Isla de la Juventud (Special Municipality) |
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ISLA DE LA JUVENTUD
NUEVA GERONA
EAST OF NUEVA GERONA
SOUTH OF NUEVA GERONA
THE SOUTHERN MILITARY ZONE
CAYO LARGO DEL SUR
The Caribbean’s sixth-largest land mass is an erstwhile ‘Treasure Island’ that became a prison and, later on, a giant school. Name-wise it’s had as many incarnations as Castro’s had assassination plots: Siguanea, Juan El Evangelista, Parrot Island and the Isla de Pinos are just some of the titles that were used before arriving in 1978 at the more topical Isla de la Juventud, a reference to the thousands of students who studied here in the 1960s and ’70s.
A sleepy backwater even by Cuban standards, La Isla – as most locals call it – is rarely visited by main island tourists who prefer the more iconic attractions of Havana and the north-coast resorts. The situation isn’t helped by poor transport links; the daily flights here are often booked up weeks in advance, and the fickle boat service is a frustrating exercise in exasperation requiring a lot of patience.
Those that do battle through, often come to dive. The dramatic reefs off Punta Francés in the island’s sheltered southwest are deemed to be the best in Cuba, and perhaps even the Caribbean.
Downbeat Nueva Gerona is the island’s affable but unremarkable capital, a hotchpotch of sleepy squares and even sleepier streets where little has disturbed the afternoon reverie since, oh, 1959.
The Isla’s illustrious past residents include a colony of ambitious Americans (who tried unsuccessfully to make the island into an American garden suburb), a young José Martí, tens of thousands of African students, a few hundred crocodiles and prisoner number RN3859, better known to the world and history as Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz.
The largest island in the Archipiélago de los Cannareos, the Isla’s closest cousin is Cayo Largo del Sur, a tourist idyll famous for its turtles and large white (nudist!) beaches.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Beach Hike Trek the wide, white (sometimes nudist) beaches from Playa Sirena back to Playa Lindamar on Cayo Largo del Sur
- Go Slow Spend a lazy afternoon in the streets and squares of Nueva Gerona Click here
- Crocodile Smile Investigate an important crocodile conservation project at the Isla’s Criadero Cocodrilo
- Going Deep Wrecks, walls, coral gardens and caves; Punta Francés (see boxed text,) is the best place to dive in Cuba
- Turtle Watch Spend the evening watching turtles nesting on the moonlit beaches of Cayo Largo del Sur
- TELEPHONE CODE: 046
- POPULATION: 86,637
- AREA: 2398 SQ KM
History
The first settlers on La Isla were the Siboney Indians, a pre-ceramic civilization who arrived on the island around 1000 BC via the Lesser Antilles and settled down as hunters and fishermen on the coasts. Naming their new-found homeland Siguanea, they made tools from conches and other shells and left a fascinating set of cave paintings in Cueva Punta del Este.
By the time Columbus arrived on these shores in June 1494, the Siboney had long departed (either dying out or returning to the mainland) and the intrepid navigator promptly renamed the island Juan El Evangelista, claiming it for the Spanish crown. But, knotted with mangroves and surrounded by a circle of shallow reefs, the Spanish did little to develop their new possession.
Instead La Isla became a hideout for pirates, including Francis Drake, John Hawkins, Thomas Baskerville and Henry Morgan. They called it Parrot Island, and their exploits are said to have inspired Robert Louis Stevenson’s idea for the novel Treasure Island.
In December 1830 the Colonia Reina Amalia (now Nueva Gerona) was founded, and throughout the 19th century the island served as a place of imposed exile for independence advocates and rebels, including José Martí. Twentieth-century dictators Gerardo Machado and Fulgencio Batista followed this Spanish example by sending political prisoners – Fidel Castro included – to the island, which had by then reincarnated for a fourth time as Isla de Pinos (Isle of Pines).
Aside from its Spanish heritage, La Isla also has a marked English influence. During the late 19th century, some fishing families from the British colony of the Cayman Islands established a settlement called Jacksonville (now Cocodrilo) on the southwest tip of Isla de Pinos; you’ll still occasionally meet people who can converse fluently in English. Additionally, just prior to Cuban independence in 1902, the infamous Platt Amendment included a proviso that placed Isla de Pinos outside the boundaries of the ‘mainland’ part of the archipelago. Some 300 US colonists established themselves here soon after, and only in March 1925 did the US recognize the island as an integral part of Cuba.
The Americans stayed and thrived making good business from the island’s first (but not the last) citrus plantations and building an efficient infrastructure of banks, hotels and public buildings. During WWII, the Presidio Modelo was used by the US to inter Axis prisoners and by the 1950s La Isla had become a favored vacation spot for rich Americans who flew in daily from Miami. The decadent party – which by this point included the age-old staples of gambling and prostitution – ended rather abruptly in 1959 with the ascendancy of Fidel Castro.
