With a moderate Tropical Relief, its mains attractions are its white fine sand beaches and its well-preserved seabed.. The beaches are concentrated on the south side of the key and extend for 24 km to the Caribbean Sea. All offers excellent conditions for outdoor recreation and the practice of water sports. The sand is of chemical origin, fine and white, meaning that it does not heat up. There are two of the best beaches in the world, according to clients who visit it:: Playa Sirena and Playa Paraiso.
Isle of Youth
It is located in the south-occidental part of Cuba, is the second largest island in the Cuban archipelago, is part of Los Canarreos archipelago and has a total extension of 2,204 km2. Located in Batabanó’s Gulf and at the north of Caribbean Sea, on the occidental region of Cuba, in 21°42’ north latitude and 82 ° 50 'west longitude. Has a total extension of 2, 419.27 km² and represents the 2.2% of the total Surface of the Republic of Cuba. Its northern borders limits with Batabanó’s Gulf; at east with the insular platform of the south of Matanzas; at South with the Caribbean Sea and West with the waters of the insular platform of Pinar del Rio.
It’s located just 55 nautical miles of “Isla Grande” and 69 nautical miles away from the famous Touristic Polo “Cayo Largo”.
In the relief of Isle of Youth stand out two different landscapes: the plains and heights of the north, with an area of 1 312 km2 (rolling plains; savannas and valleys; highlighting some elevations, La Cañada is the most elevated with 303 meter of height, that dominates the whole island, the sea that surrounds it and the heights of the other marmoreal elevations; Caballos mountain range 298 meters; Las Casas mountain range 270 meters, formed by two mountain chains that extends from north to south of almost 4km long, both divided by an open and several glens; Colombo mountain and La Daguilla, among others.) and south plains, that has a total surface of 850km2 very plain and with no rivers separated both with a natural border: Ciénega de Lanier (38 km²) (located at north being the natural border of the northern part of the island and the south) and the locals have baptized as “el Sur”, as a way to highlight its characteristics. A narrow natural bridge of rocks holds the only terrestrial way of communications between both regions in the zone of Cayo Piedra.
Divided this zone in Ciénega Oriental and Ciénega Occidental, constitutes a karst plain, totally covered by natural vegetation. Highlights the Caudal Mountain with a height of 30m, completely made of marble.
Isle of Youth has more than 30km of extension, has sandy beaches, alternating with cliffs and mangroves. Has cost lagoons surrounded of mangroves in the back of the dunes or the rocky coast.
The cays are extended in the extreme of this place of ecologic interest, because they are refugee for valuable species of flora and fauna. The fine and white sands of its beaches has a high touristic value.
Seas, Shores and Beaches
The sea that surrounds Isla de la Juventud on the west, north and east part, the deepest parts do not pass the 10 meters, and the average are 7 meters. These seas of low depth comprise 34.145 km2 which conditions large amounts of steam water, raising the latent heat and consequently increasing the average regimes of temperature, precipitation and humidity.
The cliff coast is the least predominant. In the northern coast are the Colombo and Punta Bibijagüa mountains, while in the southern coast are located in Punta del Este and Punta Francés.
The north beaches are small with back and grey sands that contrast with the extensive beaches and fine white sands of the south beaches which have wide beaches with several seabed sceneries and a wide variety of corals, gorgonians, sponges and an immense variety of fish species.
Grounds
In the Isle of Youth predominate the Hydromorphic soils on the coasts, ferralitic in the north and center, to the south are humic calcimorfics
The north zone is rich in minerals, like rock crystal, iron, marbles, kaolin, gold, sand silica and others. It can produce a great variety of farm products; Such as grapefruit, orange, lemon, melon, watermelon, mango, guava, pump fruit, soursop, cimito, chirimoya, cashew, pineapple, mamey, avocado, breadfruit, tamarind, potato, yam, malanga, yucca, cane Sugar, beans, corn, tobacco, onion, garlic, tomato, pepper, chili, lettuce, cabbage, rice and others.
The southern part is a rocky plain with marsh forest, gallery and mangrove forests.