Where is Cayo Cruz?

Cayo Cruz is a long and narrow key in the Jardines del Rey (King's Gardens). This archipelago extends for 200 kilometres (120 miles) and is located off the north coast of the main island of Cuba (Atlantic Ocean side), between the provinces of Villa Clara, Ciego de Avila and Camaguey. The Jardines del Rey Archipelago is itself part of a larger chain of islands called Sabana-Camaguey which includes about 2,500 islets.

Cayo Cruz is about 70 km east of Cayo Coco. See the map above, and the interactive map at the bottom of the page. The island of Cayo Cruz is connected to the west with its immediate neighbor, Cayo Romano, by a 5-km causeway; it is also connected to the south with mainland Cuba by a 12-km causeway to Playa Jigúey in the Camaguey province. Another series of roads, bridges and causeways that run across Cayo Romano and above water link Cayo Coco and Cayo Cruz, allowing easy access to the Cayo Coco International Airport (Jardines del Rey Aeropuerto).

Transfer time from Cayo Coco Airport (CCC) to Cayo Cruz is approximately 1 hour; a little more than Cayo Guillermo (45-50 minutes).
There are no villages to cross. About 10 km east of Cayo Coco Airport, we reach the first bridge, called “Puente la Pasa”, which divides the provinces of Ciego de Avila and Camaguey. Another 10 km further, we cross the access road to Cayo Paredon Grande (the new tourist destination in the Jardines del Rey archipelago), the road continues through Cayo Romano (the largest island of the archipelago) until reaching the bridge (~5 km long) that link Cayo Romano and Cayo Cruz.

Cayo Cruz is about 32 km2 (12.3 sq.mi), roughly the same size and shape as Cayo Largo (another popular island resort south of Cuba). The beaches of Cayo Cruz extend almost the entire length of the east coast of the island, while the west coast is mainly covered with mangroves. These gorgeous beaches are made of extremely fine white sand and are bathed by turquoise and crystalline waters

The western part of the Jardines del Rey archipelago, where Cayo Cruz is located, is part of Camaguey province; unlike Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo which are in the province of Ciego de Avila further east. These cayos are all uninhabited (no cities, villages or farms), they are developed mainly for tourism. Only tourist facilities and infrastructures are found on these resort islands known for their pristine beaches and rich seabed. The marine park that surrounds Cayo Cruz has been a prime destination for sport fishing for many years.

The Jardines del Rey archipelago includes two tourist poles, the first one simply called "Jardines del Rey" includes the island resorts of Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Paredon and Cayo Cruz. And further west, the tourist center called "Cayos de Villa Clara" which includes the island resorts of Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Ensenachos and Cayo Las Brujas.

© Google Earth. Click or move your mouse pointer over the markers to view description. Click & Drag to change map area and see other points of interest in the region. Zoom in or out using the + and - buttons or your mouse's wheel.

Lily & Normand
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