On a stop in Grand Cayman we decided to visit the Boatswain’s Beach Turtle Farm and Marine Park, a growing eco-tourism destination where they raise endangered sea turtles for conservation and, um… other purposes.
I was afraid the place would be too touristy & packed with other cruise ship passengers, but when we arrived it was nearly empty. There is a reduced admission fee just to see the turtles, but we decided to splurge and buy the full admission, which totaled $128 for the 4 of us. This gave us access to the rest of the marine and bird sanctuary, as well as the swimming pools, snorkel area, and aquarium.
After getting our “all access” wristbands, our first stop was the breeding tank, where as Hannah put it, “the turtles get married and have babies”.
Then we found the babies, separated by size in different tanks, where you can pet and even hold them.
Cute little guys, huh?
Soon the cruise ship tour groups started arriving in droves, so we retreated to the back half of the sanctuary. Since the regular tour groups never buy the all-access admission, we practically had the place to ourselves.
On the way we stopped at the restaurant, which serves a terrific turtle soup. That’s right, this farm raises turtles for food, too – Grand Cayman is actually one of the few places you can dine on endangered sea turtle!
We weren’t hungry, though – so we just had drinks before heading to the predator tank, just in time for the shark feeding. Looks like fun!
We spent the rest of our time lounging in their huge, crystal-clear pool until it was time to head back to the ship. Not a bad day!
{ 2 comments }
Wish I were there.
I wish I were there, too. It’s cold here!
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