Jardines del Rey

Ciego de Ávila - Ciego de Avila City

Jardines del Rey is a very touristical area and part of the province of Ciego de Avila. The islands are only visited by foreigners and some Cubans who work in tourism. This part of Cuba is very beautiful and a must when you want to relax in beautiful resorts located at virgin white beaches and the warm blue sea.

Jardines del Rey Archipelago

The islands Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo and Cayo Paredon Grande also belong to Ciego de Avila province. The islands are very touristical, but very beautiful. If you want to experience the local culture of Cuba, skip the islands, but if you want to see amazing beaches, relax in the Cuban sun and do all kinds of water sports, this is the place to be!

Las Coloradas, Playa Larga and El Paso are outstanding beaches. In Flamingo Beach you can also do horse riding and Pilar Beach, located in the most privileged sector of Key Guillermo, is a tropical paradise. It is at the foot of one of the highest sand dunes in the insular Caribbean (15 m above sea level).

The cayos 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 love peace and quiet.

Besides paying in dollars, it’s also possible to pay in Euros for all services in Jardines del Rey.

Cayo Coco

Cayo Coco is the 4th island in term of size forming the Cuban archipelago; with 370 square km, it is located to the Atlantic coast of Cuba, close to the Canal Viejo de Bahamas. It is linked to the main land by a 17 km long stone road.
Today, Cayo Coco is a paradisiacal place relevant for the balance and degree of preservation of the ecosystem it has attained, by protecting its virgin atmosphere isolated from modern world.

It has over 22 km of fine white sandy beaches bathed by turquoise water protected by coral reefs. s beach is 10 km long, of fine sand and warm and crystal-clear waters.
A privileged reserve for flora and fauna, this key hosts species such as the wading birds, particularly the coconut the island was named after, the gray heron, and the pink flamingo which total over 30,000 and is among the biggest herds in the world.

It is also favorite habitat for other bird species such as the cormorant, woodpecker, mockingbird, pelicans and many duck species.

A coral reef, over 10 km long, adds more attraction to the place; the diversity and abundance of marine species make divers feel in a real aquarium. Very few places in the world can compete with such beauty; one may find the Mega lops atlantica, the Trachinotus, as well as big snappers, meros, sharks and barracudas, adding more attractive to diving at the places "Coco Diving Center" may offer.

Sitio La Güira

Sitio La Güira is located in the center of the key. It creates a small village built in style of the ancient charcoal maker that existed here in the first half of the 20th century. The name La Güira comes from the many calabashes (Güira is Spanish for Calabash) trees that grow there, which were in the past very useful to local residents, who used the round calabash shells as mugs and containers. Today they are used in the making of maracas, the popular music instruments.

Cayo Guillermo

Just west of Cayo Coco is Cayo Guillermo, a much smaller coral key, 13.2 square km in size, connected to Cayo Coco by a causeway. It has 3.5 km of beaches and the tallest sand dunes in the Caribbean Islands (over 16 meter above sea level).

The mangroves off the south coast of Cayo Guillermo are home to pink flamingos and pelicans, and there's a great diversity of tropical fish and crustaceans on the key's Atlantic reef. This was a favorite fishing spot of US writer Ernest Hemingway, who mentioned Cayo Guillermo in his book “Islands in the Stream”.

The main hotel is named Villa Cojimar, for the fishing village near Havana where Hemingway kept his boat, and the resort's restaurant is called the Bodeguita de Guillermo, after Hemingway's favorite Havana bar, the Bodeguita del Medio.

Playa Pilar, a lovely white beach near the west end of Cayo Guillermo, is named for Hemingway's boat. Cayo Guillermo is probably the number one sportfishing destination in Cuba. The deep-sea fishing facilities are good, and several freshwater lakes on the mainland are within commuting distance.

Cayo Paredon Grande

This is another jewel in terms of beaches and natural environment. It’s 6 square km in size and has a beautiful iron lighthouse (built in 1957), which is over 48 meter tall.