Before the Revolution Isla de Pinos was sparsely populated. In the 1960s and 1970s, however, tens of thousands of young people volunteered to study here at specially built ‘secondary schools’ in the countryside, which now dot the plains in the northern part of the island. Students at these schools worked the fields in shifts, creating the vast citrus plantations that can still be seen today. In 1978 their role in developing the island was officially recognized when the name was changed for the fifth time to Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth). Numerous young people from Africa have also studied here, and foreign students still come to the island today, though in smaller numbers.
Parks & Reserves
Punta Francés is a 60-sq-km National Marine Park on the Isla de la Juventud, about two-thirds of which is under the water.
Getting There & Around
Getting to La Isla requires a bit of effort. There are two options; airplane (book early) and boat (a trip that should be straightforward, but rarely is). The boat will take you to capital Nueva Gerona, a town that is easily negotiated on foot; but to see the rest of the island you need to decipher the unreliable local bus service or commission a car or taxi. There are no tourist buses or trains on the Isla.
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ISLA DE LA JUVENTUD
One of the most welcoming places you will come across in Cuba, Isla de la Juventud is a world apart from anywhere else on the archipelago. The laid-back pace and opportunities for getting (way) off the beaten track here will appeal to escape artists and adventure types alike. While the hotel scene is a little thin on the ground, the social opportunities are good and the ingratiating casas particulares dotted around the capital Nueva Gerona are run by the kind of generous people who open both their homes and hearts to guests. The island’s southern half, with its preserved ecosystems and rich natural wildlife, is a largely undiscovered wilderness while the southwestern part of the island around Punta Francés is known for its magnificent scuba diving.
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NUEVA GERONA
46 / pop 37,300
Flanked by the Sierra de Las Casas to the west and the Sierra de Caballos to the east, Nueva Gerona is a small, unhurried town that hugs the left bank of the Río Las Casas, the island’s only large river. Little visited and devoid of any the major historical buildings that dot Cuba’s Isla Grande, it’s a small, cheap and incredibly friendly place and you could easily find that you’re the only foreign face around.
Information
INTERNET ACCESS & TELEPHONE
- Etecsa Telepunto (Calle 41 No 2802 btwn Calles 28 & 30;
8:30am-7:30pm)
MEDIA
- Radio Caribe Broadcasts varied musical programs on 1270AM.
- Victoria Local paper published on Saturday.
MEDICAL SERVICES
- Farmacia Nueva Gerona ( 32-60-84; cnr Calles 39 & 24; 8am-11pm Mon-Sat)
- Hospital General Héroes de Baire ( 32-30-12; Calle 39A) There’s a recompression chamber here.
MONEY
- Banco de Crédito y Comercio ( 32-48-05; Calle 39 No 1802; 8am-3pm Mon-Fri) On the corner of Calle 18.
- Banco Popular de Ahorro ( 32-27-42; cnr Calles 39 & 26; 8am-noon & 1:30-5pm Mon-Fri)
- Cadeca ( 32-34-62; Calle 39 No 2022; 8:30am-6pm Mon-Sat, 8:30am-1pm Sun) Located on the corner of Calle 20.
PHOTOGRAPHY
- Photo Service ( 32-47-66; Calle 39 No 2010 btwn Calles 20 & 22) Buy or develop film.
POST
- Post office ( 32-26-00; Calle 39 No 1810 btwn Calles 18 & 20; 8am-6pm Mon-Sat)
TRAVEL AGENCIES
- Ecotur ( 32-71-01; Calle 39 btwn Calles 24 & 26) Organizes trips into the militarized zone and to Punta Francés.
Sights
This is a good area to discover on bicycle, with beaches, Museo Finca El Abra and the Presidio Modelo all only a few kilometers from Nueva Gerona. Ask at your casa particular about bicycle rentals.
DOWNTOWN
The Museo Municipal ( 32-37-91; Calle 30 btwn Calles 37 & 39; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun) is in the former Casa de Gobierno (1853). It houses a small historical collection with assorted pirate tidbits mixed in with the usual bones and birds.
The art school on the west side of Parque Central is the former Centro Escolar, built in 1928. On the northwest side of Parque Central is the church of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores ( 32-18-35). This Mexican colonial- style church was built in 1926, after the original was destroyed by a hurricane. In 1957 the parish priest, Guillermo Sardiñas, left Nueva Gerona to join Fidel Castro in the Sierra Maestra, the only Cuban priest to do so. Sardiñas was eventually promoted to the rank of comandante.
On Calle 28, two blocks east of Parque Central, you’ll see a huge ferry painted black and white and set up as a memorial next to the river. This is El Pinero ( 32-41-62), the original boat used to ferry passengers between La Isla and the main island from the 1920s until 1974. On May 15, 1955, Castro and the other prisoners released from Moncada returned to the main island on El Pinero.
