Hole-in-the-Wall Lighthouse

The Hole-in-the-Wall light was built in 1836 on the southernmost point of Abaco to mark the passage into the Northeast Providence Channel, and it stood as one of the loneliest posts in the Bahamas. It was automated and then abandoned, and hurricane damage has left it derelict; a bird research station operated in the keeper's buildings for some years. The natural arch that gave the point its name collapsed in a storm in the 1990s. Getting there is a long rough drive through pine forest.

Highlights

• The lighthouse - the 1836 tower on the southern point, derelict but standing.
• The keeper's buildings - ruined quarters used for a time as a bird research station.
• The point - the southern tip of Abaco with open ocean beyond.
• The track in - twenty-five kilometres of rough road through pine forest.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and the only sensible time for the track. The road becomes impassable after heavy rain. Whale and bird migration bring researchers in spring.

Practical notes

The track is genuinely rough and needs a proper four-wheel drive; ordinary rental cars will not make it and rental agreements often forbid it. The buildings are derelict and unsafe to enter. There is no water, no shade at the point and no phone signal for much of the drive.

Nearby

Cherokee Sound is north, and Marsh Harbour is at the other end of the highway.

Key facts