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.