Matanzas

This province, forced visit in the tourist Cuban environment and of Caribbean, it has been up to now very well-known almost exclusively for the beauty and warmth of their beaches, but it can give to the visitor many surprises and a bigger attractiveness if  it is combined nature and culture during their stay. Located to the east of Havana, the province of Matanzas has a territorial extension of 11 978 km² and 54,6 inhabitants' population's density for km². In this geography, the cities of Matanzas and Cárdenas, the beach of Varadero and the Peninsula of Zapata, they conform a  peculiar charm for their nature; for the different recreation possibilities offered by their tourist infrastructure; for the culture that shows and for their patrimonial values and history.

Villa Clara

Villa Clara is the province whose capital, Santa Clara, is in the same center of Cuba. Their territory has hunt limits, reservoirs for the fishing of the trout and the only square of the country with two churches.A Pregnant Immaculate Concepción's image figure among the attractiveness of the town, to which Caibarién is added as the town of fishermen linked by a net rustic vial to virgin several keys; and Hanabanilla, artificial lake among mountains. The capital of the province hosts the Memorial Museum of Ernesto Che Guevara, inaugurated in 1997 and where the Heroic Guerrilla's fighter's remains and their fallen partners rest in the revolutionary geste of Bolivia

Cienfuegos

Located in the center-south region of the Island and with a tourist peculiar product, in which highlight as fundamental elements their nautical enormous potential and their historical-cultural rich traditions, the province of Cienfuegos constitutes today a forced traffic place for most of the circuits that travel the country

Varadero

Extended on more than 22 km throughout the Peninsula of Hicacos, the most northern point in the island of Cuba, the beach of Varadero is considered like the main place to enjoy the tourism of sun and beach. However, besides their beach - of great quality and appropriate for the practice of all type of nautical sport - their attractiveness are notoriously reinforced with the existence of a natural privileged environment and facilities for the development of events, the practice of the golf in their professional field, the parachutisme, the trips of incentives, weddings and honeymoons. Varadero which is free port, has the services of three international marine.

Sancti Spiritus

The province includes in its territory two of the Cuban first villages, been founded by the Spanish settlers in the year 1514: Sancti Spíritus and Trinidad. It also has the biggest artificial lake of the country, the  Zaza reservoir with  more than a thousand million cubic meters of water, constitutes an excellent place fundamentally for the sport fishing of the trout whose sizes point out them as the best from their species to international level.

Camaguey

 Dominated by plains, the region of Camagüey embraces a surface of about 16 thousand square kilometers, of which correspond to beach areas more than a hundred, what contributes to the province an enormous potential for the tourism. In that environment it highlights a quite place of peace transformed into a beach of 20 kilometers  of extension called  Santa Lucía, in the north coast of the province.

Ciego de Avila

 Ciego de Avila, capital of the equal province name, it was founded in 1840.. Located to 100 km to the south of Caayo Coco. It is characterized by a transparent regularity in their grid layout. To the prevalence of their vernacular architecture is added the free interpretation of the classicism of the eclectic period and punctual examples of other influences  as Arabic  and Andalusian root, the Baroque and the art-déco. The presence of linked portals and neoclassical columns of varied design mark the image of the city.

It is unavoidable to travel through his Parque Martí that marks the center of the social life of the city; the Main Theater in whose design the Renaissance, imperial and Baroque styles converge; the church of San Eugenio de la Palma, the Ornamental and Historical museum of Art, the art gallery, the hotel Sevilla and the Spanish old Colony, today the Casa de la  Cultura

Holguin

As the most beautiful land that human eyes have ever seen, the navigator Christopher Columbus qualified this area when arriving in Cuba for these costs in his first trip on October 27 of 1492

The province of Holguín is located in the northern part of the oriental region of Cuba, between The Tunas and Guantánamo, to the west and the east, respectively. They are neighboring to the south the provinces of Granma and Santiago de Cuba, while to the north their costs are taken a bath by the ocean Atlantic.

Las Tunas

Located in the oriental region of Cuba, the province of Las Tunas take the first steps in the field of the tourism after several centuries of attention centered in the cultivation of the cane of sugar and the cattle raising. The incipient offer for the strange vacationers is supplemented with hunt limits and forests guided to the nature tourism, mineromedicinals waters and facilities for the practice of the speleology, besides a humedal with the biggest reservorio in American crocodiles of Caribbean, with near  to 20 thousand animals of that species.

Granma

A historical rich tradition, the fascinating contrast of their landscapes that  combines sea, mountains and fertile plains and their prodigal nature, constitute the biggest attractiveness those which the tourist incipient development of the Granma Province is sustained, wide plain cut in two by the solid one mountainous of Sierra Maestra, taken a bath by the extensive Cauto  river with his 8 362 km2 in the southeast portion of the island of Cuba. Great admiration provokes in the visitors the national parks of Turquino, in which the well defined paths facilitate the encounter with the biggest elevations in the country, and Desembarco del Granma Park, as well as the marine  funds near to the coast exceptional for the diving.

