The longest of the Abaco cays, Great Guana, on the chain's east side, stretches 11km (6 3/4 miles) from tip to tip and lies between Green Turtle and Man-O-War cays. The spectacular beachfront running the length of the cay is one of the loveliest in The Bahamas. The reef fishing is superb here, and bonefish are plentiful in the shallow bays.

The settlement stretches along the beach at the head of the palm-fringed Kidd's Cove, named after the pirate. Ruins of an old sisal mill near the western end of the island make for an interesting detour. The island has about 150 residents, most of them descendants of Loyalists who left Virginia and the Carolinas to settle in this remote place, often called "the last spot of land before Africa." The islanders' traditional pursuits include boat-building, carpentry, farming, and fishing.

As in similar settlements in New Plymouth and Man-O-War Cay, houses here resemble those of old New England. It won't take you long to explore the village; it has only two small stores, a one-room schoolhouse, an Anglican church -- and that's about it.