ÁREA PROTEGIDA SUR DEL ISLA DE LA JUVENTUD
Look for S to find recommended sights, activities, dining, and lodging.
S Presidio Modelo: Fidel Castro and other revolutionaries who survived the attack on the Moncada barracks were imprisoned in this prison-turned-museum (click here).
S Refugio Ecológico Los Indios: This swampy and scrubby wilderness area offers fabulous bird-watching and is home to the Cuban sandbill crane (click here).
S Criadero de Cocodrilos: Get up close and personal with Cuba’s endemic crocodile at this breeding farm (click here).
S Parque Nacional Punta Francés: Gorgeous beaches and turquoise waters await at the southwest tip of the island. Just off the coast scuba divers will find fantastic coral formations, sponges, and both Spanish galleons and Soviet military vessels to explore (click here).
S Cayo Largo: Secluded from the mainland, the gorgeous beaches and turquoise waters of Cayo Largo provide the perfect spot to get that all-over tan (click here).
Slung below the underbelly of Artemisa Province in the shallow Golfo de Batabanó is Isla de la Juventud, the largest of Cuba’s offshore islands and one with an intriguing history. Scattered across the ocean to the east are 350 or so isles and cays that make up the Archipiélago de los Canarreos. Together they make up the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud.
Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth, so named for the erstwhile socialist experiment of International Youth Brigades), about 100 kilometers south of the mainland, receives relatively few visitors and is sparsely populated. The island was once smothered with native pine and previously called the Isle of Pines. The island’s appeal lies in some of the finest diving in the Caribbean, several historical sites of importance, and untapped nature reserves. The entire southern half of Isla de la Juventud comprises brush and marsh that harbor wild boar, deer, jutías, and Crocodilus rhombifer, the endemic Cuban crocodile that is aggressive from the moment it emerges from its egg.
Most of the islands of the 160-kilometer-long Archipiélago de los Canarreos necklace are girt by beaches of purest white and haloed by barrier reefs guarding bathtub-warm waters. For now, tourism development is limited to Cayo Largo, the easternmost island and the only one accessible from the mainland.
Besides their spectacular beaches, the cays are a scuba diver’s delight. In addition to astounding coral formations, some 200 shipwrecks have been reported in the Canarreos. The Nueva España treasure fleet, for example, foundered in 1563 on the reefs between Cayo Rosario and Cayo Largo. One of the best sites is Cabeza Sambo, 70 kilometers west of Cayo Largo. Over 800 species of fish gambol among the exquisite coral.
The cays shelter tens of thousands of seabirds, including crab-eating sparrow hawks; fishing orioles, cormorants, and pelicans; and egrets, majestic white and black herons, and other stilt-legged waders. Marine turtles are always in the water, particularly during the nesting seasons, when females lay their eggs above the high-water mark.
Unless you’re keen on bird-watching or diving, or are an aficionado of revolutionary history, you can safely skip Isla de la Juventud. Two days is sufficient, although scuba divers will want to pack in a few more days for exploring the waters off Punta Francés, where the diving rivals anywhere in the Caribbean.
Nueva Gerona, the capital city, can be explored in mere hours. Outside town, be sure to visit the Presidio Modelo, formerly Cuba’s main prison, where Fidel Castro and other participants of the attack on the Moncada barracks were held, and El Abra, a farmstead where national hero José Martí once labored under sentence for sedition.
An entire day is needed for a visit to the Área Protegida Sur de la Isla de la Juventud, a swampy wilderness area offering fabulous bird-watching and wildlife-viewing. Guided excursions are compulsory, including to the glorious white-sand beach of Playa Punta del Este, where the Cueva del Punta del Este is adorned with pre-Columbian paintings; to the Criadero de Cocodrilos, where you can learn the ecology of the Cuban crocodile; and to the Refugio Ecológico Los Indios, where Cuba’s endemic crane and parrots can be seen.
Cayo Largo is popular with package tour vacationers, including European nudists. Its beaches shelving into warm turquoise waters are superb. It can be visited on day-long and overnight excursions from Havana.
Traveling between Isla de la Juventud and Cayo Largo is impossible. You need to backtrack to Havana.
Isla de la Juventud (pop. 70,000), or “La Isla,” as it is known throughout Cuba, is shaped like a giant comma. At 3,050 square kilometers, it is about the size of Greater London. Most of the island is flat. Marmoreal hills—the Sierra de Caballo and Sierra del Casas—flank the city of Nueva Gerona and are the source of most of the gray marble found in buildings throughout Cuba.