Santiago de Cuba

Warm and hospital, between high mountains and the Caribbean sea, Santiago de Cuba is the second city in importance of the Island. It stands out for their intense and rich history and for fertile culture become , specially in the music. It has lodgings of high standard, besides possessing a Center of Conventions that classifies among the biggest and better equipped of the country.

Guantánamo

Guantánamo, the most oriental of the Cuban provinces, is located to a thousand kilometers of the capital of the island,  their environment includes areas almost deserts, very next to the exuberant vegetation of the mountains.. With 99 percent of their territory covered by mountains, it shows areas of stony, roasted lands, of thin vegetation and abundant cactus, to which forests are opposed..It isdistinguished by their mainly mountainous relief and the strong influence of the migratory franc-Haitian . One of their natural most remarkable accidents is the bay, where an illegal North American base whose facilities can be observed from the Mirador of Malones.

The East Havana Beaches

The warm Havana climate and the existence of easy acces to large areas of beaches turn this zone, one of the major atraction for any visitor. Heading to the east of the city, The Megano, Santa Maria and Guanabo beaches are located, all of them  supported by  hotels chains and touristic services

Introduction

Warm and hospitable, nestled between towering mountains and the Caribbean Sea, Santiago de Cuba is the second most important city in Cuba.  It has a particularly rich history and cultural scene—especially music.  The accommodations here are of high quality, and it also has a conference center that is one of the largest and best-equipped in the country.
 San Pedro de la Roca del Morro Castle (a part of world heritage) and the El Cobre Basilica, where people go to pray to Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, Cuba’s patron saint, are some of the region’s attractions, together with Granma Cay and Baconao Park (a biosphere preserve).  This last begins at the city limits and extends for 31 miles (50 kilometers) to the east. It includes beaches; lakes; mountains, among which Gran Piedra is outstanding; and the ruins of old French coffee plantations—which UNESCO has declared to be a part of world heritage.  Other attractions include Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, the 26th of July Museum and Siboney Farm, all of which are closely linked to Cuban history.  The first open-pit copper mine in the Americas is near Santiago de Cuba, and the city also contains Cuba’s first museum (the Emilio Bacardí).
The region has a solid infrastructure for promoting congress and conference tourism and city tourism, and it also has all the conditions for developing ecotourism in its adventure and hiking forms, plus water sports, cruise ship tourism and health tourism.

How to get here

 It has good highway and railroad connections with its neighboring provinces and excellent communications with the rest of the country, as well.

  Antonio Maceo International Airport, which can handle large planes, is one of the best equipped airports in the Caribbean. 

 Moreover, the cruise ship terminal, in the bay, offers marvelous conditions for the development of cruise ship tourism.

Great attractions

Santiago de Cuba is a tourist resort with many values and attractions, so it’s easy for you to make contact with its people, its culture and its history, while also enjoying its exotic beaches and other natural attractions.
This province in the eastern part of Cuba has just about everything—mountains, small valleys and a rough coast which seems untouched by man and whose coves have beaches with pebbles that have rolled down from peaks covered with lush vegetation.              
The city of Santiago de Cuba—one of the first seven Spanish settlements in Cuba, founded early in the 16th century is one of the most picturesque ones in the country

Just as the carnivals that are held in Santiago de Cuba every July is the most spectacular ones in Cuba, the rum which is made there is the most popular brand.
And there are many more things that form part of the values of this land and are sources of pride for its inhabitants.  For example, it has been the birthplace of nearly all the musical genres of Cuba, a country in which music is both its taproot and its soul.

From the historic-cultural point of view, Santiago de Cuba has a lot to offer.  For example, it is the cradle of the son and of the bolero and has a long tradition of ballads and choruses.
An ideal place in which to have a marvelous vacation, Santiago de Cuba offers you a solid infrastructure of services and facilities which—together with the many attractions that this fascinating place has to offer—have made it one of the most popular  tourist resorts in Cuba.
In addition to all this, Santiago de Cuba offers you excellent scuba diving from beaches lapped by warm water; the impressive natural scenery of the Sierra Maestra Mountains; and still more attractions, among which the San Pedro de la Roca del Morro Castle and the ruins of French coffee plantations up in the mountains east of the city are particularly outstanding.  UNESCO has declared both the castle and the former coffee plantations to be a part of world heritage

 Santiago de Cuba City

The number of hotel rooms is constantly being increased.  Check out the Meliá Santiago and Casa Granda Hotels; they are among the best the city has to offer.  A new kind of tourism—centered in the historic center of the city, areas near the bay and residential areas—has been developed here, with small housing units or inns that promote closer relations with the cultural heart of the city and personalized service in modern facilities.

Parque Baconao

 UNESCO has declared this natural park a world biosphere preserve.  It is nearly 31,000 square miles (80,000 square kilometers) in size and has a good road that runs through lush vegetation most of the way (though the last portion, near the sea, is rather arid) past isolated villages and some beaches to Baconao Lake. The park has several museums, recreation areas, historic monuments and curiosities (such as the Valley of Prehistory, a large rolling plain which contains life-size statues of animals from the Jurassic Period

Sierra Maestra

Be sure to visit Sierra Maestra Natural Park, the most extensive and youngest mountain system in Cuba which contains 17 peaks that rise to more than 4265 feet (1300 meters) above sea level.  Among them, Turquino Peak—the highest mountain in the Cuban archipelago, rising to 6476 feet (1974 meters) above sea level—is outstanding.

