Cayo Saetia

Cayo Saetía is a small island at the mouth of the Bay of Nipe, connected by a causeway, covered in grassland and dry forest with a series of small coves and beaches around its edge. In the 1970s and 1980s it was stocked as a hunting reserve with zebra, antelope, ostrich, water buffalo and deer, and the descendants of those animals still range across it. Visits are run as jeep safaris from the lodge, which is an unexpected thing to do in the Caribbean and is the reason the island is known.

What you'll find

• The introduced animals - zebra, antelope, ostrich, buffalo and deer grazing the open grassland.
• The coves - small beaches of pale sand cut into the cliffs around the island.
• The dry forest - hardwood and palm covering the interior between the grasslands.
• The Bay of Nipe - the large sheltered bay the island sits at the mouth of.

When to go

November to April is the dry season and the best for both wildlife and beaches. The animals are most active early and late. Summer is hot and the grassland dries out completely.

Good to know

The animals are introduced and this is closer to a game farm than a nature reserve, which is worth being clear about. Access is controlled at a checkpoint and independent visits can be difficult. Facilities amount to one lodge and prices are high for what is provided.

Nearby

Mayari is inland on the mainland, and the Salto del Guayabo waterfall is south of it.

Key facts