As fascinating as a dusty Beatles bootleg, the Museo de la Lucha Clandestina ( 32-45-82; Calle 24 btwn Calles 43 & 45; admission CUC$1; 9am-5pm Tue-Sat, 8am-noon Sun) is stuffed with rarely seen artifacts of the revolutionary struggle against Batista. There are reams of letters written by the imprisoned Castro and others, timeworn M-26-7 regalia, and some revealing prison photos of the young Fidel and his band of merry Moncadistas hanging out in the Presidio Modelo, c 1954.
Astronomers and botanists needn’t get too excited about the Planetario y Museo de Historia Natural ( 32-31-43; cnr Calles 41 & 52; admission CUC$2; 8am-5pm Tue-Sat, 9am-noon Sun). This two-in-one museum/planetarium showcases the natural history, geology and archaeology of the island. There’s a replica of the Cueva Punta del Este cave paintings here if you can’t make it out there (Click here) and an often out-of‑order telescope. Ask a guard and you might get lucky.
MUSEO FINCA EL ABRA
This museum (Carretera Siguanea Km 2; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun) is 3km southwest of Nueva Gerona, off the road to La Demajagua (the continuation of Calle 41). Coming from Motel El Rancho El Tesoro, go southwest a few hundred meters on a dirt road to another highway. Turn right and cross a bridge over the Río Las Casas. At the next junction, turn right again and you’ll soon come to a sign indicating the access road to Finca El Abra.
The teenage José Martí arrived at Finca El Abra on October 17, 1870, to spend nine weeks of exile on this farm, prior to his deportation to Spain. Legend has it that the shackles he wore here were forged into a ring by his mother, which Martí wore to his death. The old hacienda is directly below the Sierra de Las Casas and it’s worth coming as much for the surroundings as for the museum. Cuban oaks and eucalyptus trees line the access road, and a huge ceiba tree stands next to the museum. A sundial (1868) is outside the museum. The adjacent house is still occupied by Omar Sarda, whose ancestor Giuseppe Girondella hosted Martí here.
INTO THE BLUE
International Diving Center ( 39-82-82/-84), run from the Marina Siguanea, a few kilometers south of Hotel Colony, is the center of operations for the diving crowd. The establishment has a modern on-site recompression chamber along with the services of a dive doctor, and it is from here that you can organize trips out to the National Maritime Park at Punta Francés.
To loop back to town, look for the dirt road just before the museum. This road leads north to the island’s former marble quarry, which is clearly visible in the distance. The quarry is moderately interesting (if you dig big holes in the ground), but the real attraction is the climb up the hill, from where there are lovely views. After descending, continue north between a garbage dump and several rows of pig pens (not very attractive, but any loop has got to be better than backtracking, right?) to Calle 54 on the right. This street will bring you into town via the Planetario y Museo de Historia Natural, six blocks to the east.
Activities
HIKING
It’s possible to climb the Sierra de Las Casas from the west end of Calle 22. A few hundred meters along a dirt track, you will see a trail on the left toward the hills. At the very foot of the hill is a deep cave with a concrete stairway leading down to the local swimming hole. The trail beyond this is fairly obvious, but mark your way mentally so you can return without a worry. A stone on the mountaintop is inscribed ‘pilot’s seat,’ and from here you can see most of the north of the island.
Festivals & Events
Fiesta de la Toronja (Grapefruit Festival) is held on Isla de la Juventud every March. Pucker up for this one.
Sleeping
CASAS PARTICULARES
Odalis Peña Fernández ( 32-23-45; Calle 10 No 3710; r CUC$15-20; 
) You’ll get spoilt at this large house with two economical rooms and kitchen privileges. Meals are half the price of those on the main island and the hosts are home-loving and keen to please. It’s three blocks north of Cubana office, signposted ‘Peña Village’.
Villa Mas – Jorge Luis Mas Peña ( 32-35-44; Calle 41 No 4108 Apt 7 btwn Calles 8 & 10; r CUC$15-20; ) Forget the rather ugly apartment block setting; there are two above-average rooms here with recently refurbished full marble baths. Jorge and his partner are formidable cooks who’ll serve you dinner on their refreshing rooftop terrace. It’s just outside the town behind the hospital.
Villa Choli – Ramberto Pena Silva ( 32-31-47; Calle C No 4001A btwn Calles 6 & 8; r CUC$20) If Villa Mas is full, try this place instead – it’s reader-recommended.
HOTELS
Many people offering private rooms meet the arriving ferries. This is the best way to go, as you’ll have a room right in town, and your hosts will provide you with filling meals. Otherwise, Nueva Gerona’s state-run hotels are south of town.
Villa Isla de Juventud (Gran Caribe; 32-32-90; Autopista Nueva Gerona–La Fe Km 1; s/d incl breakfast CUC$29/33; 
) Situated about 5km from the airport and 2.5km from Nueva Gerona, this is the best accommodation option and has friendly staff to boot. There are 20 rooms with fridges in two-story, four-unit blocks. Framed by the island’s twin marble mountains, Villa Isla de Juventud has a surprising amount of atmosphere. The villa’s reputation is enhanced by a suspension bridge behind the hotel that crosses the Río Las Casas.
