Adopt a Dragon in Grand Cayman
If your family is planning to travel to Grand Cayman, make your vacation even more exciting by adopting a dragon. Well, maybe not the fire-breathing kind, but an animal that closely resembles one. The Blue Iguana is an incredible, dragon-like creature endemic to Grand Cayman. Today, man and nature have diminished 90 percent of the Blue Iguana population. Now, your family can work with The Reef Resort Grand Cayman to help save these magnificent giant creatures.
Located on the secluded East End of Grand Cayman, The Reef Resort (www.thereef.com) has announced a new fundraising package entitled "Adopt a Dragon" to support the Blue Iguana Recovery Program. Each time the package is booked, the resort will donate US$25 to the Program and the family will receive a certificate of appreciation. Winter packages start as low as US$429 per night for a family of four and summer packages start at US$339 per night. The four-day package includes an airport pickup of a Jeep rental car, a guided tour of the Botanic Park and the Blue Iguana Recovery Program, plus a self-guided tour around Grand Cayman discovering the Blue Dragon Trail.
The Reef Resort is located close to the Blue Iguana Recovery Program's center of operations and the resort's employees and management team are passionate about their environment, so the connection between the two organizations is a natural fit. "Conservation on Grand Cayman is a way of life and it is our hope that families and children who book this package will learn the importance of conservation and preservation and have fun while they do it," said Tom McCallum, director at The Reef Resort Grand Cayman.
Families who book the "Adopt a Dragon" package will be e-mailed a handy link that directs guests to The Reef's website with links to the program's newsletter, The Blue Iguana Tales, along with links to other informative websites. Upon check in, families will receive a brochure on the plight of the Blue Iguana, a limited edition Blue Iguana bobblehead doll for each child, and a Blue Dragon Trail map. The Blue Dragon Trail is a self-guided tour, mapped by the National Trust and the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism. Families can play a fun car game with the fifteen colorful Blue Iguana sculptures that traverse the island from Seven Mile Beach to the shores of Rum Point, plus enjoy several other family-friendly parks. The highlight of the trip, however, will be visiting the captive breeding facility where families can see Blue Iguanas of all ages, from hatchlings to over 5-foot-long adults that weigh over 25 pounds, all within reach.
Families seeking more animal-related adventures on Grand Cayman can visit the Butterfly Farm, swim with the stingrays at Stingray City, visit the Cayman Island Turtle Farm (part of Boatswain's Beach marine theme park), or snorkel and feed the fish off the private dock at The Reef Resort. All of these activities can be coordinated through The Reef's onsite concierge (concierge@thereef.com). For more information on this package or other packages offered at The Reef Resort, visit the resort's website (www.thereef.com), call reservations at 888-232-0541, or e-mail them at reservations@thereef.com.
To learn more about the plight of the Blue Iguana, visit www.iguanafoundation.org/index.php or www.blueiguana.ky.