The north is predominantly flat or rolling lowland, perfect for raising cattle in the east and citrus (especially grapefruit) in the west, where the fertile flatlands are irrigated by streams dammed to create reservoirs. The sweet smell of jasmine floats over the island January-March, when the citrus trees bloom. To the south, the marshy Ciénaga Lanier extends the width of the island and is a habitat for crocodiles, wild pigs, and waterfowl. Beautiful white-sand beaches rim the south shore. The entire southern half of the island is a protected area and accessed by a single dirt road; an official guide is compulsory for visitors.
The local drink—a mix of grapefruit juice, white rum, and ice—is named a pinerito. Local lore says it’s an aphrodisiac.
The island was inhabited in pre-Columbian days by the Ciboney, whose legacy can be seen in cave paintings at Punta del Este on the south coast. The early Indians knew the island as Siguanea. Columbus named it La Evangelista. Pirates, who used the isle as a base, named it the Isle of Parrots for the many endemic cotorras. The southwestern shore is known as the Pirate Coast. Welsh pirate Henry Morgan even gave his name to one of the island’s small towns.
Although the Spanish established a fort to protect the passing treasure fleets, it remained a neglected backwater and the first colony wasn’t established until 1826. Throughout the century, the Spanish used the island they had renamed Isla de los Pinos (Isle of Pines) as a prison, while the Spanish military sent soldiers with tropical diseases to the mineral springs in Santa Fe. After the Santa Rita hotel was built in 1860, tourists from North America began to arrive. Settlers of English and Scottish descent from the Cayman Islands also arrived in the 19th century and founded a turtle-hunting community called Jacksonville (now called Cocodrilo) on the south coast.
The War of Independence left the island in legal limbo. Although the Platt Amendment in 1902 recognized Cuba’s claim on the island, only in 1925 did the island officially became part of the national territory. In consequence, Yankee real estate speculators bought much of the land and sold it to gullible Midwestern farmers, who arrived expecting to find an agricultural paradise. The 300 or so immigrants planted the first citrus groves, from which they eked out a meager living. Many U.S. citizens stayed; their legacy can still be seen in the cemetery and the ruined settlement at Columbia, near the Presidio Modelo, the prison that President Gerardo Machado built in 1931 and in which Fidel Castro and 25 followers were later imprisoned following their abortive attack on the Moncada barracks.
The U.S. Navy established a base here during World War II and turned the Presidio Modelo into a prisoner-of-war camp for Axis captives. In the post-war years, the island became a vacation spot, and gambling and prostitution were staples. Following the Revolution, the Castro government launched a settlement campaign and planted citrus, which today extends over 25,000 hectares. Thousands of young Cubans went to work as “voluntary laborers” in the citrus groves. In 1971, the first of over 60 schools was established for foreign students—primarily from Africa, Nicaragua, Yemen, and North Korea—who formed what were called International Work Brigades. The Cuban government paid the bill, and, in exchange, the foreign students joined Cuban students in the citrus plantations. To honor them, in 1978 the Isle of Pines was formally renamed the Isle of Youth. At the height of Cuba’s internationalist phase, more than 150,000 foreign students were studying on the island.
Since the Special Period the schools (and many of the citrus groves) have been abandoned.
Nueva Gerona (pop. 36,000) lies a few kilometers inland from the north coast along the west bank of the Río Las Casas. It’s a port town and exports primarily marble and citrus.
Calle 39 (Calle Martí), the main street, is lined with restored colonial buildings; it’s pedestrian-only between Calles 20 and 30. The node is Parque Guerrillero Heróico (between Calles 28 and 30), a wide-open plaza pinned by a pretty, ocher-colored colonial church, Iglesia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores (tel. 046/32-3791), erected in 1929 in Mexican colonial style with a simple marble altar. Note the side altar dedicated to the Virgen de la Caridad. Masses are offered Sunday at 9am, Wednesday at 7pm, and Friday at 9am.
Also of interest is the Galería de Arte Marta Machado (daily 9am-10pm), in a pretty colonial house on Calle 39. World-renowned artist Kcho (Alexis Leyva Machado) was born in Nuevo Gerona; exhibits of his work are often held. A plazuela a stone’s throw south features a ceramic mural and intriguing ceramic seats.
The Museo de Ciencias Naturales (Calle 41 y 46, tel. 046/32-3143, Tues.-Sat. 8am-5pm, Sun. 8am-noon, CUC1), about 0.8 kilometer south of town, has displays of endemic flora and fauna in re-creations of native habitats, plus stuffed (and somewhat moth-eaten) exotics, including a tiger and apes. There’s even a small re-creation of the Cueva Punta del Este.
