In Cayo Santa Maria and Cayo Ensenachos, there is a wide variety of excursions. These destinations are islands, so there are several marine excursions. A great opportunity to discover the beauty of the « Jardines del Rey ». The excursions by boat or catamaran are from the Marina in Cayo Las Brujas (15 minutes from the hotels).
New excursions have been added since 2002 and others are no longer available. All these excursions are offered by foreign tour operators (Canadian, European, etc.) as well as Gaviota Tours, the exclusive tour operator in Cayo Santa Maria and Cayo Ensenachos.
You are not required to purchase your excursion from the tour operator who sold you your travel package, but it is suggested. Representatives who sell these trips are paid by a commission. If you do not like the services of the representative, you are free to buy from other tour operators. It is always recommended to book your excursion early, as some are very popular and places are limited.
To pick your excursion, you have three choices ...
Click HERE to vote for your favorite excursion. This will help people to decide what is the best excursion in Cayo Santa Maria. You may change your choice at any time.
For excursions outside Cayo Santa Maria, it is advisable to bring your passport and tourist card. You can pay either in cash (CUC) or credit card. Note that there is no ATM in Cayo Santa Maria and the price does not include the tips for guide and driver. For a full day excursion, the average tip is 5 CUC for the guide and 3 CUC for the bus driver.
VISA and MASTERCARD credit cards are accepted in Cuba, except those issued by U.S. banks such as American Express, Citibank, Capital One and MBNA. The excursion is charged in USD rather than CUC because it is not a currency that exists in the international market. The transaction is converted into USD at a ratio of one to one.
YOU cannot get Convertible Pesos outside Cuba. Always bring with you Canadian dollars (or Euros) but NOT USD dollars because you will have to pay an extra 10%.
Tips? Pesos? Money exchange? Electricity? Customs? Formalities? etc... We invite you to visit our cubainfos.net website to learn what you should know efore a trip to Cuba.
WARNING! If you want to cancel your excursion, it must be done 24 hours in advance. Otherwise, you will be charged a penalty fee, which could be up to 50% of the price. You must go to the lobby 10 minutes before departure time with your voucher in hand. DO NOT leave your room without the voucher as you may be refused to get onboard. Some excursions like the catamaran are weather permitting.
NEW! The dolphinarium is now open! It is located 1 km from Cayo Ensenachos (5 km from Cayo Santa Maria). Previously, you had to go in the province of Cienfuegos (three hours by bus).
