Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- The Aeropuerto Internacional Jardines del Rey, Carretera a Cayo Coco (tel. 33/30-9165; airport code CCC), accepts international flights from Canada, Mexico, Germany, the U.K., and Spain. There are twice-daily domestic flights on AeroCaribbean (tel. 33/30-9106) from Havana for CUC$108 (US$117/£58).

The hotels all have airport pickup services for clients. If you have not prearranged transportation to your hotel, there are usually a couple of state-owned taxis hanging about. The fare from Aeropuerto Internacional Jardines del Rey is about CUC$8 (US$8.65/£4.30) to Cayo Coco and CUC$14 (US$15/£7.55) to Cayo Guillermo.

By Bus -- If you're traveling independently to the cays from within Cuba, getting there on your own without a rental car or legal taxi is complicated. The only bus services that travel across the checkpoint are those belonging to official tour operators, such as Cubanacán, Cubatur, and Havanatur. All of these operators offer package deals and transportation options to the cays from all of their major operational points, including Havana, Santiago, Varadero, Trinidad, and Ciego de Avila.

A more complicated way to the cays is to take a Víazul (tel. 7/881-1413; www.viazul.com) bus to Ciego de Avila, and then hire a taxi all the way to the cays for CUC$40 to CUC$50 (US$43-US$54/£22-£27). All Víazul buses on the Havana-Santiago route stop in Ciego de Avila. The fare is CUC$30 (US$32/£16) from Havana, and CUC$26 (US$28/£14) from Santiago. Make sure you hire a state cab, as a driver with his own car is still not allowed to transport foreigners to the cays.

By Car/Taxi -- To drive to the cays, head north out of Ciego de Avila toward the city of Morón, and follow the signs out to the cays. You can pick up a taxi in either Ciego de Avila or Morón, the two nearest cities of note. Call Turistaxi (tel. 335/22-9997 in Ciego de Avila) or Cubataxi (tel. 33/22-3129). A taxi from Trinidad costs CUC$100 (US$108/£54). One has to pass a guarded checkpoint with a toll each way of CUC$2 (US$2.15/£1.10) to access the pedraplén that bridges the distance between the mainland and the cays.

Getting Around

You won't get very far on foot. The cays are deceptively large, and there's no place to go on foot anyway, unless you want to visit an adjacent hotel. The best way to get around the cays is by moped. Most of the hotels have mountain bikes (free for guests) and mopeds that rent for CUC$20 (US$22/£11) a day.

There is a tourist bus, Jardines del Rey Bus Tour, which makes the entire circuit from one end of Playa Coco to the far end of Playa Guillermo. The bus runs around every 1 1/2 hours, and costs CUC$5 (US$5.40/£2.70).

All of the hotels can call you a cab, or you can try Taxi OK (tel. 33/30-2222). If you prefer to drive yourself, there are car-rental companies located on both Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo, and the majority of the hotels have agencies on the premises. Havanautos has an office at Calle Libertad between Honrato del Castillo and Maceo, Ciego de Avila (tel. 33/21-2570); Cubacar has an office at the bus terminal in Ciego de Avila (tel. 33/22-5105) and in the Hotel Morón in Morón (tel. 33/50-2028); Micar has agencies in Ciego de Avila (tel. 33/26-6169). All have operational centers on Jardines del Rey, with desks at most of the major hotels. Due to high demand and isolation, rates are relatively expensive on the cays, about CUC$80 to CUC$100 (US$86-US$108/£43-£54) per day for a standard four-door vehicle. You're sometimes better off renting a car in Ciego de Avila or another city before traveling to the cays.

All the hotels offer a variety of organized excursions, either directly or through tour representatives, which transport guests by bus or minibus from one cay to the other, or to other destinations, such as Playa Pilar on Cayo Guillermo. You're probably just as well off using whatever operator is working out of your hotel, or you can call Cubanacán (tel. 33/30-1225), Cubatur (tel. 33/30-1029), or Havanatur (tel. 33/30-1371) to set something up.

Orientation

Banco Financiero Internacional (tel. 33/30-1252) has several branches on the cays. For medical attention, go to Clínica Internacional Cayo Coco (tel. 33/30-8150), next to the Villa Gaviota on Cayo Coco.

Several of the hotels have Internet access for their guests. International and domestic mail can be handled at any of the hotels.