A Guide To The Cayman Islands

If you're coming to the Cayman Islands you'll want a little guide to help you find the right island, the right way to get around, and the best activities around. Who cares if summertime temperatures in the Cayman Islands tend to be hot and humid--which means hurricanes, by the way. Oh well, adds some excitement to your life. And it'll be less crowded than wintertime when everyone flocks to the islands to get away from the snowy, frosty winter weather back home.

But what island?

Cayman Brac is a diver's dream with all sorts of wrecks and a Parrot Reserve. There isn't any public transportation on the island, but no matter--you'll be too busy under the water to worry about getting around.

They do have a little Cayman Brac Museum, if you're so inclined to visit.

Little Cayman don't have any public transportation either, come to think of it. Don't worry, you'll make it the Red-footed Booby Bird Nature Reserve or Little Cay Museum just fine.

Grand Cayman is the largest and most popular of the islands, and where you'll find Seven Mile Beach and George Town. Even better--it's the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park and a Turtle Farm.

This island is where you'll land for all international flights; with inter-island flights connecting you to

Now that you've chosen your island, what do you need to get here? Well, if you're Canadian you don't need a passport--just a birth certificate and picture ID. When you go home you can bring back all sorts of goodies, so long as they don't cost more than $800.

US citizens can smoke all the Cuban cigars they want while they're here--you just can't bring them back with you. Too bad--they're everything they're hopped up to be.

And what's a smoke without a good beer? The Cayman Island Brewery is located on this island, even better that its eco-friendly.

Want to hop from island to island? While there might not be any inter-island ferry, you can hire a private yacht or catamaran to take you. A private boat will run you about $20 one way from Little Cayman to Cayman Brac.

Sounds affordable--you have to save some money to do all the diving, snorkeling, golfing, fishing, yachting, clubbing, and shopping. There aren't any casinos on the island--despite being a huge international banking center.

Plus, you gotta save some Dollars to tip your hotel maid (approx. $2 a day), your bellhop ($2 a bag), and the waitstaff at your restaurant (approx. 10-15%). Your best bet with a taxi driver is to agree on a fare before you get to your destination.

If you arrive at the Cayman Islands via your own private boat, please be careful to use the moorings. Most of the water areas are protected, making the use of an anchor not possible. And you can only enter the country from either George Town or Cayman Brac.

A small price to pay if you're going to enjoy Pirates Week (November), Mardi Gras (February), Arts Festival (February), and the Cayman Cookout in January.

Sorry, ain't got time to do all that--gotta dive over at the Wreck of the Tea Sails, an ill fated shipwreck from 1794. Then I'm gonna go hit up one huge glass of Rum & Fruit. Not a good idea if you've rented a moped or bike on the island. But definitely effective in making you forget about the heat & humidity of summer.