The Cayman Turtle Centre is the largest land-based tourist attraction and the only facility in the world where you have the opportunity to see Green Sea Turtles at every stage of their life cycle, from egg to full-grown adult, all in one location.
The Cayman Turtle Centre is a conservation facility that has hatched and released more than 36,000 center- bred turtles, since it was first established in 1968. Located in the district of West Bay in Grand Cayman (about a 10 minute drive from Seven Mile Beach, where we stayed), thanks to this facility, sea turtles in the Cayman Islands are recovering from the brink of local extinction. It is home to more than 8,000 turtles ranging in size from tiny 6-ounce babies to a massive female named "Sparky." She weighs in at 565 pounds.
During our stay at Grand Cayman, we took a tour of the Cayman Turtle Center, located in the West Bay of the Island. The highlight of our half-day visit was snorkeling with turtles and colorful tropical fish in the man-made Turtle Lagoon. The center provided life vests and snorkel gear, making it very convenient and accessible for all swim abilities. We were able to swim alongside the turtles respecting their boundaries and environment, it was absolutely a priceless experience I will never forget! This was such a unique opportunity and an incredible immersible experience for my family.
At the Caribbean Aviary, there were several local and exotic birds to hand-feed and we especially enjoyed getting up close and personal with the colorful Scarlet Ibis!
Turtle Center Hatchery is a special place where you will see rows of incubators which house fertile turtle eggs during the incubation period. Once turtle eggs are laid, it takes about 45-65 days before they hatch. At the Turtle Center, there is a breeding area where mature turtles, some weighing in at 300 lbs., crawl on to the sand to lay their eggs. Once the eggs are laid, they are carefully removed and placed in a warm incubator until they are ready to be hatched.
The Cayman Turtle Centre is also home to the island’s largest swimming pool with waterfalls and a waterslide. My kids could not get enough of the slide and I believe they went down the slide about 100 times in a span of 60 minutes.
The Turtle Adventure Tour includes all of the land and water activities offered. I highly recommend visiting if you are planning on visiting Grand Cayman. With the Turtle Adventure Tour, you can enter the center all day, and the price includes re-entry. This allowed us to leave for lunch and come back after.
The Cayman Turtle Centre is a conservation organization that has been saving turtles for over 50 years. For travelers, such as us, it offers numerous interactive wildlife encounters that just aren’t available at home; feeding sea turtles, seeing a shark and crocodile feeding, visiting the touch tanks where we were able to pet and wade with sea turtle yearlings and as I mentioned, snorkeling with sea turtles was the highlight of our day. There really is no other place quite like Cayman Turtle Centre!
** All opinions are my own.