For a précis on local history, call in at the Museo Municipal (Calle 30, e/ 37 y 39, tel. 061/32-3791, Tues.-Sat. 8am-5pm, Sat. 8am-4pm, Sun. 9am-noon, CUC1), in the Casa de Gobierno (the former town hall), built in 1853. And the Museo Casa Natal Jesús Montané (Calle 24, esq. 45, no tel., Tues.-Sat. 9:30am-5pm, Sun. 8:30am-noon, free), alias Museo de la Lucha Clandestina, documents the life of the eponymous revolutionary who was born here; he fought in the attack on Moncada barracks and went on to a place in the revolutionary government.
Once the town’s major draw, El Pinero (Calle 33, e/ 26 y 28), the large ferry that carried Fidel to freedom following his release from prison on the Isle of Pines, is now merely a hulk.
This farm-cum-museum (Carretera Siguanea, Km 2, tel. 046/39-6206, Tues.-Sun. 9am-5pm, CUC1), one kilometer south of Nueva Gerona, was where José Martí lived under house arrest in 1870 after being sentenced for sedition. After a brief spell in prison on the mainland, Martí was released into the custody of José Sardá (a family friend and respected Catalonian landowner) at El Abra. Martí remained for only three months before departing for exile in Spain.
The museum is reached off the main highway by a long driveway shaded by Cuban oak trees. At the end is the farmhouse, still a family home, with a large bronze bust of Martí outside. The exhibits include personal belongings, documents, and other artifacts of Martí’s life.
Museo Finca El Abra
The island’s most interesting attraction—the Model Prison—is five kilometers east of Nueva Gerona. It was built 1926-1931 during President Machado’s repressive regime and was designed to house 6,000 inmates in four five-story circular buildings. At the center of each rondel was a watchtower that put prisoners under constant surveillance. A fifth circular building, in the center, housed the mess hall, dubbed “The Place of 3,000 Silences” because talking was prohibited. Prisoners were woken at 5am, silencio was at 9pm. The last prisoner went home in 1967. Only the shells remain.
The two oblong buildings that now house the Museo Presidio Modelo (tel. 046/32-5112, Mon.-Sat. 8am-4pm, Sun. 8am-noon, entrance CUC2, cameras CUC3, videos CUC25) were used during World War II to intern Japanese-Cubans and Germans prisoners. The first wing of the museum contains black-and-white photos and memorabilia from the Machado era. Another wing was the hospital, which in 1953 housed Fidel Castro and 25 other revolutionaries sentenced to imprisonment here following the attack on the Moncada barracks. They lived apart from the other prisoners and were privileged. Their beds are still in place, with a black-and-white photo of each prisoner on the wall. Fidel’s bed is next to last, to the left, facing the door. Batista foolishly allowed Castro to set up a school (Academia Ideológica Abel Santamaría), where the group studied revolutionary theory and guerrilla tactics. On May 15, 1955, the revolutionaries were released to much fanfare. Immediately to the left of the museum entrance is the room where Fidel—prisoner RN3859—was later kept in solitary confinement. It’s surprisingly large, with a spacious bathroom with shower of gleaming white tiles. A glass case contains some of his favorite books.
Isla de la Juventud from the air; Presidio Modelo, Isla de la Juventud.
A taxi will cost about CUC6 round-trip. Buses depart Nueva Gerona for Presidio Modelo and Bibijagua at 7am, 4:10pm, and 5:30pm.
The Festival de la Toronja (Grapefruit Festival), held in February or March, depending on the harvest, features a carnival.
Watch for performances by La Tumbita Criolla, masters of the compelling dance rhythm sucusuco, born here early in the 19th century. The word comes from the onomatopoeic sound of feet moving to its infectious rhythm. They perform at the Casa de la Cultura (Calle 24, esq. 37, tel. 046/32-3591), which has a rumba on Saturday at 3pm.
The happening scene, however, is open-air Plaza El Pinero (Calle 33, e/ 26 y 28), where the reggaeton gets cranked up and live bands perform, packing in the young crowd.
The nicest nightclub in town is Cabaret La Cubana (Calle 39, e/ 16 y 18, tel. 046/32-3740), at Hotel La Cubana. It screens music videos and has a sexy cabaret espectáculo (Thurs., Fri., and Sun. at 10pm, 20 pesos). Cabaret El Patio (Calle 24, e/ Martí y 37, tel. 046/32-2346, CUC5) also delights with a campy cabaret.
