Cayman Islands

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Introducing Cayman Islands

Three tiny islands make up the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands, balanced precariously one side of the enormous Cayman Trench, the deepest part of the Caribbean. While synonymous worldwide with banking, tax havens and beach holidays, there’s much more to this tiny, proud nation, even if you do need to look quite hard to find it.

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What’s so surprising about the Caymans at first is how un-British they are – it would be hard to design a more Americanized place than Grand Cayman, where the ubiquitous SUVs jostle for space in the parking lots of large malls and US dollars change hands as if they were the national currency. Only the occasional portrait of the Queen or a fluttering Union Jack ever begs to differ. This contradiction is just the first of many you’ll discover while getting to know these islands. The key to understanding what makes the Caymans tick is getting away from the crowded commercialism of Grand Cayman’s long western coastline and exploring the rest of the island. Better still, leave Grand Cayman altogether and visit the charming ‘sister islands’ of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. Here life runs at a slower pace and the natural delights that see people coming back again and again – from bird-watching and hiking to diving and snorkeling – are never far away.

The Caymans may lack the dramatic scenery and steamy nightlife of much of the rest of the Caribbean, but in their place you’ll find a charming, independent and deeply warm people spread over three islands boasting many of life’s quieter charms.

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Last updated: Mar 3, 2012

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Thorn Tree forum discussion

Recent posts

  1. Pornamor avatar
    Can you get a boat to the Caymans from Mexico

    by Pornamor 27 May 2012

    Hi there, We currently live in Playa del Carmen Mexico and my husband hs a job lined up in the Caymans. Can we get to the Caymans by…
  2. peloblanco avatar
    RE: cheapest conncting flights to cuba?

    by peloblanco 15 May 2012

    As I indicated, it's not carved in stone. I just felt it should be mentioned as something to watch out for if someone wanted to plane…
  3. peloblanco avatar
    RE: cheapest conncting flights to cuba?

    by peloblanco 15 May 2012

    The Grand Cayman option looked promising but the last time I checked the earliest USA-GCM flight arrived just about a half hour before…

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