Laguna del Tesoro

Laguna del Tesoro is a shallow freshwater lake of about 9 square kilometres set in the middle of the Zapata wetlands, the largest in Cuba. The water is the tea-brown of tannin-rich swamp drainage, the surrounding reeds and mangroves are dense and impenetrable, and the lake bird life is excellent — herons, anhingas, jacanas and ospreys are routine.

The Guamá Taíno reconstruction occupies several small islands at the eastern end of the lake, reached by a 20-minute boat ride from Boca de Guamá. Boats run regularly to a small dock; you wander the wooden walkways between the cabins, photograph Rita Longa's 32 bronze figures, eat at the restaurant and return. A handful of cabins on the islands take overnight guests for those who want to wake up to the lake's birdsong.

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A story
Local legend says the indigenous Taíno threw their gold and other valuables into the lake before fleeing the Spanish arrival in the 16th century — hence the name, Treasure Lake. No such treasure has ever been recovered. What the Taíno did leave behind is the bronze population of Rita Longa's reconstruction, installed in 1962 to give a sense of village life as the first Spaniards would have found it.

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