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Cuba - Cayo Guillermo
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About Cuba and Cayo Guillermo
Cuba [kyOO´bu, Span. kOO´bA], officially Republic of Cuba, republic (1995 est. pop. 10,938,000), 42,804 sq mi (110,860 sq km), consisting of the island of Cuba and numerous adjacent islands, in the Caribbean Sea. Havana is the capital and largest city.
Jardines del rey
Dubbed the “Cuban keys”, the tiny islands of Jardines del Rey (“the King’s Gardens”) strung off Cuba’s Atlantic coast are immortalized in Ernest Hemingway’s novel, “Islands in the Stream”. Mangroves and everglades, flamingoes and roseate spoonbills, sun-bleached sand and turquoise waters make this little corner of paradise the perfect retreat.
The keys are in the agricultural province of Ciego de Avila, whose red clay soil is the most productive in the country. The provincial capital of the same name is surrounded by pineapple farms, and has the area’s main airport. Today, a 27-kilometre causeway connects the mainland to the keys, which are rapidly becoming one of the Caribbean’s most popular spots. The islands are part of Cuba’s northern coral reef, which yields spectacular snorkeling and diving.
Cayo Guillermo Island
To the west of Cayo Coco boasts the highest sand dune in the Caribbean (15 metres). Ernest Hemingway spent a great deal of time camping, fishing and boating on this key with the whitest sand you have ever seen during World War II. He is remembered for his double daiquiris, his boat (the Pilar) and his fishing tales. Resorts and spectacular beaches abound on Cayo Guillermo as well. To get to Cayo Guillermo you must take the 20 mile long Pedraplén in the middle of the sea and take the main road through Cayo Coco (another 20 miles) to the west.
