Cayman Turtle Centre: Island Wildlife Encounter
Cayman Turtle Centre: Island Wildlife Encounter
Cayman Turtle Centre: Island Wildlife Encounter
4
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Cayman Turtle Conservation and Education Centre doesn’t just save sea turtles – it’s a place for wild island fun, too! At this first-of-its-kind wildlife conservation experience, visit majestic Green sea turtles, swim alongside playful young turtles, and maybe even watch tiny hatchlings emerge from their nest as you learn how its innovative approach to conservation has reduced poaching and increased the number of sea turtles in the wild. Then hit the Turtle Twister waterslide, explore the flying rainbows of the Butterfly House and Free Flight Aviary, and see the fearsome residents of Predator Reef. Most importantly, learn how you can help save sea turtles, too!
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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26 within 3 miles
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28 within 6 miles
See what travelers are saying
- Born4shopScarsdale, New York65 contributionsClose up and personal with the turtlesWe went in January, which is probably not the best month to go because the hatchery is closed, as it is not the right season for baby turtles. That being said there were plenty of large turtles to see and photograph. Coming on a tour through our cruise we were given over 2 hours to visit which in my opinion was way too long, an hour would have been enough. We did not snorkel although that option was available in a large man made lake, but I understand you cant see anything until you are a good ways into the water. We used some of our time to visit the dolphin place, which was just next door and had free admission. For adults it was ok to visit, I think with children it would have been more enjoyable.Visited January 2020Written January 31, 2020
- mrsrisakPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania6 contributionsUnderwhelming ExperienceWe had heard that this was one of the places you needed to see! When we talked about it with the hotel she told us we HAD to do the snorkel add on because you get to swim with sea turtles. What was great is there was a free courtesy shuttle to and from our hotel. We opted for the package that included snorkeling. The amount of Sea Turtles at this place is impressive and breathtaking. It was a fun experience to see some of the smaller ones up close but you could only touch them with 2 fingers. So not much of a touch tanks. When we went to snorkel, we were very disappointed. The water is full of algae which they say is ok and safe. But we saw only a few fish and only saw 3 small sea turtles, so not at all what we expected or what we were told. We were only there about 2 hours I think. Its a cool place to visit if you need something to do but save yourself money and don't buy the enhanced ticket, there is much better snorkeling elsewhere on the island.Dear Mrsrisak, We are so glad to hear that you enjoyed your experience; sorry to hear you felt it was a bit ‘underwhelming.’ Actually there are several hundred fish in the turtle lagoon, and lots of different species, and around 25 turtles there too. They do tend to group together, often around the end of the lagoon where they get fed most often. It is really quite large too, so that it is possible to be “unlucky,” and not see very many of them. It is true that there are lots of beautiful places to snorkel all around the Cayman Islands, and this is an option; but we feel that we also offer a very safe environment, because young and inexperienced snorkelers are carefully watched over by our lifeguards. The Centre is the only place to offer that many lifeguards on duty and they are fully certified in rescue, first aid and CPR. We also offer so many other things together. Did you manage to visit the lovely Caribbean Free Flight Aviary? Or stroll around the Blue Hole Nature Trail?Written January 7, 2020This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited December 2019Written January 2, 2020
- Kerry WMarathon, Wisconsin12 contributionsDisappointing!My wife and I were excited to see the turtles and the aviary at the Turtle Center. We were not interested in running around in swimsuits the rest of the afternoon as we were taking the bus to other stops afterward, so we weren't interested in the waterslide or beach or swimming with turtles. The turtles were great! I have read other reviews condemning selling the turtles for meat. Did they watch the short film presentation explaining the release of 32,000 turtles back into the wild? I commend them for this! I am giving an average rating based on the value of admission. It was $18.00 for under an hour of seeing only the turtles. We were told it would be another $27.00 to see the birds. There were numerous people like us with only green wristbands that had to turn around at the "no green wristbands allowed" signs when we wanted to see the birds. They need to have a price for those who want to stay dry ... and those who want to swim/slide in the water. I think only seeing the turtles was overpriced, even though we did really enjoy seeing them.Dear Kerry W, Thank you so much for your helpful comments about pricing and access. And we appreciate that you took the time to visit our Education Centre and Hatchery to see mores side of the conservation coin. The Centre is not only an attraction but a place where people learn about and develop an appreciation for turtles. With over 250,000 visitors each year it is the hope that guests go home feeling more enlightened and more likely to conserve and protect animals that they have had direct contact with. Also, your entry goes to help us in furthering the conservation of turtles. We are always in the process of reviewing the options that are available, and so your comments are very welcome.Written January 24, 2020This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited January 2020Written January 21, 2020
