Border closures and other COVID-19 restrictions put a damper on tourism to the Cayman Islands during 2021. Despite worry about Omicrom, island tourism officials are hopeful for a fruitful 2022.

If you’re planning a trip to the Cayman Islands this year, you can enjoy an adventure of fun and excitement at any of the country’s exquisite beaches, fascinating nature trails, unique eateries  or other attractive locales. Casino aficionados can take a trip to the George Town Grand Cayman Casino which is located in nearby Jamaica for some Juicy Stakes wins while travelers who want a more laid-back, tropical vacation get-away have choices for activities and relaxation on the Cayman island paradise.

Scuba Diving

Divers from around the world come to the Cayman Islands to snorkel, scuba and deep sea dive. There are almost 400 dive spots located throughout the Cayman Islands including the underwater wonders of the Grand Cayman island. Dive sites for both beginners and advanced divers can be found including explorations of coral reefs, deep drop-offs and dives into ship wrecks of ships that sunk in the waters surrounding the islands hundreds of years ago.

Divers often spot sea life including eagle rays, manatas, sea horses, pilot whales, stingrays, loggerhead turtles and hawksbill turtles.  There’s accessible shore diving on Grand Cayman where divers can swim among the great coral reefs and experience little to no current. Off of Cayman Brac there’s reef, wall and wreck diving.

Dive shops and guides who lead dives are available for divers of all skill levels.

Stingray City

Stingray City is located just off the coast of George Town. The “city” is a shoal that features many specimens of stingrays which, despite their name, are tame and friendly. Over the years local fishermen threw the leftovers of the fish that they were cleaning into the water and the stingrays congregated to feed. Today the stingrays have become so domesticated that you can swim alongside them, pet them and even take selfies with them.

Stingray City is a series of shallow sandbars. The deeper sandbar is where divers can swim with the stingraysbut the shallower sandbar, off the northwest corner of North Sound in Grand Cayman is a natural channel that passes through the barrier reef. It is here that you can join an excursion boat that will take you into the sandbar where you can disembark and wade through the chest-high waters to interact with the stingrays.

Seven Mile Beach

Seven Mile Beach is a crescent-shaped expanse of sparkling waters, coral sands and walkable shoreline. Many travelers come to the Caymans specifically to spend time at the Seven Mile beach where they can swim, relax, visit the boardwalk restaurant and bars, parasail, snorkel, scuba dive, swim, bike and take your kids to the playgrounds situated along the beach. Organized tours are also available for those who want a guide to explain the local biosphere and for visitors who want to shop, there are plenty of shops open.

George Town

George Town is the Cayman’s main port of call and Caribbean cruise ships frequently anchor in George Town Harbour. Visitors can embark on a submarine tour of George Town Harbour, take a ride on a glass-bottom boat, snorkel, scuba-dive, parasail, visit art galleries and shop at any of the quaint shops that line the George Town streets.

Rum Distillery Tour

George Town’s Rum Distillery Tour is a favorite among tourists who visit Cayman Spirits Company, the Cayman’s only currently-operating distillery to learn more about the connections that the Caribbean islands have to rum.

Rum originated in the West Indies when slaves discovered that they could ferment molasses, a byproduct of sugar, to produce an alcoholic drink. Local plantation owners quickly took over the production and sold rum to Europe where it quickly became a popular drink, not only among British gentry but also with the British Navy and pirates who preyed on ships in the Caribbean.

During the prohibition era, the Cayman Islands became a stop for smugglers who imported alcohol from Europe to be brought by rum-runners into America. All of this history and more – plus rum-tasting! – can be found on the Rum Distillery Tour at the Cayman Spirits Company tour in George Town. Visitors can join a guided tour or make private arrangements for a tasting session.

Cayman Islands National Museum

The Cayman Islands National Museum is located on Harbor Drive in George Town in the former Old Courts Building. The museum is dedicated to the preservation, display and research of Caymanian heritage. The museum was founded in the 1930s when Ira Thompson, a local resident, began collecting Caymanian artifacts. His collection was purchased by the government in 1979 and the museum based on that collection opened in 1990.

The museum contains over 8000 artifacts and other items ranging from a 14-foot catboat to coins, a 3-dimensional map that depicts underwater geological formations that surround the Cayman Islands, recreated rooms of old homes, fashions of previous generations, documents, photos and more.

Mastic Trail

|The Mastic Trail encircles  Grand Cayman, providing hikers with a chance to experience the lush inland greenery, thick mangrove swamps, wildflowers, native birds and more. The trail is on gravel so it’s suitable for anyone who just wants to take an easy walk but it’s 7.4 miles long so doing the entire trail isn’t suitable for everyone.

Starfish Point

Starfish Point is exactly what its name says – a stretch of beach where you can enter the water to snorkel with over 2000 different species of starfish. Starfish point is located on the north side of Grand Cayman. The place where you enter the water is shallow so you can just wade into the water if you want – most of the starfish are in the deeper area, beyond the drop-off, but sometimes they move around into the shallow areas.

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NOTE: Gambling is illegal in the Cayman Islands