Introduction

 Many believe that Santiago de Cuba is the main fount of Cuban history, for it was the birthplace of around 30 generals in Cuba’s Wars of Independence—including General Antonio Maceo, second in command of the Liberation Army.  (The house in which he was born is now a museum.)
This is the only city in Cuba to have received the distinction of being called heroic; it is where the final stage of the Cuban people’s struggle for independence began, with the July 26, 1953, attack on the Moncada Garrison.
The contributions made by its sons and daughters—either directly, with weapons, or in logistics activities—was of decisive importance to the triumph of the Revolution on January 1, 1959.
Rebellious in the past, hospitable in the present and ever heroic: this is Santiago de Cuba, the second most important city in the country.

How to get here

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  International arrivals and departures are through Antonio Maceo International Airport, Guillermón Moncada Port and the Punta Gorda International Marina

History

Founded in 1515 and the capital of the island for a short period, Santiago de Cuba has everything a visitor could want: areas of great ecological value, such as the Baconao Biosphere Preserve; high mountains; valleys; rivers; and a cultural tradition that has made it the Cuban city with the most pronounced Caribbean flavor.  Several musical genres, such as the bolero and the son, were born here, and its carnivals and other festivities are spectacularly colorful and express its inhabitants’ fantastic sense of rhythm and talent for dancing
The first black slaves who were brought to Cuba entered the island through Santiago de Cuba’s enormous bay, bringing with them a basic component of the Cuban nationality, which has strong African and Spanish roots.
Many believe that Santiago de Cuba is the main fount of Cuban history, for it was the birthplace of around 30 generals in Cuba’s Wars of Independence—including General Antonio Maceo, second in command of the Liberation Army.  (The house in which he was born is now a museum.)
This is the only city in Cuba to have received the distinction of being called heroic; it is where the final stage of the Cuban people’s struggle for independence began, with the July 26, 1953, attack on the Moncada Garrison.
The contributions made by its sons and daughters—either directly, with weapons, or in logistics activities—was of decisive importance to the triumph of the Revolution on January 1, 1959.
Rebellious in the past, hospitable in the present and ever heroic: this is Santiago de Cuba, the second most important city in the country.

Great attractions

 Exploring this large, hot city on foot takes energy, but, if you do, you’ll discover its enchantments and feel well rewarded for your efforts. 
The city sprawls over a series of hills, so level stretches are very few and far between.  The first thing you’ll discover is its inhabitants’ spontaneity, warmth and joyousness.  Next, you’ll note the forms of its buildings—which, though they lack luxury, have a refined, typically Cuban dignity; a special grace; and their own distinctive characteristics.

 The port, where cruise ships can tie up right in the city, has two docks for deep-draft ships and Customs, Immigration, health and other services.
Because it is near the largest islands in the Antilles, Santiago de Cuba has been included in several Caribbean cruise ship routes, making it a pioneer in Cuba for the development and expansion of this kind of tourism.
The hotels strung along Santiago de Cuba’s coast offer you good beaches and water sports centers to make your vacation a great success.

What to see ?

Santiago de Cuba offers you history, culture, atmosphere and safety, together with a wide range of offers and facilities: an international port and airport, comfortable accommodations, handling services, all kinds of travelers’ aid, water sports, transportation, restaurants, cafeterias, shops, excursions, shows and other evening activities, health care and communications.

.Santiago de Cuba’s beaches—which are near the city—are an important part of its tourist product.  Here, the climate is warm, the water is clear and the seabed has great natural and archaeological attractions.  Moreover, you can enjoy the scenery and services in safety.
There are good hotels in the areas both west and east of the city, some of which are managed by foreign companies.  Their offers include several water sports, entertainment and many optional activities both in the city and in natural areas.

 From the beach hotels in the Baconao area, you can go horse back riding along paths that lead to natural look-out points. 
 
You can rent a boat and go fishing in one of the lakes in the area.

  Several hotels in the city of Santiago de Cuba have halls in which small and medium-sized professional meetings can be held.  The Heredia Conference Center—one of the best-equipped conference centers in the country—is also in this city.  It has considerable experience in this field and can host much larger meetings.
Several handling agencies specialize in this kind of tourism, offering many fascinating pre- and post-conference programs.
The hotel and extrahotel infrastructure will also contribute to your meeting’s success.

