In days gone by, turtles were found in abundance around all three islands. Turtles became a major source of food and income for the islanders from the early days of settlement. They were fished in small vessels called catboats, placed in a pen known as a kraal, and traded. As numbers of turtles dwindled around…
Cayman’s national symbols convey the varied environment and wildlife of the islands. Cayman parrot The Grand Cayman parrot is iridescent green with a white eye-ring, red cheeks, black ear patches and brilliant blue wing feathers. Silver thatch palm The tall, slender silver thatch palm was an important national resource for early settlers who used the…
Traditional Caymanian homes such as these beautiful cottages are dotted around the islands. Increasingly rare, they provide a peek into how Caymanians lived in years-gone-by.
Visitors can learn all about sea turtles and observe them up close in open-air tanks at this marine park in West Bay. The venue serves as a conservation and education facility and features such attractions as a predator tank, bird aviary, an old-fashioned Caymanian street and swimming lagoon. Turtles are an enduring symbol of the…
Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park is a 65- acre garden and woodland preserve in North Side that offers a unique blend of natural beauty, culture and history. There are four themed gardens to explore including a heritage garden set around a restored traditional Caymanian cottage. The garden features trees and plants that played an important…
Located in downtown George Town, the Cayman Islands National Museum is one of the nation’s most important cultural attractions. Not only does it house the islands’ national treasures, but it is the oldest public building in the Cayman Islands. Built in the 1830s for government business, it later served as a library, prison and courthouse.…
The history of the financial services sector in the Cayman Islands is a tale of rapid growth. The foundation was laid in the mid-1960s when legislation was passed to take advantage of the country’s status as a tax-free jurisdiction, ushering in the start of the Cayman Islands’ ascent into the financial services world. In the…
While Cayman nowadays bustles with the world of finance, fine dining and fun in the sun, reminders of an earlier era are never far away. Heritage sites are dotted around the island, marking Cayman’s storied past. Here are a few examples: Pedro St. James Known as Cayman’s ‘castle’, this 18th century Caribbean great house is…
The silver thatch palm played an integral role in Cayman’s history, an important resource for early settlers. It was used for roofing and housing materials as well as rope making, a once-thriving industry that was a major export for the islands. The fronds were also used for weaving durable hats, fans, brooms and baskets. Today,…
In the early days, Caymanians relied mainly on fishing and farming – living off the land and sea. Many men went to sea to earn a living, often for months on end, while the women tended to affairs at home. Traditional industries of old included turtling, fishing and thatch rope making. Long before financial services…
Cayman was first spotted by Christopher Columbus in 1503, who named the islands “Las Tortugas” – Spanish for turtles, which were found in abundance in the surrounding seas. In 1670, the Treaty of Madrid decreed the islands as a British possession and a dependency of Jamaica. Permanent settlement of the islands began in the 1730s.…
Grand Cayman’s blue iguanas are one of the most unique and fascinating creatures to be found in the Cayman Islands. These rare local lizards with blue-hue pigmentation are an indigenous species – found nowhere else in the world but Grand Cayman. Once facing extinction, the Blue Iguana Conservation Programme at Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park…