The
province of Villa Clara is located on the central region of the Isle of
Cuba, less than 300 km. (185 miles) from Havana, Cuba’s capital.
From Caibarién, a fishermen’s village surrounded by deep waters home to important lobster farms, a 48 km. road built of stones (called pedraplén), stretches across the sea, linking the main island with keys like Santa María, Las Brujas (which has a small airfield), Ensenachos, Cobos, Majá, Fragoso, Francés, Las Picúas and Español de Adentro, among others.
This important engineering work has 45 bridges to allow the exchange of tidal waters. It’s a very nice ride across this pedraplén because the visitor may see species like sparrow hawks, pelicans, oldsquaws and the astonishing pink flamingos.
The
northern keys have several kilometers of excellent beaches and an almost
virgin environment. They also constitute a true natural reserve (Fauna
Reserve of the Northern Keys) for a unique kind of hutía (cane
rat), and a meeting place for flamingo colonies. Besides there are endemic
species of lizards, mollusks and birds like the one called arriero, along
with a flora comprising 248 species, 91 of them medicinal, 72 timber-yielding,
41 honey-producing and 40 decorative. 29 of them are endemic.
In this key can be seen tocororos (Cuba’s national birds having the colors of its flag), corúas, woodpeckers and sparrow hawks, as well as deer, various kinds of hutías, among which the hutía of Cayo Fragoso stands out, and the blue lizard of Cayo Santa María.
In
the keys belonging to the reserve can also be found caves near the beaches,
where visitors have the opportunity to see remnants of the island’s
pre-Columbian cultures.
As to the sea bottom, west of Cayo Santa María the combination of a rocky seabed with coral reefs lessens the impact of the wind, keeps the beaches from heavy waves and acts as a shelter for dozens of exceedingly beautiful species, making it and ideal site for diving and submarine photography.
All this features have made of these keys one of the most exotic places in the Caribbean. Some of them have been designated Protected Areas and one of them, Cayo Santa María, a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
Popularly
baptized as the white rose of the Jardines Del Rey (King’s Gardens)
it stretches for just 13 km., almost all of them consisting of matchless
beaches of very fine white sand, quiet, limpid, crystal-clear waters.
It has a coral barrier that reduces the effect of the wind on the beaches,
keeps heavy waves at bay and allows a wide variety of species to inhabit
the bottom of its sea. These features also make diving and submarine photography
extremely attractive.
This key its home to the famous cave known as Pelo de Oro (Golden Hair), named after a local legend about a coalman from Canary Islands that once dwelt on this cavern and had a daughter whose blond hair earned her this nickname. Archeology can be practiced in this area, as well as in La Cueva del Muñeco (in neighboring Cayo Ensenachos). Caimán Grande’s Lighthouse is also worth visiting.
