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Jardines
del Rey Archipelago
The Islands Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo
and Cayo Paredon Grande are also belonging to Ciego de Avila Province,
very touristic but beautiful islands…if you want to have the local experience
of Cuba, skip this Island, if you want to sea the most beautiful beaches
and relax in the Cuban sun....go there. An exceptional scenario for all
nautical sports
Las Coloradas, Playa Larga and El Paso
are outstanding beaches. In Flamencos Beach (Flamingo beach) they also
offer horse rides. Pilar beach, located in the most privileged sector
of Key Guillermo, is an example of the supreme of the tropic. It is at
the foot of one of the highest sand dunes in the insular Caribbean (15
meters above the sea level).
Very special to see is the largest lake
of Cuba "Laguna de la Leche" (the lake of milk) the name is because of
the clay bottom creates the color of the water, it is a favorite spotfor
water sports.
The cayos
(see below) have scenery of
amazing tropical beauty, where the lush natural vegetation and man-made
comforts combine to create a unique setting that is perfect both for those
who love adventure and for those who seak peace and quiet.
Cayo
Coco
(143
square miles, 370 km in size) has over 13 and a half miles (22 km) of
fine white sandy beaches bathed by turquoise water protected by coral
reefs. Ninety percent of its territory is covered with vegetation (mainly
forest), and over 200 of spcies of birds-including a colony of more than
30.000 Roseate Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber)- live here. Few
other places in the Caribbean can compete with the beauty of the seabed
and number of fish in this area. There are four scuba diving centers and
20 diving sites along 20
miles (32 km) of coastline. In its warm, clear water, that is between
16.5 and 131 feet (between 5 and 40 m) deep, you can see Parrotfish (Sparisoma
spp.), Grunts (Haemulon spp.), Yellowtail Snappers (Ocyurus chrysurus),
Queen Angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris). other Angelfish (Pomacanthu spp.),
Anemones (Lebrunia danae), Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) and a great
variety of underwater plants.
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Hotels at Cayo Coco >>
Playa
Prohibida
Located
at the end of the key and west of Punta del Cuerno is very near the Cueva
del Jabali recreation center, on the coastal strech between Punta del
Puerto and Playa Dorada. A road leads from here to the sand dune of Loma
del Puerto. The trail of Loma del Puerto is a tiny walkwalkway that allows
for the observation of the coastal flora. One can follow it from Playa
Prohibida until the very middle of the key, where it seems to stop only
to go on along the northern coast all the way to the dune of Loma del
Puerto, a peculiar geo-morphological formation resulting from the continued
accumulation of sand transported during hundreds of years by the waves
and the wind. This is how beautiful, natural, 13-meter high lookout was
formed.
Playa
Lan Conchas
Located
between Punta Caimanera and Punta Rasa is one of the smallest but coziest
beaches on Cayo Coco. Near this beach is the Talasotherapy Center a facility
that offers different services to improve quality of life.
Playa
Larga
Streches
from Punta Rasa to Penon de las Colorades where visitors will come across
the Rocarena Retaurant.
| Cayo
Guillermo |
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(5
square miles, or 13.2 square km, in size) is much smaller but just
as fascinating. It has two miles (three and a half km) of beaches
and the tallest sand dunes in the Caribbean Islands (they reach
over 52.5 feet, or 16 m, above the sea level).
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Hotels at Cayo Guillermo >> |
Cayo
Paredon Grande
(Just
over 2 square miles, or six square km, in size) is another jewel in terms
of beaches and natural invironment. It has a beautiful wrought iron lighthouse
(built in 1857) that is over 157 feet (48 m) tall.
Because of
their rich biodiversity and beautiful scenery, Cayo Coco and the islets
near it are part of the Buenavista preserve of the biosphere. Cayo Romano-300
square miles, or 777square km, in size, making it almost an island-is
very close by.
Location
and How to Get There
These
Cayos are in the Jardines del Rey Archipelago, off the nothern shore of
Ciego de Avila Province, in east-central Cuba, 268 miles (432 km) from
Havana. Direct flights from Europe and other parts of the Americas put
in at Ciego de Avila's Maximo Gomez International Airport, which is linked
to Cayo Coco by a highway 60 miles (97 km) long, the last ten and a half
miles (17 km) of which are on a spectacular stone causeway bordered by
the sea. Cayo Coco also has a modern international airport whith several
flights each week. Moreover, a stone causeway links this island to Guillermo
and Paredon Grande. Or you can arrive by boat, putting in at the Puerto
Cayo Guillermo Marina or at Casana Port.
Weather
The
archipelago's main temperature is 26C for the high and 17C the low. June,
July and August are the warmest months while December, January and February
are the coolest with a main temperature of 20C. Influenced by the sea,
temperatures at the keys are milder than in mainland. The seawater main
temperature varies from 28 to 30C degrees. The keys have a 90-day rain
season a year. The average rain accumulate is 40 inches a year. Two well-defined
seasons from May to October and the dry season from November to April.
Around 17 km/h winds blow predominantly from the northeast. Ocean waves
are usually moderate.
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Weather Cayo Coco >>
The
Causeway
On
July 26th, 1988 the causeway, linking to Cayo Coco with the mainland was
completed, paving the way for the tourist developement of Jardines del
Rey. In 1993, tourist exploitation began, when former President Fidel
Castro inaugurated the area's first hotel, built in the style of the first,
early 16th century Cuban Colonial villages. The construction of these
roads over the sea has not stopped, in spite of the magnitude of the project
for a small country like Cuba, besieged by scarcities and economically
blockaded. Already connected with the mainland through Cayo Coco, are
Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Romano, and Cayo Paredon Grande. A causeway also
connects Cayo Sabinal and Cayo Cruz from Northern Camaguey.
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Jardines del Rey >>
- Jardines
del Rey Home Page >>
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