DESTINATIONS cayman islands cayman brac getting-here-and-around-198

TRAVEL TIPS

Getting Here and Around

By Air

Cayman Airways Express provides Twin Otter service several times daily from Grand Cayman to Cayman Brac. Depending on the flight route, you may land on Little Cayman first. The flight is approximately 40 minutes nonstop. Cayman Brac has its own small airport, Gerrard Smith International Airport (CYB).

By Car

You need a car to really explore Cayman Brac, though hotels often provide complimentary bikes. Your own valid driver's license is necessary to obtain a temporary local driving permit ($20), which can be used on any of the Cayman Islands. Figure $35 to $55 per day, with compacts and midsize generally at the low end, jeeps and full-size median, and SUVs high-end.

Driving is on the left, British-style. Gasoline is quite expensive; there are only two stations (one at each end of the island), whose hours can be erratic. The main road circumnavigating the island and the bypass over the Bluff connecting the north and south coasts are well maintained. Yellow lines on roads indicate no parking zones. Most locals park on the side of the road.

Four D's, which carries mostly Nissans, tends to have cheaper rates, but rarely offers discounts. B&S Motor Ventures offers compacts, midsize vehicles, jeeps, SUVs, and vans. The only on-site airport agency, CB Rent-A-Car, has Hondas, Hyundais, and Toyotas from compact to minivan. Most agencies offer a low-season discount and/or complimentary pickup and drop-off.

Contacts

B&S Motor Ventures. Cayman Brac. 345/948–1646; www.bandsmv.com.

CB Rent-A-Car. CB Rent-A-Car Airport Dr., Gerrard Smith Airport, West End, Cayman Brac, KY2-2001. 345/948–2424; 345/948–2847; www.cbrentacar.com.

Four D's Car Rental. Cayman Brac. 345/948–1599; 345/948–0459.

By Taxi

Brackers often wear several hats, so your tour guide might also take you out fishing or serve you drinks; all of them are fonts of local lore and legend. An island day tour generally costs $24 per person, with a minimum of two people. Occasionally, you may have to wait to be picked up. Your hotel can arrange airport transfers. Rates are generally fixed: $8 to the closest hotels like Brac Reef Beach Resort, $15 to Cayman Breakers near the southeastern tip, $20 to the Bight and Spot Bay on the north side. Drivers will generally load up passengers from several properties, including individual villas.

The tourist office and the hotels have a list of preferred providers, including D&M Taxi and Tours, run by David Hurlston, who has a minivan as well as a 24-passenger bus for larger groups. He and his daughter Monica are courteous, knowledgeable guides, as is his father, O'Neil, who sometimes spells him and can regale you with soft-spoken stories of scaling the Bluff to collect water or herd cattle at 4 am, as well as his adventures running bananas from Ecuador to Virginia.

Contacts

D&M Taxi and Tours. 345/939–0583; 345/916–7226.

Visitor Information

From 8:30 to 5 weekdays, the affable staff at the Sister Islands office of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism can supply brochures on accommodations, dive outfits, activities, and nature and heritage trails. This office also services Little Cayman.

Contacts

Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. 209 West End Community Park, West End, Cayman Brac, KY2-2101. 345/948–1649; www.caymanislands.ky.

BACK TO

Ready for a trip of a lifetime to Cayman Brac?

CONTACT US TODAY