Ampliare

Ampliare

Ampliare

Five years ago, Jardines del Rey hit the tourist market on a pledge to be one of Cuba's most promising travel destinations. Today, that marvelous circuit is at the peak of a stepped-up expansion process in terms of hotel and extra-hotel infrastructure after coming in for a million sunbathers in little more than ten years of operations.

Covering a total surface of 2,685 square miles, this tourist region lies off the waters of the Ciego de Avila province, some 310 miles east of Havana and less than three nautical miles away from the southern borderline of the Bahamas Old Channel, a major international maritime corridor.

The circuit is made up of a central core of northern keys (Coco, Guillermo and Paredon Grande), the southern keys (Jardines de la Reina) and other five mainland enclaves that allow the use of complementary resources to piece together an array of offerings comprising a total area of roughly 75 square miles (a half-hour drive).

The northern keys lie across the calm, shallow waters of Bahia de los Perros (Dogs Bay). A 10-mile-long stilted dirt road (known locally as pedraplen) hooks up the islets with the province of Ciego de Avila and the rest of the main island, though the Cayo Coco International Airport is the destination's main gateway for travelers.

The environment here is brimming with ecological and scenery values. Breathtaking coral-reef beaches that stretch out dozens of miles, a diverse and luring flora and wildlife, gorgeous sea bottoms, and stable and balmy weather conditions are some of the main attributes that lay bare the incredible headway this tourist circuit has made.

The entire hotel stock on Coco and Guillermo keys (3,600 rooms in all) are clustered in four- and five-star beachfront resorts that fully comply with all environmental requirements as far as shoreline distance, height and gardening (approximately 80 percent of the land must be groomed and trimmed) are concerned.

The Wealth of the Northern Keys The northern keys encompass the territory's main potential beaches, both in terms of quality and extension.

With a combination of lovely landscaping and environmental values, some of the keys' top beaches are Flamencos, Playa Larga and Las Coloradas in Coco Key; Pilar in Guillermo Key; Los Pinos in Paredon Grande, and Playa del Sol in Anton Chico. On the other side, a magnificent frontal coral reef runs alongside the shoreline and embraces the whole outer edge around the keys.

The area features nine potential scuba diving sites, chiefly Media Luna and Los Felipes across from Guillermo Key; Las Coloradas in front of Playa Flamencos and east of Coco Key, as well as the area off north Paredon Grande and Anton Chico.

Coral reef strips stretch for as long as 12 miles with unmatchable conditions for snorkeling enthusiasts and nearly three dozen scuba diving sites where abundance of motley marine life is the name of the game.

Even though scenery here is great as result of so many keys, fjords, inlets and biodiversity, the coastline is second best to none of the above, especially the area between Playa Pilar and Media Luna, or the central craggy shore of Guillermo Key. Other spots worth mentioning are Los Perros, the central littoral, eastern Coco Key, and Punta del Faro (Lighthouse Cape) in Paredon Grande.

Other natural elements worth underscoring for either their uniqueness or shortage on both a national and regional basis are the dunes of Playa Pilar in Guillermo Key –some of them reaching up to 15 yards tall are penciled in as the highest in the entire Caribbean Basin.