Ciego de Avila, Cuba
Tourism Information
Ciego de Avila, a rural province known for its sugar cane
and pineapples, is located in the eastern region of the
country. Today it is the most promising tourist destination
in Cuba thanks to the construction of a causeway linking the
mainland with Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo. These two
keys—barely affected by human contact—form a virgin paradise
and a refuge for birds.
The islands, part of what is known as Jardines de la Reina
(the Queen’s Gardens), are an exceptional tourist mecca. By
design, the development of tourist accommodations is to be
minimal because tourism officials wish to foster the
visitors' relationship with the natural surroundings and
allow them to enjoy the attractions provided by one of the
largest natural habitats for flamingos, especially the pink
flamingo (over 30,000 on the island), for which this area
represents one of the largest reserves in the hemisphere.
The region's keys have become a unique flora and fauna
reserve, playing host to several species of wading birds
including the gray heron, as well as to the special coconut
which gave the island its name. It is also a favorite
habitat for other bird species such as the cormorant,
woodpecker, mockingbird, pelican and many duck species.
Nearly 370 squares kilometers of land and 22 kilometers of
magnificent beaches characterize Cayo Coco. The prevailing
development strategy aims at turning this key into one of
Cuba's main tourist attractions in the near future by
providing 22,000 new rooms.
Cayo Coco is located on the Atlantic coast of Cuba, close to
the Canal Viejo de Bahamas. A 10-30 meter-deep coral reef,
which is also over 10 km long, adds to the island's
attractions; the diversity and abundance of marine species
make divers feel as though they were in a real aquarium.
Very few places in the world can compete with such beauty.
In the waters of the reserve one may find the Megalops
atlantica, the Trachinotus and the Chaetodipterus faber, as
well as big snapples, meros, sharks and barracudas, each one
adding a little more charm to the experience of diving at
the places the "Coco Diving Center" has to offer.
Cayo Coco is connected to Cayo Guillermo whose five
kilometers of beaches eagerly await visitors interested in
establishing a closer relationship with nature.
The Providencia and Caoba keys are also soon to be included
in the province's tourist development. The strategy is to
link these islets with the mainland by means of a
20-kilometer-long causeway.
Other keys, such as Sabinal, Guajaba and Romano, are also
connected to Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo and belong to the
Sabana-Camaguey Archipelago. The whole area is characterized
by its exuberant coastal vegetation and the tranquility
produced by the peaceful sound of the sea. It is an ideal
resting place in which to form a close relationship with an
unspoiled natural environment.