Country Article / Postcards

All About Abaco: The Safe-haven Island That Isn't a Playground for the Rich And Famous…Yet

Date: 06/02/2004

Dear International Living Reader,

The worst of Las Vegas surrounded by plundered dive sites and a seemingly infinite number of duty free liquor stores.

That's what I thought of whenever someone mentioned "The Bahamas". Then I went beyond Grand Bahamas and Freeport, to Abaco--one of the outer islands in the north.

This Bahamas is a different world, nothing short of spectacular. A boomerang-shaped chain of islands, it's one of the world's leading sailing centers. Its marine wildlife attracts divers; its marlins, sailfish and bonefish reel in fishermen the world over. In southern Abaco run wild horses, which can be traced back to those first introduced by Christopher Columbus. The Cays and bays are so great in number that even yachtsmen who have lived here for years can't claim to know them all.

Flying over Abaco--649 square miles--you see only a handful of developments; less than 4% of The Bahamas' population lives here--6,500 locals and 2,600 expats.

But things are set to change.

Abaco's small airport in Marsh Harbour already has several direct flights to Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Atlanta. The world-renowned Carnegie Club is going to open a hotel on the island (the Carnegie Club has a reputation for finding the next hot location before everyone else does, attracting a following of investors who place their money where ever the Carnegie people decide to go.)

Residents of the Bahamas pay no tax on their income, capital gains, inheritance, profits or dividends. The Bahamian government has taken the stance that any new development must compliment the environment, to safeguard against Grand Bahamas- and Freeport-style building mistakes. Give Abaco a few years and it'll be a refuge for wealthy Americans.

Sven Lorenz
For International Living

P.S. It's only 30 minutes by plane from the United States, but Abaco is a world apart. Local airlines do without taking your nail clippers away; you can even take firearms on board aircraft (though you have to declare and unload them). Yet crime or terrorism is non-existent. On two of my flights, I got to take the co-pilot seat. Going to Abaco will make you reconsider what you think you know about the advantages of Western civilizations.