For a quiet tipple, try Casa del Vino (Calle 20, esq. 41, no tel., Fri.-Wed. 1pm-10pm), a rustic wooden home festooned with fishing net. It sells fruit wines for pesos.
Baseball games are played October-April at Estadio Cristóbal Labra (Calle 32, e/ 49 y 51, tel. 046/32-1044).
The Sierra del Casas, immediately southwest of town, is good for hiking. By following Calle 22 westward you can ascend via a dirt track to the summit of Loma de Cañada (310 meters), which offers views over the island. At the base, the Cueva del Agua has a slippery staircase leading down to a natural lagoon surrounded by dripstone formations.
By following Calle 54 west you’ll loop around to where gray mármol (marble) is quarried.
One of the best private rentals is Casa de la Alegría (Calle 43 #3602, e/ 36 y 38, tel. 046/32-3664, CUC15-20), which offers two modestly furnished, air-conditioned rooms. One has an independent entrance. The home has parking plus a patio where meals are served.
Villa Peña (Calle 10 #3710, e/ 37 y 39, tel. 046/32-2345, CUC15-20 year-round) is a pleasant home with a two-room air-conditioned unit with telephone, double and single bed, plus private hot-water bath. Meals (including vegetarian) are offered. It has secure parking. In the same family, Casa de Rubiselda Peña (Calle 10 #3707, e/ 37 y 39, tel. 046/32-2345, CUC10) is run by a gracious hostess who rents two well-lit air-conditioned rooms upstairs with fans and a small shared hot-water bathroom. There’s a TV lounge with rockers, private bathrooms, and a rooftop terrace.
Barbarita, a delightful owner, plays host at Casa de Barbara García García (Calle 45 #3606, e/ 36 y 38, tel. 046/32-2038, gracia93@correodecuba.com). A highlight is the lovely brick-paved patio with arbor and grill.
Gran Caribe’s Complejo Hotelero Rancho Villa combines two hotels. The Villa Isla de la Juventud (Carretera La Fe, Km 1.5, tel. 046/32-3290, ranchoij@enet.cu, CUC7 s, CUC12 d) is a mediocre property. A better bet is the nearby Hotel Rancho El Tesoro (Carretera La Fe, Km 2.5, tel. 046/32-3035, ranchoik@enet.cu, CUC18 s, CUC24 d), although it too is jaded.
Nuevo Gerona still awaits a paladar revolution. Restaurante Dragón (Calle 39, esq. 26, tel. 046/32-4479), one block north of the church, has a strong Chinese flavor and a menu featuring a chop suey special and other quasi-Chinese dishes. It serves workers until 3pm, then offers set meals on the hour until 10pm. Restaurante El Cochinito (Calle 39, esq. 24, tel. 046/32-2809, daily noon-10pm) specializes in pork dishes, especially roast suckling pig. Meals are served at set hours.
Restaurante El Cochinito
Coppelia (Calle 32, esq. 37, tel. 046/32-2225, Thurs.-Tues. 11am-9:45pm) sells ice cream for pesos.
You can buy fresh produce from the mercado agropecuario at Calles 24 and 35, and on Calle 41 at the south end of town. Go to Cadena de Pan (Martí, e/ 22 y 24, daily 8am-noon and 1pm-4pm) for fresh bread.
You can change money at Cadeca (Calle 39 y 20, tel. 046/32-3462, Mon.-Sat. 8:30am-12:30pm and 1pm-3pm), which has an ATM.
Services include a post office (Calle 39, esq. Calle 18, tel. 046/32-2600, Mon.-Sat. 8:30am-10pm) and Etecsa (Calles 41 y 28, daily 8:30am-7:30pm), which has Internet.
The Hospital Héroes de Baire (Calles 18 y 41, tel. 046/32-3012) has a recompression chamber. Foreigners are also treated at the Policlínico Provincial de Emergencia (Calle 41, e/ 32 y 34, tel. 046/32-2236). The pharmacy (Calle 39, esq. 24, tel. 046/32-6084, Mon.-Sat. 8am-11pm) is meagerly stocked.
The police station (Calle 41, esq. 54) is one kilometer south of town.
Presidio Modelo
A passport is compulsory for travel to Isla de la Juventud.
The Aeropuerto Rafael Cabrera (tel. 046/32-2690) is 15 kilometers south of Nueva Gerona. Cubana (tel. 046/32-4259, Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-noon and 1:30pm-4:30pm), in the ferry terminal, operates three flights most days from Havana but just two on Tuesday and Thursday (CUC88 round-trip). AeroCaribbean flies twice daily.
