10 Best Things to Do in the Cayman Islands

Beaches in the Cayman Islands offer miles of pristine sand overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Grand Cayman is especially popular for its idyllic coastline, with Seven Mile Beach serving as the island’s most popular stretch. It has just about everything you’d need for a tropical vacation, such as watersports, sun loungers and umbrellas, as well as beach bars and restaurants.

Head over to Cemetery Beach to enjoy snorkeling among colorful reef fish or Cayman Kai for a laidback day of sunbathing and bathing. On the northern edge of Grand Cayman is Rum Point, a rather secluded beach offering excellent stand-up paddleboarding, snorkeling, and kayaking.

The Kittiwake Shipwreck is a popular dive site named after a U.S. Navy submarine rescue vessel that was intentionally sunk in 2011. Located off the northern coast of Seven Mile Beach, this artificial reef is one of the best places for diving in the Cayman Islands. You can see a wide range of marine life, including squirrelfish, barracuda, turtles, and goliath groupers.

Thanks to its high visibility, the Kittiwake Shipwreck is great for both beginners and experienced wreck divers. The wreck sits at around 18 meters, so even snorkelers can easily spot the submerged vessel.

The Bloody Bay Wall is a dive site off the coast of Little Cayman. It’s actually part of the Bloody Bay Marine Park, where you can find over 20 sites offering excellent diving and snorkeling opportunities. Colorful tube sponges and fan coral cover its vertical wall, which drops almost 2,000 meters toward the seabed.

Some of the many marine animals you can spot at the Bloody Bay Wall include sea turtles, octopuses, barracuda, and stingrays. The deeper part of the site is best suited for experienced divers and night diving is possible by arrangement with a reputable tour operator in the Cayman Islands.

The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park is a 26-hectare garden in the North Side district of Grand Cayman. Established in 1994, it has a woodland trail, beautiful gardens, and a lake that provides a habitat for aquatic birds.

The 1-hectare Floral Garden is one of the park’s most scenic spots, with exotic plants arranged by color – pink, red, orange, yellow, white, blue, and purple. There’s a white gazebo overlooking the entire landscape. The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park works with the National Trust for the Cayman Islands to increase the population of the endangered blue iguana. Tours of the reptile’s enclosure are available at 11 am from Mondays to Saturdays.

The Oasis Aqua Park is a floating playground off South Church Street in George Town. Great for families looking to enjoy some fun together, this attraction has an obstacle course, a trampoline, waterslides, ladders and hurdles.

Certified lifesavers are available at all times, so you can be assured of safety while having fun at the Oasis Aqua Park. Admission is charged by the hour, but you get a 10% discount starting from your 2^nd hour at the inflatable playground.

Stingray City is a shallow sandbar off North Sound in Grand Cayman. It’s frequented by southern stingrays, which are among the biggest marine animals in the West Atlantic Ocean. They’re quite tame, so it’s common for them to brush against visitors.

The sea level around the sandbar is only a meter deep, so you can easily wade among dozens of stingrays and tropical fish. Tours of Stingray City typically include a stop at the Barrier Reef or Coral Gardens, as well as snorkeling equipment and transportation to and from your hotel in George Town.

The Cayman Crystal Caves refer to 3 underground caverns in Grand Cayman’s Old Man Bay. These natural wonders contain a subterranean lake with crystalline stalactites and stalagmites, as well as fossilized shells dating back millions of years.

Bookings are mandatory if you want to explore the Cayman Crystal Caves. You will receive a guided tour that takes around 1.5 hours to visit the 3 caves and surrounding forest. It’s a good idea to wear sturdy footwear as certain parts of the pathways are a bit rough.

Barker's National Park is a large protected area in West Bay, around 14 km north of George Town. It has an undeveloped beach with large swells, making it one of the best neighborhoods for kitesurfing in Grand Cayman. The surrounding sandbar is home to lobsters, stingrays, and conches.

Inland, you can explore dense mangroves by cycling, horseback riding, hiking, and camping. Birdwatchers often visit Barker's National Park to spot herons, egrets, and pelicans. Keep an eye out for iguanas lurking among the lush forest.

Pedro St James dates back to 1780, making it the oldest stone building in the Cayman Islands. You can find this national historic site in Savannah, around 9 km east of George Town.

Pedro St James is a restored plantation house that has survived many fires, acts of vandalism, and hurricanes. Today, you can learn about the building’s history as a former courthouse, penitentiary, and government assembly. It sits in a 2.8-hectare compound with views of the Caribbean Sea. There’s an onsite bar where you can enjoy local rums after your visit.

Camana Bay is a waterfront entertainment district in Grand Cayman, just 1.5 km southeast of Seven Mile Beach. The 280-hectare town is always buzzing with visitors, thanks to its wide range of shopping, dining, and entertainment options.

A must-visit is the observation tower, where you can enjoy panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea. Kids can have fun at the onsite playground and interactive fountains. Festivals and community events, including a weekly farmers’ market, often take place at Cabana Bay.