Playa Giron "The Bay of Pigs"
On the southern edge of Cuba’s coastline, stretching between the quiet beach towns of Playa Giron and Playa Larga, sits the infamous Bay of Pigs. Well known for America’s failed attempt to invade Cuba, this historical place is mainly visited for it’s beaches and diving.
Giron, the main town along the bay, consists of one long and mostly vacant main road that connects the local village with Villa Playa Giron and the beach. The Viazul bus stops along here and it is scattered with a couple cafes and very limited convenience stores. The village is home to a couple other restaurants but is mostly made up of locals and casa particulars.
What To See & Do In The Bay Of Pigs
Museo de Playa Giron
The Playa Giron Museum, featuring a plane and a tank outside the entrance, is located along the towns’ main road. The museum takes you through Cuba’s perspective of the events leading up to the failed 1961 US invasion of Cuba during the Cold War. The rooms are filled with display cases housing artifacts and photos from the conflict. There is not much English so make sure you take your google translate app and set it to camera mode.
Two years in the making, the plan was originally devised by the Eisenhower government and carried out under J.F.Kennedy. The CIA operation used trained Cuban exiles to carry out the attack in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro and his communist regime. Castro, pre-warned of the attack, was prepared. After two US ships were sunk by Cuban forces, 1400 men were left stranded in the bay, abandoned by the US. The majority were captured and used to negotiate a $53 million food and medical supplies exchange. As is showcased throughout the museum, Cuba takes great pride in this defeat over the USA.
Playa Los Cocos
About a 1km walk from Playa Giron, along a very dilapidated and crumbling sea walk, is Playa Los Cocos. The stretch of sandy beach with palm thatched umbrellas and plenty of shady palms, is backed onto by a small park area lined with pop up food trucks and shacks selling cold beers and cocktails.
Villa Playa Giron
The only hotel in town, Villa Playa Giron hotel backs onto Giron beach. Opposite the shore is a breakwater of sorts, which means you won’t find the same clear blue waters that you get down the road at Playa Los Cocos. The resort offers a tour desk and an international diving centre, however after countless visits neither of them appeared to ever be open. There is a pool onsite as well as a bar and restaurant. The local shuttle bus that runs between Giron and Playa Larga departs from out front.
Diving
The main reason I came to the Bay of Pigs was to dive! The bay is lined with dive centres and offer some of the cheapest in Cuba at just $25CUC per dive. The main 5 centres are Octopus Club in Playa Larga, Cueva de los Peces and Punta Perdis along the coastal road, Playa Giron International dive centre (which I never once saw open) and Caleta Buena south of Giron. With the main dive centre closed everytime I went to inquire, I ended up organising my dives through my casa host. At 9am a navy blue vintage American car pulled up to collect me along with some others from the area and we headed up along the coastal road to Cueva de los Peces.
Fish cave is named so for the cenote (below), dubbed the largest flooded cave in Cuba, which is 70m deep. This dive centre is SSI qualified and the experienced instructors will take you cave diving or out into the Caribbean Sea. I opted to head out on a shore dive and explore the reef. With amazing visibility, we swam among curious yellowtail snappers, parrotfish, butterfly fish and blue tang and also spotted a moral eel. We swam along the reef edge, which was full of green, purple and yellow corals and tube sponges until we reached an old ship wreck. Alternatively for non-divers you can also hire snorkelling equipment and explore closer to shore.
Gran Parque Natural Montemar
Also known as Zapata Swamp National Park, the Great Montemar Natural Park is home to the largest swamp in Cuba. The National Park Office, located in Playa Larga, is open everyday from 8am to 4:30pm and organises guided tours. Just a few of the tours they offer include Las Salinas which starts at $35CUC for the taxi ride there plus another $15CUC for entrance and a guide. The Laguna de las Salinas is popular for birdwatchers with thousands of flamingos and other birdlife migrating annually. Cuba has 28 species of endemic birds and you can look for these on the Reserva de Bermejas guided tours, starting at $25CUC. The best season for birdwatching is November to March. There is also a 4km walk called The Enigmas of the Rocks which they offer for $30CUC.
I also inquired about some other National Park tours at a nearby tourist office who told me I would need to call a lady named Lidia. But being in a tiny town in Cuba meant that Lidia appeared on my bus back to Giron looking for me to give me information on her tours. She offered a 3 hour guided tour of the Enigmas of the Rocks trail, including a horse and cart to the entrance for 15CUC with the chance to see tocororos, an endemic bird. She also offered a full day National Park tour for 70CUC. For anyone interested in more information contact Lidia locally on +53 5398 5833 or 4598 4135.
Where to Stay In Playa Giron
Both villages in Playa Giron and Playa Larga have a huge
selection of casa particulars. I had pre-booked Hostal Tia Emilia. It was in
the perfect location for my budget, just 500m down the road from the Viazul bus
and 15 minutes from Los Cocos beach. The casa has 3 bedrooms in total, so it’s
a good place to meet other traveller’s. Unlike other casas I’d stayed at it
lacked the personal touch, however that is not to say my host was not friendly
or helpful. He just was not there very often, so it was hard to ask questions.
He still organised an amazing day of diving for me and did his best to
communicate despite our language barrier. Breakfast was huge and served in
their outdoor dining area. My room was very spacious and had an ensuite,
personal air conditioner and mini fridge.
Getting To & Around Playa Giron
Viazul
The Viazul bus operates three times day from Havana to Playa Larga/Playa Giron, stopping here on the way to Cienfuegos and Trinidad. There is one service daily from here to Havana and also one to Varadero. The station is a small office, tucked around the corner from the main drag in Playa Giron. I would recommend booking in advance to avoid being on stand by like I was. I managed to make it on my bus but had no seat for most of the ride.
Local Shuttle Bus
There is a local shuttle bus which travels from Villa Playa Giron, along the coastal road down to Caleta Buena, then heads north past Punta Perdiz and Cueva de los Peces, through Playa Larga and on to Criadero de Cocodrilos, a crocodile farm about 10km north of Playa Larga. The shuttle is meant to run twice daily at 9am and again at 1pm, however I caught the bus from Villa Playa Giron at 10:30am, so check times locally.
