These two contiguous islands are connected to the north coast of Cuba by a 27 km long “pedraplén” (stone causeway). They are both great beach holiday places in the Caribbean.

It’s a fabulous drive. On clear days, the transparent, mirror-calm waters reflect the clouds and the distant cays seem to float in midair, shimmering in the heat like a sort of dream world.
Cayo Coco, which is named for a bird – the roseate ibis, or coco –, is the most important island of the King’s Gardens sub-archipelago, with about 370 km2, and boasts 21 kilometers of superlative beaches and limpid waters in stunning tones of blue and green.

Cayo Coco is the home of Cuba’s largest flamingo colony, with thousands of them concentrated between Punta Almácigo and Punta del Perro, where the rose-pink birds seem to float atop the water, like fire mirages.

Flamingos are just one of the 158 bird species in Cayo Coco, including the miniature hummingbird, ibis, herons, Cuban Cuckoo, egrets, sea swallows, as well as migratory birds that flock here in vast number.

Cayo Guillermo (13, 2 km2) lies three kilometers west of Cayo Coco to which it is joined by means of nother "pedraplén" elevated over the pavonine waters.

Cayo Guillermo is a welcoming and quiet beach place that stands out for having the highest dunes among all the Caribbean islands, which can reach up to 15 m high, by Playa Larga (Long Beach), at the far western end. At low tide, you can wade out for 400 meters or more on the sandbars.

The inshore fishing in Cayo Guillermo is great, the waters host plenty of bonefish, snapper, grouper and mackerel.

Farther out, beaked marlin and swordfish run through the Old Bahamas Channel.

Both, Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo are nestled into the Jardines del Rey (Gardens of the King) Archipelago, named in such a way in 1514 by conqueror Diego Velázquez, honoring his king, Fernando de Aragón.

This region has one of the longest coralline barriers of the world, about 400 km long.