  Santiago de Cuba’s Punta Gorda Marina is one of the mostimportant international marinas in the country.  It has moorings and an Immigration office and provides electric power, food, repairs and other services for both crews and vessels.
Its offers also include yacht tours and living-on-board programs for enjoying the impressive coastal scenery—coves, terraces and tall mountains that drop steeply toward the sea.
Marinas:
Cayo Dama
Santiago de Cuba Base Náutica
Sigua, Base Náutica
Marina Caribe Oriental
Marina Gaviota
The four main scuba-diving areas are Sigua, Daiquirí, Bucanero and Sierra Mar.
The main attractions include excellent technical and human resources; an underwater landscape in which the careful conservation of the coral reef and the clarity of the water are important factors; and the presence of various geographic features, such as ridges, drop-offs and impressive high walls.
The hotels strung along Santiago de Cuba’s coast offer you good beaches and water sports centers to make your vacation a great success.
Marinas:
The four main scuba-diving areas are Sigua, Daiquirí, Bucanero and Sierra Mar.
 
Scuba Diving centers:Scubacuba”Bucanero”  Scubacuba “Sierra Mar”
The city has a vast health infrastructure, with the latest diagnostic and therapeutic technologies.Among other things, it has a modern international clinic whose emergency room is open 24 hours a day
 Other services (offered during the day) include nursing, a drugstore, dental care, a clinical laboratory, X-rays, ambulances, an optician, and clinical and surgical consultations with prestigious hospitals in the territory.  Every hotel has a doctor on call 24 hours a day to provide primary health care, and some also have drugstores.
Villa El Saltón specializes in programs to alleviate stress, and the Carisol, Los Corales, Meliá Santiago de Cuba, Sierra Maestra, Brisas Sierra Mar and Galeones Hotels offer similar services.
Specialized treatments for combatting alcoholism and drug addiction are offered in the International Drug and Alcoholism Disabilities  Clinic, at El Indio Farm—a beautiful rural retreat which offers excellent conditions of privacy.
Cuba’s benign climate and healthful natural surroundings complement these medical services for improving the quality of life.

Storic Center

This area, which corresponds to that covered by the city at the end of the 19th century, was declared a national monument on October 10, 1978.  It is bounded on the north by the Martí Promenade, on the south by 24 de Febrero Avenue (Trocha Street), on the east by the 26th of July Monumental Group and on the west by the bay and contains the most important examples of its colonial architecture, plus some other interesting buildings dating from the republican era, which were erected after 1902.

Céspedes Park 

Originally called Arms Square and then Main Square and Constitution Square, this park now honors and has a statue of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, the Father of his Country, standing on a marble pedestal.  This is the best place in the city in which to rest for a few minutes and chat with its inhabitants.  Though given a face-lift recently, the park retains its main features: the tall trees that provide shade and the benches on which everyone catches his breath and enjoys taking life easy.  This park is in the center of the city. surrounded by such important buildings as the Town Hall; the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba; the house in which Diego Velázquez lived, now the Museum of Historic Ambience; the Municipal Community Center (the former San Carlos Club, inaugurated in 1919); and the Casa Granda Hotel, which first opened its doors in the 1920s.

Town Hall

This building, which was was completed in 1950, was designed by Francisco Prat Puig, who adapted some plans dating from the 18th century that had been drawn up for the Governor’s Palace which was never built.  As a result, the Town Hall of Santiago de Cuba has a strong atmosphere of history and elegance—and is a very fitting symbol of the city.  Most Cubans know it as the place from which Fidel Castro addressed the people for the first time, on January 1, 1959.  On that day, he told the enormous crowd of people who had gathered there that the Revolution had triumphed over Batista’s tyrannical regime.

Metropolitan Cathedral

 This cathedral’s present appearance reflects the reforms that the architect Carlos Segrera introduced in 1922, increasing the height of its towers and adding a large archangel to the pediment over the main entrance.  It is the seat of the fourth bishopric in the Americas.

Heredia Street

This centrally located artery starts at Céspedes Park, which has some interesting buildings that date from the colonial period and others which house some important cultural institutions fronting on it.  Architectural styles of the 18th and 19th centuries are well represented on the stretch of Heredia Street that is between Calvario and San Pedro Streets, and it is one of the main cultural centers in the oldest part of the city, with troubadors and artisans.

Troubadours’ House

Rafael Salcedo, an outstanding local musician, was born in this house. Other owners included Virgilio Palay, a self-taught troubadour who turned the building into an eating house where the city’s troubadours would gather in the evenings to culminate their day’s work with music and rum, in a family atmosphere.  In the early 1960s, that tradition led to the founding of an institution that would group those men and women and preserve that kind of music known as traditional ballads.  In the morning and afternoon, soloists and groups play old pieces by the founders and new compositions that have become popular all over the world—some of them made popular by Compay Segundo, who died recently, and Eliades Ochoa.  Troubadours’ House is one of the best places you can find in which to spend a thoroughly enjoyable evening in Santiago de Cuba.

San Pedro de la Roca del Morro Castle

 This castle is east of the city, on a high slope facing the sea, next to the channel that gives access to the bay.  Military engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli and Juan de Zízcara Ibáñez drew up the plans for the castle, which was built between 1638 and 1700 to protect the city against attacks by pirates.  Because it is the largest, most complex example of Renaissance military engineering in the Caribbean, UNESCO declared it to be a part of world heritage on December 4, 1997.  The hill on which it was built forced its engineers to design it as three blocks on five different levels, three of which were provided with batteries of cannon.  It has riflemen’s and artillery sections, an embrasure and two casement areas, plus a central parade ground, chapel, barracks, garrison, officers’ quarters and dungeons.  The Morro was a key element in the solid defense system that extended on both sides of the bay and consisted of several fortresses, forts and bastions.