Motel El Rancho El Tesoro (Islazul; 32-30-35; s/d CUC$31/36) This friendly motel lies in a wooded area near the Río Las Casas, 3km south of town, just off the Autopista Nueva Gerona–La Fe. The 60 rooms are in five long blocks of 10 rooms each, with another 10 rooms upstairs in a two-story building near the entrance.
Eating
Casas particulares (most of which are licensed to serve food) serve better-value meals than any of the state-run restaurants. You might try El Doblón, the restaurant in Villa Isla de Juventud.
RESTAURANTS
El Cochinito ( 32-28-09; cnr Calles 39 & 24; noon-11pm, closed Wed) Get your pork steaks, yucca, rice and beans here and eat alfresco out the back.
Restaurante El Dragón ( 32-44-79; cnr Calles 39 & 26; meals CUC$3; noon-10pm, closed Wed) Specializes in Chinese food, but there’s little selection and it’s not recommended for vegetarians. There’s sometimes live music after 8pm and there’s always a big gong to beat if the inspiration hits.
Pizzería La Góndola (cnr Calles 30 & 35; noon-10pm) Offering a break from the pork-chicken-congrí (rice flecked with beans) cycle, the pizza here is on par with other Cuban pizza places.
Restaurante La Vajilla ( 32-46-92; Calle 37 btwn Calles 20 & 22; mains CUC$4; noon-9pm, closed Thu) For cheap comida criolla (Creole food) try this large hangar-like building that becomes a disco at night.
Cafetería La Cocinita ( 32-46-40; Calles 18 & 41; 24hr) This is a good place for peso sandwiches and juice or more substantial meals in the nicer sit-down section in the back.
Cafetería El Avión ( 32-29-70; cnr Calles 41 & 40; 10am-7pm) Another peso place. The adjacent snack counter is open 24 hours.
Coppelia ( 32-22-25; Calle 37 btwn Calles 30 & 32; noon-10pm Tue-Sun) Just to remind you you’re still in Cuba, there’s a Coppelia. Head here to satisfy all ice-cream cravings.
GROCERIES
Mercado agropecuario (cnr Calles 24 & 35) Try this large market for fresh vegetables and meat.
Cubalse supermarket (Calle 35 btwn Calles 30 & 32; 9:30am-6pm Mon-Sat) Sells groceries and sundries.
Drinking
Casa de los Vinos (cnr Calles 20 & 41; 1-10pm Mon-Wed, 1pm-midnight Fri-Sun, closed Thu) A nice local drinking hole with ‘ahoy matey!’ nautical decor. Aside from ham sandwiches, you can get wine made from grapefruit, grapes and melon by the glass.
Entertainment
Evening events are often held at the Casa de la Cultura ( 32-35-91; cnr Calles 37 & 24). Also ask about the famous local sucu-sucu (a variation of son, Cuba’s popular music) group led by Mongo Rives, which sometimes plays at the Casa de la Cultura ( 39-74-68; cnr Calles 7 & 8) in La Fe.
DANCE CLUBS
Disco La Movida (Calle 18; from 11pm) For a little atmospheric booty shaking, join the throngs of locals dancing in an open-air locale hidden among the trees near the river.
Cabaret El Patio ( 32-23-46; Calle 24 btwn Calles 37 & 39; per couple CUC$3; 10pm-2am Thu-Sun) Next door to the Casa de la Cultura, this venue has an entertaining floorshow at 11pm. Show up early to get in; official policy is couples only.
Restaurante El Dragón (cnr Calles 39 & 26; from 10pm Tue & Wed, 8pm Thu-Sun) This restaurant has disco dancing in the rear courtyard.
Super Disco (admission CUC$1; from 10pm Thu-Sun) You’ve got to love a place with a name like this. The locals do: this club next to Villa Isla de la Juventud is always packed.
CINEMAS
Cine Caribe ( 32-24-16; cnr Calles 37 & 28) For a film or video, check out this cinema on Parque Central.
SPORT
Estadio Cristóbal Labra ( 32-10-44; cnr Calles 32 & 53) Nueva Gerona’s baseball stadium, Estadio Cristóbal Labra is six blocks west of the Policlínico Provincial de Emergencia. From October to April, the local team usually plays here daily except Monday and Friday, though not every week. Ask at your local casa particular for details of upcoming games.
Shopping
Calle 39, also known as Calle Martí, is a pleasant pedestrian mall interspersed with small parks.
Centro Experimental de Artes Aplicadas (Calle 40 btwn 39 & 37; 8am-4pm Mon-Fri, 8am-noon Sat) This center, near the planetarium, makes and sells artistic ceramics.
