Beaches in Cuba

The largest island in the Caribbean, with a north coast of white sand and reef facing the Straits of Florida and a south coast of mangrove, cays and swamp. Varadero and the northern cays hold the resort industry; almost everything else is used by Cubans, and the two operate largely as separate worlds. Beaches are public throughout the country, including in front of the resorts, which is worth knowing precisely because of that separation. The northern cays are reached by causeways built across shallow lagoons — engineering that damaged water circulation and has since been partly corrected by cutting openings through it, a rare case of a coastal mistake being retrofitted. Playa Girón on the southern coast is the Bay of Pigs, with a reef wall a short swim offshore and a museum behind the sand. Hurricane season runs June to November and this island is among the most frequently struck in the Caribbean. Practically: connectivity is limited and patchy, cards issued by American banks do not work at all, and cash in euros or another hard currency remains the reliable option. Casas particulares rather than hotels are how most independent visitors stay, including on the coast, and the dry season runs December to April.

The two are different kinds of shore. The sand is coral sand throughout, and both sit on water a reef protects. Together they account for 22 km of shore. · computed from the 2 records below