One of the islands of the Jardines del Rey archipelago, which can be translated as the Royal Garden, Cayo Coco stretches for 37 km along the northern coast of Cuba. The island got its name in honor of the coco bird. This is how the Cubans call the most common ibis, which prefers to nest on the island.
For a long time, before the arrival of hoteliers here, who were able to appreciate the tourist potential of the island, Cayo Coco belonged only to various birds - Cubans had never lived here.
Currently, the island operates luxury hotel complexes that provide their guests with a wide range of services. Since there are still no Cuban villages on Cayo Coco, you will have to eat, rent bicycles and book excursions only in hotels.
The island has Jardines del Rey airport, which accepts charter and regular flights. For those who decide to get from Havana to Cayo Coco by land, we recommend taking a regular bus or taxi. They deliver passengers directly to the hotels, since the island is connected to the coast of Cuba by a multi-kilometer embankment (pedal plane). The road was built over the sea and swamps in the 1990s. Travel on it is paid.
Leisure activities
There is not as much entertainment in Cayo Coco as in the larger resort of Varadero. Usually a vacation on the island is recommended for those who decide to spend a couple of weeks in a star pose on the beach and will be happy with it. But active tourists, even on a small piece of land like Koyo Koko, manage to find something to do.
Among the types of recreation for which the island is famous, one can single out:
- beach … Covered with fine white sand shining in the sun, hidden behind palm trees lined with umbrellas, the island's beaches stretch for 27 km. Any ratings of the best beaches in Cuba necessarily include two local sections of the coast - Los Flamencos and Las Colorados;
- active … Cayo Coco is a legendary place where the famous writer Ernest Hemingway once fished. Modern tourists are invited to repeat the feat of the Nobel laureate in literature and go out into the open ocean to catch a blue marlin. Do you want to fish? Then go snorkeling and diving. Near the island there is a picturesque coral reef with a length of 10 km, where animals of different shapes and colors coexist peacefully and not so much. There are 20 dedicated sites for scuba diving. Hikers will be glad to know that about ¾ of the islands are covered with forests, where animals of 200 species live - for example, iguanas, birds. In the jungle and dunes of Loma del Puerto, excursions are conducted, in the mangrove forests, which are located in the south of the island, and boating. Horseback riding is offered on Los Flamencos beach;
- wellness … Each hotel in Cayo Coco has its own, albeit small, spas, where the most popular treatment is massage. The cost of one massage session starts from 20 cookies. Also on the island there is a large spa complex "Spa Acuavida", where you can spend many pleasant hours;
- sightseeing … While relaxing on the island, be sure to visit one of the shows at the local dolphinarium and look at the vivid musical performance in the Cueva del Jabali cave. For the whole day, you can go on a tour of the nearest islands - Cayo Santa Maria and Cayo Guillermo, or go to the main island of Cuba in the city of Ciego de Avila (1.5 hours drive), which is nice to just walk around, looking at the colonial mansions. If you are lucky, you will find yourself at a fair where local craftsmen sell their products.
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Cayo Coco Tours
The cost of tours to Cayo Coco does not depend on the high or low season - there are always a lot of tourists here, thanks to the excellent climate, which experts characterize as temperate tropical. This means that even in summer, when the hottest weather is set on the islands of Cayo Coco and neighboring Cayo Guillermo, there will be no stifling heat that interferes with breathing freely. Firstly, a breeze always blows from the ocean, bringing coolness, and secondly, the same heat is when the air warms up to only +32 degrees. In winter, the air temperature here is kept at around +25 degrees. Interestingly, the water temperature is approximately equal to the air temperature, which makes swimming in Cayo Coco especially comfortable.
As such, there is no rainy season on Cayo Coco. A lot of precipitation falls in May, September and October. But the showers do not fall every day, but about 10 days a month. Therefore, they do not bother tourists at all, which means that the prices for tours to Cayo Coco remain the same.
Hotel base
Hotels occupy the northern part of Cayo Coco Island, while the southern part is considered a conservation area. There are no budget hotels on the island. All hotels operate on an All Inclusive basis.
Some hotels offer accommodation according to the All inclusive Standart system, which guarantees tourists free meals in snack bars and cafes located on the territory of the hotel. Only lunches and dinners in a la carte restaurants are paid additionally.
Some of the hotels on the island are considered more fashionable. They are marked as All inclusive Super and are famous for the fact that the cost of living includes meals in any hotel establishment. Plus, every guest has the right to use the bike at no extra charge for 2 hours a day.
Indeed, you should think about your meals in advance, because there are no “free” restaurants that do not belong to hotels on the island. Local establishments serve Latin American and European cuisines. Order fish and seafood, they are incredibly delicious here.
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