The Sister Islands - History & Geography

The Sister Islands Overview

Cayman Brac and Little Cayman also known as the Sister Islands have their own unique identity and are an experience very different from that of Grand Cayman. For a great website on the Sister Islands, visit www.itsyourstoexplore.com. Each island offers something for everyone. Cayman Brac is the most easterly of the three. With a total land mass of 14 square miles, the island is small enough to maintain a peaceful, tranquil atmosphere but big enough to have a plethora of hidden caves, winding trails and a unique cultural history.

Little Cayman consists of 10 square miles of unspoiled surroundings, including more than a dozen secluded beaches, numerous lagoons, mangrove forests, salt ponds and tropical forests strewn with orchids.

There is no ferry service operating between the Islands so you’ll have to travel by air. Cayman Airways flies to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman several times daily (approximately US$132 return) via jet and express planes.

Cayman Brac

Christopher Columbus sighted Cayman Brac and Little Cayman on the 10th of May 1503, on his second voyage to the New World. He named the Islands “Las Tortugas” (The Turtles) and claimed them for Spain. Eventually they came to be known as the Cayman Islands. Cayman Brac was a prominent home for pirates, known as the “Brethren of the Sea,” seeking a hiding place for stolen treasures. Of these swashbuckling pirates, the most famous one to roam the Island’s shores was Edward “Blackbeard” Teach. Legend has it that Blackbeard’s booty is still buried or hidden in the recesses of a Cayman Brac cave.

The Brac is the most easterly of the Cayman Islands. Cayman Brac (Gaelic for bluff), known for its charm, friendliness and the most dramatic scenery of the three Islands, is a great spot for couples or families. The small towns have names like West End, Watering Place, Cotton Tree Bay, Creek and Spot Bay. A haven for a multitude of bird species, Cayman Brac has a Parrot Reserve created by the National Trust of the Cayman Islands. It also features an international airport, boasts Cayman’s oldest museum and has the highest elevation of the three Islands at 152 feet.

Little Cayman

Little Cayman was the site of the Cayman Islands’ first settlement, when turtle fishermen set up fishing camps in the 1600s. Raided by a Spanish privateer and abandoned in 1671, Little Cayman was not settled permanently until 1833, when a few families established Blossom Village. By the early 1900s, several hundred people lived on the Island, exporting phosphate ore, coconuts and marine rope. The smallest and least developed of the three Cayman Islands, Little Cayman is located 80 miles northeast of Grand Cayman. A nature lover’s dream, the Island consists of 10 square miles of unspoiled surroundings, including more than a dozen secluded beaches, numerous lagoons, mangrove forests, salt ponds and tropical forests strewn with orchids.

Today, the Island is most commonly known in the diving community as the Mecca of the Caribbean. Bloody Bay Marine Park draws the majority of visitors to the Island and most of the resorts have their own dive centres catering to all your underwater needs. Increasingly, visitors also come to enjoy the privacy, quiet and timeless beauty of the Island’s unspoiled natural splendour and a return to simpler times. Little Cayman also boasts a number of natural and cultural attractions. Venture to remote Point of Sand for a private swim or row out to tiny, deserted Owen Island to enjoy a view of nature in its most pristine form and truly ease the body and soul. Little Cayman is a very popular escape for individuals and families from Grand Cayman as it is so close, very friendly and completely relaxing.