Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
The Best of the
Cayman Islands
In the Cayman Islands, you can hike through untouched
woodland, pay a visit to color ful reefs and fish on a scuba-diving or
snorkeling trip, or plunk y ourself down on the islands ' white sands
with a fr osted drink in hand. You can r ent an isolated West Indian
cottage or stay in a luxurious r esort. You can cho w do wn on fr esh
fried fish at a waterside shack or indulge in a world-class fiv e-course
meal. Whatever your tastes and budget, in this chapter we'll guide you
to the best that the Cayman I slands have to offer.
1
FROMMER'S FAVORITE
CAYMAN EXPERIENCES
•
“Petting” the Stingrays:
Called the “world's best 4m (13-ft.) dive
site,” Stingray City lies in G rand Cayman's North Sound. Adven-
turesome snorkelers and divers can swim among, pet, and feed 30
to 50 graceful, “tame” Atlantic Southern stingrays. Stingray City is
a phenomenon unique to the Cayman I slands, but don't expect to
find us there. See “Scuba Diving & Snorkeling” in chapter 5.
•
Scuba
Diving in the Cayman Islands:
Rainbow-hued marine life
and an incr edible v ariety of div e sites, including ship wrecks and
dramatic “wall dives,” combine to make the Cayman I slands per-
haps the single most popular spot for scuba diving in the Western
Hemisphere. M any sites lie offshor e of G rand Cayman, but the
archipelago's smaller islands, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, are
also filled with pristine r eefs and dramatic dr op-offs, including
Little Cayman's Bloody Bay Wall, hailed as the most sensational
wall dive in the Caribbean. S ee “Scuba D iving & S norkeling” in
chapter 5, “Scuba D iving” in chapter 9, and “Scuba D
iving &
Snorkeling” in chapter 10.
•
Exploring Deep into the Wild Interior:
On Grand Cayman, you
can walk back in time on the 3.2km (2-mile) M astic Trail, which
runs thr ough the Caribbean 's best example of a dr y subtr opical
forest. A wide variety of plants and animals unique to the Cayman
Islands liv e in this ar ea, wher e the woodland has ev olved undis-
turbed for 2 million years. See p. 124.
