini. In the air that is about an hour to an hour and a quarter by jet and about an hour and a quarter to two hours by small plane; for the seaplane and the helicopter the time comes with the quote. There is no change of aircraft in Nassau: the Miami to Exuma flight is one leg from your Miami departure point to Great Exuma.
How Long the Day Runs
A Day on Great Exuma, a Weekend or a Week
A morning departure leaves the middle of the day for the island and brings you home to Miami in the evening, and a longer stay in Exuma is planned the same way. On a charter the aircraft waits for you, so you set the return hour yourself. Say in your enquiry whether you fly back the same day or stay on, and the return is built around that. Only weather and delays can move it.
The Whole Aircraft
No Other Passengers, Your Hour of Departure
You charter the whole aircraft to Exuma, so the people on board are the people you name and nobody else. You choose the departure hour within daylight and within the hours the crew may fly. The quote puts aircraft, crew and the Miami to Exuma flight into one total and lists what it covers before any deposit is paid.
Both Borders
Customs at Exuma International, Filings from Our Side
Every passenger, children included, needs a valid passport. Exuma International Airport is an airport of entry, with customs and immigration in the private aviation facility, so your group clears the border right where it lands on Great Exuma. Before you fly from Miami to Exuma, the names and passport numbers are filed from our side, and the same is done for the flight home.
Beaches and Water
Stocking Island, Little Exuma and the Northern Cays
Stocking Island lies across Elizabeth Harbour from George Town, about five to ten minutes by water taxi. Little Exuma, joined to Great Exuma by a small bridge, has Tropic of Cancer Beach, best reached by car. The swimming pigs, Thunderball Grotto and the nurse sharks at Compass Cay are in the northern Exuma cays, a boat trip or a further flight leg away. Tell us which of these you want, pack swimwear, and let us know your luggage, because the allowance depends on the aircraft.
Town and Harbour
George Town on Elizabeth Harbour
George Town is the largest town in Exuma and the seat of its government offices, on Great Exuma beside Elizabeth Harbour. It has the shops, restaurants and services of the island, and water taxis to Stocking Island leave from its dock. A car can be waiting at the airport when you land in Exuma, and you tell us in the enquiry whether you want one.
Departure Points
Miami Departure Points for the Exuma Flight
Flights from Miami to Exuma depart from airports and bases across the city. We pick the one closest to where you are staying, and it is named in the quote you receive.
Miami Seaplane Base
Watson Island, Miami
Seaplanes for Exuma depart from the public seaplane base on Watson Island, which lies between downtown Miami and Miami Beach, about two miles east of the city centre. Both are a few minutes away by car.
Watson Island, Miami
The helicopter to Exuma takes off from the heliport on Watson Island in the heart of Miami, beside the seaplane base, so downtown and Miami Beach are close and the time on the ground before departure stays short.
Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport, OPF
A general aviation airport in the north of Miami with a runway of about 8,000 feet and US Customs on the field. Atlantic Aviation, Fontainebleau Aviation and Signature Flight Support run full-service FBOs there. The light jet and small planes for Exuma can depart here, and it is closest for guests staying north.
Miami Executive Airport, TMB, Kendall
The general aviation airport in Kendall, southwest of central Miami. Guests staying in the south or southwest can leave for Exuma from here without crossing the city to an airfield in the north.
Miami International Airport, MIA
The main airport of Miami. If you arrive on an airline and want to continue to Exuma on the same day, you start here, and we time the departure to the hour your flight lands.
How to Book
How to Plan a Flight from Miami to Exuma
Planning a flight to Exuma takes four steps, and only the first one is yours to do.
Plan Your Exuma Flight- 01
Contact Us
Write to us on WhatsApp or by email. Send your dates, how many guests, where you are coming from and which aircraft you have in mind for Exuma, or tell us you are not sure yet. Tell us the hour you would like to leave and whether you come back the same day. That is all we need to start.
- 02
Get the Options Back
We check what is free on your date for Exuma and send the aircraft that fit your party, side by side: seats, bags, time in the air and the price of each. That is usually where the choice makes itself: a large group with luggage points one way, a quick trip for two the other.
- 03
Confirm and Pay
You pick the aircraft, and we fix the departure point and the landing site. Then everything around the Miami to Exuma flight: catering on board, ground transport on Great Exuma, flowers if the day is a special one. You approve it, you pay, and the boarding time comes back to you.
- 04
Be There 30 Minutes Before
There is no terminal queue on a charter. Arrive half an hour before the time we sent, walk to the aircraft with your bags and take off for Exuma.
