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Cayo Coco, with a surface area of with 370 sqKm, is
part of ‘Jardines del Rey’ (King’s gardens)
archipelago facing the Bahamas channel. Named after
Fernand the Catholic King of Spain by Diego
Velasquez a Spanish explorer in the year 1513-1514,
Cayo Coco is a piece of paradise preserved from all
human activities till the 1990. Cayo Coco means
‘coco key’ and has gained its name after the
numerous coconut trees and the coco bird that
inhabit the island.
Covered mainly with green vegetation, the natural
fauna and flora remained intact till 1980. The
construction in that year of a passageway of 27 km
long the Pedraplen on the marshy lands linking the
island to Cuba was the beginning of the tourist
arrivals to the island. 500 off Havana, Cayo Coco is
surrounded by the emerald blue waters of the
Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
The biggest
island of Sabana- Camaguey archipelago and the
fourth of all the 1400 Cuban islands, Cayo Coco is
accessible by air through its international airport
bearing the same name and by the road or Pedraplen.
The latter, a matter of concern because of the
ecological impact it may have on life in this part
of Cuba has proved to be a success for even now the
gray heron, the pink flamingo, the cormorant, the
woodpecker, the mockingbird, the pelican and other
species of ducks though in fewer numbers can still
be seen as one travel on its borders.
No Cuban has ever lived in Cayo Coco Island, so no
dwellings, habitations or remnants of the passage of
men through the tides of times are visible. This
little part of the world which remained unexploited
till 1990 is a little paradise on earth.
Nowadays, to enter Cayo Coco, the foreigner must
present his/her passport and only the Cuban workers
of the resorts are allowed in. Annexed to Ciego
d’Avila province found in the north of central Cuba,
the nearest town is Moron and offers various
attractions.
During all year round with a temperature ranging
from 24 to 31 degrees, in Cayo Coco, tourists wander
along the two trekking paths on the island admiring
both the fauna and flora of the island as well as
the zebus, wild horses and pigs grazing freely in
the bush.
Cayo coco is an invitation for everyone to an
evasion in its magical and paradisiacal emerald blue
waters. In spring, the biggest herd of flamingos
(30,000) in the entire world flock to this place.
Most of the time, they have their head in the warm
waters. A natural aquarium full of marine creatures
unique to the area, it is the pride of the Cubans
who welcome the divers of the different continents
who want to have a glimpse of this beauty.
The beaches of Cayo Coco are protected by coral reef
of 10 km long protecting its shores of the giant
waves of the Atlantic Ocean. With more than 22 km of
sandy beaches, Cayo Coco with Las Coloradas, Playa
Larga, El Paso and Playa Flamencos is a must for all
nature lovers. |
