Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
2
Planning Your
Trip to the
Cayman Islands
This chapter is devoted to the where, when, and how
of y our trip—the adv ance planning r equired to get it together
and take it on the r oad. Because you may not kno w exactly wher e
in the Cayman I slands y ou want to go or what to do after y ou're
there, we begin with a quick rundown of the various islands and their
attractions. For additional help in planning y our trip and for mor e
on-the-ground resources in the Cayman Islands, see chapter 11, “Fast
Facts.”
1
THE ISLANDS IN BRIEF
First things first—just what, and wher e, are the Cayman I slands? A
British Overseas Territory, the three islands that compose the Cayman
archipelago are part of the geographic entity kno wn as the Cayman
Ridge, which extends w estward from Cuba. Lying off the southw est
coast of Cuba, on the way to Mexico, they consist of Grand Cayman,
the largest island, followed by Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. The
archipelago is actually the top of the under water S ierra M aestra
Range, which runs north into Cuba. The Cayman Trench, the deepest
part of the Caribbean S ea, which measures in at a depth of just o ver
6.4km (4 miles), separates the Cayman I slands trio fr om J amaica,
which lies 290km (180 miles) to the southeast.
Columbus found the Cayman I slands b y accident when he was
blown off course en r oute from Panama to Hispaniola in 1503. The
Caymans remained, for many decades, a lair for pirates, refugees from
the British justice system, and the home of simple fishermen and, in
some cases, r unaway slav es. The sandy soil isn 't par ticularly fer tile,
and as such, the islands nev er dev eloped the extensiv e “plantation
economy” that became pr evalent on neighboring J amaica and Cuba.
The economy was dependent on fishing and trade, and life for the
Caymanians was har d, with many r esidents eking out a living fr om
the sea.
