Cayo Levisa
Magic in the Caribbean

There are number of places which could have been the real inspiration for Treasure Island, the famous novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Cayo Levisa is certainly one of them and I reckon no better image could sum up the magic of this small islet off the coast of Pinar del Río Province, west of Havana.

Such was the feeling that accompanied us all the way to Cayo Levisa, especially the few in the group who would have their first experience on the island - adventure, mystery and even, who knew?, the site of the buried treasure of Captain Flint. Grownups and kids alike, we were all pretty excited boarding the mini-bus in Havana.

Driving to Cayo Levisa will take you through some of the most beautiful valleys in Cuba. Pinar del Río, the province that borders Havana and spreads to the western tip of the island, is known for its natural beauty and as home of the best tobacco plantations in the world. Our destination was on the coast though, so we had to leave the highway and take a mountain road that rapidly had us surrounded by a savage green landscape. The luxurious tropical forest was interrupted here and there by a couple of houses, a medical post and a public school where all the uniformed children greeted us from the side of the road.

Cayo Levisa is just off the coast, and one can only get there over water. There is a state-operated twice-a-day ferry, so normally one has to plan the trip accordingly. There are, nonetheless, other boats available for non-scheduled transport, making it good to know that you won′t be stranded on an island with no options to get out.

As we had our trip well organized, we reached the ferry on time. At the terminal, a small bar offers a place to freshen up and hear the stories of local fishermen about the dolphins you may encounter, the coral reefs ahead, and the gigantic marlin one caught the day before.

The ferry is hardly state-of-the-art, but then again, nothing is in Cuba. Nonetheless, it was operational and had all the necessary safety equipment to face an...