Cayman Islands Attractions

The haven paradise is also a tourism paradise of impressive beauty. The increasing travel market has helped to develop different tourist facilities serving the local economy, as well as to spread to the world the natural treasures of the Islands, protecting and restoring their national heritage.

The Cayman Islands are a group of 3 islands located in the Caribbean Sea, 240 km south off Cuba and 268 km northwest of Jamaica. Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman have each have their own attractions, but a common tropical marine climate with warm, rainy summers from May to October, and cool, relatively dry winters from November to April.

Formerly known as "Las Tortugas" because of the large number of turtles seen by Columbus in 1503, Cayman Islands feature an interesting attraction, considered as the only one of its kind in the whole world:

Cayman Turtle Farm is the largest land based attraction of the Grand Cayman Island and is home to over 16,000 green sea turtles, ranging in size from 6 ounces to 600 pounds each. According to legend, Columbus saw so many turtles that he thought that the islands were covered with rocks.

Caring for the endangered turtle species for preservation, Cayman Turtle Farm has raised and released 29,000 turtles back into the sea, replenishing in part the wild population since 1980, and receiving more than 340,000 visitors every year through self-guided tours taking approximately 20-30 minutes to be completed.

World-class snorkeling, scuba diving, water sports and sailing are only a few of the many activities behind the surprising attractions deserved by visitors, including a rich history mixed with the exotic flora and fauna of the Caribbean Sea.

Cayman Islands National Museum is an example of cultural entertainment and natural enjoyment. Located on Harbor Drive, Grand Cayman, the roots of this museum can be traced back to the 1930s when Mr. Ira Thompson began a hobby: collecting Caymanian artifacts ranging from natural history specimens to rare documents, tiny coins and even a 14-foot catboat.

With the mission to preserve research and disseminate all aspects of the Caymanian heritage for present and future generations, the museum houses Mr. Thompson collection, purchased by the government in 1979. Over 4,000 Caymanian items are displayed at the Old Courts Building, where special activities and exhibits are held throughout the year.

The Old Courts Building is an attraction by itself, being one of the few surviving structures from the 19th century, and resisting numerous hurricanes, including the devastating Ivan that hit this island in 2004. The building has had countless uses, from town jail to meeting hall for civic dances. One of the museum exhibits explains the history of the building, and the rehabilitation of the structure in 1990.

For beach lovers, the white sand Seven Mile Beach runs north from George Town and the most popular in Grand Cayman, and it is protected by reef, ensuring visitors a pristine, calm water, which is ideal for snorkeling and swimming, as well as for sunbathers.

Grand Cayman visitors can find many other attractions, such as the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, the Stingray City, Pedro St. James Castle, Pedro's Pinnacles, Paradise Reef, Bodden Town Pirates' Caves, Mastic Trail, North Wall, Cemetery Reef, Oro Verde Wreck, Devil's Grotto, Queen Victoria’ Monument, Tunnel of Love, Ghost Mountain, Parrotfish Caverns, Northwest Point Drop-off, and Governor Michael Gore Bird Sanctuary, among many others.

Cayman Brack is locally know as "The Brac" named after a bluff in the middle of the island rising up 140 feet above sea level. Islanders, referred as the Brackers, are proud of the Cayman Brac Museum, where a large and diverse collection of implements used by their ancestors is exhibited.