Best Places to Visit in Cayman Islands, Top Attractions

The Cayman Islands is a premier holiday destination for family outings. Whether you want to experience the culture, beaches, or the amazing animals, your family is sure to find fun things to do in Grand Cayman on your Cayman Islands vacation. Grand Cayman is the largest of the islands. Stunning Seven Mile Beach here is one of the best beaches in the Caribbean, with a range of water sports and beachfront resorts. Popular things to do include swimming with stingrays, diving, snorkeling, hiking, and duty-free shopping in the colorful capital of George Town. Grand Cayman is also where you'll find the most happening Cayman Islands nightlife. A British Overseas Territory in the Western Caribbean, the Cayman Islands offer beautiful beaches and some of the best diving in the world. Crystal-clear waters in striking shades of blue slosh upon the shores of this trio of tropical isles. Coral reefs ring all three islands, shipwrecks are scattered off their shores, and steep underwater walls teem with marine life. The Cayman Islands are 3 islands located off the coast of Cuba. The islands are a self-governing British Overseas Territory. So, this means that travelling to these islands is easy visa-wise, especially if you are a European. Boasting lush jungles, beaches, picturesque islands and species-rich coral reefs, the Cayman Islands is a wonderful destination for your next vacation. On top of that, the Cayman Islands are famous for their wonderful dive sites. There are over 300 dive sites on the islands! Amazing, isn’t it? These islands are known for their crystal white and sandy beaches, exhilarating water sports like snorkeling and scuba diving, vibrant marine life and luxurious yet affordable resorts and hotels. A visit to the Cayman Islands will be a good idea as it will rejuvenate and refresh your weary soul and get you in touch with the colorful and harmless oceanic creatures. So, check out the popular places in the Cayman Islands that will let you experience the beauty of the islets to the fullest.

#1- Kittiwake
Sitting at a depth of 62ft in clear Caribbean waters, the Kittiwake is a former submarine rescue vessel that served in the US Navy. In 2011, she was scuttled off Seven Mile Beach to create a spectacular wreck dive that now attracts around 20,000 divers and snorkellers a year, plus abundance of marine life, including schools of tropical fish, sea turtles, eagle rays, the resident barracuda, groupers and more! Also discover the crew’s quarters, the recompression chamber, ammunition lockers and even the heads (bathrooms) – complete with mirrors. 

#2- National Gallery of the Cayman Islands
The National Gallery of the Cayman Islands houses the national art collection and attracts numerous international exhibitions throughout the year. It also offers an art library, sculpture garden, shop and café. 

#3- The Mastic Trail 
The Mastic Reserve protects the large area of untouched, old growth dry forest remaining on the island. It is significant as it represents some of the last remaining examples of the Caribbean's dry, subtropical, semi deciduous dry forest, which have been the target of particularly intense deforestation throughout the West Indies. It  area is home to a wide variety of animals and plants unique to the Cayman Islands, and also to large populations of trees which have vanished from more accessible places through logging in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The National Trust runs informative and interesting guided tours so can you learn more about the historical significance of this area.  

#4- Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park
Opened by Queen Elizabeth II herself in 1994, in partnership with the National Trust, this is Cayman’s only botanical garden. The 65-acre park is dedicated to preserving local flora, fauna and wildlife. It is home to the Blue Iguana Recovery programme, and is the only place in Grand Cayman where you will find these magnificent endangered creatures. 

#5- Cayman Parrot Sanctury
The Cayman Parrot Sanctuary offers a friendly, interactive and educational experience for the whole family. The Sanctuary is home to a number of animals including the Cayman Parrot, the national bird of the Cayman Islands. There are also agoutis, rabbits, guinea pigs, cockatiels and various reptiles. Families can enjoy feeding the frigate birds which swoop down from the coast. Children can run wild in the two playgrounds, relax in plenty of shaded areas and experience the thrill of zip lining! Cayman Parrot Sanctuary.

#6- Crystal Caves
Enjoy an underground adventure into a fascinating world. Explore the Crystal Caves which were formed over millions of years and see stalactite and stalagmite crystal structures and other worldly formations. Pirates are reported to have used these caves as hideouts and legend has it that there are pirate treasures buried in some of these caves. Crystal Caves. Tours are approximately 1 ½ hours and take you through the surrounding tropical forest area and three spectacular caves. The Crystal Caves.

#7- Stingray City
The world famous Stingray City is an absolute “must-do” for any visitor to Cayman and is often described as the experience of a lifetime. Stingray City is home to approximately 75 Southern Stingrays that you can touch and swim with. These wild, gentle and graceful creatures roam free in the North Sound, a 35 square mile area of ocean protected by the reef. Even the most seasoned traveller will be enchanted by these beautiful animals. 

#8- Cayman Turtle Centre
Cayman's largest land-based attraction, Cayman Turtle Centre: Island Wildlife Encounter hosts more than 500,000 visitors each year. See turtles new hatchlings (when in season) right up to turtles weighing more than 500lb. Then head to the touch tanks and wading pool for a more personal experience. This attraction also includes a lagoon with a waterslide, a Predator Reef for viewing reef and nurse sharks, a nature trail and more! 

#9- Pedro St. James
Built in 1780 by a wealthy Englishman named William Eden and at a time when Grand Cayman was little more than a fishing village, the history of Pedro’s Castle is by far one of the more impressive stories to be told in the Cayman Islands. The Castle is often termed the “The Birthplace of Democracy in the Cayman Islands”. It was the venue for not only the decision in 1931 to form the Cayman Island’s first elected parliament but also  the announcement  in 1835 that slavery had ended in the British Empire. 

#10- Cayman Islands National Museum
The Island’s oldest surviving public structure. The Museum’s mission is to celebrate the unique natural and cultural history of the Cayman Islands.