- Ellie QSydney, Australia177 contributionsYou can no longer hold the turtlesAs of 1st December 2019 you can no longer hold the turtles. You can still pet them and wade in one of the tanks with them at this stage. Admission is based on how much of the park you can access. As part of a cruise shore excursion, I was a green wristband holder which limited me to a very small portion of the park. We had finished looking in that section and petting the turtles within 20 minutes. There are signs set up barring those with green wristbands from entering other parts of the park. Food is way overpriced and can't be justified. US$8 for a tiny hotdog? Seriously? Some tanks were quite filthy and very small for the size of the turtles. The size of the crocodile enclosure was unreasonably small. Nature worriers would become upset in this place. If you come here as part of a cruise shore excursion you'll likely be disappointed, unless you have very small children that you want to keep occupied. Apart from the 20 minutes of seeing the turtles, this place was a waste of my time and money. I wouldn't do it again and can't recommend the place.Dear Ellie Q, We would like to thank you very much for expressing your view, and sharing. We introduced a new turtle interaction which includes a two finger touch as we expand and improve our turtle welfare and health policies. It is still possible to touch the turtles while they are still in the water and give them an opportunity to choose not to be touched, which is important. Regarding the water cleanliness, we would like to point out that the water quality is really controlled to ensure healthy conditions for our turtles. We operate a state of the art water processing system and the water conditions are reviewed every day. Regarding the turtle pool size, the Greens Breeding pond is very deep. It does not distress the turtles to be in these pools because they are familiar with these surroundings and there is in fact plenty of space for them to swim around and express themselves and their natural modes of behavior. Two board certified veterinarians are here on a full-time basis and their job is to ensure that the animals are kept healthy. Regular checks of the animals are conducted. We are sorry to hear you felt disappointed. We like to feel that we have many things to interest people, touching the turtles, taking pictures with them, see turtles at their various ages and learning about them, learning about conservation and how we breed and raise the turtles. There are other parts of the Centre, including our Aviary, where families can hand-feed birds, and our turtle lagoon where people can swim with turtles.Written January 24, 2020This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited January 2020Written January 22, 2020
- Kmqb219 contributionsFine visitMy husband and I took our three year old daughter. We got the basic pass which basically just included walking around and a small turtle touch tank. I gave a fairly low review because of lack of activities and lack of staff around to guide or answer questions. What we did have access to was fun and my three year old absolutely loved it. This was not an all-day thing by any means, we were done in about an hour including the gift shop.Dear Kmgb2, We are so glad that you and your daughter enjoyed your visit so much. Thank you for your feedback concerning information availability. We actually have four full-time professional tour-guides, and if they are not busy with prior engagements, they are more than happy to tell you about the turtles and the other wonderful animals you can see at the Centre, and about our great conservation work, but we are sorry to hear that you did meet up with them. We would also like to add that we do have quite a lot of exciting things to do for the full-access Turtle Adventure package, including our Caribbean Free-Flight Aviary, snorkeling with the turtles in the Turtle Lagoon, access to a nice swimming pool and water slide, and our nature trail. Wishing you the best in travels, Cayman Turtle CentreWritten February 21, 2020This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited February 2020Traveled with familyWritten February 18, 2020
- RickGrand Cayman84 contributionsMade a short visit to the Turtle CentreYou can pick a shorter tour or a more extensive one with a water park, turtle swim etc. Six of us wanted to see and learn more about sea turtles and how they are being protected so we just did the $18 per person visit. It was informative in terms of new knowledge and fun in terms of watching the turtles.Dear Rick, We are so glad that all of you loved visiting the Turtle Centre! Thanks for taking that time to share your lovely day with others! Happy travels, Cayman Turtle CentreWritten March 6, 2020This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited March 2020Written March 6, 2020
