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May 31st, 2010 admin

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The Island Of Youth, Cuba

La Isla de la Juventud (The Isle of Youth) is located to the South of Havana, a Little more than 100 kilometers from the Surgidero de Batabanó (The emergence of Batabanó). Stretching for around 2200 square kilometers, it’s the largest of the 672 keys and islets that make up the the Archipelago of Los Canarreos. The island is rich in legends, adventures and traditions, and it’s called the island of 1000 names because of the many nominations it has received throughout the years. Its capital, Nueva Gerona, was founded on December 17th, 1830, under the name of Queen Amalia, in honor of the then wife of King Fernando VII. The preserved architecture of the area is eclectic, with some neoclassical details.

The admiral Christopher Columbus discovered the island when making his second trip to the area, on June 13th, 1494, and spent a great deal of time here on subsequent trips to the New Continent. Originally called San Juan Evangelista by Columbus, the place has also been known as “La Isla de las Cotorras” (The Island of Parrots), one of its first names from a time when the island served as shelter for pirates and buccaneers. According to the legend, pirates used to keep their stolen treasure safe in the caves of the island, hence its other name: La Isla del Tesoro (The Island of treasure). However, the name of “La Isla de Pinos” (The Isle of Pines) still stands today, with an origin that goes back to the Caribbean pine forests occupying a considerable portion of the region. As the second largest island in the country, most Cubans just refer to the Isle of Youth as “La Isla”.

Beset by several charms, “La Isla” is no ordinary island. Along with the thick tropical forests, you can find enormous iguanas, “jutías”, “rabiche” pigeons, and wild pigs, among other animal species, and plants such as “yagrumas”, cedar trees, palms, “ocujes”, avocados, coffee, 20 different types of mango and 10 types of bamboo, together making up a rich and diverse jungle. Another wonderful attraction of the isle are its beautiful beaches, some of them with black sand, like the Bibijagua Beach. The International Diving Center “El Colony” boasts extremely white and fine sand, and is considered one of the most attractive spots for diving in the whole country with 56 diving sites, a huge variety of fish within 30 meters of depth, and vertical sight between 25 and 28 meters.

“La Isla” also has some places of cultural and historical interest, such as the “Presidio Modelo” (Model Prison), a prison of excellence built by the end of the first half of the 12th century and where Fidel and the survivors of the attack on the Moncada Barracks on July 26, 1953 served their sentence. Another interesting place is the Caves of Punta del Este, featuring singular exponents of Cuban aborigines’ cave art, especially the collection known as “guayabo blanco” (white guava tree), from the Siboney culture, paintings made by the Indians living here before. Cuban archeologists have described the place as the Sistine Chapel of cave art in the insular Caribbean for preserving 235 indigenous pictographies, more than anywhere else in the Antilles, where you can also admire a lunar calendar, formed by 56 concentric circles (in black and red) and the nine planets of the solar system. The caves were discovered in 1910, by the French Saxon Freeman P. Lagne.

The name of the “Isla de la Juventud” was given to the island in 1976 with the new political-administrative division and it originated from the schools for Latin American and African students organized by the Cuban Revolution as part of its plan for assisting Third World countries. Travel to “La Isla” can be done by plane, ferry, or catamaran and it has modest hotel and services facilities. The marvelous Cayo Largo del Sur also belongs to “La Isla”.

About the Author

This guide to Cuba’s Island of Youth was written by a Cuba travel expert from Cuba For Less, a specialist in fully customizable Cuba vacations.

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