Isla De La Juventud (Special Municipality) Pop 86,420
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Isla de la Juventud (Special Municipality) pop 86,420
Why Go? Isla de la An enigma even by Cuban standards, the metaphoric com- Juventud...... 169 ma of land off mainland Cuba’s southwest coast is the sixth Nueva Gerona...... 169 largest island in the Caribbean. Amply stocked with pine trees, fruit plantations, prisons masquerading as museums East of Nueva Gerona...... 174 and the odd disheveled beach or three, La Isla’s attractions are defiantly esoteric. The Cayman Islands, this most cer- South of Nueva tainly isn’t. If you thought ‘mainland’ Cuba was stuck in a Gerona...... 176 time warp, try blowing the dust off Nueva Gerona where the The Southern main street doubles up as a baseball diamond, and the food Military Zone...... 177 ‘scene’ is still stuck in the Special Period. Of the small trickle Cayo Largo of people that make it this far, the majority come to dive del Sur...... 177 in some of the most pristine reefs in the Caribbean. Others revel in the becalmed island ambience and hospitable locals. Further east, Cayo Largo de Sur is La Isla’s polar opposite, Best Beaches a manufactured tourist enclave renowned for its wide (nud- ist) beaches beloved by package tourists. ¨¨Playa Sirena (p177) ¨¨Cayo Rico (p178) ¨¨Playa Larga (p177) When to Go ¨¨Punta Francés (p171) ¨¨The beach life, diving and snorkeling are highlights of La Isla, Cayo Largo or any of the other mini-paradises in the Archipiélago de los Canarreos. The hottest times are the best: July to August along with the cooler-but-balmy high Best Places to season in December to April. Stay ¨¨Anglers may wish to flock to Cayo Largo’s September ¨ ¨Sol Cayo Largo (p179) fishing tournaments. ¨¨Playa Blanca Beach Resort (p179) ¨¨Villa Choli – Ramberto Pena Silva (p171) ¨¨Hotel Colony (p176)
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the wide, white white wide, the nudist) (sometimes Cayo to beaches Playa del Sur’s Largo (p177). Sirena on local life in petite, in petite, life on local Gerona Nueva sleepy (p169). walls, coral gardens gardens coral walls, at Punta and caves the (p171), Francés in dive to place best Cuba. ominous prison where where prison ominous was Fidel Castro incarcerated once Modelo at Presidio (p174). 7 6 5 4 3 2 Highlights Juventud 1 Isla de la revolutionary days days revolutionary at the by gone of hacienda home Museo Martí, José (p170). Abra el Finca nesting on the on nesting of moonlit beaches del Sur Largo Cayo (p177). important crocodile crocodile important project conservation Criadero at the Isla’s (p176). Cocodrilo Special Municipality) de l a Juventud Highlights
Isla de la Juventud ( 168