The beauty of Cuba is multiplied in its more than 1,600 adjacent keys, totaling 3 126 km2. Its natural attractions and virginal environment make the Cayos de Cuba replicas in miniature of paradise. Its main attraction are the beaches, with fine sand and calm waters, warm, shallow and free of pollution, with marine bottoms of impressive biodiversity and unbeatable state of conservation.
Dream corner north of the province of Ciego de Ávila, in the area known as Jardines del Rey, 511 km east of Havana. With 370 km2, it has 22 km of fine sand beaches and turquoise waters, facing one of the most important coral reefs in the world. Few places in the Caribbean can compete with the beauty of its seabed, where a variety of underwater flora and fauna live in its warm waters. 90% of its territory is covered with vegetation and serves as a habitat for more than 200 species of birds, including a colony of pink flamingos. Attached to the large island of Cuba by a 17 km pedraplén on the sea, it hosts a modern hotel infrastructure in balance with the surrounding nature creating the ideal scenario to stimulate the senses. Ideal destination for diving and sport fishing.
This Cayo is like a poetic appearance of extraordinary natural beauty, with an area of about 13 square kilometers and owner of intimate and cozy beaches, covering about 6 kilometers. Playa Pilar, is one of the most spectacular beaches of Jardines del Rey, its transparent waters, the beauty of its seabed and the backdrop formed by the largest sandy dune in the Caribbean, about 15 meters high and fence of 1 kilometer of extension.
It is noteworthy the diversity of landscapes and coastal, as well as the abundance of flora and fauna. United by a pedraplén to Cayo Coco, this pair of islets are the jewels of the crown for the province of Ciego de Avila and if we add their people, make one of the best bets in Cuba to conquer the total satisfaction of its visitors.
It is said that these keys and due to their spectacular beauty, were named as Jardines del Rey by the conqueror Diego Velázquez in honor of King Fernando El Católico of Spain.
The economy of Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo is fundamentally touristy, like most of the nearby keys, Las Brujas and Ensenachos, Santa Maria among others, considering Santa Maria Cay as the second destination of sun and beach in Cuba, these two Keys have nothing to envy, on the contrary, the agile growth of the area in infrastructure offers a formidable battle to see which of the keys will be the favorite of the tourist.
Only after Varadero, (which owes its fame to its proximity to Havana and to the time of operation as a tourist destination) the keys are one of the most recommended offers in Cuba.
All hotels are operated by companies between private chains and Grupo Gaviota owned by the Cuban state and several of them have been awarded international prizes, and on the nature side, their beaches are considered to be one of the 25 best in the world, with These and many other privileges that the nature given to these keys, are directed to dethrone Varadero as a tourist site par excellence in the Caribbean.
It’s wonderful, to wake up in the mornings and sail with the sun behind, to advance through the canal with the alert eye and to go to the line of keys, they seemed, dark hedges emerging from the water and then, as they got closer, they began to acquire form and greenery and , finally, sandy beaches.