- WanderingOttersonsDenver, Colorado1,285 contributionsInteresting but not greatWe talked to several locals and this place is surprisingly controversial to the locals. The center was set up to aid in keeping the turtle population going and education but several locals also said that this is the breeding place for harvesting turtle meat that is sold around the world. I don't know the truth but certainly up to you to decide your own thoughts. I think the goal is to show the conservation side and they are working on that We have swam with turtles in the wild in several areas of the world so it's weird to see them in captivity. You can see several different kinds here and touch some. Like any "zoo" it's interesting to see different animals up close. The day we were there in February was surprisingly empty. There wasn't anybody around to do any education or explanations to the guests, just the guards in the areas where you can touch the turtles to make sure you don't break the rules. A very odd experience overall for us and I think we spent less than an hour here overall.Dear WanderingOttersons, Thank you so much for writing a review and giving us your feedback. It sounds like you had a nice time. We are sorry to hear you felt disappointed about some aspects. Our guides are always pleased to be able to talk to our guests, sorry you missed them. Part of our conservation effort is through captive breeding and head-starting of turtles. Another facet is through providing meat to satisfy the local demand for turtle meat (a long-standing culinary tradition in the Cayman Islands, and held in high regard) which has been shown to reduce the illegal poaching of wild turtles, so that, in practice, both the head-starting of turtles (their regular release into the wild) as well as the production of an alternative to wild turtle meat, have both been shown to cause the wild population to increase. In addition to conserving turtles by supplying this demand, the Cayman Turtle Centre is proud to have released more than 32,000 turtles to the sea. This has been proven to be effective through an independent study, headed by the Cayman Islands Department of Environment in conjunction with University of Barcelona. This study shows that 90% of Green sea turtles nesting on Cayman’s beaches are actually genetically related to those from the Centre’s breeding stock. Because of our strategy of conservation through the provision of a sustainable source of turtle meat which undermines poaching, coupled with our ongoing release programmes, the numbers of turtle nests found throughout Cayman’s beaches have risen from just two or three, twenty years ago, to more than 600 nests today. We are actually justifiably proud of our conservation record, and we believe these facts attest to our continuing steadfast dedication to turtle conservation. If you like, you can check the independent study scientific paper available via this web link http://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/documents/DPLUS019/23876/DPLUS019%20FR%20-%20edited.pdf Happy Travels, Cayman Turtle CentreWritten March 20, 2020This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited February 2020Written March 15, 2020
- Susan M14 contributionsLoads of Fun...get to swim with the turtles!Had a wonderful time at the Turtle Center last week. We brought my 4 year old nephew and 87 year old granny. Lots and lots of turtles! You can feed them, learn about them, visit the touch pond and wading pool. We had to pay extra, but loved that we could snorkel in a large lagoon with 25 turtles swimming around. So awesome! And my nephew LOVED the pool and water slide. It was the best cruise excursion. The front desk staff even helped us take the public bus back to the cruise terminal (only $2.50 per person). Thank you!!Visited January 2020Traveled with familyWritten January 21, 2020
- Ron1 contributionSkip This OneFor the past 30 years we have been coming here for the amazing experience of having contact with a live turtle. I was a kid and the turtle farm was actually across the street where the parking lot is now. Seeing them at different stages of life was amazing. For adults and kids alike the highlight was always handling the turtles. For years there were always guides to explain the turtle and how to handle them responsibly when touching and picking up the turtles. Well it has been a couple of years now due to Covid and for some reason you can no longer touch or pick up the turtles. There was no one around to explain anything and the conditions of the tanks are horrendous. Poor turtles. Some sloppy dressed rude security guy just treated us very poorly and blamed previous guests of the farm ....claiming they injured and even killed many turtles while they were there. So now do to a few bad people and the lack of attendant helping people to learn about the turtle and how to handle them we all suffer. Is it us or the farm that needs to make this experience work once again. I am sad to say that going to the farm is not worth the entrance fee and needs to shut its doors to the public. It is not worth the fee to go in. I have never complained about the cost of anything like this but this place has lost it level of experience it once provided. Until they get the program back into a real hands on experience don't bother going. You can see turtles anytime online or at your local zoo or aquarium. Support your local programs and skip this one until it is back to the way it once was.Visited August 2022Written August 11, 2022
- arod3716Miami, Florida16 contributionsBad informational and no customer service!!We visited one day at 2 and was told that turtle swimming closes at 2:30 everyday. We returned the next day at 12:30 and was told that it closes at 1 because it was too busy. Terrible communication. So I bought tickets for my kids to swim with turtles for 30 mins and for me and my wife to walk around and go on another pool. When we got to the other pool was told by lifeguard that we couldn’t swim in the pool because our tickets were not for swimming. Didn’t make sense, went back to box office and complained and was told that it was miscommunication and to pay $20 more. Incredible. Don’t visit!!Visited July 2022Traveled with familyWritten July 10, 2022
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.0
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1,946
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695
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236
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187
Ellie Q
Sydney, Australia177 contributions
Jan 2020
As of 1st December 2019 you can no longer hold the turtles. You can still pet them and wade in one of the tanks with them at this stage.
