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Jardines del Rey (Gardens of the King) Archipelago lies just
off the northern coast of Ciego de Ávila Province and
is part of the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago, the longest
of the four archipelagos near the island of Cuba and the one
with more of 2500 cays and islets. Governor Diego Velázquez
named this archipelago Jardines del Rey (Gardens of the King)
in honor of Ferdinand the Catholic, of Spain, in 1514. Now,
more than 500 years later, this island group still has new
things for you to discover!
Coco and Guillermo Cays, two of the jewels in this necklace
of islands, have great natural beauty. Here, comforts of the
modern world have been added carefully, to complement and
protect the environment. Paredón Grande (Big Wall)-the
smallest of these cays, but in no way inferior to the others-is
about to be developed for tourism.
The attraction that the Jardines del Rey (Gardens of the
King) Archipelago has for tourists is reinforced by exceptionally
beautiful natural components: its wealth of birds (over 200
species live in the area) and the high degree of conservation
of its sea and land ecosystems.
How to Get Here:
If you're coming directly from Europe or another
part of the Americas, you'll come through Máximo Gómez
International Airport, in Ciego de Ávila, and then drive
around 80 km (50 miles) to the cays-first by highway and the last
17 km (ten and a half miles) on a stone causeway.
Small and medium-sized planes land daily at the airport on Coco
Cay. Or you can come by sea, using the facilities of the Puertosol
marina on Guillermo Cay.
Ciego de Ávila: Ciego de Ávila
Province has an area of 6910 square km (2670 square miles) and a
population of only 500,000, for the lowest population density in
the country. Seventy-two percent of its soil is of top quality,
and 82 percent of the territory consists of a gently rolling plain.
Most of the buildings in its capital city have large porticos, arcades,
columns and tiled roofs. The city's main artery is Independencia
(Independence) Avenue, on which you'll find Principal Theater, the
Raúl Martínez Art Gallery, José Martí
Park, San Eugenio de la Palma (the city's patron saint) Cathedral
and a large number of shops, cafeterias and restaurants. The city's
traditional arts and crafts fairs are very popular.
The province has large reserves of underground
water and many mirror-like lakes, among which the best known are
Leche (Milky) and La Redonda. Its two most important cities are
Ciego de Ávila, capital of the province, and Morón,
where rural traditions are deeply rooted. The pineapple, queen of
fruits, is the symbol of this region.
Roseate Flamingos: In his travels through
the Jardines del Rey (Gardens of the King) Archipelago, one of the
things that most impressed Ernest Hemingway was the colony of Roseate
Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber). Many of these birds (specialists
estimate that there are around 12,000 pairs) still live on the southern
part of the cay. You can see them from the stone causeway-and especially
well from the La Silla (Chair) Lookout Point.
Guillermo Cay: This cay, barely 13,2 square
km (five square miles) in size, has three beaches, total length:
4 km (two and a half miles). The water is very calm. Pilar Beach
is particularly attractive, because of its scenery. Intimate, cozy
Guillermo Cay also has the highest sand dunes in the Caribbean islands
(some of them are 15 m (nearly 50 feet) high) and many interesting
birds. A stone causeway links it to Coco Cay.
Paredón Grande (Big Wall) Cay: Paredón
Grande (Big Wall) Cay, which lies to the east of Coco Cay, is barely
two and a third square miles in size. Cuban and Canadian companies
are planning to develop it, working together. Its main attractions
include beautiful beaches, an excellent seabed and a practically
virgin natural environment. The Diego Velázquez Lighthouse
was built here over 140 years ago. The cay is linked to the Cuban
mainland by a stone causeway which passes through Coco and Romano
Cays.
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