Getting There & Away
AIR
The most hassle-free and (often) the cheapest way to get to La Isla is to fly. Unfortunately, most other people have already cottoned onto this fact, meaning flights are usually booked up at least a week in advance.
Rafael Cabrera Mustelier Airport (airport code GER) is 5km southeast of Nueva Gerona. Cubana ( 32-25-31; Calle 39 No 1415 btwn Calles 16 & 18) flies here from Havana three times a day for CUC$35 one-way. There are no international flights. Aerotaxi offers charter flights (you have to buy all the seats on the plane) and you could arrange passage in Havana if you have about CUC$500 to blow.
There’s no regular air or sea connection from Isla de la Juventud to Cayo Largo del Sur. It may be possible to charter an 11-passenger Aerotaxi biplane for a day trip for around CUC$500, including waiting time. Otherwise, you must return to Havana to go to Cayo Largo del Sur.
BOAT
Getting to La Isla by boat isn’t the piece of cake it ought to be. Tickets for the twice-daily catamaran that plies the route between Surgidero de Batabanó and Nueva Gerona are sold at the NCC kiosk ( 878-1841; 7am-noon) in the main (Astro) bus station in Havana, where you can pay for both your bus transfer and ferry reservation in one shot (CUC$55). Due to limited space and perennial popularity it is wise to make a reservation in person one or two days in advance at the NCC kiosk. Check-in for the daily noon boat departure is at 8am at the Astro bus station. Check-in for the second 3:30pm departure (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday only) is at noon.
It’s advisable not to show up independently in Batabanó with the intention of buying a ferry ticket direct from the dock. Although technically possible, a number of travelers have come unstuck here, being told, more often than not, that the tickets have been sold out days in advance through the NCC kiosk in Havana. Furthermore, bedding down for the night in Batabanó is not a particularly inspiring experience.
The return leg is equally problematic. Procure your ticket as early as possible in Nueva Gerona’s Naviera Cubana Caribeña (NCC) ferry terminal ( 32-49-77, 32-44-15; cnr Calles 31 & 24), beside the Río Las Casas. The ferry leaves for Surgidero de Batabanó daily at 8am (CUC$50), but you’ll need to get there at least two hours beforehand to tackle the infamous queues. A second boat is supposed to leave at noon (with a check-in time of 9:30am).
Before reserving tickets, ask if there’s a bus connection from Surgidero de Batabanó to Havana. A connecting bus should cost CUC$5 and you will need to make a reservation as you buy your boat ticket.
True to form, there are no printed schedules for the ferry crossings to and from La Isla. Don’t take anything as a given until you have booked your ticket. Isla boat crossings, rather like Cuban trains, have an annoying tendency of being late, breaking down or getting cancelled altogether.
Traveling in either direction you’ll need to show your passport. See Surgidero de Batabanó Click here and Havana City for more information.
Getting Around
TO/FROM THE AIRPORT
From the airport, look for the bus marked ‘Servicio Aéreo,’ which will take you into town for one peso. To get to the airport, catch this bus in front of Cine Caribe (cnr Calles 28 & 37). A taxi to town will cost about CUC$6, or CUC$35 to the Hotel Colony.
BUS
Ecotur can organize trips/transfers from Nueva Gerona to the diving areas and into the militarized zone. A taxi from Nueva Gerona to Hotel Colony should cost approximately CUC$20. There are less reliable local buses: buses 431 to La Fe (26km) and 441 to the Hotel Colony (45km) leave from a stop opposite the cemetery on Calle 39A, just northwest of the hospital.
Bus 38 leaves from the corner of Calles 18 and 37, departing for Chacón (Presidio Modelo), Playa Paraíso and Playa Bibijagua, about four times a day.
CAR
Havanautos ( 32-44-32; cnr Calles 32 & 39; 7am-7pm) rents cars, and can arrange transport into the military zone.
The Servi-Cupet gas station is at the corner of Calles 30 and 39 in the center of town.
HORSE CARTS
Horse coches (carts) often park next to the Cubalse supermarket on Calle 35. You can easily rent one at CUC$10 per day for excursions to the Presidio Modelo, Museo Finca El Abra, Playa Bibijagua and other nearby destinations.
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EAST OF NUEVA GERONA
The island’s most impressive but depressing sight is the Presidio Modelo at Reparto Chacón, 5km east of Nueva Gerona. Built between 1926 and 1931, during the repressive regime of Gerardo Machado, the prison’s four five-story, yellow circular blocks were modeled after those of a notorious penitentiary in Joliet, Illinois, and could hold 5000 prisoners at a time. During WWII, assorted enemy nationals who happened to find themselves in Cuba (including 350 Japanese, 50 Germans and 25 Italians) were interned in the two rectangular blocks at the north end of the complex.
