{"id":42110,"date":"2016-04-15T16:25:25","date_gmt":"2016-04-15T21:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=42110"},"modified":"2018-02-27T15:36:27","modified_gmt":"2018-02-27T21:36:27","slug":"top-10-things-to-do-in-the-cayman-islands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/top-10-things-to-do-in-the-cayman-islands\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 things to do in the Cayman Islands"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deboarding directly onto the tarmac at Owen Roberts Airport on Grand Cayman<\/a> is a welcome shock to the senses. The sky is a blindingly bright blue, the grass a Crayola-perfect green, the air humid and sweet. The jubilant sounds of live Caribbean music entice you off the plane. Cayman, a trio of islands less than 500 miles south of Miami, offer plenty of opportunities to be charmed but for your next trip, consider starting with this list\u2014in no particular order\u2014of the top 10 things to do in the Cayman Islands.<\/p>\n

Related: Barbados like a local \u2013 be a Bajan in 7 easy steps<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Stingray

Stingray City | PHOTO: Cayman Islands Department of Tourism<\/p><\/div>\n

1. Stingray City<\/strong><\/p>\n

The series of sandbars known as Stingray City<\/a> located two nautical miles off the north coast of Grand Cayman offers the chance to petand interact with wild stingrays while standing in crystal clear waist-deep water. (Tip: head into the water with fistful of squid and the rays will swarm.) Due to Stingray City<\/a>\u2019s popularity, a number of companies offer tours and charters to the destination.<\/p>\n

\"Wreck

Wreck Bar at Rum Point Bar | PHOTO: Cayman Islands Department of Tourism<\/p><\/div>\n

2. Wreck Bar & Grill at Rum Point Club<\/strong><\/p>\n

Believed to be the birthplace of the mudslide, the tranquil seaside bar of the Rum Point Club<\/a> restaurant on Grand Cayman\u2019s north side is truly a vision straight out of a Jimmy Buffet song.<\/p>\n

\"Calico

Calico Jack’s Bar & Grill, Grand Cayman | PHOTO: Calico Jack’s<\/p><\/div>\n

3. Calico Jack\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cCalico\u2019s\u201d is closest thing to a townie hangout you\u2019ll find along Seven Mile Beach, the crescent of coral sand on Grand Cayman\u2019s tourist-friendly western shore. If you happen to show up during one of the beachfront bar\u2019s full-moon parties, you\u2019re in for DJs and dancing. Other nights, U.S. and Canadian ex-pats at Calico Jack’s<\/a> will drunkenly effuse about the many advantages of island life.<\/p>\n

\"USS

USS Kittiwake, Cayman Islands<\/p><\/div>\n

4. U.S.S. Kittiwake<\/strong><\/p>\n

Snorkelers or scuba divers can explore the wreck of the U.S.S. Kittiwake<\/a>, a decommissioned submarine supply ship that the Cayman Islands government purchased and sunk five years ago to create an \u201cartificial reef\u201d off of Seven Mile Beach.<\/p>\n

\"Bioluminescence

Bioluminescence Kayak Tour | PHOTO: Don McDougall<\/p><\/div>\n

5. Bioluminescent Bay<\/strong><\/p>\n

Snorkel or dive in one of the Cayman Islands\u2019 so-called bio bays, which glow a blue-green due to the concentrated presence of the tiny plankton dinoflagellates that light up in a captivating way when moved through the water. Reach the bioluminescence by tour boat or kayak during nighttime hours.<\/p>\n

\"Cayman

Cayman Brac Cave<\/p><\/div>\n

6. Spelunking<\/strong><\/p>\n

Located a short plane ride less than 100 miles northeast of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac is a less occupied sister island that has become a destination for scuba divers who gravitate toward a Russian shipwreck off the island, as well as outdoor enthusiasts who hike the\u00a0eponymous bluff (\u201cbrac\u201d) that runs along the island\u2019s coast. Among the rocky terrain worth surveying is a series of caves\u2014spots where residents used to seek refuge during large storms\u2014including one called \u201cBat Cave,\u201d where a flashlight pointed skyward will reveal dozens of the flying mammals literally hanging out.<\/p>\n

\"A

A Grand Cayman Parrot at Brac Parrot Reserve<\/p><\/div>\n

7. Brac Parrot Reserve<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Grand Cayman boasts a couple thousand parrots, Cayman Brac maintains a population of about 400 of a slightly more diminutive subspecies of the Cuban Parrot. Birders flock to the\u00a0 280 acres of land protected by the Natural Trust<\/a> to spy many other feathered species, including the red-legged thrush, the white-crowned pigeon, and many others.<\/p>\n

\"Cayman

Cayman Valhalla pirate ship in Hog Sty Bay, George Town, Cayman Islands<\/p><\/div>\n

8. Pirates Week Festival<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cayman’s national festival\u2014occurring not just one week but throughout much of November\u2014is chockablock with everything from fireworks displays and concerts to food markets and parades. Oh, and plenty of adults dressed in the garb of pirates for Pirates Week Festival<\/a>, too. Buccaneers were one population to originally settle the Cayman Islands.<\/p>\n

\"The

The National Trust’s Mastic Trail<\/p><\/div>\n

9. Mastic Reserve<\/strong><\/p>\n

The breadth of Grand Cayman\u2019s flora and fauna come into full view during a hike along the trails of the Mastic Reserve<\/a>, more than 800 acres of which is currently cared for by the National Trust.<\/p>\n

\"Queen

Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park | PHOTO: Cayman Islands Department of Tourism<\/p><\/div>\n

10. Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the main reasons to visit the Cayman Islands is its natural beauty. That\u2019s perhaps on no more full display than at Grand Cayman\u2019s Q.E. II Botanic Park<\/a>, with its lush tropical gardens and blue iguana habitat, which is the center for the National Trust\u2019s program to repopulate the endangered lizard.<\/p>\n

\"discount<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stingrays, pirates and a bioluminscent bay are just the start.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":169,"featured_media":42114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[2660],"class_list":["post-42110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-caribbean","tag-adventure"],"acf":{"api_active":null,"api_title":null,"api_excerpt":null,"api_featured_image":null,"api_lob":null},"posts_api_cpm_point":[{"name":"","description":"","thumbnail":"","address":"Stingray City, 31026 SMB, Seven Mile Beach, KY1-1205, Cayman Islands","latitude":"19.37587","longitude":"-81.30460900000003","icon":"\/images\/icons\/marker.png"}],"yoast_head":"\nTop 10 things to do in the Cayman Islands | Orbitz<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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