If you are looking for something out of the ordinary for your holiday trip this time, you have to make a visit to Cuba. This is the largest of the Caribbean islands, which is about the size of England. It lies to the west of the Greater Antilles group and about a quarter of its terrain is mountainous.
It was after three decades of isolation that the island started opening its doors to global tourism. There has been tremendous growth in its private accommodation in the form of resorts and new or refurbished hotels, and in its network of casas paraticulares that lets adventurous travelers explore the once inaccessible corners of the country.
One of the most vibrant and largest cites of the Caribbean is the Havana that has a population of over two million. The La Habana is an old town found here that is listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The Malecon is a sea wall here that extends for 8km and is the hangout for locals, after dusk. The Playas del Este is the best beach here, located about 20km from its center.
Havana is also famous for its night entertainment which can be enjoyed only in long trips here. Medium bars here have house bands playing Cuban classics while the Casa de la Musica attracts tourists for its accomplished salsa dance moves and Varadero rum. The Tropicana nightclub hosts open air cabarets every night.
The most beautiful province of Cuba is Pinar del Rio boasting of a diverse countryside with mogotes, which are funny shaped, vegetation covered limestone mountains. The Cueva del Indio are caves with stalactites and stalagmites and underground rivers worth visiting.
The Isla de la Juventud is the largest of the 350 islands of the Canarreos archipelago which is famous for reef diving. You get to see wildlife to its east and take expeditions from the hotel to the west of the island. The island was once called ‘Parrot Island’ and was a hideout for pirates. In fact, it is said that it was this island that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island.
Cayo Largo is another island of the archipelago, and a famous tourist destination of Cuba with great beaches. It is famous for snorkeling, fishing, windsurfing and diving. The Varadero is the island’s most famous beach resorts while Camaguey is a heavily promoted town of the island, famous for its sugar. Famous sites here include various churches, museums and a bustling and photogenic peso market.
Holguin is famous for its airstrip and worth visiting for its attractive squares and streets. There are also beach resorts with well served amenities located here. There are some resorts with good facilities on small islands of the archipelago like Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo and Guardalvaca.
The Sierra Maestra range boasts of Cuba’s highest mountain worth going hiking and trekking. The Sierra de Cubitas is famous for its river gorges and cliffs while the Escambray Mountains have dense forest. There are many varieties of birds on the Zapata peninsula while the Cordillera de Guaniguanico offers spectacular scenery. There are special tourist ranches at Baconao and Trinidad for you to head for horse riding.