Cayman Brac is one of the best places to visit if you are after an active Caribbean holiday. It is much more rugged than Little Cayman, with only a few beaches. The draw to the Brac, as it is known locally, is the diving and hiking available.
It is around 80 miles north east of Grand Cayman, and is reached by air. Cayman Airways flies a loop from Grand Cayman to Little Cayman to Cayman Brac, but not always in that order.
In common with its sister islands, the Brac has a museum, which displays local history. There is also the chance to see a Cayman Brac parrot in its natural habitat at the Brac Parrot Reserve. This parrot is now found only on Cayman Brac, although it used to inhabit Little Cayman. It is believed that the last remaining parrots were wiped out from there in the great storm of 1932. The Cayman Brac Parrot has the smallest range of any Amazon parrot and so is one of the rarest.
It is possible to shore dive, especially on the calmer north side of the island, but you will need a boat for the better sites, which are around 10 – 20 minutes away. Here you will find walls, ells, large schools of fish and sponges.
The beaches on the Brac are nothing like those found on its sister islands. What sandy beaches there are have plenty of sea grass. Although there is one ‘good’ beach (which is public) on the south side of the island. Most of the hotels can be found close by.
There is more hiking trails here than at Little Cayman, which are well sign posted by white Heritage Site signs. This is the best way to explore the island. The longest one takes around three hours, but most require either a car or a bicycle as they are away from the hotels. Free guides are available from the Brac department of Tourism and most hotels offer free maps. Proper hiking boots should be worn as the ground can be made up of sharp ironshore. If you are feeling brave there are many caves which you can walk into, just don’t disturb the bats. Also try to finish before sunset as this is peak mosquito time.
Cayman Brac is the ideal location for a get away from it all holiday for people who are not looking for a beach.