Getting There & Back
Travelling to Bimini
There are two options available for your transport to and from Bimini Island.
Either you book our recommended Tropic Ocean Airways, who offer WildQuest participants a special discount, or you arrange your own transport.
I) Our recommended way of travel
Tropic Ocean Airways is our recommended way to travel to and from Bimini, from Fort Lauderdale. You will fly with a seaplane to Bimini and arrive at the North Bimini terminal just 5 minutes away from the WildQuest retreat centre – all very easy and a lot of fun! They offer WildQuest clients a 20% discount off the base fare for travel on their flights Monday morning to Bimini and Saturday morning back to Fort Lauderdale. With all taxes and fees, this makes the total round-trip price just less than $600 (taxes and fees are subject to change).
To book your flight, go to the Tropic Ocean Airways Website, put in your dates for the Monday and the Saturday flight, use the promo code WILDQUEST, make the payment, and you are set!
Once your flight is booked, all you have to do is arrange your own travel to our partner hotel, the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, on the Sunday before your retreat.
Early Monday morning, there will be a van to pick you up from the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Hotel to take you to the Sheltair facility at the Fort Lauderdale airport, costing approximately $20 per person.
Getting There
WildQuest is based on the island of Bimini, The Bahamas, just off the Florida coast. We all arrive for the first night of the program, Sunday, at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina hotel. Check-in time is 4:00 pm.
Please make your own travel arrangements to the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina hotel. The closest airport is Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). The next closest airport is Miami International Airport (MIA) which is about an hour’s drive away.
There will be a van to pick you up, along with the rest of the group, early Monday morning from the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina hotel and shuttle you to the Sheltair facility at the Fort Lauderdale Airport (cost of shuttle is approximately $20 per person). It is short half hour sea plane flight to Bimini. If you like you can also arrange your own transport from the hotel to the Sheltair Facility.
Upon landing on Bimini, you will clear Bahamian Customs. Yay you have arrived! You will jump in a taxi for a 5 minute ride to the retreat center located in the small fishing village of Porgy Bay. The cost of this taxi is $5 per person plus tips always welcome!
If everything is on time you will be arriving at the WildQuest Retreat Center around 10am on the Monday morning.
Getting Back
Your return flight from Bimini North Seaplane Base to Fort Lauderdale leaves on the Saturday morning at the end of your retreat. Check out time from WildQuest will be 9am. Taxis will take the group to the seaplane base. The cost of the taxi is $5 per person plus tips always welcome!
There are different flight times on the Saturday morning – so depending on which flight you have chosen you may have some time to hang out at the resort. The flight time is around 25 minutes. If booking a connecting flight home from Fort Lauderdale or Miami on the Saturday, these times are recommended:
- From Fort Lauderdale International Airport, DOMESTIC flights
> 2.5 hours after your departure time from Bimini - From Fort Lauderdale International Airport, INTERNATIONAL flights
> 3.5 hours after your departure time from Bimini. - From Miami International Airport, DOMESTIC flights
> 4.5 hours after your departure time from Bimini. - From Miami International Airport, INTERNATIONAL flights
> 5.5 hours after your departure time from Bimini.
II) Arranging your own transport
If you choose to arrange your own transport, you are responsible for all travel costs to and from the WildQuest Retreat Centre. The retreat starts at 10 am on the Monday morning, so be sure to arrive then!
WildQuest works exclusively with Tropic Ocean Airways and takes no responsibility for any other options. Read all fine print and ensure adequate travel insurance coverage. Please let WildQuest’s reservations office know your Bimini arrival and departure times at least 30 days before the start of your retreat.
The Week at a Glance
Sunday.
You arrange your travel to Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) or nearby Miami International Airport (MIA) in Florida and your travel from the airport to the 4-star Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina hotel. From there, we take care of your night’s stay at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina hotel.
Monday – Morning.
There will be a van to pick you up, along with the rest of the group, early Monday morning from the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina hotel and shuttle you to the Sheltair facility at the Fort Lauderdale Airport (cost of shuttle is approximately $20 per person). If you like you can also arrange your own transport to the Sheltair Facility. After that it is short half an hour sea plane flight to Bimini.
Upon landing on Bimini, you will clear Bahamian Customs, jump in a taxi for a 5 minute ride to the retreat center located in the small fishing village of Porgy Bay. The cost of this taxi is $5 per person plus tips always welcome!
You’ll be met by the WildQuest crew, arrive to your room and in the afternoon we’ll all go out on the ocean on WildQuest’s catamaran, DolphinQuest. We’ll return in time for dinner and sleep at the retreat centre.
Tuesday – Friday.
We spend four more days on DolphinQuest, (weather permitting) and sleep at the Retreat Centre.
Saturday – Morning.
Taxis will be provided to take you to North Bimini Seaplane Base where you’ll board the island plane for your flight to the Sheltair Facility near FLL to continue your self-arranged journey or connecting flight home.
The cost of the taxi is $5 per person plus tips always welcome! There are different flight times on the Saturday morning – so depending on which flight you have chosen you may have some time to hang out at the resort.
If you’d like to add a couple of extra nights stay at WildQuest before your retreat week, please call the office.
If you stay for two consecutive retreats, you are welcome to spend the interim weekend at WildQuest’s retreat centre and explore the island on your own. Check with our reservations office for details.
THE BEST BIT: This is an ideal holiday for those looking for a wilderness experience, without having to go on it alone. It’s a wonderful way for solo travellers to belong to a like-minded group where connecting from the heart is a priority – and many guests have told us they made friends for life on a WildQuest week!
Saving The Planet
Climate change is a serious environmental threat and air travel is the fastest growing contributor to the problem.
To play our part in tackling climate change and limiting our personal impact, we have teamed up with Climate Care to offset our greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate Care ‘offsets’ the amount of energy you used to fly by creating or saving energy through a series of projects in renewable and energy efficiency projects.
Check out the emissions calculator by selecting your point of departure and arrival, which will tell you how much energy your flight used and the amount of money you could contribute to offset it. You can use the calculator to offset emissions from flying, driving and household energy use too.
Saving the planet, one calculation at a time.
