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Unguided Grand Cayman Island TourThe 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. 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, commemmorate 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. 
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. When Jamaica voted for independence from Britain, the Cayman Islands sat tight and their faith was justified.
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.
However the lifestyles of the rich and famous don't crowd the island so, our Grand Cayman island tour continues by heading east. While the West 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.
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.
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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,
