Duppy Turn, Grand Cayman: Explore the Haunted Caribbean

The tranquil and reasonably remote North Side section of Grand Cayman is not a place you’d expect to encounter any ghosts, duppies, or spirits. Most of it looks like this. Windswept and largely undeveloped, I rarely even came across other cars on my frequent drives along the coast here during my last visit a few years ago.

Local legend, however, suggests there’s much more going on in one particular section of North Side than meets the eye.

The place: Duppy Turn.

The name alone puts a lump in the throat, duppies having earned a decidedly devilish reputation as the most malevolent of supernatural spirits in the West Indies. It’s said that they haunt one set turn in the North Side road to such degree that Caymanians decided to name the spot Duppy Turn.

Duppy Turn, Grand Cayman | Credit: Flickr user goatling
Duppy Turn, Grand Cayman | Credit: Flickr user goatling

Why do duppies concentrate their devilish deeds here?

Pirates are to blame.

As the story goes, the marauding scoundrels used to hide their loot in the area. To ensure their treasures remained hidden, they’d kill Caymanians and bury them with the loot, the idea being that the ghosts of the murdered souls would scare thieves and treasure hunters away.

Over the years there have been LOTS of duppy sightings and encounters here, usually in the early evening hours just after sunset.

Ever run across any duppies on your Caribbean travels? Let us know about it in the comments below.

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Last updated by Steve Bennett on .

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