Admission is based on how much of the park you can access. As part of a cruise shore excursion, I was a green wristband holder which limited me to a very small portion of the park. We had finished looking in that section and petting the turtles within 20 minutes. There are signs set up barring those with green wristbands from entering other parts of the park.
Food is way overpriced and can't be justified. US$8 for a tiny hotdog? Seriously?
Some tanks were quite filthy and very small for the size of the turtles. The size of the crocodile enclosure was unreasonably small. Nature worriers would become upset in this place.
If you come here as part of a cruise shore excursion you'll likely be disappointed, unless you have very small children that you want to keep occupied.
Apart from the 20 minutes of seeing the turtles, this place was a waste of my time and money. I wouldn't do it again and can't recommend the place.
Admission is based on how much of the park you can access. As part of a cruise shore excursion, I was a green wristband holder which limited me to a very small portion of the park. We had finished looking in that section and petting the turtles within 20 minutes. There are signs set up barring those with green wristbands from entering other parts of the park.
Food is way overpriced and can't be justified. US$8 for a tiny hotdog? Seriously?
Some tanks were quite filthy and very small for the size of the turtles. The size of the crocodile enclosure was unreasonably small. Nature worriers would become upset in this place.
If you come here as part of a cruise shore excursion you'll likely be disappointed, unless you have very small children that you want to keep occupied.
Apart from the 20 minutes of seeing the turtles, this place was a waste of my time and money. I wouldn't do it again and can't recommend the place.
Written January 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Ellie Q,
We would like to thank you very much for expressing your view, and sharing. We introduced a new turtle interaction which includes a two finger touch as we expand and improve our turtle welfare and health policies. It is still possible to touch the turtles while they are still in the water and give them an opportunity to choose not to be touched, which is important.
Regarding the water cleanliness, we would like to point out that the water quality is really controlled to ensure healthy conditions for our turtles. We operate a state of the art water processing system and the water conditions are reviewed every day.
Regarding the turtle pool size, the Greens Breeding pond is very deep. It does not distress the turtles to be in these pools because they are familiar with these surroundings and there is in fact plenty of space for them to swim around and express themselves and their natural modes of behavior. Two board certified veterinarians are here on a full-time basis and their job is to ensure that the animals are kept healthy. Regular checks of the animals are conducted.
We are sorry to hear you felt disappointed. We like to feel that we have many things to interest people, touching the turtles, taking pictures with them, see turtles at their various ages and learning about them, learning about conservation and how we breed and raise the turtles. There are other parts of the Centre, including our Aviary, where families can hand-feed birds, and our turtle lagoon where people can swim with turtles.
Written January 24, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kmqb2
19 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
My husband and I took our three year old daughter. We got the basic pass which basically just included walking around and a small turtle touch tank. I gave a fairly low review because of lack of activities and lack of staff around to guide or answer questions. What we did have access to was fun and my three year old absolutely loved it. This was not an all-day thing by any means, we were done in about an hour including the gift shop.
Written February 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Kmgb2,
We are so glad that you and your daughter enjoyed your visit so much. Thank you for your feedback concerning information availability. We actually have four full-time professional tour-guides, and if they are not busy with prior engagements, they are more than happy to tell you about the turtles and the other wonderful animals you can see at the Centre, and about our great conservation work, but we are sorry to hear that you did meet up with them.
We would also like to add that we do have quite a lot of exciting things to do for the full-access Turtle Adventure package, including our Caribbean Free-Flight Aviary, snorkeling with the turtles in the Turtle Lagoon, access to a nice swimming pool and water slide, and our nature trail.
Wishing you the best in travels,
Cayman Turtle Centre
Written February 21, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rick
Grand Cayman84 contributions
Mar 2020
You can pick a shorter tour or a more extensive one with a water park, turtle swim etc. Six of us wanted to see and learn more about sea turtles and how they are being protected so we just did the $18 per person visit. It was informative in terms of new knowledge and fun in terms of watching the turtles.