Carnival Museum

The halls in this building at 301 Heredia Street are dedicated to the history of these popular festivities—which are different from the ones held in other parts of Cuba, mainly because Spanish, African and French-Haitian influences have always been combined in the carnivals held in Santiago de Cuba.  That mixture of cultures has led to greater diversity in the dances and rhythms and to the use of costumes and other distinctive elements that have made these carnivals the most spectacular ones in the country.  The congas that are so popular in the city, such as the Hoyos Conga (Sons of Cocoyé) and the Paso Franco Conga, are also representedThe halls in this building at 301 Heredia Street are dedicated to the history of these popular festivities—which are different from the ones held in other parts of Cuba, mainly because Spanish, African and French-Haitian influences have always been combined in the carnivals held in Santiago de Cuba.  That mixture of cultures has led to greater diversity in the dances and rhythms and to the use of costumes and other distinctive elements that have made these carnivals the most spectacular ones in the country.  The congas that are so popular in the city, such as the Hoyos Conga (Sons of Cocoyé) and the Paso Franco Conga, are also represented

Emilio Bacardí Museum

In 1999, a hundred years after its founding, this museum was declared a national monument.  It is the first building to have been erected in Cuba for this purpose—by the architect Carlos Segrera, who built on an excellent site facing the small square called Carnicería.  Emilio Bacardí, the patriot and journalist who founded the museum, did so in order to provide Cubans with a global view of their wars of independence waged in the 19th century, so, at first, it was mainly a museum of history.
The halls on the first floor are dedicated to history, with exhibits of weapons, personal effects, manuscripts and other objects related to such outstanding fighters for Cuba’s independence as Máximo Gómez; Antonio Maceo; and José Martí, Cuba’s national hero.
The second floor has an art gallery which contains paintings of great value, including some by José Joaquín Tejada Revilla and Juan Emilio Hernández Giró.
The archaeology hall, in the basement, contains the only Egyptian mummy in Cuba and other ancient relics.

The Museum of the Rum

This museum is a fount of knowledge about one of Cuba’s traditional products and industries.  It is on San Basilio Street, at the corner of San Félix, in a house which had two important owners in the past: Kindelán Muzo, one of the governors of the city, and Mariano Gómez, Treasurer of the old Bacardí Rum Company, originally based in Santiago de Cuba.  Its exhibits cover the Cuban sugar industry and two of its by-products: high wine and rum.  There is also an area with aging casks, labels and bottles, with brands ranging from very old ones that are no longer being sold to others that have stayed the course, such as Matusalén, Santiago Rum, Caribbean Club and Caney.

Marte Square (Parade Ground)

Though this square, too, dates from the colonial period, when it was one of the Spaniards’ parade grounds for military practice, it now has a more modern atmosphere, with buildings such as the Libertad Hotel—built in an eclectic style—fronting on it.  The square contains several monuments, one of which is a tall column topped by the statue of a Phrygian cap and a five-pointed star, which was erected to mark the end of Spanish rule in the island.  Following the city’s expansion, this square is now its geographic center.

Former Moncada Garrison

The garrison was turned into a school (the 26th of July School City) on January 28, 1959.  One of its buildings is now a museum of history with ten halls the contain exhibits of weapons, documents and photos related to Cuba’s struggles for independence, from the Spanish conquest through the guerrilla war in the Sierra Maestra Mountains.  Special attention is placed on the attack that was made on this garrison on July 26, 1953.  The former garrison forms part of the 26th of July Monumental Group, as does the Court of Justice, the teachers’ training college, the Saturnino Lora Provincial Hospital and Abel Santamaría Park.

 Siboney Farm

 This farm is just outside the city, on the Siboney Highway.  Fidel Castro and the other young people who attacked the Moncada Garrison early on the morning of July 26, 1953, in an attempt to overthrow the dictator Batista spent the night and made their preparations here.  Now, the farm contains some of the young people’s photographs and personal effects, plus some of their logistic equipment. The road running from the farm to the city is lined on both sides by simple monuments bearing the names and occupations of the young people who lost their lives in that attempt.

Antonio Maceo Square

 This square has an impressive group of monuments by prestigious local artists: an equestrian statue of General Antonio Maceo, second in command of the Liberation Army during Cuba’s Wars of Independence against Spain in the 19th century (the work of the sculptor Alberto Lescay) and, surrounding the hero, 23 enormous machetes made of steel (the work of the artist Guarionex Ferrer).  Under the monumentm there is a modern exhibit hall on the life and work of Maceo, “the Bronze Titan,” a chronological account of his feats on the field of battle.  It also contains an illustration of the 26 wounds he received in combat.  The nearby Heredia Theater hosts many cultural presentations, conferences and congresses.

 Enramada Street

Always teeming with life, this business street in Santiago de Cuba runs down to the port.  Its present appearance dates from the beginning of the 20th century, when the Imperial Hotel, the Serrano Building, the Cuba Movie Theater and other buildings in the eclectic style were built on it, creating a mixture of the eclectic and colonial.

