Grand Cayman Nature Trails Celebrate the Quieter Side of Island LifeGrand Cayman nature trails can be a stroll in the Park, like the Woodland Trail at the Botanic Park, or a fairly strenuous hike, like the Mastic Trail. The Mastic Trail, named for a particular kind of tree
used for making ships' masts, is off Frank Sound Road
just south of the Botanical Park. It's probably 30
minutes drive from
George Town.
The whole trail, from Frank Sound Road in the south to Further Road, near Malpotas Pond, in the north takes in swampy mangrove forest, a rocky area full of crevices out of which trees and plants sprout, a dry tropical forested area that still has remnants of pioneer William Watler's fruit orchards, and finally a tropical meadow, a savannah. William Watler was the settler who built the original road over a hundred years ago to get his produce to market and, although it has now been replaced by Frank Sound Road, his achievment is still pretty impressive. It's wild country for such a small island and ironshore is as hard as... well, iron. The Mastic Trail wends its way through land owned by the National Trust and they provide guides to assist you in identifying what you're seeing. Unless you're an expert in semi-tropical flora and fauna, it's probably worth going with a guide. Otherwise the only thing you're likely to observe with certainty is that there are a lot of bugs. To help you identify some of the wildlife you'll see, I've added a Grand Cayman Wildlife page. The Woodland Trail is inside the National Trust's Botanical Park and that makes it less scary for setting out on your own. And it also has the advantage of markers on the trees and pools to tell you about what you're seeing. 
Halfway along the trail is the blue iguana breeding centre
where you can see iguanas from toddlers to teenagers. The
adults are out in the Park, which may or may not be a
comforting thought. They are scary-looking creatures but
the good news is they are harmless. However, as with
all wildlife, it isn't a good idea to feed them.
Rest stops along the way and a level, groomed path make
the Woodland Trail a walk rather than a hike. Shorts, sandals,
and T-shirts are the order of march here. There are ponds
around the Trail with turtles but, despite the name of one,
no crocodiles. The crocodiles, or caymans, were wiped out
centuries ago, which is bad, but having seen the size of them,
probably just as well.
Woodland Trail Rest Stop
This impressive Succulent or Something (I should have taken notes!) is growing along the Woodland Trail.
The Trail information boards also explain the different ponds
of Grand Cayman, from fresh to brackish to saltwater, and the
different plants and animals that inhabit them
Two other pluses for this Grand Cayman nature trail are -- where its trees overhang the path, it feels like 'shade' rather than the Mastic's close buggy 'jungle' (only in places!), and you finish the walk where you started, at a gift shop with refreshments -- not a bad thing in this heat.
There are two more Grand Cayman nature trails to talk about, the Nature Reserve at the pond on Northside and Barkers National Park. I'll get to them another day.
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As I mentioned earlier, one good reason to start with the Woodland Trail is that many of the trees and plants are labeled so you know what you're looking at. The Mastic Trail is more 'wild'. The labeling could use some additional information, other than the name in English and Latin, as in the Trail at the Pirates Caves; however, that's a small complaint.
