Criadero de Cocodrilos
Criadero de Cocodrilos is a crocodile breeding facility located in the tourist resort of Guamá, in the Tesoro Lagoon in the Zapata’s Peninsula Nature Park. It houses over 10,000 Cuban and American crocodiles.
Criadero de Cocodrilos is run by Ministry of Fishing Industries. It is also known as Guamá Crocodile Colony.
Want to learn more about crocodiles? Check out my Top 22 Amazing Crocodile Facts blog!
How to Visit
You can take a 45 minute guided tour to learn how crocodiles live, how they are hunted, and how they are fed. Along the way, you can stroke a baby crocodile and take a photo cradling a three-year-old croc. You’ll even have the chance to touch them.
You get to learn about the various breeding stages as well as the program’s roles in the breeding process. Moreover, you may see crocodiles in differing stages of development.
Here is a Trip Advisor review with pictures but there are currently no tours offered on Trip Advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g2053536-d10467027-i321644141-Criadero_De_Cocodrilos-Playa_Larga_Matanzas_Province_Cuba.html
The Cuba Unbound Signature Tour (which was featured in the New York Times) includes a trip to the facility. https://www.cubaunbound.com/adventure/cuba-unbound-kayak-tour
Crocodile Species at Criadero de Cocodrilos
The Criadero de Cocodrilos raises two species of crocodiles: the indigenous Cuban crocodile, and its American counterpart the American crocodile.
This facility houses more than 10,000 specimens spread out into different areas depending on their size. It was established in 1962. Before that Cuban and American crocodiles were considered an endangered species.
Tourist Attraction
As part of Guamá, a popular tourist resort in the region, Criadero de Cocodrilos draws tourists interested in wildlife and nature. In the adjacent Boca de Guamá complex you can buy stuffed baby crocodiles or dine, legally, on crocodile steak.
