Cayo Largo

Cayo Largo is the greatest diving and sunbathing location in Cuba, with some of the most magnificent pristine sands in the Caribbean. The majority of divers visit for the dolphins, groupers, and eagle rays, but there are also nurse sharks and sea turtles to see. On the coral key beaches, hawksbill, green, and loggerhead turtles deposit their eggs. The Sea Turtle Rescue Center in Cayo Largo, which is available to the public, shelters eggs until hatching time in the fall months.

A major tourist attraction of Cayo Largos are the west beaches, Playa Sirena, and Playo Paraiso. These beaches are a kilometer apart, and one may easily walk between them when the tide is not full. Sirena offers full-service facilities for tourists. A shuttle "train" service that takes tourists from the resorts to these beaches is no longer operating though it had been operating for years. Paraiso offers one of the finest undeveloped beaches in the world. Activities on the beach may be curtailed during turtle egg-laying season. The beach has water sports related to the hotels, a restaurant, a dolphin attraction, and docks for catamaran trips. The lee side of the beach features tidal flats where many very large starfish congregate and other tropical fish are easily viewed. Travelers should be advised nudism is tolerated in Cayo Largo and is practiced on the periphery of the resorts in designated areas, and on the many desolate stretches of beaches (20 km) on this island.

Location: Isla de la Juventud, Cuba

Area: 75 km2