Written March 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Rick,
We are so glad that all of you loved visiting the Turtle Centre! Thanks for taking that time to share your lovely day with others!
Happy travels,
Cayman Turtle Centre
Written March 6, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
WanderingOttersons
Denver, CO1,285 contributions
Feb 2020
We talked to several locals and this place is surprisingly controversial to the locals. The center was set up to aid in keeping the turtle population going and education but several locals also said that this is the breeding place for harvesting turtle meat that is sold around the world. I don't know the truth but certainly up to you to decide your own thoughts. I think the goal is to show the conservation side and they are working on that We have swam with turtles in the wild in several areas of the world so it's weird to see them in captivity. You can see several different kinds here and touch some. Like any "zoo" it's interesting to see different animals up close. The day we were there in February was surprisingly empty. There wasn't anybody around to do any education or explanations to the guests, just the guards in the areas where you can touch the turtles to make sure you don't break the rules. A very odd experience overall for us and I think we spent less than an hour here overall.
Written March 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear WanderingOttersons,
Thank you so much for writing a review and giving us your feedback. It sounds like you had a nice time.
We are sorry to hear you felt disappointed about some aspects. Our guides are always pleased to be able to talk to our guests, sorry you missed them.
Part of our conservation effort is through captive breeding and head-starting of turtles. Another facet is through providing meat to satisfy the local demand for turtle meat (a long-standing culinary tradition in the Cayman Islands, and held in high regard) which has been shown to reduce the illegal poaching of wild turtles, so that, in practice, both the head-starting of turtles (their regular release into the wild) as well as the production of an alternative to wild turtle meat, have both been shown to cause the wild population to increase.
In addition to conserving turtles by supplying this demand, the Cayman Turtle Centre is proud to have released more than 32,000 turtles to the sea. This has been proven to be effective through an independent study, headed by the Cayman Islands Department of Environment in conjunction with University of Barcelona. This study shows that 90% of Green sea turtles nesting on Cayman’s beaches are actually genetically related to those from the Centre’s breeding stock.
Because of our strategy of conservation through the provision of a sustainable source of turtle meat which undermines poaching, coupled with our ongoing release programmes, the numbers of turtle nests found throughout Cayman’s beaches have risen from just two or three, twenty years ago, to more than 600 nests today. We are actually justifiably proud of our conservation record, and we believe these facts attest to our continuing steadfast dedication to turtle conservation.
If you like, you can check the independent study scientific paper available via this web link http://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/documents/DPLUS019/23876/DPLUS019%20FR%20-%20edited.pdf
Happy Travels,
Cayman Turtle Centre
Written March 20, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Susan M
Maumee14 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Had a wonderful time at the Turtle Center last week. We brought my 4 year old nephew and 87 year old granny. Lots and lots of turtles! You can feed them, learn about them, visit the touch pond and wading pool. We had to pay extra, but loved that we could snorkel in a large lagoon with 25 turtles swimming around. So awesome! And my nephew LOVED the pool and water slide. It was the best cruise excursion. The front desk staff even helped us take the public bus back to the cruise terminal (only $2.50 per person). Thank you!!
Written January 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ron
1 contribution
Aug 2022
For the past 30 years we have been coming here for the amazing experience of having contact with a live turtle. I was a kid and the turtle farm was actually across the street where the parking lot is now. Seeing them at different stages of life was amazing. For adults and kids alike the highlight was always handling the turtles. For years there were always guides to explain the turtle and how to handle them responsibly when touching and picking up the turtles. Well it has been a couple of years now due to Covid and for some reason you can no longer touch or pick up the turtles. There was no one around to explain anything and the conditions of the tanks are horrendous. Poor turtles. Some sloppy dressed rude security guy just treated us very poorly and blamed previous guests of the farm ....claiming they injured and even killed many turtles while they were there. So now do to a few bad people and the lack of attendant helping people to learn about the turtle and how to handle them we all suffer. Is it us or the farm that needs to make this experience work once again. I am sad to say that going to the farm is not worth the entrance fee and needs to shut its doors to the public. It is not worth the fee to go in. I have never complained about the cost of anything like this but this place has lost it level of experience it once provided. Until they get the program back into a real hands on experience don't bother going. You can see turtles anytime online or at your local zoo or aquarium. Support your local programs and skip this one until it is back to the way it once was.
