Piegion Creek (Lagoon)

Beaches

Key Highlisghts on San Salvador

Dixon Hill Lighthouse

Built in 1887 on a former plantation owned by John Dixon, this lighthouse is still occupied and operated by lighthouse keepers who refuel the 400,000 candle powered lighthouse by hand every 2 hours and 15 minutes. It stands 163 feet above sea level, with a visibility of 19 miles, and is one of the most visited landmarks on the Island. It is one of the few remaining manually-operated lighthouses in the world and one of only three of its type in The Bahamas.

Christopher Columbus Monuments

This monument to Columbus landfall is located at Long Bay, so named for Columbus long boat. This is the point where he came ashore. A monument placed on the floor of the ocean in Long Bay marks the exact spot where Columbus dropped anchor on October 12th, 1492. On the beach, a simple white cross commemorates the first land discovered in the West Indies. This location is based on the scholarship of Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison whose expedition in 1940 charted the course of Columbus from the Old World to the New. The cross, erected by Columbian historian Ruth D. Wolper and the people of San Salvador in 1956, is the most photographed spot on the island.

Originally called Guanahani by the Lucayan Indians, the island was renamed San Salvador by Christopher Columbus, which means Holy Saviour. It’s actually the exposed peak of a submerged mountain that rises 15,000 feet from the ocean’s floor. It has one of the most unique-looking landscapes in The Bahamas. The land is full of undulating hills, beautiful beaches, numerous saltwater lakes, and amazing reefs that surround the greater part of the island. Plus, there are a few substantial plantation ruins that are important reminders of the island's Loyalist past — Watling's Castle at Sandy Point and Fortune Hill Plantation at Fortune Hill. Just over 1,000 people call San Salvador home. They’re descendants of slaves brought to the island by British Loyalists. Today, these San Salvadorans provide visitors with tourism activities such as fishing, diving, sailing, and guided tours.

All you need to know about San Salvador and the Bahamas