Eco Bike & Hike Tour at Half Moon Cay – Carnival Sunshine Excursion

Our first excursion on our Carnival cruise was the Eco Bike and Hike Tour, which is offered on Carnival’s private island, Half Moon Cay. It was a leisurely tour of the island on a classic bicycle.

About the Excursion

The Eco Bike and Hike Tour is offered on ships that stop at Half Moon Cay. We sailed on the Carnival Sunshine, but more than a dozen Carnival cruise ships spend at least one day in Half Moon Cay and offer this excursion.

The cost was $37.99 per person and attendees must be 10 or older. Reservations opened 60 days before our embarkation date; we made our reservation a few days later and still had our choice of excursion times. We chose the earliest time slot, 10:00AM, for our 1.5-hour tour.

On the day of the excursion, guests with tickets to morning excursions were the first to leave the ship. We boarded the boat to Half Moon Cay. (There is no pier access as this is a tender port.) After a short time in the water, we arrived at the tender pier.

We disembarked, then followed our guide to one of the windows in the Welcome Center to sign waivers. We then waited in the main square of the Welcome Center until we were called to begin our excursion.

The Welcome Center is themed after a Bahamian village with gift shops and hair braiding. There is, of course, a bar and it was already open at 9:00AM!

Eco Bike & Hike Tour
Getting Started

Participants in excursions meet at a map on the edge of the square to board trams. Once the traffic from the trams was clear, we were called. The bike center was only a short walk away, following a road that curved behind the square.

We arrived at a small shelter with benches and a tower of small lockers. The complimentary lockers had locks on wristbands and were easy to use. Helmets, which were provided and required, were hanging around the shelter on pegs. Then we took a couple minutes to become acquainted with our bikes, which were old-school backpedal bikes with bells. They didn’t have any frills, but they got the job done!

Before we pedaled off, our guide noted that we would be sharing the road with vehicles and reminded us that we should always stay on the left side of the road. We did pass a couple vehicles during our tour and while it felt unnatural, using on the correct side of the road was essential for our safety!

Eco Bike & Hike Tour
Exploring the Island

The tour began with a quick bike to Bonefish Lagoon. We were able to see the red mangroves offshore and learned about the creatures living in the water. The island, like the rest of the Bahamas, is largely made up of limestone from coral skeletons. Stingrays, sharks, and several other types of fish also inhabit the waters.

We parked our bikes on a rack by the lagoon and hiked to the summit of the island. On our way up, we passed several plants that were marked as points of interest. Our guide didn’t know much about these plants, which was a disappointment. I did get several photos, so I was able to learn more on my own after the trip. She did identify one plant used in the Bahamian 21-Gun Salute, which is a blend of herbs and bark taken as a tea to enhance male sexual performance.

On the way up, we also passed the ruins of a home dating back over 200 years. Only some rocks forming the home’s corner remain and the history of this shelter has been lost.

The hike to the top was fairly steep, but not very strenuous. The hike is short and the most challenging part was navigating the rocky terrain, which was unsteady and prone to moving under our feet.

The highest point on the island is just over 65 feet, making it considerably lower than the highest point on the ship we cruised in on! Still, the view from the summit was breathtaking. We were able to see the whole island!

After a short walk back down, we hopped back on our bikes and left for the next stop.

On our way to the next stop, we were hit with a cloudburst. The rain was brief, but persistent! We arrived at our stop fairly wet, though we quickly dried off when the rain stopped and the sun returned. The weather, breezy and hovering in the high 70s, would otherwise be perfect all day.

This particular stop, Pegasus Ranch, had a covered shelter where we waited out the rain. It was serene.

When the rain let up, we visited the horses and donkey in the stables. We were able to pet them if they were willing and most of them were!

Our other stops included the excursion areas for the kayak adventure, watercraft (jet ski) adventure, and stingray encounter. I enjoyed being able to “sample” the offerings of the island without scheduling out our entire day.

These stops were a bit shorter than the first few since we were trying to stick to the same timeframe after our rain delay.

About halfway through, we were provided with bottled water and took a restroom break.

Our final stop brought us back to the bike center. The tour lasted a little over the advertised 1.5 hours, probably due to the break we took when it rained. We walked the short distance to the Welcome Center and hopped on a tram to explore the only area we hadn’t yet seen on our tour: the beach!

The swimming area is a long, beautifully-maintained beach lined with lounge chairs, clamshells, cabanas, and villas. It was already full of visitors when we arrived. The sand is fine and soft, almost like powder.

We were passing Captain Morgan’s bar, beautifully themed like a defunct ship, so we also popped in for a look. Fantastic!

We walked the shore, making our way to the Food Pavilion for lunch.

Lunch is provided to all visitors on Half Moon Cay, even if they do not purchase an excursion. Lunch is served from 11:00AM in the Food Pavilion, which is very close to the main swimming area. The lines began to form just before they opened the pavilion, though they were never very long and died off quickly.

Staff served main dishes from the back window, but all other offerings were buffet-style. The main dish offerings included barbecue chicken, hamburgers, and hot dogs. Lay’s potato chips, several pasta and potato salads, fresh fruit, and macaroni and cheese were offered as sides. For dessert, the buffet had both brownie bars and apple crisp bars.

In all honesty, this was the worst meal we had on our entire trip. While I hate to waste food, I struggled to finish anything other than the chips on my plate. Most of my lunch wound up in the trash and I ate when we returned to the ship.

Eco Bike & Hike Tour
Overall Impression

I recommend this tour to anyone looking for a sampling of all the island has to offer. I most enjoyed being active after a day at sea and seeing the island from different vantage points.

If I could add one thing to the tour, it would be additional time with the bikes to explore on our own, even if that meant an added fee.

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