Written August 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
arod3716
Miami, FL16 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
We visited one day at 2 and was told that turtle swimming closes at 2:30 everyday. We returned the next day at 12:30 and was told that it closes at 1 because it was too busy. Terrible communication. So I bought tickets for my kids to swim with turtles for 30 mins and for me and my wife to walk around and go on another pool. When we got to the other pool was told by lifeguard that we couldn’t swim in the pool because our tickets were not for swimming. Didn’t make sense, went back to box office and complained and was told that it was miscommunication and to pay $20 more. Incredible. Don’t visit!!
Written July 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MPLSAndy
Minneapolis, MN21 contributions
Jan 2020
Huge turtles, good swimming areas. Excellent place for learning to snorkel. Best to go on days when cruise ship activity is low, if you want small, intimate vibe. Forget eating at their on-site restaurant. Instead, go to Macabuca just a short walk away, where you can snorkel/scuba in the open ocean right at the restaurant. Same-day re-entry into the turtle center is allowed after leaving for lunch.
Written January 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear MPLSAndy,
Thank you so much for sharing. We are so glad that you liked your visit!
Written February 14, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Bubbalusk
Captiva Island, FL201 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
The place is fun to visit. This was our second visit in the past few years. The facility is clean, and well maintained. The staff members were awful, mean and disrespectful. The gentleman at the front entrance managing the taxis and buses are very aggressive and want their “tips” (not sure what for). We should’ve just turned around after that first encounter. 4 of us are at the on-site restaurant, and all ate chicken tenders and 4 drinks (soda) and it was $99.. they included a 15% tip automatically, and we added another $6 cash. The server got very upset when we didn’t add more tip so we left the facility.
Written July 9, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
charlotte923
Cobourg, Canada31 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
This is a Turtle Farm. The green sea turtles are raised for slaughter - the staff claimwd "a few are released in the wild". The turtles are captive and seem to be in distress: clamboring to get out of their crowded enclosures. Very little shade. They have a crocodile/aligator hybrid in a small enclosure. There's a fake beach and a manmade 'canal' where you can don snorkel gear and swim with fish for $40 U.S. Guess what? - you can swim with fish in the ocean for free. There's a restaurant with a buffet. Looks like the cruise ships empty out here. We got a discount from our taxi driver. Glad I dudn't pay $18 US. for this.
Written February 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear charlotte923
Thank you for expressing your concerns. Cayman Turtle Conservation and Education Centre is an education and conservation facility that breeds and raises Green sea turtles at our Centre as well as operating a wildlife land attraction arm Cayman Turtle Centre. Our Education Centre has some quite interesting info about our history and our role today. Just recently, the results of a genetic study were published in the journal of Molecular Ecology (Barbanti, A, Martin, C, Blumenthal, JM, et al.) How many came home? Evaluating ex situ conservation of green turtles in the Cayman Islands. The study showed that 90% of the turtles nesting in the Cayman Islands are related to Centre’s animals. The final results of the study were incredible news for us here at Cayman Turtle Conservation and Education Centre.
The other side of our conservation efforts is through Cayman Turtle Products arm, which provides a sustainable source of turtles as food owing because of the continuing demand for turtle meat, which is part of a long-standing cultural culinary tradition in the Cayman Islands. An independent study has shown that unless such a source of sustainably produced turtle meat is available (at a greatly subsidized, below-cost price which serves to undermine the trade in poached turtle) the green sea turtle would become extinct in the Cayman Islands in a matter of months.
Together with Cayman Turtle Centre releasing turtles, and Cayman Turtle Products providing this source of turtle meat is part of overall strategy to conserve turtles in the Cayman Islands. Cayman Turtle Centre has released over 32,000 turtles back into the wild which has resulted in a significant increase in the turtle population, but this alone is still not enough, and so the provision of turtles for this continuing demand.
The numbers of turtle nests found throughout Cayman’s beaches have risen from just two or three, twenty years ago, to more than 400 today. We are actually justifiably proud of our conservation record, and we believe these facts attest to our continuing steadfast dedication to turtle conservation.
If you like, you can check the independent study scientific paper available via this web link http://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/documents/DPLUS019/23876/DPLUS019%20FR%20-%20edited.pdf
We hope you managed to see and experience some of the other attractions, such as the fascinating birds of the Caribbean Free Flight Aviary, and learning about local flora in the Blue Hole Nature Trail, as well as Predator Reef and the freshwater pool with waterslide and waterfall at Breakers lagoon. Most visitors also participate in the turtle touch interaction in the wading pool or snorkel with the turtles in the Turtle Lagoon, in addition to viewing the large breeding turtles in the very deep Genesis Pond. The freshwater pool at Breakers Lagoon is very large, the largest in Cayman and easily accommodates lots of people to freely swim about and use the waterslide.
