Unguided Grand Cayman Island Tour:
Maritime Heritage Trail

The Cayman Government has thoughtfully provided a number of Grand Cayman island tours: the Maritime Heritage trail, the Blue Dragon Trail, and the Mastic Trail.

The first two require transport, the last one is a hiking trail through the bush.

This page focuses on the Maritime Heritage trail, which needs transport, it’s true, but it gets you to all parts of the island’s coastline with its wonderful views and beaches.

Grand Cayman Island Tour: Maritime Heritage

The Maritime Heritage Trail picks out significant events and places from Grand Cayman’s nautical past. Some like Careenage Bay record places old sailing ships used for maintenance, others, like Lighthouse Park, commemorate more recent attempts to make the seas around the island safer. It’s ironic that the reef, which makes the island and its beaches so tranquil, is so deadly to shipping out at sea.

Grand Cayman Island Tour, gun from HMS Convert

As Britons and others made this their home, the population slowly grew. It was a hard life. Grand Cayman island wasn’t on the regular shipping lanes and the few ships that were sent, frequently came to a sad end on the reef that encircles most of the island. The most famous loss being the Wreck of the Ten Sail when, in 1794, HMS Convert and nine merchant ships slammed into the reef during a stormy night.

Today, Wreck of the Ten Sail park is a quiet headland with a memorial plaque on the Maritime Heritage Trail

The islands were mosquito-ridden and malaria-infested throughout most of their history — only becoming free of the scourge in the mid-Twentieth Century when mosquito eradication programs were possible. For more of Cayman’s past, visit our page History of the Cayman Islands.

When Jamaica voted for independence from Britain, the Cayman Islands decided to sit tight and their faith was justified.

Grand Cayman Island Tour, desirable homes in West End

Today they are among the wealthiest places on earth and highly desirable places to to live. Beautiful homes, with access to the sea for the owners’ boats are to be found throughout the West End and North of the island. Here is where the high life is lived, night clubs, golf courses, restaurants, and upscale shopping in George Town are all in handy reach of your private villa whether you go by car or boat.

If you’re thinking of joining them, check out our real estate page where you can find the services you need to buy your villa or condo.

Grand Cayman Island Tour, heron fishing in a quiet pond

However the lifestyles of the rich and famous don’t crowd the island so, our Grand Cayman island tour continues by heading east. While West Grand Cayman is bustling, the East End is only rustling to the sounds of wildlife and sea breezes among the palms. Herons, like this Louisiana Heron, fish peacefully in pools throughout the East End where the island seems almost uninhabited except around the narrow coast road.

I say almost uninhabited because we were told land crabs large enough to tackle VW Bugs crossed the coast road at night in numbers. I only saw one, not VW-sized but it was scary enough, so I can’t be sure how empty the bush really is.

You can find more pictures of kinder, gentler native animals on our Grand Cayman Wildlife page.

Grand Cayman Island Tours, view along the southern coast

Our Grand Cayman island tour ends here, where the beaches are quiet and empty at the East End. It’s common to have a beach to yourself — and what beaches! Soft white sand, warm shallow water protected by the reef out at sea make them ideal for families with smaller children into snorkeling.

Your tour doesn’t need to end here. For more Grand Cayman tours and attractions, visit Viator and pre-book and save.

Other Unguided Tours

Grand Cayman Island Tours, East End beach for snorkeling

For your own Grand Cayman tour, see our Getting About page for planning your own way to tour Grand Cayman and our Blue Dragon page for a route to follow.

Another great way to see the island is by helicopter, the ultimate private tour. Check out their tours at Cayman Islands Helicopters.

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