Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park (you’ll see it called the Botanic Park and Botanic Garden in different places, so I use the terms interchangeably as well) is a quiet oasis in the center of the island, about a 30-minute drive east of George Town. just off of Frank Sound Road. The National Trust for the Cayman Islands manage the gardens on behalf of the people of Cayman and they do a fine job. The gardens are open from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily (April to September) and 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily (October to March) and admission is US$10 per adult, US $5 for children 5 and older and free. for young children (2009 awards).
The park covers around 60 acres of managed and fairly natural countryside. It’s quite a walk in the sun, so be prepared. we weren’t. I forgot my sunglasses and ended the day with fried eyes, but I still didn’t want to leave! The good news, for those who can no longer handle difficult terrain, is that all of the Park’s rides are on flat, well-maintained paths.
The park has a number of distinct features; a genuine Cayman Islands settler home (the Rankine House), a trail through the natural forest of the Cayman Islands (Forest Trail), a breeding center for blue iguanas, a flower garden (Garden of Floral Colors) and a lake and wetlands. Rankine House and Heritage Garden are part of the managed side of the park. It is a traditional Caymanian settler’s house surrounded by a traditional “sand garden” with the path lined with conch shells. The simplicity of the home is a nostalgic reminder of where we all were not so long ago. Sometimes the 21st century can seem pretty cold despite all its attractions.
The colorful flower garden (Grand Cayman follows the British spelling so I’m using it for local place names) is enjoyed via an easy walking path between brightly colored trees and shrubs arranged so that one side of the garden one is red and the other is blue. Between these two extremes, plants change on the color spectrum from red to pink and purple to blue. Butterflies large and small flit among the plants adding their own vibrant colors to the mix. The Floral Gardens has a tea room, but don’t assume that means you can have tea. In the blazing sun, a drink would be welcome, but the tea house is an ornamental feature of the park, providing shade but no tea.
Through the Floral Color Garden is the lake and wetlands with their collection of aquatic plants and waterfowl. The path next to the lake becomes a picnic area and, of course, where there is food, you will find animals waiting to pick up the crumbs or, if they are more daring, ask for more than crumbs. We found two immobile blue iguanas so at first we thought they were statues, then they rushed over to see what we had brought to eat! His approach was so fast that we got scared and quickly backed up the way we had come. That may sound cowardly to you, sitting at your monitor reading this, but adult iguanas are big, really big. At around 5 feet (1.6 m) long, weighing 25 pounds (11 kg), and naturally armed with sharp teeth and claws, they are a fearsome sight. He could see me lose more than a toe, if they weren’t friendly. Fortunately they were, but still it is better not to feed them.
After a much-needed stop for refreshments at the Visitor Center, head up the Woodland Trail. It is a relaxing walk, about 30 minutes, with the trees providing shade for a large part of the route and with benches for regular breaks. Along the trail is the Grand Cayman Blue Iguana Breeding Center, with its pens for the growing iguanas and several pools with green turtles. One pool is called the Crocodile Hole, but sadly or perhaps fortunately, there are no crocodiles or alligators on Grand Cayman anymore. The trail is also a popular breeding spot for blue iguanas (I’m guessing the ones old enough to let out without parental supervision) who also like a mix of sun and shade.
The trees and wetlands are well marked to help visitors understand what they are seeing. Meandering from billboard to billboard, working on your tan, and learning something new while doing it is a nice way to spend a morning or afternoon on vacation. Sometimes life really is a ‘rose garden’ without thorns.