Three small British Overseas Territory islands sitting in the western Caribbean, about 150 miles south of Cuba. The Cayman Islands are one of the world's wealthiest places per capita — a status built on offshore finance and high-end tourism rather than agriculture or industry. Expect polished infrastructure, immaculate beaches, and prices to match.
The diving is genuinely world-class. The islands sit on the edge of the Cayman Trench, offering spectacular wall dives, healthy coral, and crystal-clear water. Stingray City on Grand Cayman, where southern stingrays gather in the shallows of the North Sound, is one of the most visited marine encounters in the Caribbean. Little Cayman's Bloody Bay Wall is considered one of the best dive sites on the planet.
Grand Cayman is the main island and handles almost all international flights. George Town is the capital and the stop for cruise ships; Seven Mile Beach to the north is where most hotels and resorts are concentrated. Cayman Brac is a hillier, more rugged island known for its caves and rock-climbing as well as diving. Little Cayman is tiny, quiet, and mostly visited by serious divers.
These islands are not a budget destination. Even budget choices are expensive by Caribbean standards. That said, the quality of services, food, and infrastructure is consistently high, and violent crime is rare.
