Soak in the sun while walking the stretch of golden sands celebrated at the Seven Mile Beach or let your fingertips flirt with the prospects of new friendships made at Stingray City and the Cayman Turtle Farm. You can even witness the dark, eerie field of jagged rocks sprouting from the ground as you postmark mail from a more accessible and mortal pocket of Hell.
Clutching the western Caribbean waters in the shape of a crustacean’s claw, Grand Cayman is the largest island of the Cayman siblings—Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. Grand Cayman is a low-lying limestone island wedged northwest of Jamaica and south of Cuba as a part of the Greater Antilles. Grand Cayman happens to hold the highest standard of living in the Caribbean due to its specialties in offshore-finance and the banking industry as a whole. Surprisingly, the islands have more registered businesses than inhabitants. Measuring in at 22 miles long with an average width of four miles, the island packs a lot of excitement in a small amount of space. Despite its own Caymanian currency, the islands also freely accept the American dollar.
Here you’ll find consistent warmth no matter when you decide to visit this tropical marine climate. January and February experience the coolest weather, often falling to 70 degrees and the rainy summer season spans from May through October, overlapping with the hurricane season ushered in at beginning of June through end of November. The dry season of cool winters envelops the months of November to April.
Spotted for their swarms of sea turtles, the Cayman Islands made their mark on the map in 1503 when Christopher Columbus was thrown slightly off his course, headed to Hispaniola. These prolific islands became a popular rest stop for hungry crews and pirates traveling through the Caribbean and have worn many identities throughout the years, starting as Las Tortugas in honor of the rampant turtles, then later as Lagartos in recognition of the large, serpent-like lizards that were also found on the islands in their infanthood, following further refinement into Caymanas, a Carib Indian word in reference to the same crocodile-esque creatures. Spain signed the Treaty of Madrid in 1670, acknowledging British reins to territories in the Caribbean. These islands acted under Jamaica until it claimed its independence from the British crown in 1962. The Cayman Islands then opted to remain under British rule and are still currently part of the British West Indies as an overseas territory.
Grand Cayman offers many delights to visit. Absorb a little bit of history in the capital of George Town within the Ft. George remains riddled with interesting artifacts hailing all the way back to 1790 or explore the Pedro St. James plantation house where Cayman’s first ruling parliament found roots in 1831. Pop on by to the shallow sandbars of North Sound to get up-close and personal interactions with dozens of friendly Atlantic Southern Stingrays without having to wade past waist deep waters. Immerse yourself in the botanical splendors of the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park showcasing the endangered blue iguanas in this tropical flower nature reserve. Explore the geographically enriched caves and bluffs of the sister islands, Brac and Little Cayman, located less than an hour away through numerous daily flights from Grand Cayman. Spend some time swimming and snorkeling at the Cayman Turtle Farm and Boatswain’s Beach, a unique and expansive marine park covering 23-acres home to thousands of Green Sea Turtles spanning from a petite six ounces to an astounding 600 pounds. Visit the volcanic-like, blackened ironshore rock formations in West Bay without forgetting to send novelty postcards directly from the Hell Post Office.
Make sure to schedule your trip near the end of April or early May to witness Grand Cayman’s annually anticipated Batabano festival, a carnival celebration swirled with vibrant costumes, choreography, live music and floats in honor of their turtling heritage.
Due to the islands’ lack of rivers, Cayman has some of the most incredibly pristine sea access, unmarred by run-off waters. This makes it ideal for diving. Here you can sample excellent reefs, wrecks and walls in a colorful backdrop filled with tropical fish, turtles and rays. Better yet, take an evening kayaking tour at the North Side of Grand Cayman, lit with the glowing spectacles of the plankton shining through the water as you make your way past the mangroves of Rum Point.
What do you find the most appealing about Grand Cayman? Have you been to Grand Cayman before? Please don’t be shy and share with us below!
Get the best out of the Cayman Islands by booking with Go Travel!
The post City Voyager: Grand Cayman, Greater Antilles appeared first on Go Travel.