Jardines de la Reina Shark Sanctuary

Jardines de la Reina archipelago, Ciego de Ávila · Cuba

Moderate8 daysNorth America~£3,000 est.

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Overview

Fidel Castro's favourite fishing ground became Cuba's strictest marine park, and half a century of protection shows the Caribbean as it looked before us: elkhorn thickets, goliath grouper, and more sharks per dive than anywhere else in the region. A dozen Caribbean reef sharks escort you down the mooring line as a matter of routine; silkies gather under the swim platform at dusk. In the mangrove shallows you can snorkel eye to eye with American crocodiles under a guide's exacting choreography. Access is deliberately hard. Fly to Havana, drive five hours to the little port of Júcaro, then cruise three to five more into the archipelago, sleeping aboard a liveaboard or the Tortuga floating lodge. Visitor numbers are capped, so berths book out months ahead. November to April is the dry, settled season. Eight days runs about £3,000 including transfers from Havana. Bring cash for the marina, spares for your kit and no expectation of Wi-Fi — that is rather the point.