A bus marked Servicio Aereo connects flights with downtown Nueva Gerona (one peso). The bus to the airport departs from Calle 53 and passes by Cine Caribe (Calle 37, e/ 28 y 30). A taxi costs CUC5.
High-speed catamarans serve Nueva Gerona from Surgidero de Batabanó, 70 kilometers south of Havana (CUC50, plus CUC5 bus from Havana, two hours). Departures from Surgidero are daily at 12:30pm, but the actual departure times depend on the number of passengers. The 350-passenger catamaran has 20 seats reserved for foreigners; the 240-passenger one has 10 seats for foreigners. The journey takes two hours (CUC50).
You’ll need your passport when buying a ticket and when boarding. In Surgidero, you can ostensibly buy your ticket at the wharfside Viajero ticket office. Far safer, however, is to buy your ticket 24 hours in advance from Naviera Cubana Caribeña (tel. 07/878-1841) in the main bus terminal in Havana (Av. Boyeros, Plaza de la Revolución), then check in at 7am for the bus to Surgidero (CUC5); the bus departs around 9:30am. Buy return (regreso) tickets when you purchase your outbound (ida) tickets. There’s a 20-kilogram baggage limit. No bicycles are permitted. On board, you’re served a sandwich and drink.
In Nueva Gerona vessels berth at the Naviera Cubana Caribeña ferry terminal (Calles 31 y 24, tel. 046/32-4977 or 046/32-3164). Catamarans depart Nueva Gerona for Surgidero at 8am and are timed to connect with a bus to Havana (buy your bus tickets at the ferry terminal when you buy your catamaran passage).
You can ship your car or motorbike (CUC75 each way) aboard a transitaria (flatbed barge) towed by a tug. You, however, will have to take a catamaran and meet the barge in Nueva Gerona. The barge departs Surgidero Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 8pm. The dock is next to the ferry terminal in Surgidero (tel. 047/58-8945; ask for Jorge); you must register your vehicle at least two hours in advance. The barge arrives in Nueva Gerona the following day, docking two kilometers north of the ferry terminal. The return barge departs, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday; make your reservations in advance at the transitaria office (Calle 24 e/ 31 y 33, tel. 046/32-7224, Mon.-Fri. 8am-11pm).
Taxis congregate at the corner of Calles 32 and 39.
Cubacar (Calles 39 y 32, tel. 046/32-4432, daily 7am-7pm) rents cars. You have to pay cash for a full tank of gas (CUC38.50; supposedly you get your money back for any gas left over above 10 liters).
Buses for around the isle depart from Calles 39A and 45 (ticket office tel. 046/32-2413, 8am-noon and 1pm-5pm).
EcoTur (Calle 24 e/ 31 y 33, tel. 046/32-7101, Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm, Sat. 8am-noon) offers ecotourism excursions (CUC8-12, including guide; you’ll need a rental car).
Fidel Castro’s cell at Museo Presidio Modelo
Carretera Siguanea leads southwest from Nueva Gerona through a rolling landscape studded with reservoirs and stands of pines amid citrus groves. Side roads lead west to the Bahía de Siguanea, lined with mangroves. Supposedly, Columbus landed here on June 13, 1494.
The region is served by the motley Hotel Colony, 30 kilometers southwest of Nueva Gerona. It began life in the 1950s as a Hilton and backs a mediocre beach whose shallows have sea grasses and urchins; day passes can be purchased for CUC1 (you’ll need your passport). The Marina El Colony (tel. 046/39-8181) offers fishing for bonefish and tarpon, and the Centro Internacional del Buceo (International Scuba Diving Center, tel. 046/39-8181) is also here (it has a decompression chamber). An Italian company, Avalon Fishing Center (http://cubanfishingcenters.com), offers live-aboard fishing packages.
Much of the bayshore is a 4,000-hectare reserve protecting a fragile environment that includes mangroves, savanna, and endemic pines and palms. There are at least 60 native floral species, 15 of them limited to this particular spot (14 are endangered, including a species of carnivorous plant). The 153 species of birds include the endemic Cuban sandbill crane (called la grulla) and the cotorra—the equally threatened Cuban parrot.
Trails lead into the reserve from Siguanea. A guide is compulsory and can be arranged through the hotel or EcoTur (CUC8).