The Presidio’s most famous inmates, however, were Fidel Castro and the other Moncada rebels who were imprisoned here from October 1953 to May 1955. They were held separately from the other prisoners, in the hospital building at the south end of the complex. In 1967, the prison was closed and the section where Castro stayed was converted into a museum ( 32-51-12; admission CUC$2; 8am-4pm Tue-Sat, 8am-noon Sun). Admission includes a tour, but cameras/videos are CUC$3/25 extra. Bring exact change. Admission to the circular blocks is free.
Cementerio Colombia, with the graves of Americans who lived and died on the island during the 1920s and 1930s, is about 7km east of Nueva Gerona and 2km east of Presidio Modelo. Bus 38 passes here.
Cabañas Playa Paraíso ( 32-52-46), on a beach 2km north of Chacón (about 6km northeast of Nueva Gerona), usually doesn’t rent rooms to foreigners, but the bar & restaurant ( noon-8pm) are open to all. Playa Paraíso itself is no paradise, but more a dirty brown beach. Still, it’s in a scenic spot, with a high hill behind and a small island offshore. The wharf here was originally used to unload prisoners for the Presidio Modelo. If you’re driving around this way, there’s a better beach called Playa Bibijagua 4km to the east of Chacón. Here there are pine trees, a peso restaurant and plenty of low-key Cuban ambience. Nondrivers can catch bus 38 from Nueva Gerona.
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SOUTH OF NUEVA GERONA
Sights & Activities
The main reason to come here is for the diving at Punta Francés (see boxed text,), but there are a couple of other interesting diversions for those who have time.
Situated 6km west of Santa Fe in the direction of El Colony, La Jungla de Jones ( 39-62-46; admission CUC$3; 24hr) is a rich and verdant botanical garden containing more than 80 varieties of tree. Bisected by a network of shaded trails and punctuated by a cornucopia of cacti, bamboo and mangoes, this expansive and recently restored garden once belonged to two American botanists, Helen and Harris Jones, who set up the establishment in 1902 with the intention of studying plants and trees from around the world. The highlight of La Jungla is the aptly named Bamboo Cathedral, an enclosed space surrounded by huge clumps of craning bamboo that only a few strands of sunlight manage to penetrate.
Criadero Cocodrilo (admission CUC$3; 7am-5pm) has played an important part in crocodile conservation in Cuba over the last few years and the results are interesting to see. Harboring more than 500 crocodiles of all shapes and sizes, the criadero (hatchery) acts as a breeding center, similar to the one in Guamá in Matanzas, although the setting here is infinitely wilder. Taken care of until they are seven years old, the center releases groups of crocs back into the wild when they reach a length of about 1m. To get to the criadero turn left 12km south of La Fe just past Julio Antonio Mella.
Sleeping & Eating
Hotel Colony (Gran Caribe; 39-81-81; s/d incl breakfast, CUC$56/84) This hotel on the Ensenada de la Siguanea, 46km southwest of Nueva Gerona, originated in 1958 as part of the Hilton chain but was confiscated by the revolutionary government before it got off the ground. Today the main building’s a bit run down but the newer bungalows are in good shape; clean, bright and airy. You might save a few cents by taking a package that includes three meals and scuba diving. The water off the hotel’s white-sand beach is shallow, with sea urchins littering the bottom. Take care if you decide to swim. A better (and safer?) bet is the Colony’s pleasant pool. A long wharf (with a bar perfect for sunset mojitos) stretches out over the bay, but snorkeling in the immediate vicinity of the hotel is mediocre. The diving, however, is to die for. A Havanautos car-rental office is at the hotel.
Getting There & Away
Transport is tough on La Isla and bus schedules make even the rest of Cuba seem efficient. Try bus 441 from Nueva Gerona. Otherwise, your best bet to get to the hotel is by taxi (approximately CUC$35 from the airport), moped, or rental car (Click here).
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THE SOUTHERN MILITARY ZONE
The entire area south of Cayo Piedra is a military zone and to enter you must first procure a one-day pass (CUC$12) from Ecotur ( 32-71-01; Martí btwn Calles 24 & 26; 8am-5pm Mon-Sat) in Nueva Gerona. The company will provide you with a Spanish-/English-/German-/French-/Italian-speaking guide, but it is up to you to find your own 4WD transport for within the zone itself. This can be organized with Havanautos in Nueva Gerona. Traveling in the military zone is not possible without a guide or an official pass, so don’t arrive at the Cayo Piedra checkpoint without either. As the whole excursion can wind up rather expensive, it’s an idea to split the transport costs with other travelers. Good places to fish around for other people are Hotel Colony and the Villa Isla de la Juventud. Both of these places also have tourist information offices that can give you more up-to-date advice on the region.
Cueva de Punta del Este
The Cueva de Punta del Este, a national monument 59km southeast of Nueva Gerona, has been called the ‘Sistine Chapel’ of Caribbean Indian art. Long before the Spanish conquest (experts estimate around AD 800), Indians painted some 235 pictographs on the walls and ceiling of the cave. The largest has 28 concentric circles of red and black, and the paintings have been interpreted as a solar calendar. Discovered in 1910, they’re considered the most important of their kind in the Caribbean. Smaller, similar paintings can be seen in the Cueva de Ambrosio in Varadero. The long, shadeless white beach nearby is another draw (for you and the mosquitoes – bring insect repellent).
