Isla de la Juventud

Ships cannot berth here, so passengers reach land by tender.

For travellers, Isla de la Juventud’s principal attraction is its excellent scuba diving.

Bring a printable map.

Isla de la Juventud, or Isle of Youth, lies 100 km. from Havana Province in the Caribbean Sea, south-east of Cuba’s main island and beyond the Batabanó Gulf. The largest island in the Canarreos Archipelago has an area of 2200 sq. km. It was an important anchorage for pirates and corsairs travelling the Caribbean Sea for more than three centuries.

The local tourist industry presents many visitor options, foremost among them the Colony International Diving Center in Punta Francés National Sea Park. It is the traditional setting for Photosub international underwater-photography encounters, demonstrating the excellent quality of its sea bottoms.

Punta del Este Beach has an intriguing cave system. Number 1 Cave is especially remarkable, with over 200 pictograms on its walls made by the island’s aboriginal people.

The beaches are another appealing sight, particularly Bibijagua Beach. Sea erosion of the marble rocks has created its striking black sand.

Cayo Largo del Sur, Cayo Iguana, Cayo Rico, Cayo Rosario and numerous other attractions add to the range of landscapes that make the Isle of Youth exceptionally beautiful.

For longer journeys, official taxis are fairly costly. Short trips around town, to the airport or to nearby beaches should be CUC$2 to CUC$7, while a driver for a full day should cost about CUC$70.

Horse-drawn taxis are also plentiful. Expect roughly CUC$1 to CUC$2 for a short ride, or CUC$4 to CUC$6 per hour.

Presidio Modelo, or Model Prison, is the island’s most promoted sight. About 5km (3 miles) east of Nueva Gerona, its enormous five-story circular prison blocks are grim and imposing, even on a short visit. Fidel Castro and other surviving conspirators were imprisoned there after the unsuccessful Moncada raid.

A turtle hatchery is 20km away, but the park provides no transport.

Much of the merchandise is aimed at tourists taking purchases home. Rum, cigars and coffee are Cuba’s principal tourist exports and can be bought at state-owned shops or on the street. For genuine goods, pay the official price in legal stores.

Be alert to:

Cuban food is notoriously bland because restaurants are government-owned and staffed by underpaid employees. Within Cuba, the better meals are usually in your casa particular or at paladares, locally owned restaurants in private homes.

• Discount cigars that look genuine but have doubtful authenticity, offered by street touts.
• “Friendly” locals may invite tourists for a Mojito at a bar or a meal at a restaurant; the tourist is normally billed two to three times the usual amount, with the establishment and the “friend” sharing the proceeds.
• Bars or taxis may short-change you, or return national pesos (CUP) instead of convertible pesos (CUC).

Most tourists in Cuba use CUC to pay for hotels, official taxis, museum entry, restaurant meals, cigars, rum and more. Exchange into CUC at exchange houses, known as casa de cambio or cadeca, found in many hotels and elsewhere in cities. The Euro is widely accepted, but unfortunately the US$ is not.

Cuba has few ATMs, and credit cards are not widely accepted.

Spanish is Cuba’s official language.

Cuba’s emergency number is 116.

In many cities, tourists can only get online through government communications centers ( ETECSA ). It is expensive, and there is a good chance someone is “watching” what you do on the PC.