Jardines del Rey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Santa María

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.