Planning to go off the beaten path in Cuba and explore the wilderness of the country? Welcome to Península de Zapata, one of the least populated regions of Cuba and probably the finest for wildlife and nature lovers alike.
Most of the Península de Zapata is protected and part of Ciénaga de Zapata, a nature reserve (also known as Gran Parque Natural Montemar). Its vast swamps and forests create the perfect habitat for diverse wildlife species, including many rare and endemic ones. Since 2001, Ciénaga de Zapata has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Ciénaga de Zapata translates in English to Zapata Swamp.
Beach lovers don’t give just up yet. Península de Zapata has over 30 km of beaches!
Historically speaking, Península de Zapata is also very important. In 1961, the Cuban army had a very crucial battle at Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) against a US-sponsored invasion. Playa Larga and Playa Girón are well known due to this.
Let’s now look at the best things to do at Península de Zapata.
Criadero de Cocodrilos
Founded in 1962, Criadero de Cocodrilos is a crocodile farm next to the main road that heads south in the peninsula. It houses hundreds of animals, separated in pools by age range and species.
Criadero de Cocodrilos plays a big role in conservation and, thanks to its efforts, two very important species have been saved, the endemic Cuban crocodile and the American crocodile.
Here you’ll find the tiniest crocodiles, but also seriously big ones. There are a few over 50 years old! The big guys can eat anything really, for example, big land crabs.
The entry to Criadero de Cocodrilos costs 5 CUC and a guide will explain how everything works there.
Youngsters
Adults
Hi! I’m hungry
You can even “play” and have your picture taken with a small crocodile, whose mouth is safely closed in order not to eat someone’s fingers!
Us and a tiny crocodile
Playa Larga
While visiting Península de Zapata, we stayed at Playa Larga, which happens to be where the headquarters of Parque Nacional Ciénaga de Zapata are located. This National Park is within the limits of Ciénaga de Zapata reserve. It proved to be quite a good location to explore the area.
Our casa particular was literally at the beach and had a lovely view from the balcony. Needless to say that the water was super calm and at a nice temperature. Perfect!
It’s easy to get to Playa Larga since the main road that runs south through the peninsula ends there.
Playa Larga
Playa Gíron
Playa Girón is best-known as the main place of the Bay of Pigs invasion. Museo Girón documents this historic moment.
Ciénaga de Zapata and Laguna de las Salinas
This is probably the biggest reason for a visit to Península de Zapata. The vast Ciénaga de Zapata and Laguna de las Salinas are a paradise of unspoiled nature and vegetation. Hundreds of wildlife species can be found here.
Access to this area is restricted and a guide is necessary. In order to get one, you’ll need to visit the National Park headquarters at the entrance of Playa Larga. For 15 CUC per person, a guide can be hired for half a day, although longer tours can be arranged. A small detail: you need to bring your own car.
Parque Nacional Ciénaga de Zapata
Mangrove
Laguna de las Salinas
The bumpy ride on the gravel road is definitely worth it. There are plenty of opportunities to stop and look for birds, including at some strategically placed lookouts.
The guide will identify the birds as he spots them. It’s heaven on earth for birdwatching! Just take a look at some of the birds we managed to see. And there are many more!
Guide
Pelicans
Reddish Egret
Egret
Falcon
Cuban Trogon
Pure nature
One funny thing about the ride was the crazy amount of crabs. In some areas, they would use all the road and then run away sideways as the car approached.
Zapata Crab!
Spider web
Snorkeling and diving
Definitely one of the best things to do at Península de Zapata is snorkeling and diving. The best spots are located between Playa Larga and Playa Girón, where some facilities that rent appropriate gear can be found.
In some places, all it takes is to park the car right next to the water and jump in. The coral reef is super close to shore and many different species of colorful fish await you!
Also recommended is stopping at Cueva de los Peces, a very popular 70 m deep cenote.
Snorkeling
Laguna del Tesoro
Laguna del Tesoro is a lagoon with small islands. Each island has a hut and the whole area replicates a Taíno village.
How to get to Península de Zapata
Península de Zapata is located in the southern part of the Matanzas province, 150 km from La Habana.