On the Islands
What to See After the Flight to Exuma
Below are six places to see after you fly from Miami to Exuma, from the swimming pigs in the northern cays to the harbour at George Town.
Plan Your Exuma FlightPig Beach, Big Major Cay
The Swimming Pigs
The swimming pigs of Exuma live on Big Major Cay in the northern cays, on the stretch of sand known as Pig Beach. It is about ten minutes by boat from Staniel Cay, and the pigs swim out to boats that come close to the beach. Thunderball Grotto lies a short way off, so many boat trips in Exuma visit both on the same day.
Thunderball Grotto is a hollow limestone cay just off Staniel Cay in the Exuma cays, named after the James Bond film Thunderball, which was shot there. Snorkellers swim in through the openings, and inside, daylight falls through holes in the rock onto the water. It is a short boat ride from Staniel Cay and close to Pig Beach.
Compass Cay lies just below the southern tip of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. Its marina is known for the nurse sharks that gather at the dock, and visitors wade or swim beside them in the shallows. The owner made the marina a no fishing zone, and the sharks keep coming back because the staff feed them scraps.
Founded in 1958, the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park was the first marine protected area in the Caribbean, and no fishing is allowed inside it. It covers a long stretch of the northern Exuma cays with reefs, sandbars and quiet anchorages, and it is reached by boat. Compass Cay sits just south of its boundary.
George Town on Great Exuma is the largest town of the chain, and Stocking Island lies across Elizabeth Harbour from it, about five to ten minutes by water taxi from the town dock. The island can only be reached by boat. Further south, a small bridge joins Great Exuma to Little Exuma and Tropic of Cancer Beach.
Exuma International Airport at Moss Town on Great Exuma is where flights from Miami land. Its runway is about 7,000 feet long, and customs and immigration sit inside the private aviation facility, so your group clears entry on arrival in Exuma. A car can be waiting at the terminal for the drive to George Town.
Ready When You Are
Ready to Fly
from Miami to Exuma?
Send us the date, how many guests and the aircraft you would like for Exuma. We reply with the departure point and one total.
Add-Ons
Charter Flight to Exuma Add-Ons
Name the ones you want when you send your dates and the aircraft you prefer. Anything else is arranged together with the flight to Exuma.
In Detail
Miami to Exuma by Private Flight: Pig Beach, the Cays and George Town
Velvet Air arranges private flights from Miami to Exuma with licensed carriers. One person looks after your flight to Exuma from the first message until you land, and nobody else shares the aircraft. Our other routes from Miami are on the home page.
Miami to Exuma Charter Flights: Straight to Great Exuma, No Stop in Nassau
About 275 nautical miles to Great Exuma
A charter takes your group from a Miami departure point agreed in advance straight to Exuma International on Great Exuma, about 275 nautical miles southeast. Flights from Miami to Exuma are arranged by Velvet Air with licensed operators, each aircraft is listed with its specifications on our fleet page, and the quote names the aircraft, the departure point and one total. The runway at Exuma International is about 7,000 feet long, which takes the light jet and the small planes, and the seaplane, an amphibian, lands there on its wheels. Customs and immigration are in the private aviation facility, so the border is behind you soon after landing in Exuma. A car can wait at the terminal for the drive to George Town and Elizabeth Harbour.
Exuma Day Trip from Miami: Stocking Island, Little Exuma and George Town
A day on Great Exuma
A day trip to Exuma works because the aircraft waits for you: out in the morning, home in the evening, and the hours in between are yours. From George Town a water taxi crosses Elizabeth Harbour to Stocking Island in about five to ten minutes, and by car the small bridge to Little Exuma leads to Tropic of Cancer Beach. By jet, flying from Miami to Exuma takes about an hour to an hour and a quarter, so a morning departure puts you on Great Exuma before noon. Catering and a private chef can be arranged through our add-ons, and a car can wait at the airport. The swimming pigs and the northern cays lie further away, so for those we plan a longer day or a night in Exuma. If you need to be back in Miami at a fixed hour, tell us and we plan the return around it.
Private Flights to Exuma from Miami: Passports in Hand, Paperwork Filed by Us
Entry into the Bahamas on Great Exuma
A private flight into the Bahamas lands first at an airport of entry, and Exuma International is one, with customs and immigration inside the private aviation facility. Every passenger needs a valid passport, children included. The names and passport numbers for your Miami to Exuma flight are filed from our side before departure, and we take care of both borders. Before the flight home, the passenger list goes to US Customs and Border Protection through eAPIS, and that is filed by us as well. On the way back you reach the aircraft with your passports and nothing else to arrange. If the trip continues to other islands after Exuma, the border is cleared once on Great Exuma, and the next leg is a flight within the Bahamas.
