EXCURSIONES EN TIERRA

Two of Grand Cayman's most popular activities, visiting the Turtle Farm and literally going to Hell, are included on this cruise tour. Sit back, relax and enjoy the highlights of Grand Cayman.

Your tour begins in George Town - this prosperous capital ranks as the fifth-largest financial center in the world - with a guided drive along Seven Mile Beach, briefly stopping along the way to capture once-in-a-lifetime snapshots. Continue on to quaint local neighborhoods on your way to the Gingerbread House, followed by a stop at Hell, a small tourist village known for its unusual inferno rock formations.

After a 'hell' of an experience, you'll visit the Turtle Farm, home of the world-famous green sea turtle. On the way back to the pier, you’ll make a brief stop at one of Cayman's rum cake outlets.

OVERVIEW

Walk through a series of inland caves formed eons ago and admire the island’s natural beauty while driving along the coast. Pirates once used the Crystal Caves as hideouts and legend has it that treasures are still buried in their depths. While following a winding trail through the ancient caverns, you will see eerily illuminated stalactites and stalagmites, a glass-smooth underground lake and a cave whose ceiling collapsed ages ago. The guide will describe how the caves were formed and the wonders that lie within them. Back on the surface, you will settle in for a panoramic coastal drive, during which you will pause for photos at the Wreck of the Ten Sail memorial. It commemorates the convoy 10 British ships that wrecked on the reefs just offshore in 1794 in a massive maritime disaster. You will also stop to witness the coastal blowholes that spew ocean water as high as 20 feet into the air.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Follow a guide through the Crystal Caves, which pirates once used as hideouts.
• View a collection of coastal geysers that spray water spectacularly high into the air.
• Stop at a memorial that marks where 10 ships wrecked on the reefs in the 18th century.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

The Dolphin Encounter is a unique opportunity to meet these incredible mammals up close and personal in waist-deep water. Experience first-hand the connection of a lifetime, while our marine mammal specialist guides you through all the fun and excitement. While enjoying the encounter, you will also gain important knowledge about conservation and education about bottlenose dolphins. Following a brief educational session into the world of our dolphins, you will also gain important knowledge on the conservation of our amazing dolphins and be given demonstration on proper hand placements for each behavior to better prepare our guests for a great experience. Our Dolphin Encounter program is specially designed for visitors of all ages looking for an in-water experience with a dolphin. In this program, guests will be able to experience multiple behaviors, including an unforgettable hug, the infamous hand target and a heartfelt handshake with our playful friend. Guests will be standing on a submerged platform for the entirety of the program.

Our talented photographers will be there during the entire program capturing your experience of a lifetime. Before heading back to your ship, relax on a motorized boat with shaded areas while you head to Cayman's famous Sand Bar to interact with southern stingrays in their own natural habitat.

OVERVIEW

Enjoy the surrounding natural beauty and irrepressible charm of George Town through signature attractions that present an overall picture of the capital of the Cayman Islands. A cultural dance performance will set the stage for your exploration, which will include an enlightening tour of a rum distillery and a tasting of the spirit. Still, it is the island’s tropical scenery that may leave the most lasting impression. While pausing for photos at Camana Bay, you will see how this New Urbanist town naturally complements its seaside setting. A bit inland, you will visit Hell, a sinister-looking patch of jagged black limestone that lives up to its name. There is even post office if you wish to send a card from Hell. In contrast, Seven Mile Beach will seem paradisiacal. You will be free to relax however you wish on this long crescent of white sand that rims the beautiful turquoise sea.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy a scenic drive in and around George Town with enlightening stops along the way.
• Watch a cultural dance performance and tour a rum distillery.
• Pause for photos in lovely Camana Bay and at a hellish-looking patch of black limestone.
• Relax on Seven Mile Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches on Grand Cayman.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Become immersed in the pleasures of local life through a remarkable variety of authentic experiences. You will see the artistic side of the islands while browsing the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands, whose collection ranges from modernist paintings to traditional crafts made with natural materials. George Town’s vision of the future will be on display from atop the observation tower that rises 75 feet above Camana Bay, a cutting-edge New Urbanist town designed around the principles of sustainability. The views will be especially panoramic as the topography of Grand Cayman is flat. The distilling of rum on the island is also a relatively new enterprise as you will discover by tasting a variety of premium spirits made from local ingredients. Still, it is the cuisine that may be the most revealing. The menu for your meal at the 1908-built Grand Old House will include courses that are classics and others that are highly inventive.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Browse the extraordinary works at the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands.
• Take in the sweeping views from atop the observation tower at Camana Bay.
• Sample a selection of tasty rums distilled on the island.
• Savor a multi-course meal of Caymanian cuisine at a restaurant in a historical house.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Interact with southern stingrays on a shallow sandbar and observe an abundance of other marine life by snorkeling a barrier reef off Grand Cayman. A scenic cruise along beautiful Seven Mile Beach will bring you to Stingray City, a collection of sandbars teeming with stingrays. These graceful creatures may look somewhat ominous, but they are docile and shy, often burying most of their flat bodies in the sand. While swimming with the stingrays, you might feed them, run your hands over their sandpaper-like skin or simply allow them to brush by. The stingrays that inhabit this particular sandbar are quite friendly and accustomed to sharing the water with people. After cruising to a nearby reef, you will see many of the other marine creatures that live in the crystal-clear waters. Among the most colorful are queen parrotfish, red-and-white striped squirrelfish and silvery yellow French grunts, whose name refers to the noise they make by grinding their teeth.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Visit a series of shallow sandbars with so many stingrays that it’s called Stingray City.
• Feed and touch the stingrays or simply watch them from a distance.
• Snorkel a barrier reef and observe the other marine life that lives off Grand Cayman.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing with a swimsuit underneath.
• Bring a towel and sunscreen.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Cruise to a collection of sandbars in the North Sound to swim with stingrays and enjoy a tropical lunch onboard while overlooking a secluded beach at another idyllic location. As you cruise through the sheltered waters off George Town, you will feel a cool sea breeze on your skin and a genuine sense of adventure. Your first destination will be the aptly named Stingray City, which is typically teeming with native southern stingrays. While standing in the shallows of the sandbars, you can interact with the stingrays however you are most comfortable. Stingrays are quite shy and docile, although people often mistakenly think otherwise. Continuing on, the captain will drop anchor at Starfish Point, whose shallows attract countless numbers of starfish. They should be easy to spot in the crystal-clear sea. In keeping with the theme, the menu for lunch will feature fresh seafood prepared according to traditional Caymanian recipes.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Cruise into the sheltered turquoise waters of North Sound.
• Visit a series of shallow sandbars with so many stingrays that it is called Stingray City.
• Feed and touch the stingrays or simply observe them from a distance.
• Enjoy a seafood lunch and open bar while anchored off secluded Starfish Point.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing with a bathing suit underneath.
• Bring a towel and sunscreen.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Cruise the crystal-clear waters off George Town in a glass-bottom boat and view two shipwrecks and all sorts of marine life without getting wet. It won’t take long to reach the wreck of the Cali as this grain freighter was scuttled in the shallow waters just outside George Town harbor. The scattered pieces of the ship, which have become an artificial reef for countless tropical fish, will be easy to see. A hurricane sank the Balboa in 1932 and the shattered skeleton of this lengthy freighter lies close by on the ocean floor. Its sunken hull was dynamited a few decades later to keep the harbor clear for navigation. This shipwreck is also teeming with marine life as is Cheeseburger Reef. Located just off shore, the reef is humorously named for a fast-food burger restaurant nearby. You can expect to see an array of colorful species there, ranging from brilliant blue tangs to neon parrotfish.

