Attractions

Birders flock to the Booby Pond Visitor's Centre (tel. 345/948-1010; www.nationaltrust.org.ky/info/boobypond.html), which is operated by the National Trust. The visitor center is located in an 83-hectare (213-acre) nature reserve and has exhibits on Little Cayman's indigenous species, including the common crab and the seed shrimp. For a closer view of bird life, take a look through one of the two telescopes on the visitor center's porch. A gift shop here sells locally made crafts and island art. Admission is free and the center is open daily from 9am to 6pm.

Booby Pond itself is a 1.9km-long (1 1/2-mile) brackish mangrove pond, home to a breeding colony of splendid frigate birds. The red-footed boobies who live at this pond are the Caribbean's largest booby breeding colony. Estimates say that some 7,000 feathered creatures of different types call this pond home, including the black-necked stilt, the West Indian whistling duck, the graceful egret, the heron, and, of course, the booby.

Of minor interest is Little Cayman Museum, Guy Banks Road, Blossom Village (tel. 345/948-1033), open Monday to Friday 3 to 5pm. It's free, although the staff will request a donation. In a green-and-white building with a wood veranda, the museum contains relics from Little Cayman's past. Some of the memorabilia date back a century and a half. The collection stemmed from the private treasures of Linton Tibbetts, an islander who sailed to the United States with US$50 in his pocket and returned to Little Cayman a multimillionaire. Everything from the attics of Little Cayman is here, including grandmother's old sewing machine.

Since getting around Little Cayman might be difficult, you may want to take an organized tour. LCB Tours, Blossom Village (tel. 800/327-3835 in the U.S., or 345/948-1033), offers a guided tour that visits all of the island highlights for CI$20 per person, with lunch costing an extra CI$16. You can also rent snorkeling gear, kayaks, sailboats, pedal boats, and surf bikes (which are basically floating bicycles).

The Little Cayman Beach Resort offers snorkeling and bus tours of the island for CI$25 per person. The best tours, however, are the guided nature hikes conducted by Gladys Howard, owner of Pirates Point Resort. These tours are sponsored by the National Trust, and only a CI$1 donation is asked. These tours can only be arranged by appointment.