Again we sailed during the day, through the Golfo de Batabano,  the 4-6m shallows inside the reef. Through Paso de Quitasol anchoring in the lee of mangrove island Cayo Grande, Isla de Mangles at night with the bright lights of Isla Dela Juvetud in the distance. Two days later we arrived at our next destination, Cayo Siju.

Cayo Siju is also situated in a National Park area, this time protecting the Iguanas and Green Sea Turtles which come ashore to nest. The anchorage here is between Cayo Siju and some unnamed Mangrove Island in the Paso El Siju, with Meshugga lying to current in good holding sand. Mosquitos are huge and at night we’re thankful for our huge mosquito net door cover and hatch covers.

On anchoring the Rangers immediately came to welcome us and inform us of the National Park status, i.e. Look, Don’t Touch, Don’t Take, and invited ashore.

We went ashore the next morning, and again found humble but adequate Rangers lodgings with solar panels and an exquisite ‘Bueno Vista’ (Good View) over the Caribbean Sea. We’d learnt from Cayo Campos that Iguanas like fruit, so I’d save up my left over scraps of salad, apple and a few old tomatoes, and ashore on showing the Rangers my stash, they took us behind their Lodgings and there were a couple of big Iguanas sunning themselves. When chucking out a few pieces of food more come out from under the House, and other from the trees. Soon there were 20, possibly 30 Iguanas……, each at least 75cm long, Pre-Historic looking with spikes on their backs.

A little creepy…

A few days spent exploring the coves, islands and chilling and it was time to move on again.