It’s pretty straightforward to drive there as most of the road is on Autopista 1 and then south at Jagüey Grande intersection. Viazul buses also serve the peninsula, stopping in Playa Larga and Playa Girón.
We recommend that you watch our video with the highlights of our trip to Cuba, where some parts of the peninsula are featured! You can see it on our YouTube channel.
Viva Cuba!
28 Comments
Wonderful photos! I’m itching to explore Cuba now that Americans are (sort of more) allowed.
Thank you, Mags! We keep hearing that, looks like it’s going to be very busy there 🙂
Yikes, look at all those crocodiles! We’re going to Cuba in December and i’m very much looking forward to seeing parts of the country that are like what you’ve described. The beaches are so rugged and beautiful.
So many of them. The small ones looked kinda cute but still dangerous! There’s loads to see. Try to go a bit off the normal tourist route and you’ll be amazed.
The beaches in the north are a bit different. In some places truly spectacular. That’s where more of the resorts are (Varadero & Cayo Coco).
My husband and I can’t wait to go to Cuba. We are both nature enthusiasts, and I am a snorkeling junkie. It sounds wonderful!
Cuba it is then! Plenty of opportunities for both.
Cuban sounds amazing, I have always really wanted to go there!! All the places look great and I especially love all the little crabs running across the street! I pictured Finding Nemo with the bubbles. hahahah
We quite enjoyed our trip there!
The crabs were crazy! Never seen anything like it, really. Speeding off the road 🙂
Looks like a bird lover’s dream! I really enjoyed the photos of the crocodiles and you holding the little one. Very cool!
It’s amazing. And the guide told us it was not even the best season. The little crocodile was really nice!
I’ve never seen so many crocodiles in one place before. That must have been impressive to see in person.
Crazy amount of crocodiles! Even the tiny ones were biting each other 🙂
Love Cuba!! We spent 3.5 weeks there a few months ago, but didn’t make it to this area, we were in Cienfuegos though, which is nearby. Thanks for sharing these pics, something for us to see on our next visit 🙂
We really liked it there. It has such an amazing potential, doesn’t it?
Wish we could have stayed that long! We only stayed for a couple of weeks.
That’s a shame. It’s very close. We went to Cienfuegos afterwards.
Cheers!
Beautiful room view. Outstanding wildlife pics. One day –> CUBA!
Cheers Marissa! Hope you make it there.
Beautiful pictures — sounds amazing. I had no idea there were any cenotes in Cuba. Now that tourism is opening to Americans, I’m hoping to visit soon.
Thank you, Erin.
There are, but not as famous as other cenotes found in other countries. This on in particular is quite well known due to the amount of fish you can find there.
Super cool wild life captures. Looks an awesome place.
Cheers!
We have yet to visit Cuba but we’re really hoping to get there asap before things start to change too much. I’m thrilled to see such a diverse amount of birds, I love going bird watching! And, snorkeling! I’d be in heaven. ^_^ Thanks for sharing and informing! 🙂
Thanks! If you love those two things, then Cuba is a place you must visit. It will take a while for things to change dramatically, especially around these nature and more remote parts!
Can you tell me what is the name of the casa where you slept, with bech view? I am searching for the end of january and this looks really good!
Hi Ashely,
Sure. We stayed at Hostal Kiki (you can see more about it here: https://breathewithus.com/casas-particulares-cuba/). The region is really nice and so is the house 🙂
Thank you for your quick reply! I tried to book the casa but I got a few blanco pages so I sent them an email just to be sure. It looks great so I hope they have a room available!
Maybe their site is undergoing maintenance. Definitely easier to email or phone them (if you speak a bit of Spanish). If they don’t, they probably know who does.
Any suggestions for tour companies going from Havana to Zapata? I assume you went by yourself and got a guide there?
Hi Tatiana,
I’m afraid there are not many tour options as this is not a popular tourist destination. We drove there ourselves and got the guide at the national park office. This is a requirement and you won’t be able to enter the park without one.
The other option is to take the Bus (which stops at playa larga) or a taxi. And then hire someone to go with you.
Hope it helps.