Cuba Holiday Excursion: Catamaran Day Trip

I just love these trips as you get to see the island from a different perspective, have nice food, meet people from other hotels and have a bit of a swim.
I think we left the hotel about 8:30 and picked others up at various hotels on our way up to the harbour at Cayo Guillermo. There wasn't a lot to see on the way except for many mangroves and a abandoned airport where the runway was turned into a road. But still there was loads of wildlife to see on the way. All you do is stare at the window and enjoy the view.

You'll arrive at the harbour and make your way straight on to the Catamaran. If you're a sun-lover you'll probably make a bee-line for the uncovered area at the front, back or the sides. If you're not wanting to get burned then I recommend that you sit under cover - you can always venture out if you want to.

Early in the morning the sea is relatively flat so you won't have to worry about being sea-sick. It's just in the afternoon when it gets a bit choppy. So sitting in the middle has other advantages too.

As the catamaran leaves the harbour you'll see some wonderful views on your left. There's some great beaches up there so if your hotel isn't located up there then try and hire a car or get a bus up to Cayo Guillermo.

You'll travel up for about 45 minutes or so to your first island where it looks like a temporary harbour has sunk. Here you'll get your first chance for a bit of snorkeling. The snorkels themselves are cheap ones and you can keep them after if you wanted. We'd recommend taking your own gear if you wanted to take full advantage of the trip.

You'll have a good 45 minutes or so to sit on the catamaran or venture out into the sea. When we went it wasn't too cold, just a little bit of a chill, but it was well worth it. Because I put my snorkel on the wrong way round (I know!!) I took in a lot of water and didn't enjoy it as much as when I went on a catamaran trip in Barbados. But the other people on the boat thoroughly enjoyed it.

You'll then head off to another snorkeling spot. This is just off the second biggest reef in the world. Apparently the sights were amazing. I didn't venture too far out as I looked after my Fiance as the water was a bit choppy by that stage of the day. Again you'll spend a good 45 minutes to enjoy yourself. When you get back on the catamaran you'll probably smell the food being cooked below.

Now you'll head off towards Pilar Beach which is a cracking beach with white sand and a gently sloping shore. As you make your way over there you'll have your lunch brought out. You'll get some fantastic chicken, prawns, rice and a sauce which was supposed to be a fish sauce but it was a great spicy one.

When you get to Pilar Beach you'll have to swim ashore. It's only 30 meters or so. There is a bit of a swell so people that aren't good swimmers should perhaps stay onboard. I think we were for about 30 minutes or so. We relaxed on the beach and played in the warm waters. It was definitely a beach I'd go back to.

We then made our way back to the harbour. It sounds like we weren't out there for long, but the trip lasted about 6 hours or so. Which is great value for the £25 or so that it cost.

We'd certainly go back again - but with our own snorkeling gear.