Cocodrilo
Cocodrilo, 50km southwest of Cayo Piedra, is a friendly village of 750 residents, still untouched by tourism. Through the lush vegetation beside the potholed road one catches glimpses of cattle, birds, lizards and bee hives. The rocky coastline, with its natural inlets and small, white sandy beaches lapped by crystal-blue water, is magnificent. One kilometer west of this tiny settlement is the Sea Turtle Breeding Center (admission CUC$1; 8am-6pm), where visitors can view rows of green-stained glass tanks that teem with turtles of all sizes. While not quite as captivating as watching the creatures nesting in the wild, the breeding center does an excellent job in conserving one of Cuba’s rarest and most endangered species.
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CAYO LARGO DEL SUR
45
If you came to Cuba to witness historic colonial cities, exotic dancers, straw-hatted guajiros (country folk), asthmatic Plymouths and peeling images of Che Guevara, then Cayo Largo del Sur will be a huge disappointment. If, instead, you booked up dreaming of glittering white beaches, teeming coral reefs, fabulous all-inclusive resorts, and lots of fleshy Canadians and Italians wandering around with no clothes on, then this small mangrove-covered tropical paradise is undeniably the place for you.
Cayo Largo del Sur is the second-largest (38 sq km) and easternmost island of the Archipiélago de los Canarreos. It lies between the Golfo de Batabanó and the Caribbean Sea, 114km east of Isla de la Juventud, 80km south of the Península de Zapata and 300km due north of Grand Cayman Island.
No permanent Cuban settlement has ever existed on the Cayo. Instead, the island was developed purely as a tourist enterprise starting in the early 1980s. At least two of its resorts cater exclusively for Italians who book in Europe; the rest are perennially popular with French-speaking Canadians from Québec. The heavenly beaches (26km of ’em) are famous for their size and desolation; during summer turtles come here to nest. There’s also a profusion of iguanas and bird life, including cranes, zunzuncitos (bee hummingbirds) and flamingos.
Cayo Largo can be done as an expensive day trip from Havana, but most people come here on prebooked packages for one to two weeks at a time. It’s a paradisiacal hideaway, even though it neither looks nor feels like Cuba.
Information
There’s a good Cubatur ( 24-82-58) office in the Hotel Sol Pelícano; also in Hotel Sol Cayo Largo and Barceló Cayo Largo Beach Resort. Outside of the hotels the main Bandec ( 9am-noon & 2-3:30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat & Sun) is in Combinado. Adjacent is a Casa del Tabaco ( 24-82-11) cigar shop and a Clínica Internacional ( 24-82-38; 24hr). Euros are accepted at all the tourist installations here.
Due to dangerous currents, swimming is occasionally forbidden. This will be indicated by red flags on the beach. Mosquitoes can be a nuisance, too; bring repellent!
Sights & Activities
Cayo Largo del Sur’s (and, perhaps, Cuba’s) finest beach is the broad westward-facing Playa Sirena, where 2km of powdery white sand is wide enough to accommodate a couple of football pitches. Tourists on day trips from Havana and Varadero are often brought here. Various nautical activities are available, including kayaks and small catamarans. Set back from the beach there’s a ranchón-style bar and restaurant along with a small shop, showers and toilets. Playa Paraíso is a narrower, less shady strip serviced by a small bar.
The island’s other big day-trip destinations are Cayo del Rosario and Cayo Rico between Cayo Largo del Sur and Isla de la Juventud. Boat excursions to these beaches from the hotels cost around CUC$59 per person. Cayo Iguana, off the northwest tip of Cayo Largo del Sur, is home to hundreds of friendly iguanas. A yacht trip there will cost you CUC$73 with lunch.
You can procure a bicycle if you’re staying in one of the resorts and head east to Playa Los Cocos, where there’s good snorkeling, or continue further northeast to Playa Tortuga, where sea turtles lay their eggs in the sand (the paved road gives out after Playa Blanca. The Granja de las Tortugas (CUC$1; 9am-6pm) is a small turtle farm in Combinado, on the northwest end of the island beyond the airstrip. From May to September guides here can organize nighttime turtle-watching on the Cayo’s beaches. Nearby is the tiny Casa Museo (admission CUC$1; 9am-6pm), which catalogs the damage done to the island by Hurricane Michelle in November 2001 along with further information on turtles and archaeological finds.
Marina Internacional Cayo Largo ( 24-82-14) is the disembarkation point for deep-sea fishing trips (CUC$325 for four hours and four people) and diving (CUC$45 for one immersion). Note that prices are more expensive here because you can’t shop around.
Other activities available on the island include snorkeling, windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, tennis, horseback riding, cycling and volleyball. Ask at the hotels.