Written February 21, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I am beyond excited for this tour! We are arriving by cruise ship, so wondering if there are cabs or a bus that will get us from port and back in a timely fashion? Also thinking of stopping at 7 Mile Beach on the way back
Patti N
11 contributions
Cab system is great. We used it to get around all week during our visit.
Is it true you mistreat the animals and sell them for meat and then say that you're "saving them" to trick people into going there
CaymanTurtleCentre
Grand Cayman
Far from being mistreated, all the turtles at Cayman Turtle Centre are looked after and treated in accord with the best-practice principles of internationally-recognized animal welfare guidelines for domestically reared animals, such as the ‘Five Freedoms.’ These include Freedom from hunger and thirst, pain, injury and disease, freedom to express normal behavior, and freedom from fear and distress. It is always our utmost priority to ensure that all of our animals are kept safe and well and happy, and all the staff who interact with the turtles are dedicated to pursuing this aim. In addition, two board-certified veterinarians are here on a full-time basis and their job is to ensure that the animals are kept healthy.
Many of our turtles are released into the wild, in fact, we have released over 32,000 to date, and it is this practice that is responsible for bringing back the Green Sea Turtle from the edge of extinction in the Cayman Islands, resulting in a more than tenfold increase in the numbers of nesting turtles over the last 20 years.
Some are harvested for meat, in keeping with the principles of sound conservation practice because without a source of sustainably-produced turtle meat, poaching of wild turtles would have led to extinction in Cayman’s waters many years ago. Turtles have always been part of the Cayman Islands’ history and culture, and demand for turtle meat continues to be strong, to the present day.
Valscat
18 contributions
Is this place good for a 3.5yo kid??
CayManTA
Grand Cayman762 contributions
Yes, 3.5-year-olds are welcome as this is a very family-friendly park. In addition, admission is free for infants aged 4 years old and under.
Your tour guide, our Lifeguard or our Security Guard will instruct you as to interactions with our turtles in the Wading Pool and Touch Tanks. For the turtles' welfare and in keeping with best practices for animals in tourism, you can touch (but not hold) the turtles in the turtle touch area under supervision by a Lifeguard and/or Security Guard. Please be sure to follow the instructions and sanitize your hands before and after touching, which is important for the turtles' welfare as well as your own.
Of course snorkeling in Turtle Lagoon would not be suitable for a 3.5-year-old infant. Please note also that no animal touching is permitted in Turtle Lagoon where there are a couple of dozen 1+ year old turtles and hundreds of fish that you can snorkel with.
The fresh-water Breakers Lagoon has a "zero entry" gradual slope into the water so you can take your infant in there with you if you like, and of course around any of the water features or exhibits please observe water safety practices with your infant. If you have any questions on that, please ask one of our Lifeguards.
We hope you and your infant will enjoy Cayman Turtle Centre: island Wildlife Encounter!
Andi54
Pennsylvania74 contributions
Do you need to be a strong swimmer to swim with the turtles?
CayManTA
Grand Cayman762 contributions
In addition to the previous answers, Cayman Turtle Centre provides the mask, snorkel, and snorkel vest. We also have lifeguards to assist you with those.
We recommend you bring a towel, as there are showers/changing rooms, lockers, and toilets adjacent to the snorkeling lagoon, "Turtle Lagoon", where the turtles and fish live. You can rent a padlock for the lockers at the ticket counter when you come into the park.
Notes:
Turtle Lagoon is a saltwater lagoon that is enclosed, it is not in the sea, so the water in that lagoon is always calm.
There are also showers/changing rooms, lockers, and toilets adjacent to the fresh-water "Breakers Lagoon" so you can use the same padlock there. (Breakers Lagoon is the one with the water slide and the two waterfalls.)
What is the difference between the $18 and $45 price? Just the slide and swimming with turtles?
CayManTA
Grand Cayman762 contributions
In answer to your question, No, the difference between the two admission categories is quite a bit more than those two you mentioned: there are several more features and exhibits that are not accessible on the lower-priced admission.