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre

The town of El Cobre is a little under 17 miles (27 kilometers) from the city.  It was built next to the first open-pit copper mine in the Americas, but its biggest attraction for both Cuban and foreign visitors now is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity.  The sanctuary, which was built in 1927, stands on the top of Cantera Hill.  Pope Benedict XV consecrated Our Lady of Charity as the patron saint of Cuba on May 10, 1916, and His Holiness John Paul II crowned the figure when he visited Cuba in January 1998.  The interior of the sanctuary is unpretentious—made of stucco with overlays of marble in different colors and wood—but the saint has a crown and halo of 18-carat gold, the former set with 1450 diamonds, emeralds and rubies.  In addition, she wears a gold dress on which the republican coat of arms is embroidered in special threads.  The cross which she holds in her right hand has diamonds and  amethysts, while the crown which the child Jesus wears is also made of gold and silver, with diamonds.  Every September 8, masses of the devout flock to the sanctuary to give thanks and make public prayers to the saint

The Economy

The sugar industry goes back a long way in Cuba.  Now, emphasis is being placed on the production of sugar byproducts and on planting the land to new crops, such as trees for lumber and orchards.  Even so, sugarcane is still an important part of Cuban agriculture—as are tobacco, coffee, cacao, honey and citrus fruits, all of high quality.  Nickel, copper, manganese, refractory chrome and asphaltite are mined and bring in considerable income, and large volumes of marble and cement are produced.  The insular shelf, which is more than 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometers) in size, provides plenty of fish.  The pharmaceutical and biotechnological sectors are growing, and tourism is being consolidated as the most important sector of the Cuban economy.

Public Health

Cuba has many positive indexes in this field: the infant mortality rate is only 6.2 for every 1000 live births (the lowest such figure in Latin America), all children in Cuba are immunized against 13 diseases through a national program, average life expectancy for both sexes is 76 years, everyone has access to the health system in both its primary and specialized branches, and health care is provided absolutely free of charge.
Cuba has hundreds of polyclinics and hospitals.  Notable scientific research and production centers and institutes place Cuba among the first nations in the world producing interferon.  Other important achievements include the development of vaccines against types B and C meningococcus and hepatitis B—the only such vaccines in the world.  In 2003, Cuba announced that it had developed a vaccine against Haemophilus influenzae, a bacterial pathogen in cases of meningitis and pneumonia in very young children; it is already being used.
Effective procedures for controlling plagues, the maintenance of environmental sanitation and the confrontation of epidemics are other pillars of the Cuban health system’s successes.
More than 3000 Cuban doctors and paramedics are helping other nations, while more than 4500 young people from 23 countries in the region are studying medicine in the Latin-American School of Medicine, in Havana.

Education

Cuba has 1119 day-care centers, 8868 elementary schools, 837 junior and senior high schools, 427 special schools and more than 50 universities.

There are more than 2,400,000 students, and close to 700,000 men and women have been graduated from Cuba’s universities in the past 40 years.

A National Literacy Campaign in 1961 did away with illiteracy.  Students are taught how to use computers starting in kindergarten, and classes on a wide range of subjects are given over TV, through the University for All programs, which are broadcast over several channels of nationwide TV.  The introduction of teaching with audiovisual means as a complement to the work of teachers is described as a veritable educational revolution, which has extended to all classrooms in the country.  Higher education has also been universalized, with university centers in every municipality in the country, making it easier for all citizens to increase their knowledge.

Culture

 A high average level of culture makes Cubans as a whole extremely communicative and sensitive.  In the land where “living itself is a party,” as José Lezama Lima wrote, the popular and the refined combine in the Cuban essence, giving every artistic creation its own mark of distinction.

Various cultural manifestations are being fully developed in Cuba, and, in some of them—such as literature, the fine arts, filmmaking, the ballet and modern dance—Cubans have become world-famous.
There are 265 museums, more than 100 art galleries, around 70 theaters, 120 publishing houses, 354 public libraries, 315 community centers, 46 schools of art and an International Film School, in San Antonio de los Baños.  UNESCO has declared six areas in Cuba to be a part of world cultural heritage: Old Havana, with its system of fortresses; the oldest part of Trinidad; Sugar Mill Valley; San Pedro de la Roca del Morro Castle, in Santiago de Cuba; the ruins of the French coffee plantations near Gran Piedra; and Desembarco del Granma (Landing of the Granma) National Park.

Sport

Cuba has many sports installations, and the promotion of massive participation in sports is indissolubly linked to the great successes that Cuban athletes have achieved since 1959.
Since then, Cubans have won more than 140 Olympic medals and over 2000 medals in the Pan-American and Central American Games.  Cubans hold the world titles for boxing and baseball and have also won top laurels in volleyball,  track and field, fencing, judo, wrestling, chess and weight lifting.
Cuban trainers and sports technicians are helping to develop athletes in other countries all over the world, and Cuba is a full member of all of the international sports associations.    