Charter Flights Miami to Exuma: From Great Exuma Into the Cays
Island hopping through the chain
Exuma is a chain of about 365 cays, and Great Exuma is where most trips begin. From there the cays of the north, with Staniel Cay, Pig Beach, Thunderball Grotto and Compass Cay, are reached by boat or on a further leg that we plan together with the Miami to Exuma flight. Nassau lies on the way, about 160 nautical miles from Miami, so a trip can stop there first and continue to Exuma afterwards. Our other routes from Miami, from Bimini to Key West and Grand Bahama, are on the home page. The return to Miami can leave from Great Exuma or from another island you reach on the way, and the whole route is quoted together. Tell us the islands you want to see, and we send the legs back as one plan.
Questions
Miami to Exuma Flights FAQ
How long is the flight from Miami to Exuma?
By jet about an hour to an hour and a quarter, by small plane about an hour and a quarter to two hours, depending on the model. For the seaplane and the helicopter, the time in the air comes with the quote for your date.
How far is Exuma from Miami?
About 275 nautical miles, roughly 317 statute miles, from Miami to Exuma International Airport on Great Exuma. That is five times the distance to Bimini, and the flight goes there directly, without a stop in Nassau.
How do you fly to Exuma, Bahamas?
On a private flight from the Miami airport or base nearest to you to Exuma International on Great Exuma, an airport of entry. Send us your date, your group and your luggage, and we send back the aircraft that fit, each with one total.
Can we do Exuma as a day trip from Miami?
Yes. On a charter the aircraft waits for you, so the return hour is yours: out in the morning, back in the evening, with both borders handled from our side. Tell us if you would rather stay a night.
Can we see the swimming pigs on a trip to Exuma?
Yes. The pigs live at Pig Beach on Big Major Cay in the northern Exuma cays, about ten minutes by boat from Staniel Cay. From Great Exuma that is a longer boat trip or a further flight leg, which we plan together with the flight.
Do you need a passport to fly from Miami to Exuma, Bahamas?
Yes. Every passenger needs a valid passport with at least six months of validity, children included, and a driving licence will not do. Names and passport numbers are filed from our side before you leave Florida.
Which aircraft can I charter from Miami to Exuma?
Air charter in Miami covers a seaplane, helicopter, small plane or private jet. A seaplane lands on water, a helicopter needs a cleared area, a small plane uses island airfields and a jet carries the most. Every aircraft we charter is on our fleet page, with its specifications.
Where in Miami do the flights to Exuma depart from?
From the airport or base nearest to your hotel: the Miami Seaplane Base, Watson Island Heliport, Miami-Opa locka Executive, Miami Executive or Miami International. The quote names the one we pick for your flight to Exuma.
Where do you land in Exuma?
At Exuma International Airport at Moss Town on Great Exuma, an airport of entry with customs and immigration in the private aviation facility. The runway is about 7,000 feet long, and the seaplane, an amphibian, lands there on its wheels like the other aircraft.
How much does a flight from Miami to Exuma cost?
Private charter flights in Miami are priced for the whole aircraft, not per seat. The total depends on the aircraft, the route and the day, and what it covers is spelled out with the itinerary before any deposit.
When should we be at the aircraft for the Exuma flight?
Thirty minutes before the departure time we send. On a charter you skip the terminal queue and walk straight to the aircraft, because the names and passport numbers for the flight to Exuma were filed from our side in advance.
What can we do on Great Exuma in a day?
Take a water taxi from George Town across Elizabeth Harbour to Stocking Island, drive over the small bridge to Tropic of Cancer Beach on Little Exuma, or stay in George Town. A morning departure from Miami puts you on Great Exuma before noon.
What happens if the weather is bad on the day?
If conditions are below what is safe, the crew moves or cancels the flight, and you hear early enough to change the departure. A jet can climb above much of what grounds smaller aircraft.
What is the difference between Velvet Air and the operator that flies me?
Velvet Air does not own or fly aircraft; the flight is operated by a licensed carrier. We compare carriers for your route and put forward the best fit, and one person stays with your request until you land.
Next Step
Ready to Book a Flight
from Miami to Exuma?
Tell us your date, how many are travelling and whether you want a day on Great Exuma or a longer stay in the cays. You get the aircraft, the departure point and one total, and we file the border paperwork.
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