Botanical Gardens

The Queen Elizabeth II Botanical Gardens, or Botanic Park
Cover 60 acres of managed and fairly natural countryside. It's a good walk in the hot sun so be prepared. The paths that lead you through the gardens are also well maintained and managed so the walks are usually pretty leisurly.

The Park is a tranquil oasis in the center of the island, definitely Grand Cayman's best kept secret, about 30 minutes drive east from George Town. It's owned by the National Trust for the Cayman Islands on behalf of the Cayman people and are open from 9 am to 6:30 pm daily (April to September) and 9 am to 5:30 pm daily (October to March). The entrance fee is US$10 per adult, US$5 for children over 5 and free for toddlers. 


Some begin the tour of the Botanic Gardens with the Rankine House and Heritage Garden, part of the managed side of the park. The house is a traditional Cayman settler's home surrounded by an also traditional 'sand garden' with the path lined by Conch shells. Sand gardens were a way of keeping down bugs and preventing them getting into the house and occupants. 


The next stop is the Floral Colour Garden, though you can't really call it a 'stop'. It's a walking trail through brilliantly colored trees and shrubs arranged so one side of the garden is red, the other side is blue and the plants between seamlessly connect the two.


Butterflies, large and small, flit between the plants addingtheir own vibrant colors to the mix. The Floral Gardens boast a Tea Room but don't assume that means you can get tea. But do not be fooled, thisTea Room is purely and ornamental feature, you have to get your refreshments at the vistor's centre.

Running through, and alongside, the Floral Garden is the Lake and Wetlands with its collection of water plants and water birds. The path running alongside the lake takes you to an area of picnic benches. Often you will see motionless Grand Cayman Blue Iguanas enjoying the shade. They stay so still soaking up the heat of the sun, many think they are statues.

The Woodland Trail leads off from the Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre. A good idea is to stop here and take in fluids and rest. Here the trees provide shade for much of the walk and there are benches for rests. Along the Trail is the Grand Cayman blue iguana breeding Centre, with its pens for the growing iguanas (this is a good place for blue iguana viewing without the worry of whether they bite), and a number of pools with Green Turtles. One pool is called Crocodile Hole but, sadly or maybe thankfully, there are no longer any crocodiles, or caymans, on Grand Cayman.