Immigration and Custom Regulations

Every visitor should have a valid passport issued in his name and a visa or tourist card, except those who come from countries with which Cuba has visa-exemption agreements.  Tourist cards—both individual and group—can be requested from Cuba’s consular representatives, travel agencies and airline offices.
If you arrive by sea, the crew must communicate with Cuban port authorities over HF channel (SSB) 2760 (the national coastal network) or 2790 (the tourist network) or over VHF channel 68 (the national coastal network) or channel 16 (the tourist network) before you enter Cuba’s jurisdictional waters—which begin 12 nautical miles from the insular shelf.
Personal effects, jewelry, still or video cameras, fishing and other sports equipment, two bottles of alcoholic beverages, a carton of cigarettes and up to 22 pounds (10 kilograms) of medicines may be brought into Cuba duty-free.  In addition, you may bring in other articles up to a value of US $250.00; US $50.00 worth of them will be duty-free, and a 100-percent duty will be due on the remaining US $200 worth.  You may not traffic in, consume and/or sell narcotics.  Nor may you bring in pornography, blood derivatives, cordless microphones and telephones, household appliances and/or firearms, except for those duly authorized for hunting. You may bring as much cash as you want into the country.  However, we recommend that you declare amounts over US $5000, because you will have to present a Customs declaration in order to take out amounts equal to or greater than that figure.
On leaving Cuba, you may take up through 23 Habano cigars, either loose or packaged, without having to present any documents.  If you want to take more than 23 cigars with you, on your departure you will have to give Customs the original and one copy of the bill of sale from the establishment (one of those which Habanos, S.A., has empowered to sell cigars for export) where you purchased them.  The cigars should be in their original packages that bear the official authorization, including the new holographic seal.  If this prerequisite attesting to legal purchase is not met, the product will be seized by Customs.
If you want to take works of art or antiques with you, you must obtain permission to do so from the National Registry of Cultural Assets; in the case of a great quantity of  gold and/or silver, you must obtain authorization from the National Bank of Cuba to take it out of the country.  Payment of overweight to the airline at your point of origin does not exempt you from paying the corresponding duty on articles, based on their value, when you arrive in Cuba.
All Cuban airports charge an exit fee of 25 convertible Cuban pesos.

Health Regulations
Health restrictions are applicable only to visitors coming from countries where there is endemic cholera and/or yellow fever or which contain areas that the World Health Organization has declared to be zones of infection.  In those cases, visitors must present International Vaccination Certificates.  The entry of products of animal and/or plant origin is restricted.

Health Care and Insurance
Most hotels have a doctor on call 24 hours a day to provide primary health care.  There are more than 440 polyclinics and 280 hospitals in Cuba, some of them with special wards for tourists.  In addition, there are international clinics in Pinar del Río, Havana, Varadero, Cayo Largo del Sur, Cienfuegos and Trinidad; on Coco Cay; at Santa Lucía and Guardalavaca Beaches; and in Santiago de Cuba.  The main tourist resorts have international drugstores.
If you aren’t covered by an insurance policy while traveling, you can obtain one in Cuba through the ASISTUR, S.A., travelers’ aid company, which offers medical, financial, legal and car insurance policies; handles sending you back home in case of illness or death; and provides help in finding lost luggage, obtaining new travel documents and making plane and hotel reservations.  Its switchboard is open 24 hours a day to handle emergencies

Regulations Governing Flora and Fauna
Exports of flora and fauna are governed by the provisions of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).  It prohibits taking live or dried protected plants and/or animals and/or articles made with parts of protected species out of the country.  You may take clothing made from flora and/or fauna with you when you leave Cuba if you obtain a certificate from the administrative authority of CITES in Cuba authorizing you to do so.

Introduction

Sierra Maestra Natural Park, the most extensive and youngest mountain system in Cuba which contains 17 peaks that rise to more than 4265 feet (1300 meters) above sea level.  Among them, Turquino Peak—the highest mountain in the Cuban archipelago, rising to 6476 feet (1974 meters) above sea level—is outstanding.
The Siboney-Justicí Ecological Preserve and the Gran Piedra Range—a protected natural scenic area—are also near the city.
Another natural attraction is Gran Piedra (Big Boulder), an enormous rock perched on top of a high mountain.  The boulder, which weighs around 75,000 tons, is one of the largest and heaviest in the world.
The ruins of French coffee plantations—which testify to the French-Haitian influence in the area—up in the mountains are now a part of world heritage and well worth visiting.  We also recommend that you explore the Baconao biosphere preserve.
This enormous natural park—which contains beaches, forests, paths and such cultural offers as museums and open-air exhibits—also has several scuba-diving centers, along the coast.
The well-preserved coral reef, the clear water of the sea and the fact that 73 ships are lying on the bottom in this area make it a superb place for scuba diving.
Hotels right on the coast offer pleasant accommodations for all who love scuba diving, yachting and other water sports.