Two international fishing tournaments are held here in September.
Sleeping
All of Cayo Largo del Sur’s hotels face the 4km beach on the south side of the island. Though largely shadeless, the beach here is gorgeous and rarely crowded (as no one lives here). If you’re on a day trip, a day pass to the Sol resorts is CUC$35 including lunch.
Barceló Cayo Largo Beach Resort ( 24-80-80; s/d CUC$135/150; 
) The 306-room Barceló is Cayo Largo’s newest resort and is set apart from the other hotels on an expansive stretch of Playa Blanca. Rather drab architecture is augmented by a smorgasbord of different dining options and an impressive array of energetic sporting activities. Good testimonies abound.
Sol Pelícano ( 24-82-33; s/d CUC$112/180; ) This Spanish-style resort, flush on the beach 5km southeast of the airport, has 203 rooms in a series of three-story buildings and two-story duplex cabañas (cabins) built in 1993. This is the island’s largest resort and facilities include a nightclub and plenty of family-friendly concessions.
Sol Cayo Largo ( 24-82-60; s/d CUC$165/270; ) Sol Meliá’s other property is the five-star Sol Cayo Largo, with its Greek-temple like lobby and trickling Italianate fountains. The beach out here is fantastic (and nudist) and the brightly painted (but not luxuriant) rooms come with terraces with sea views. To date, it’s Cayo Largo’s most exclusive resort and great if you want to escape the families and poolside bingo further east. Check out the on-site spa and gym – a trip to Shangri-La.
Villa Coral (Gran Caribe; 34-81-11; s/d CUC$100/140; ) Also known as El Pueblito, this villa consists of 10 two-story buildings outfitted to look like colonial villas (eg faux terra-cotta roofs, wooden balconies) arranged around a swimming pool. There are 60 rooms here.
Villa Soledad (Gran Caribe; 34-81-11; s/d CUC$100/140; ) This adjacent cluster of single-story, plainer bungalows has another 43 rooms (but no restaurant – you have to go to one of the neighboring hotels held by Gran Caribe).
Hotel Isla del Sur ( 34-81-11; s/d CUC$100/140; ) This hotel has 59 rooms with mini-fridges in a long, two-story building. Built in 1981, it was the first hotel on Cayo Largo del Sur and is starting to show its age. All meals are served buffet-style, and there’s slightly tacky poolside entertainment nightly (unless you’ve got a secret penchant for water ballet).
Villa Lindamar (Gran Caribe; 34-81-11; s/d CUC$112/164; ) At the time of research the Isla de Sur and the adjacent Villa Lindamar catered exclusively for Italian tourists who book through agencies back home. Check for current situation.
Eating
Ranchón Playa Sirena ( 9am-4pm) A rather fetching beach bar with Latino Tom Cruises tossing around the cocktail glasses. Good food is also served here and they stick on a buffet if enough tourists are around. There’s no-nonsense, salt-of-the-earth comida criolla. There’s also a bar on Playa Paraíso.
Restaurante El Torreón ( noon-midnight) In Cayo Largo’s Combinado settlement, this is the best of the motley eating joints. Encased in a stone fort-like building next to the marina, it serves good old-fashioned Cuban-style grub with a few Spanish surprises (and wine).
Entertainment
Taberna El Pirata ( 24hr) You’re in all-inclusive land, so almost all of the entertainment is confined to the resorts. One exception is this place next door to the marina. It’s primarily a haunt of boat-hands, resort workers and the odd escaped tourist.
Fiesta Marán (admission CUC$15; 11pm-2:30am) This is a night disco held on a yacht or catamaran off Playa Sirena.
Getting There & Away
Several charter flights arrive directly from Canada weekly, and Cubana has weekly flights from Montreal and Milan.
For pop-by visitors, daily flights from Havana to Cayo Largo del Sur with Cubana cost CUC$80/145 for a one-way/return trip. The island makes a viable day trip from Havana, although you’ll have to get up early for the airport transfer (all Cayo Largo flights depart from the airport at Playa Baracoa a few miles west of Marina Hemingway). Another option is to take an organized day trip from Havana or Varadero to Cayo Largo del Sur for in the vicinity of CUC$137, including airport transfers, return flights, lunch, plus trips to Playa Sirena and Cayo Iguana. All the Havana agencies offer this (Click here).
Getting Around
Measuring 37 sq km, getting around Cayo Largo shouldn’t present too many challenges. A taxi or transfer bus can transport you the 5km from the airport to the hotel strip. From here a slightly ridiculous mini bus-train (the trencito) carts tourists out to the idyllic beaches of Playa Paraíso and Sirena (6km/7km away). The train returns in the afternoon, or you can hike back along the beach (see boxed text, left). The tiny settlement of Combinado with its marina and motley attractions is 1km north of the airport and 6km from the nearest resort. For taxis phone Taxi OK ( 24-82-45) or hang around outside the hotels/airport.