If you’re renting a villa in Cayman Kai, North Side, or East End, AND a nature lover, you should definitely add the Mastic Trail to your list of Cayman Island must-dos. The trail is a 200-year-old gravelly path that winds through a native mangrove swamp and a 2 million-year-old woodland area. You will see exotic birds and fantastic and rare plant life.
The trail is preserved as a flat, beginners hike by the Cayman Islands National Trust, which also sponsors guided tours. The hike is challenging but worth the trek, especially with a guide. Wear tennis shoes or other closed-toe style and bring plenty of water!
You’ll need at least two or three hours to enjoy the Mastic Trail on a guided tour (held Tuesdays through Friday mornings) that costs $20 for members and $24 for non-members. Contact the Cayman Islands National Trust to arrange a tour. You can also choose to hike the trail on your own, however, we recommend to our Grand Cayman Villas and Condos guests to go with a guide. A few of the plants are beautiful to see but may cause a bad rash if they are touched. Maps of the trail are available at the visitors center.
The trail runs 15 miles east of George Town in central Grand Cayman. The map below shows where the trail is situated on the island. You enter the trail from Mastic Road off of Frank Sound Road. The trail ends on in Old Man Bay off of North Side Road.