The lackluster and overpriced Hotel Colony (tel. 046/39-8181, reservas@colony.co.cu, CUC25 s, CUC35 d low season, CUC35 s, CUC55 d high season) is a deteriorated 1950s hotel with 24 modestly decorated, air-conditioned bungalows plus 77 rooms.
high-speed catamaran in Nueva Gerona
Bus #441 departs Nueva Gerona for Siguanea at least thrice daily. A taxi from Nueva Gerona will cost about CUC30.
Marina El Colony (tel. 046/39-8181) has 15 berths with electricity, water, gas, and diesel.
A four-lane freeway runs south from Nueva Gerona to La Fe, an agricultural town that was founded by U.S. citizens and originally called Santa Fe. Some of their plantation-style houses still stand around the main square.
Serious botanists might get a thrill at La Jungla de Jones (no tel.), about three kilometers west of La Fe. This 30-hectare botanical reserve was founded in 1902 by a U.S. couple, Harry and Helen Jones, who introduced exotic tree species for study in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Today the woodsy reserve boasts about 72 species, including 10 bamboo species and 20 mangrove species, plus dozens of bird species. The highlight is the “Bamboo Cathedral,” a 100-meter-long vaulted glade. It’s closed to the public except for guided excursions offered by EcoTur in Nueva Gerona (Calle 24 e/ 31 y 33, tel. 046/32-7101, Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm, Sat. 8am-noon, CUC8).
This crocodile breeding farm (daily 7am-5pm, CUC3, or CUC9 EcoTur excursion), 30 kilometers south of Nueva Gerona, has over 500 crocodiles separated by age (older crocs are cannibalistic). A trail leads to natural lagoons where mature beasts swim freely. The juveniles feast upon the remains of sardines and lobster, while the full-grown monsters are fed hacked-up cattle. Feeding time is usually between 9am and 10am.
The entire isle south of Cayo Piedra along its east-west parallel lies within the Área Protegida Sur del Isla de la Juventud, a wilderness of bush and swamp populated by wild pig, deer, and crocodiles. The coast is lined with beaches whose sugar-white sands slope down to calm turquoise waters protected by reefs.
It’s a military zone: There’s a military checkpoint just south of Cayo Piedra. A day pass and official guide are compulsory, arranged through EcoTur in Nueva Gerona; CUC15).
From Cayo Piedra, a dirt road leads east 20 kilometers through the Ciénaga de Lanier to Punta del Este. There’s a beautiful beach here—Playa Punta del Este—but the main attraction is Cuevas Punta del Este, a group of caves containing 238 aboriginal pictographs that date from about AD 800 and are among the most important aboriginal petroglyphs in the Antilles. The petroglyphs seem to form a celestial plan thought to represent the passage of days and nights. On March 22, when spring begins, the sun appears in the very center of the cave entrance, revealing a red phallus penetrating a group of concentric circles on the back wall, an apparent allusion to procreation.
The road south from Cayo Piedra leads to Playa Larga, a stunning beach. Rising over the shore to its west, the Faro Carapiachibey lighthouse stands 63 meters tall.
Covering 6,079 hectares, of which 4,313 are ocean terrain, this national park is at the southwesterly tip of the island, some 120 kilometers from Nueva Gerona. Its semideciduous forest distinguishes it from the Lanier swamp. Blind shrimp inhabit cenotes (water-filled sinkholes) that stud the shore. Offshore, gorgonias, corals, and marine turtles abound.
The main draw is the gorgeous beach at Playa El Francés, where Spanish galleons and coral formations await scuba divers a short distance from shore. Amenities include a pleasant restaurant, lounge chairs, and water sports. Cruise ships berth offshore and tender passengers ashore for day visits, so the place can be crowded.
The badly deteriorated coast road begins eight kilometers south of Cayo Piedra and runs inland of the shore the whole way from Playa Larga; there is no view of the beautiful shoreline until you reach the tiny seaside community of Cocodrilo, originally settled by turtle hunters from the Cayman Islands. It’s a full-day drive from Nueva Gerona and back. EcoTur, in Nueva Gerona (Calle 24 e/ 31 y 33, tel. 046/32-7101, Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm, Sat. 8am-noon, CUC8), offers excursions.
The bay offers spectacular diving. There are 56 dive sites concentrated along La Costa de los Piratas (Pirate Coast), whose tranquil waters are protected from the Gulf Stream currents. The sites extend along a 15-kilometer-long axis between Punta Pedernales and Punta Francés. Off Punta Francés, the basin’s wall begins at 20 meters and plummets into the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. The wall is laced with canyons, caves, and grottoes. Site 39 is renowned for the Caribbean Cathedral, said to be the tallest coral column in the world. Two other sites of interest are Black Coral Wall and Stingray Paradise, where you may stroke these friendly fish.
