Guest Author - Ann Carroll Burgess

A group of three islands, only 150 miles south of Cuba, the Caymans are famous for banking, diving, and tax free shopping. These low coral islands were spotted by Christopher Columbus on his fourth voyage in 1503.

These islands were ceded to Britain, together with Jamaica, in the Treaty of Madrid (1760) and we’re governed in tandem with the larger island. When Jamaica claimed independence in 1961, the Cayman Islands chose to become a British Crown Colony.

The largest and southernmost island of the group is Grand Cayman, home to around 30,000 islanders. The rest live on the little sister islands of Cayman Brac and Little Cayman to the northeast.

One of the delights of these islands is how easy it is to get around. Local buses as well as taxis cover the island from the alluring white sands of Seven Mile Beach to West Bay and all the tourist attractions in-between.

Just because you’re not as diver that doesn’t mean you can’t explore the delights under the sea. This is one of the many islands where you’ll find Atlantis’ submarine. This company conducts safe and fascinating underwater tours in small submersibles. The experience is simply breathtaking.

Back to land there are plenty of attractions to keep you amused. The world’s only commercial green turtle farm, Cayman Turtle Farm, is a great place to study thousands of turtles in varying stages of development, from incubating eggs to 600 pound adults. This operation plays a conservation role by releasing a small percentage of its captive bred turtles back into the wild each year. Take note, turtle products cannot be imported into the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom.

After this vacation you can’t honestly say that you have been to hell and back. Filled is located on the western side of the island and most people come to see the weathered out crop of ironstone that is over 1 ½ million years old. It’s a great place to visit, scribble a postcard and get the hell out.

What may be ‘the best 12 foot dive into world’ is located at Stingray City. This extraordinary snorkel and dive site reissued face to face with friendly stingrays some of which measure 6 feet in diameter. This location was once a favourite spot of local fishermen and the stingrays got used to receiving a handout and have stayed to become a local tourist attraction—make sure you don’t miss this one.