This is a unique place of unearthly beauty.
Christopher Columbus is considered the official discoverer of America, but this great Navigator also discovered many other new to Europeans lands. Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the lesser Antilles and the Bahamas is only a small list of his achievements.
In the same row — an archipelago lying in the Caribbean sea, 97 km on South from the Central coast of Cuba. It was opened in 1494, during the Second expedition of Columbus, and was named in honor of the Queen of Spain: Jardines de La Reina (Jardines de la Reina), which translates as “Gardens of the Queen”. The archipelago consists of about three dozen regular Islands, is virtually uninhabited (total area of 175 square kilometers lives of 12 people), as well as numerous sand banks, creating small Islands on top of coral reefs.
Pristine Islands, untouched by man, which grow impenetrable mangrove swamps inhabited by crocodiles, turtles, iguanas and other fauna, can really be compared to the beautiful gardens, but the beauty of Jardines de La Reina was under water: it is a coral reef that extends for nearly 150 kilometers.
In 1996 Cuba included the archipelago, and waters in the national Park. Tourists come here for diving, allowing you to admire the amazing marine life. Dives here are safe and protected from strong sea currents, the water temperature is comfortable from +26 to +29 ° C, visibility is over 30 meters.
In this protected area with a total area of 2170 square kilometers there are no hotels (you can only stay aboard the floating hotel “Tortuga” or more vessels for dive Safari), and fishing on an industrial scale is forbidden, which helped to keep the diverse and colorful underwater world. The reef is inhabited by sponges, corals, mollusks, jellyfish and fish — including sharks of several species.
