If you’re an avid eco-traveller or you simply want to explore the greenest of sights during your next holiday break, Cuba holidays have everything to offer you; from fantastic historical sites, to a vibrant, intoxicating culture and on top of this, unrivalled eco-tourism opportunities. If you want to experience really diverse flora and fauna Cuba, then one of your best options is to head to the Zapata Peninsula and the Cienaga de Zapata National Park. Both will satisfy even the most experienced eco-traveller and the most enthusiastic animal and nature lover.
The Zapata Pennisular is the largest insular wetland in the Caribbean, with 70{a70c91ee53366846886d8765ec7a8767f2dfb0777e317852963018425441c163} of it making up a protected biosphere reserve known as the Cienaga de Zapata National Park. It’s so large than many areas of it are pretty much in untouched virginal state at its wildest and purest, just waiting for you to come and explore the rich diversity of wildlife and plant life.
Here you’ll see beguiling lagoons, running canals and a thriving community of endemic Cuban crocodiles, a species unique to Cuba’s archipelago. Other endemic reptiles you’ll see in Cienaga de Zapata include the Cuban boa, manatees (also known as sea cows) and jutias (an almost extinct large rat-like creature the size of a rabbit, also known as banana rats and indigenous to Cuba).
There are over 175 bird species in this amazing nature reserve including the Cuban parrot, the osprey, the local rail and the famous bee hummingbird, a minuscule bird which is the same size as the end of a human thumb! The park is also home to the most well preserved Mungrove forest in Cuba , yet another attraction that makes it ideal for fantastic ecological experiences during green Cuba holidays in on of the island’s most treasured natural landscapes.
Activities available in the Cienaga de Zapata National Park include sport fishing, scuba diving and a small museum to give you further information about the area’s natural habitat.
Another thing to see is the reconstruction of a traditional Guama Taino Village. Home to 32 sculptures depicting the way of life of the now extinct aborigines that first inhabited the island; it gives a great insight into aboriginal life before modernisation, and is located in the centre of the Tesoro Lagoon. Access is by boat. The Tesoro Lagoon, near the national park, is the place to go for excellent diving and fishing. It’s a four-metre deep natural reservoir which has a healthy population of golden trout. Care has been taken to preserve the natural wildlife and plant life in this area, so the eco-system here is pretty much untouched.