A naval battle between Thomas Baskerville’s pirate ships and a Spanish fleet resulted in many ships being sunk near Siguanea. Northeast of Punta Francés are three well-preserved Spanish galleons. Several freighters were scuttled several decades ago to provide bombing and naval gunnery targets for the Cuban armed forces.
The Centro Internacional del Buceo (International Scuba Diving Center, tel. 046/39-8181), 1.5 kilometers south of the Hotel Colony, offers dives (CUC35). It takes well over one hour to reach the dive spots—a tedious journey in basic launches. Drop-in visitors hoping for a day’s diving are often taken to the nearest sites, rather than the most interesting. Diving with a guide is compulsory.
Uninhabited cays extend for miles east of Isla de la Juventud. Sprinkled like diamonds across a sapphire sea, they are a yachting and diving paradise. The Archipiélago de los Canarreos deserves a reputation for some of the best wildlife-viewing in Cuba, from a small population of monkeys on Cayo Cantiles (the only monkeys in Cuba) to the flamingos inhabiting the lagoons of Cayo Pasaje. Cayo Iguana, a nature reserve immediately north of Cayo Largo, is noted for its large population of endemic iguanas.
Cayo Largo has the only facilities.
Cayo Largo, 177 kilometers south of Havana and 120 kilometers east of Isla de la Juventud, is a 3-kilometer-wide, 25-kilometer-long, boomerang-shaped sliver of land fringed by an unbroken 20-kilometer stretch of beaches with sand as blindingly white as Cuban sugar. The beaches merge gently into waters that run from lightest green through turquoise and jade. There are water sports and a top-class hotel (plus several less impressive options). Cayo Largo is favored by Canadians and Europeans in budget package groups. Uniquely, the Cuban government tolerates nude sunbathing here, and many people on the beach are in the buff. You won’t learn a thing about Cuban life, however, as everything here is a tourist contrivance.
A single road links the airport, at the northwest end of Cayo Largo, with the resort (3 kilometers south) and continues east, unpaved as far as Playa Los Cocos (14 kilometers). The sole community, Combinado (but known to everyone as “El Pueblo”), north of the airport, has a turtle farm—Granja de las Tortugas (daily 7am-6pm, CUC1 payable in the adjacent Buro de Turismo)—where you can see turtles in pools. If lucky, you’ll witness hatchlings emerging from their nests (Cayo Largo is Cuba’s main turtle-nesting site). To date, some 12,000 baby green and leatherback turtles have been released to the sea (you can join in the release for CUC3). Free guided tours to witness nestings are offered.
Hidden away in the undergrowth east of Sol Pelicano, the Vivero Torre (no tel.) is a tiny garden where crocodiles, freshwater turtles, and tarpon lurk amid the reeds of an inky black lagoon.
The Cuban hotel workers have an open-air bar—La Carpa—in El Pueblo that gets lively with dancing. Nearby, the waterfront El Pirata Taberna (tel. 045/24-8213) is a good spot to imbibe.
Catamaran excursions to Cayo Iguana (CUC44) and Cayo del Rosario (CUC56), including a sunset “seafari,” are offered from the marina (tel. 045/24-8133).
Cayo Largo has 27 kilometers of serene beaches, which run the length of the seaward side (the leeward side is composed of mangroves and salty lagoons). The loveliest beach is 2.3-kilometer-long Playa Sirena, at the western end of the island. Sailboards and catamarans can be rented. The beach is reached by dirt road; you can also hike a shoreline trail (7 km). The trencito shuttle operates to Playa Paraíso, immediately west of Playa Sirena, at 9am, 10:30am, and 11:30am (CUC2); it departs Paraíso at 1pm, 3pm, and 5pm. Hotels offer excursions.
All the hotels offer water sports.
Bonefish (macabí) and tarpon (sábalo) abound inshore. Villa Gran Caribe Ecolodge (tel. 045/5282-7715), in El Pueblo, offers fly-fishing packages and day trips. Bookings are handled by Avalon Fishing Club (www.avalonfishingcenter.com).
Several galleons and corsairs lie on the seabed amid the coral reefs teeming with fish. Dives are available from Marina Marlin (tel. 045/24-8214, buceo.marina@repgc.cls.tur.cu, CUC37 one dive, plus CUC10 equipment rental).
