CubaPLUS Magazine

It is a paradisiacal place that can be visited for comprehensive enjoyment.  Those who prefer sea bathing on the Cuban coasts will be delighted and those who love the beauty of wildlife, with its greenery, forests and biodiverse fauna, too. We present here, as the crow flies, the National Marine Park Punta Francés and the beautiful beach of the same name that is inside the perimeter of that ecosystem, belonging to the Isle of Youth, in the special municipality located south of Havana.

As a Park it was established in 1978, in areas of the extreme southeast of the small island, also born with the category of municipality in that date. About 22 kilometers from the picturesque fishing town of Cocodrilo and 122 kilometers from the city of Gerona, it has an area of 6,079 ha., of which more than 4,300 are in the sea. There are archaeological remains that attest to having been an area where the first inhabitants of Cuba lived, Taíno aborigines.

It was also the scene of untimely landings of numerous corsairs and pirates who once sought refuge in the lonely places where they obtained shelter and food. These events occurred between the 17th and 19th centuries and were so repeated and tremendous that gave rise to a rich toponymy for those places. Thus, one of its ends was called Punta Francés, due to incursions by the French sea dog Francois Leclerc, who was the first wooden leg remembered here, in that guild of scoundrels. Another point, called Pedernales, evokes a rather strange rock. used as ballast for boats and as a cannon ball. They say that around the 70s of last century, many experts in marine research and underwater sports began to do dives in that extraordinary marine platform, motivated by its exuberance and natural gifts.

Its varied beaches are impressive, which together with the color of life submerged in the depths, they offer visualizations and not only in matters of landscape that leaves you breathless with their beauty. The coral reefs have survived in fairly good health, and a wide variety of flora and fauna is associated with them: algae, annelids, anemones, sponges, mollusks, fish, crustaceans and soft corals. In such gardens there are very good conditions for the practice of snorkeling, under regulations aimed at protecting the environment´s atmosphere.

The decade of the 80s of the 20th century marked a stage of realization of multiple international underwater photography events, and  later moved on to world championships (1994) and search for treasures (1996). Although it is a maritime area par excellence, the land cover is deep and is home to the most beautiful native birds of the country, such as the tocororo, the national species, the cabrerito and the famous parrots, all protected. The Park, in its terrestrial part, has a calcareous plain where numerous caves appear with  curious blind shrimp. The coastline is partly defended with coastal cliffs, galleries where the sea enters, giving rise to secret underground beaches...

The wonderful beach named Punta Francés, with its 3 km approximately in length, has wide dunes of white and fine sand, ideal for nesting sea turtles, including the Cuban green. But be careful, it is a protected species and its vital processes very well protected by authorities and specialists. Enjoy just looking is something you have to learn and regard at the same time.