Gardens of the King | CUBA

Fly Fishing GOK with Fly Fishing The Run

As of September 1st, 2015 the incredible area of Garden´s of the King called Cayo Santa Maria is under the exclusive fly fishing operation of Fly Fishing The Run. This area had been known as the Tarpon Paradise of the North Coast of Cuba and world class destination for Tarpon on the fly. Here, your trophy fish is just a cast away!

This fly fishing base is located in the North-Central section of Cuba, in “Cayo Las Brujas”, Villa Clara. The area is part of the beautiful attractions found in this countryside of an excellent and privileged area of marine life.

 

Enviroment

The Jardines del Rey (Gardens of the King) Archipelago lies just off the northern coast of northern Cuba. Some of its cays are larger than some countries of the world, and its intact nature stands out making it one of the most precious spots in the Cuban Caribbean. To the north, it’s surrounded by a coral wall of about 248 miles in length, which is the second largest barrier reef in the world, the first being the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

There are canals among the cays and islets, which originates back to millions of years ago when they used to be riverbeds. After the last big thawing, they were partly flooded when the level of sea water rose.

 

The cays become bigger from West to East of Morón, Ciego de Avila Province. In this region you find Turiguanó Island and Cayo Coco, Guayabal and Sabinal, which form a kind of exterior coast in front of the shoreline, giving shape to the Buenavista bays, Los Perros and Jiguey. Among the formations of the archipelago, we have Cayo Coco which is linked to the mainland by an 11 mile causeway. This also links Cayo Guillermo and Cayo Paredón Grande, just like Santa Maria.

Gardens of the King

Fly Fishing in Gardens of the King

Since the year 2000, Cayo Santa Maria is one of the keys part of UNESCO’s Buenavista Bay Biosphere Reserve. Gardens of the King (GOK)- From March to August, Cayo Santa Maria is characterized for migratory tarpon fly fishing. It’s called by many, the best big tarpon fly fishing destination in Cuba, and nonetheless you have bonefish, cudas, jacks and other saltwater species. With our new management and developments, the quality of fly fishing has increased. We are focusing in marine life preservation, research and control for a “good health” ecosystem that hand in hand with conservation efforts allows us better fly fishing. This northern area has developed into an important nautical infrastructure for tourism. Anglers can stay in a 5-star hotel on the coast, which offers a customized service. Tarpon is plentiful in this area from March through August, which is found in very clearly determined spots. There are many canals through which great numbers of tarpon come and go to the open sea, and where they are relatively easy to catch. We also have plenty of areas for bay fly fishing, with deeper waters up to 20 feet; in these areas tarpon are plentiful. You will frequently spot fish rolling in schools, and the skiffs position themselves ahead of them for intercepting casts. There are also wide flat areas, of 3 to 6-feet deep crystal-clear waters, where they are easily spotted. For bonefish, there are huge areas of flats and mangrove vegetation to be fished on boat or by wading. Permits are abundant in deeper waters called floaters, some of them weighing up to 40 pounds. The average weight ranges from 25 to 30 pounds. All varieties of flats fish exist in the Gardens of the King; however, it is Tarpon that make this area famous for fly fishing. Resident Tarpon are present all year long, and range in size from 10-80 pounds. Beginning in March, Gardens of the King begins to see the larger migratory Tarpon, and the fish continue to be present through August. These fish can be in excess of 150 pounds, and are a true test of a fly angler‘s skills.

The Legend of Brujas Keys

This is the story of Pepe, a fisherman who, like so many, lived calmly with his family north of Villa Clara province, to be exact in Farallon de la Bomba. The tranquility of the laborious and rustic man ceased on the day when his only daughter fell in love with a young man who lived on a neighboring key. The jealous father did everything he could to stop the love affair, and on more than one occasion he resorted to violence. The young lovers decided to fight back with the strategy of starting a rumor that on one of the mountains of the cay were ghostly apparitions and tenebrous voices heard. If they succeeded with their hoax they would have a place for themselves. Nobody seemed to believe them, but everyone avoided the land where the supernatural events were supposed to take place. Nevertheless, she was seen more than once going into the hills, where she met with her lover at sunset, and when he came out she was transformed into a large owl. The many superstitious people in the area thought that she had supernatural powers and practiced black magic. As those rumors spread, her undeserved fame as a witch grew. Life went on in this way, until one stormy day he arrived late for their rendezvous. He searched for her everywhere in vain, but all he could find was a frightful witch who stared at him and then took flight. For days, they searched for the young woman on land and in the sea, but she was nowhere to be seen. Her disappearance was a total mystery. Some said she had transformed herself into that frightful witch. Her lover, meanwhile, told people that he saw her and talked to her, but no one believed him because he had given himself over completely to drink. He no longer left the key. For a long time, every day at sunset while he was getting drunk, an evil witch came out of those hills. Marina Cayo Santa María.

Iberostar Ensenachos Resort


The Iberostar resort has lush, well kept grounds and 2 stunning beaches. The staff is some of the best we have ever had the pleasure of meeting while in the Caribbean. Everyone is friendly and willing to help. The Iberostar has 2 sides, one is the “Park” side which is family friendly, and the other is the “Spa” side, which is for adults only. Both sides have swim up bars, and they both share the buffet in the main building, and the a la carte restaurants on site. There is also a Grand Village section, which is completely separate. For our fishing operation, we´ll use the Spa Suites or Grand Village*, but if you are thinking of traveling with the family, we could also book the Park suites, which allow kids. The swim up bars at this resort are exceptionally clean, as are the beach bars and lobby bar. The food at the restaurants is surprisingly good given Cuba’s reputation when it comes to food. The spa on site is fantastic, we highly recommend the couples massage for a relaxing morning. *additional charge

LOCATION


62 km from Remedios 110 km from the international airport of Abel Santa María, in Santa Clara 177 km from Cienfuegos 198 km from Trinidad 386 from Havana

Booking with us

     

    Full Name (required)

    Email (required)

    Country (required)

    Address

    Phone

    Your Message

     

    Check in   

    Check out

    Destinations

    Pax

    Subject

     

    I am not a robot
    captcha

    Or contact us directly

    When contacting us please provide as much information as possible on your intended stay with us as possible, you can include information such as your diving certification, number of dives and experience and your travel dates.

    Phone: +56 9 9433 6670

    E-mail: info@fishingtherun.com

    Address: Profesor Carlos Porter #8 OF 201, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile

    Monday – Saturday: 9.00 – 17.00