Playa Girón

Playa Girón in Cuba is a must-visit tourist destination for diving and history enthusiasts, with its beautiful beaches and museum dedicated to the famous battle

Exploring the area

Playa Giron is a town in the municipality of Cienaga de Zapata in the province of Matanzas (Cuba). Known worldwide for the historical events of April 1961, it is one of the most visited places in the country.

These days Girón, with its clear Caribbean waters, precipitous offshore dropoff and multitude of private home-stays, is one of the best places in Cuba to go diving and snorkeling.

History of Playa Giron

Since this is a remote area, difficult to access, product of dense forests and weeds, in addition to presenting a beautiful and practical cove, turned into a beach, was very useful as a den for corsairs and pirates operating in the Caribbean Sea area. One of them, the pirate Gilberto Girón -the famous pirate who was pierced by the spear of Salvador Golomón, whose story is told in the work Espejo de Paciencia- liked this cove, so he came to settle down with all his hosts and organized each of his blows of the cove. Thus, his surname began to name the beach that today is known as Girón Beach.

Main Sights

  • Girón Beach Museum
  • Cueva de los Peces (Fish Cave)
  • Punta Perdiz
  • Caleta Buena

Playa Giron Cuba Beach Museum

This exceedingly well-kept museum with its gleaming display cases evokes a tangible sense of the history of the famous Cold War episode that unfolded within rifle-firing distance of this spot in 1961.

Sitting halfway down the access road to the Villa Playa Girón, it offers two rooms of artifacts from the Bay of Pigs skirmish plus numerous photos with (some) bilingual captions.

Punta Perdiz

Punta Perdiz is a snorkeling and diving spot, 10km north of Playa Giron in Cuba, where you can glide out from the shore in fish-tank clarity water to a world of coral and tropical treasure.

There’s a boat-shaped restaurant perched on the rocky shoreline, volleyball nets, loungers, gear rental and a dive center. You can use the place all day and partake in the buffet lunch (noon to 3pm). It’s an easy, flat cycle ride from Playa Girón village or catch the shuttle bus.

Fish Cave

If you don’t fancy diving in the sea, head to the Cueva de los Peces, a 70m-deep cenote (sinkhole) on the inland side of the coast road halfway between Playa Larga and Playa Giron in Cuba. It’s a pretty spot, as popular with swimmers as snorkelers, for spotting tropical fish. The brave can glide into the darker parts of the underwater cave with diving gear. Hammocks swing languidly around the crystal clear pool, while the beach opposite sparkles with aquatic promise.