Colliers Wilderness Reserve is a 190-acre protected area located in East End, Grand Cayman. In 2010, we entered into a 99-year lease agreement with the Crown to use the site was an additional area to release Grand Cayman’s endangered Blue Iguana.
At the entrance to this reserve, parking bays were developed with the assistance from a European Union’s BEST grant-scheme, which focuses on biodiversity and ecosystems. A nature trail was also created, which loops through the reserve to allow visitors to get an up-close-and-personal look at many native plants, birds, butterflies and lizards.
For those who journey to Grand Cayman’s eastern tip, Colliers Wilderness Reserve offers a scenic and calming walk through the reserve’s nature trail. The ~300-metre loop winds through the protected area allowing visitors a chance to spot native plants, birds, insects, lizards, and if lucky, even a free-roaming wild Blue Iguana.
The trail was developed with the support of a European Union grant in 2014 and is maintained by the National Trust with assistance from partners including our very own Cayman Island’s Regiment.
Accompanied by the endangered Grand Cayman Blue Iguana, the reserve is home to an extraordinary variety of life. Within its borders are remnants of Cayman’s old growth “ancient forests” – dry rocky woodland shaped by jagged limestone pinnacles called phytokarst. These habitats support a remarkable array of plants, including orchids, cacti, vines, mistletoes, and shrubs uniquely adapted to this harsh terrain.
Among the most iconic is the endemic Cayman Agave (Agave caymanensis), a striking succulent with rosettes of fleshy leaves lined with sharp spines and crowned by a tall flowering stalk. Known locally as the “Century Plant,” it may take decades to bloom—flowering once before dying—and in doing so provides an essential food source for native bats. This resilience and ecological importance make the Cayman Agave both a symbol of survival and a keystone of the reserve’s fragile ecosystem. Avian treasures include the Cayman Parrot (Amazona leucocephala caymanensis), Vitelline Warbler (Setophaga vitellina), and the Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola). Butterflies flit through the forest, while reptiles like the endemic Grand Cayman Racer snake (Cubophis caymanus) thrive in the undergrowth. A rare rediscovery in 2024 of the Cayman Stick Insect (Haplopus woodruffi)—unseen for more than 40 years—underscores the importance of Colliers as a biodiversity refuge. The unique variety of species found in this protected area is a testament to the extraordinary biodiversity of the Cayman Islands, and a reminder that these treasures must be preserved for present and future generations. Read more
