The only zoo in the Bahamas started as a tropical garden and nature preserve in the 1950s. Over the years, Ardastra evolved, adding a conservation center for Caribbean flamingos and a small zoo containing birds, reptiles, and mammals. The four-acre zoo is filled with the colors and fragrances of its tropical gardens, which feature paths through the tamarind, West Indies mahogany, and Indian tulip trees, amid the abundant blooms of yellow elder, the national flower of the Bahamas, and frangipani. Visitors can see flamingos, iguanas, and lemurs, while enjoying interactive experiences like feeding the rainbow lorikeets and playing with the rabbits in the petting zoo.
Marching Flamingo show in Ardastra Botanical Gardens in Nassau.
Victor Korchenko/age fotostock
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Dance the Flamingo
Few can resist the call of the wild, especially when that wild is presented in such pristine surroundings. Ardastra Gardens, Zoo & Conservation Center in Nassau has been a spreading ground for zoological education since it opened in 1937.
Ardastra Gardens
About 10 minutes from downtown Nassau, this walkable property is home to both lush tropical gardens and the Bahamas’ first zoo. More than 130 creatures live here, including African monkeys, Madagascan lemurs and many colorful bird species like macaws and rainbow lorikeets—some of which you can feed by hand. The star attractions, though, are the resident hordes of free-roaming, bright-pink Caribbean flamingos, who perform in several choreographed shows each day.