Here is what you get with the "TURTLE ADVENTURE TOUR (ENTIRE PARK)" admission in addition to all that you get with the lower-priced "TURTLE CENTRE EXPLORATION TOUR (TURTLE CENTRE ONLY)":
Turtle Lagoon - Swim and snorkel in the lagoon with Green Sea Turtles and enjoy this wonderful experience. Cayman Turtle Centre provides the snorkel vest, mask and snorkel, and Lifeguards to assist you with those. Bring a towel as there are showers/changing rooms, lockers and toilets adjacent to the lagoon. There are also little islands where peacocks live.
Predator Reef - Watch sharks and other predators through the underwater or dry view panels. Don't miss out on feeding time!
Caribbean Free Flight Aviary - Caribbean birds, including our national bird the Cayman Parrot fly freely in this large walk-through aviary. This aviary was the first to successfully breed the Cayman Brac subspecies of the Cayman parrot. During selected hours, a keeper will assist you with hand-feeding the birds.
Butterfly Garden - Watch as these beautiful delicate creatures flit about from shrub to shrub. Some species of butterflies are in Cayman year-round, and others are migratory. Note: This exhibit was unenclosed when it was first established, however primarily to protect the butterfly larvae - i.e. caterpillars - from predation by birds, a steel mesh screen enclosure project is in the process of completion.
Breaker’s Lagoon - This is the largest fresh-water swimming pool on Cayman with two waterfalls and an underwater view of the predator tank.
Turtle Twister Waterslide - This slide at the Breaker's Lagoon features two loops and over 600 gallons of rushing water per minute.
Blue Hole Nature Trail - Stroll along this trail and view the beautiful nature that Cayman has to offer, including the national flower (wild banana orchid), the national tree (silver thatch palm which also grows at various other points throughout the park), and even butterflies.
Cayman Street - Walk down this gravel street to view replicas of old Cayman architecture, featuring "sand yard" gardens and conch-shell-lined garden paths.
marney1
ireland72 contributions
Could I ask how much the admission to the turtle farm is please?
CayManTA
Grand Cayman762 contributions
For pricing information go to turtle. ky then click
Plan your trip
then
Pricing-and-booking
There are two options as to what all is included; and for each option there is an Adult price and a Child price (5 - 12 years old). Infants 4 and under are free. If you book the $45 deal on that website you will get a 20% discount upon checkout.
teakitty
Bellevue, WA35 contributions
Julie Foster,
Do you remember what it cost for the taxi from the cruise dock to Hell, then to the Turtle Farm? Then a taxi from the farm back to the dock?
Is it safe to hail any cab?
we will be in Grand Csyman on 4/1
7am - 5pm. Will that be enough time to do that? Thank you!
M B
Crewe, VA175 contributions
Forget the taxi, You can use the public bus. The bus is $2 Cayman (2.50 US) per person to go anywhere from town north. If you tell the drive you want to go to Hell he will drop you at the door. To get to the turtle farm is the same thing. WE actually walked from Hell to the turtle farm (about 15 minute walk). Totally safe and no issues! The buses run constantly. Just raise your arm when you see one. When you are leaving, just walk out front and waive down a public bus.
We are a family of 6 traveling to Cayman by cruise. Our 4 kids are all in car seats (five point harness and boosters). What’s the best way to get from the cruise terminal to the Turtle Centre safely?
Dianaleeb
St. Albert74 contributions
I understand that Taxi's are really expensive. I agree with the first reviewer that you may want to consider a beach day instead.
How much is a Taxi ride to the Turtle Centre from the Port?
Mark H
Lemont42 contributions
We stayed at the Westin on seven mile beach, and the turtle centre had a free shuttle pick us up at the front door.
Hello,
My family and I are visiting Grand Cayman on a cruise and would like to visit the turtle center on our own.
Whats the difference between the $18 tour and the $45 on the web site, is it worth the price to buy the more expensive one??
Can I buy my tickets at the door, are they cheaper online?
Thank you!!!
Adeja G
8 contributions
The 45$ tour includes the lagoon where you get to snorkel with the turtles and it also includes the pool area that has water slides and a waterfall.... the 18$ you only have access to a certain portion of the park. Yes you can purchase at the park the prices will be 18 and 45 at the park!
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Claim your listingCayman Turtle Centre: Island Wildlife Encounter (West Bay) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Cayman Turtle Centre: Island Wildlife Encounter
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- (0.21 mi) Coconut Bay Condo
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