Cayman Islands

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Quick Facts

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Capital

George Town

Population

35,000

Government

Overseas territory of the UK

Currency

Cayman Islands Dollar

Religions

Christianity (Protestant)

Languages

English, Cayman Islands English

Calling Code

+1345

Time Zone

UTC +5

Nationality

Caymanian

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Introduction

Cayman

© All Rights Reserved Born2Wandr

The Cayman Islands are a quirky kind of place. On the one hand, Caymanians are a devoutly Christian people who've outlawed topless beaches; but on the other, there's a place here called Hell. Then, of course, there's the fact that the Cayman Islands is a capitalist's paradise, with more financial institutions here than in New York. And finally, the Cayman Islands has become a favoured destination for elopees in search of an easy, beautiful place to get married and have a honeymoon.

Quirks aside, the basic charm of the Cayman Islands is quite similair to other Caribbean destinations: beaches, diving, fishing - all the basic water activities. There's trendy hotels, resorts and condos, with enough tourists to match. So go get that girlfriend or boyfriend of yours and book a trip to the Cayman Islands.

Brief History

Geography

Regions/Islands

• Grand Cayman is the largest island and home to the bulk of the population

The two other much smaller islands are known as the Sister Islands.

• Little Cayman
• Cayman Brac

Cities/Towns

• George Town, the capital
• Bodden Town

Sights and Activities

Wreck of the Ten Sails Park

The Wreck of the Ten Sails Park is part of the coastline at in the east of the main island. The park commemorates the islands most legendary shipwreck, the Cordelia. One night in February 1794, the Cordelia was leading a convoy of merchant ships bound from Jamaica to Britain when it ran aground on the reef at East End. Another nine more followed, so that's where the name comes from. Try to find the wrecks if you dare, but be aware that it is a legend.

Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park

The Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park is the biggest and most beautiful botanic park of the Cayman Islands and is located on the Grand Cayman. Actually, it is one of the best in the total Caribbean. It is a good place to experience the islands indigenous flora and fauna. There are trails winding through lush and flat terrain, featuring about 300 native species. These include buttonwood swamps, mahogany forests and native palms, orchids and many other tropical flowers. You will also witness the presence of see turtles, lizards, parrots and the charactaristic Cayman blue iguana which is highly endangered.

Pedro St. James Castle

Pedro St. James Castle is an impressive great house dating back to 1780, making it the oldest building in the Caymans. Since then, it has been functioning as a jail, a courthouse and a parliament before it was turned into a museum recently. The Castle is advertised as being the islands' 'birthplace of democracy': in 1831 the decision was made here to vote for elected representatives. It is also the place where the Slavery Abolition Act was read in 1835 and nowadays it also houses a museum featuring a multimedia presentation about 18th century Cayman.

Other sights and activities

• National Gallery of the Cayman Islands - George Town, Grand Cayman
• Cayman Turtle Farm - Boatswain's Beach, Grand Cayman

Events and Festivals

Weather

The Cayman Islands have a perfect climate with warm and humid weather with almost constant sea breezes. Temperatures hoover around 28 to 30 degrees Celcius during the day and 24 degrees at night. The months of June to September are slightly warmer. During these months, extending into November is the rainy season on the other hand, with a small chance of a hurricane passing by now and then. December to April is the dry and slightly cooler period which is a good but popular time to visit. May and November are good months to visit if you want to avoid crowds, high prices and very bad weather.

Getting there

Plane

Cayman Airways is the national airlines of the Cayman Islands. It is based on Owen Roberts International Airport (GCM) on Grand Cayman. They fly to Montego Bay, Havana, New York and Chicago among others. Air Jamaica flies to Kingston and Montego Bay, while other cities served are Toronto and several destinations in Honduras, like Roatan and La Ceiba. Islandair offers charters to nearby destinations in the Caribbean and Central America.

Boat

Currently, there are no options of international ferries to or from the islands. Your only options are a yacht, cruise ship or cargo ship.

Getting around

Plane

Islandair has many flights between Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac. Cayman Airways offers the same services.

Boat

There is a ferry between North Sound and Rum Point on Grand Cayman which takes about 40 minutes each way.
The ferry departs from the Hyatt Regency Canal at 10am, noon and 4pm on Mondays - Thursdays, on Friday to Sunday the last one leaves at 6pm. The return times from Rum Point are 11am, 3pm and and 6.30pm Mondays - Thursdays, on Friday to Sunday the last one is at 9.15pm.
Private boat operators can arrange shuttles between Cayman Brac and Little Cayman but at a cost of course.

By Car

Renting a car is your only option on Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, well apart from biking and hiking. But it's also a good way of getting around on the main island of Grand Cayman. There are a lot of rental agencies to choose from, in the airport and in George Town. You have to be 21 years old (some companies don't insure you when under 25!) and buy a special 7.50 USD permit. Remember that driving is on the left. On Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, you can only rent 4wd vehicles.

By Bus

On Grand Cayman, public minibuses travel from George Town to West Bay (every 15 minutes), Bodden Town (every 30 minutes) and to East End and North Side (every hour). They all leave from the main bus terminal next to the public library and run almost all day from 6am to 11pm. On the other islands, there are almost no public transport whatsoever, even no taxis. On Grand Cayman, taxis are abundant and have fixed rates.

Red Tape

The entry requirements are about the same as for the United Kingdom. Most visitors only need a valid passport and no visa.

Money

See also Money Matters

Cayman Islands Dollar (KYD - symbol CI$) = 100 cents
Notes in denominations of CI$100, 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1
Coins in denominations of 25, 10, 5 and 1 cents

US Dollars are in wide circulation and the Cayman Islands is tied to the greenback 1:1. There are ATMs at all major banks.

Work

Study

Language

The official language is English. Spanish is also widly spoken.

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to the Cayman Islands is: 1-345
To make an international call from the islands, the code is: 011

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