HIGHLIGHTS

• View the underwater wonders off Grand Cayman in a glass-bottom boat.
• Cruise over two shipwrecks that have become artificial reefs teeming with marine life.
• Learn about the ships’ histories and how they ended up on the ocean floor.
• Observe the abundant marine life that inhabits Cheeseburger Reef.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Cruise to Starfish Point for a relaxing beach break and continue on to a nearby natural reserve where you may see wildlife in the mangroves that line the shore. While cruising across the typically calm waters of the North Sound, you can toast the upcoming adventure with a glass of champagne while enjoying the spectacular tropical views. Although Starfish Point features a gorgeous beach – which you will be free to enjoy at your leisure – it may be even more well-known for the countless starfish that live in the shallows just offshore. They will be easy to spot if you wade out in the crystal-clear water. Other marine life and wildlife is also abundant in the nearby mangroves. As you cruise through this environmentally protected area, the guide may describe how the mangroves filter sediments, stabilize the shorelines and provide a nesting and breeding habitat for water birds and fish.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Cruise across the typically calm waters of the North Sound to Starfish Point.
• Wade into the shallows off the beach and see starfish in the crystal-clear water.
• Spend free time relaxing on the beach before cruising into a mangrove-lined nature reserve.
• Learn about the environmental benefits of mangroves while looking for wildlife.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Behold the wonders underwater while snorkeling two vastly different reefs and swim with stingrays in their natural habitat. The waters off Grand Cayman are teeming with marine life, which you will observe in an ever-changing parade of tropical fish. There is no telling what you will encounter while snorkeling, but chances are you will see neon-colored parrotfish, striped sergeant majors and silvery yellow French grunts, whose name refers to the noise they make by grinding their teeth. You may even spot a sea turtle or two. For sure, you will see southern stingrays at Stingray City, a series of sandbars where you can stand in the shallows and interact with these typically shy marine creatures. You might feed them or simply allow the stingrays to brush by gracefully. Either way, it will be exhilarating and provide you with plenty to talk about while enjoy a buffet lunch on Kaibo Beach.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Cruise into the sheltered turquoise waters of North Sound.
• Observe countless marine creatures while snorkeling two different reefs.
• Interact with southern stingrays while standing in the shallows of Stingray City.
• Enjoy a traditional Caymanian buffet lunch while relaxing on Kaibo Beach.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing with a bathing suit underneath.
• Bring a towel and sunscreen.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Settle in for a panoramic drive around eastern Grand Cayman with stops at iconic attractions before dining at a characteristic waterfront restaurant. The island is known for its rum cakes, and you will enjoy a tasting that will confirm why they are so popular. The blowholes along the rocky shore are among the more outstanding natural features. It will be quite the sight to watch the incoming waves force ocean water up through vertical shafts along the coast and create epic geysers up to 20 feet high. That same shoreline was once extremely treacherous as you will discover at the Wreck of the Ten Sail memorial. It commemorates the convoy 10 British ships that wrecked on the reefs just offshore in 1794 in a massive maritime disaster. Amazingly, only six people lost their lives. Later, at the beachfront Eastern Star Bar & Fish Fry, you will dine on traditional Cayman cuisine.

HIGHLIGHTS

• See the attractions in eastern Grand Cayman on a relaxing panoramic drive.
• View coastal geysers that spray spectacularly high into the air.
• Pause at a memorial to an 18th-century maritime disaster where 10 ships wrecked on the reefs.
• Dine on authentic Cayman cuisine at a beachfront restaurant.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.