Two of my favorite places in the Bahamas, Eleuthera and nearby Harbour Island, have some of the most inviting coastlines in the Atlantic, featuring soft pink sand, crystal-clear water and gentle rolling waves. But if you can manage to pry yourself off the beach, a land tour of Eleuthera can be a rewarding excursion to discover the fascinating history and geology of the island.

The Andrew Harper Travel Office arranged a half-day tour from The Potlatch Club, where our guide picked us up and drove us to the northernmost part of the island before slowly making our way back to the hotel, stopping for an indulgent lunch at a hotel along the way. Our excursion revealed the raw, elemental beauty of Eleuthera, including hidden swimming holes and tide pools as well as notable sites connected to the island’s earliest inhabitants.

Preacher’s Cave

Our tour began with a stop at Preacher’s Cave, one of the island’s most historically significant natural sites. In 1648, a group of English settlers seeking religious freedom shipwrecked on the Devil’s Backbone, a shallow reef system just off the northern coast of Eleuthera. The group, known as the Eleutheran Adventurers, took shelter in the cave and used it as a place of worship.