Cuba Guide
Varadero and Matanzas
Península de Zapata
The whole southern section of the province is taken up by the Península de Zapata, also known as the Ciénaga de Zapata, a large, flat national park covered by vast tracts of open swampland and contrastingly dense forests. The largest but the least populated of all Cuba's municipalities, the peninsula is predominantly wild and unspoilt, making it an ideal location for getting first-hand experience of Cuban animal life, including boars, mongoose and iguana. Its proximity to the migratory routes between the Americas makes it a birdwatcher's paradise as well, as do the endemic species that live here, amongst them the Zapata Rail and the Cuban Pygmy Owl.
There are a large number of casas particulares on the peninsula, predominantly in the tiny village of Australia, near to the Finca Fiesta Campesina, and in the small crops of houses dispersed around Playa Larga and Playa Girón.
Hidden away in the woods on the northwestern edge of Zapata is the base camp for boat trips on the peninsula's widest river, the Hatiguanico. As the slow motorboats make their way down the tree-lined canal to the river, the abundance of birdlife becomes obvious as Zapata sparrows swoop across the water, Cuban green woodpeckers stare through the branches and a whole host of other birds flock over the untouched landscape. After the river opens out into an Amazonian-style waterscape, it curves gracefully through the densely packed woodland. Trips last between one and two hours, cost $19CUC per person and usually include a packed lunch, a short hike into the woods, and a swim in one of the river alcoves.
Practicalities
Whether arriving by car or bus, your point of entry is the Entronque de Jagüey, a junction where the autopista, which runs more or less along the entire northern border of the peninsula, meets the Carretera de la Ciénaga, the only reliable road leading south into the park. This junction is marked by La Finquita, the snack bar and information centre, and is where you will be dropped off if arriving by Víazul bus. The only accommodation within walking distance of the junction is the Batey Don Pedro or the casas particulares in nearby Jaguey Grande, so you should be prepared to call a taxi: try Turistaxi on 
45/91-4147 & 91-7219.
The best place to go for information when visiting the Península de Zapata is La Finquita (daily 8am–8pm; 45/91-3224, 
comercial@peninsula.co.cu), a snack bar-cum-information centre by the side of the autopista at the junction with the main road into Zapata. It's run by Cubanacán ( 
www.cubanacan.cu ), the travel agent and tour operator responsible for most of the attractions and organized excursions on the peninsula; they also have buros de turismo in the lobbies of the Hotel Playa Larga ( 45/98-7294 & 98-7206) and Hotel Playa Girón ( 45/98-4110). The organization in charge of the more workmanlike function of protecting this national park is the Unidad de Area Protegidas, which works in conjunction with the Empresa Municipal de la Agricultura (EMA) who supply most of the guides used by Cubanacán for trekking, birdwatching and fishing trips. For information and arrangements relating specifically to these activities, ask at the EMA park office ( 45/98-7249), located in a pink-and-beige bungalow just before the fork in the main road at Playa Larga.
Public transport in this area is virtually nonexistent, and unless you're content to stick around one of the beach resorts, you'll need to rent a car or scooter. Both Havanautos ( 45/98-4123) and Transautos ( 45/98-4126) rent cars, starting at around $50CUC per day for a week, from Playa Girón, where you can also rent out bicycles. Both of the beachfront hotels rent out scooters, at an average rate of $15CUC for three hours. The hotels also run various excursions, which if utilized can reduce the need for transport of your own.
Driving into and around the peninsula is pretty simple, the Carretera de la Ciénaga offering very few opportunities for wrong turns as it cuts more or less straight down from the autopista to the top of the Bahia de Cochinos, the Bay of Pigs. Almost all the land west of the Carretera de la Ciénaga, well over half the peninsula, is officially protected territory and is open only to those with a guide in tow.