Marina Marlin
Most guests arrive on an all-inclusive basis. There are no eateries outside the resort hotels. Nonguests can buy day passes to the Sol properties (CUC60) and can also dine at their restaurants.
Villa Gran Caribe Ecolodge (tel. 045/5282-7715, luisa.sacerdote@divingcuba.com, prices on request), at El Pueblo, operates as a fishing lodge and has 16 nicely furnished air-conditioned log cabins overlooking the mangrove-lined shallows. French doors open to balconies with lounge chairs. Rooms adjoin to form family units. An elegant clubhouse with Internet and pool table wards off boredom by night. No walk-ins are accepted; you must buy a package with Avalon Fishing Club (www.avalonfishingcenter.com), which has exclusive rights.
All other hotels are operated on an all-inclusive basis by Cuba’s Gran Caribe chain. All have air-conditioning, satellite TV, refrigerators, and safes in guest rooms, plus water sports and entertainment.
Hotel Club Cayo Largo (tel. 045/24-8111) comprises four adjacent and mediocre properties. Its Club Isla del Sur, a.k.a. Eden Village, is used exclusively by Italy’s Eden Viaggi. The neighboring Club Lindamar is used exclusively by Italy’s VeraClub. The adjacent and overpriced Club Coral (CUC102 s, CUC144 d low season, CUC112 s, CUC164 d high season) has 24 rooms in two-story duplex units surrounding a half-moon pool with swim-up bar atop a coral ledge above the beach. Rooms are done up in a lively Caribbean color scheme and have king-size beds, but the club is dismal, as is the neighboring and similarly priced Club Soledad, with 63 thatched bungalows.
Sol Pelícano Hotel (tel. 045/24-8333, www.solmeliacuba.com, from CUC85 s, CUC120 d low season, CUC140 s, CUC230 d high season), managed by the Meliá chain, is a mediocre and overpriced low-rise hotel built haphazardly in vaguely Spanish-colonial style around a freeform pool amid unkempt grounds. It has 324 rooms and 110 cabinas, all with modest yet appealing decor.
Far better is the more upscale S Sol Cayo Largo (tel. 045/24-8260, www.solmeliacuba.com, from CUC150 s, CUC185 d low season, from CUC200 s, CUC240 d high season), a deluxe all-inclusive with 301 spacious rooms in four-plex units graced by sponge-washed walls, ice-cream colors, and pleasingly understated furnishings. A splendid beach restaurant serves an impressive buffet luncheon; there’s a 24-hour snack bar, plus restaurant, game room, choice of bars, and Internet.
Out on a limb, the all-Cuban-operated Playa Blanca Beach Resort (tel. 045/24-8080, reservas.pb@cayolargo.co.cu, CUC85 s, CUC150 d low season, CUC140 s, CUC250 d high season, suites cost CUC30 additional) has 306 rooms in two-story bungalows and the three-story main building. Its contemporary design won’t suit all tastes, the grounds are poorly laid out, and construction standards are questionable, but it has plenty of amenities.
The Buro de Turismo (tel. 045/24-8214, daily 7am-7pm) adjoins the marina in El Pueblo. The Clínica Internacional (tel. 045/24-8238, 24 hours) is across the street. The bank (tel. 045/24-8225, 9am-noon) is also here; bring your passport.
The post office (Mon.-Fri. 8am-noon and 4pm-6:30pm) opposite the Isla del Sur Hotel has telephone, DHL, and fax service.
Inmigración (tel. 045/24-8250) and customs (tel. 045/24-8244) are at the airport.
International travelers can arrive without a visa if they don’t intend to visit the mainland. You can obtain a visa upon arrival in Cayo Largo.
Charter flights operate from Canada, Europe, Mexico, and Grand Cayman to Vilo Acuña International Airport (tel. 045/24-8141). Cubana (www.cubana.cu, CUC132 plus CUC30 tax) serves Cayo Largo from Havana and Varadero. AeroGaviota (tel. 045/24-8364) flies from the Baracoa airstrip, 15 kilometers west of Havana.
The cheapest option is a package excursion through a Cuban tour agency (one-day package from CUC199 including tax and catamaran cruise, two-day from CUC230 including overnight). You need to book at least 48 hours in advance.
Private yachters can berth at Cayo Largo del Sur Marina (tel. 045/24-8133, fax 045/24-8212, VHF channel 16).
You can rent bicycles and scooters (CUC10 hours, CUC18 per day) as well as jeeps (CUC33 three hours, CUC52 per day) at the hotels.