What to do

 El Saltón Hotel ***
Carretera Puerto Rico a Filé, III Frente, Santiago de Cuba
Tel.: (53 22) 6326
Fax: (53 22) 6492

Description
Nature (the Sierra Maestra Mountains)

22 air-conditioned double rooms, each with private bath with shower, mini-bar and balcony.
Buffet restaurant, grill, cafeteria, room service, natural swimming pool, games room, sauna, shops, newspapers, doctor on call 24 hours a day, money-exchange office, laundry, entertainment, bird-watching, hiking, horseback riding, parking and taxis.

Communications in Cuba

Communications
Cuba has a network of telephone services which guarantees direct communication with any part of the country and the rest of the world.  There are telephone booths on the streets of the main cities where you can pay for calls either in Cuban pesos (for local calls) or with phone cards that are sold for convertible Cuban pesos (for international calls).  The phone cards come in denominations of 10 and 20 convertible Cuban pesos and are sold in hotels, conference centers, ETECSA’s offices and the telephone booths themselves.  Or you can make your international calls from your hotel.

To Call Cuba
First dial the prefix for leaving the country where you are and then the number for Cuba (53), followed by the area code for the province and then the telephone number you want.

Area Codes
Pinar del Río (capital of the province)               82
Valley of Viñales                                                 8
Havana, capital of Cuba                                             7
Isle of Youth                                                         46
Matanzas (the whole province)                         45
Varadero                                                             45  
Villa Clara (the whole province)                        42
Cienfuegos (capital of the province)                          43
Cayo Largo del Sur                                              45
Sancti Spíritus (capital of the province)             41
Trinidad and Ancón                                             419
Topes de Collantes                                              42
Ciego de Avila (the whole province)                          33
Cayo Coco                                                                   33
Camagüey (the whole province)                       32
Santa Lucía Beach                                              32
Las Tunas (the whole province)                          31
Holguín (the whole province)                                      24
Granma (the whole province)                                     23
Santiago de Cuba (the whole province)           22
Baracoa                                                               21

Other interesting informations

What To Wear
We recommend cottons and similar fabrics.  If you are coming on an ecotourism plan, we suggest that you bring sports shoes that can take quite a beating.  Warm clothing, of light wools or gabardines, may be needed for a few days in the winter, in mountain microclimates and in air-conditioned places.  A lightweight raincoat may prove useful in the rainy season (from May through October).  We recommend more formal wear for going to the theater, concert halls, cabarets, fancy restaurants and the like.

Shopping
The airports, villas, hotels and cities have shops where you can buy souvenirs, Havana cigars, Cuban rum and coffee, imported alcoholic beverages, juice, water, preserves and other food, arts and crafts, toiletries, books, magazines, records, tapes, videos, postcards, maps, posters, T-shirts and other products.  There are several chains of specialty shops, boutiques, jewelry stores, perfume shops and shops selling internationally-known brands of merchandise.  Several marinas have specialty shops.  Every hotel has a tourism bureau that can give you the information you want.
Taking Photos
In general, you may take photos and/or videos everywhere except in restricted areas—such as military zones—which are clearly marked.  Museums and some other institutions have their own regulations. Color film is sold in a national chain of photo shops, most of whose outlets are in the provincial capitals, tourist resorts and hotels.  They develop film for 50 cents (convertible Cuban pesos) a roll and print it at minimum prices that are between 30 and 35 cents (convertible Cuban pesos) per photo.  You may have difficulty getting slides made in places other than the specialized photo shops.  Black and white film isn’t used very much, so we recommend that you bring your own supplies if you want to use it.  For color photos, the best light is between 9 and 11:30 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
The taking of photos for journalistic or advertising purposes is subject to other regulations.

Extensions and Changes in Types of Tourism Plans
To extend your stay in Cuba or to change the type of your tourist plan, consult the   tourism bureau in your hotel.

 Extensions and Changes in Types of Tourism Plans
To extend your stay in Cuba or to change the type of your tourist plan, consult the tourism bureau in your hotel.

Electric Power
110 volts, 60 Hertz.  Use plugs with flat prongs.  Some hotels and other installations also have 220-volt outlets.

Time Zone
Eastern Standard Time (GMT).

Bar

Safe-deposit box

Miniclub

Internet

 Room Service

Medical services

Hotel Melia Santiago

A modern hotel located in the center of the populous and hospital city of Santiago de Cuba, it offers to their guests the comforts and facilities of  the inherent levels of quality of this installation type.  
 Rooms: 302 from them 268 are double standard; 30 junior suites, 3 suites and 1 suite presidential.

Avenida de Las Américas y Calle M, Rpto. Sueño. Santiago de Cuba.

Only Bed

Bed and Breakfast

Half Board

Full Board

Airport

Marina

Clínic

Prehistoric animals in stone

Landscape of the mountain

View of the park

Frontal view of the Catedral

Panoramic View of the castle

Panoramic Ocean View

 Lateral  Ocean View of the main Building

Main entrance

House of the small farm

 The  bottom church of the Sierra Maestra

Central  view of the sanctuary

Central monument of the square

View of the street

International kitchen

Creole kitchen  

 Italian kitchen

Restaurant

Who are we

Panoramic View

 Square Panoramic view 

Introduction

 UNESCO has declared this natural park a world biosphere preserve.  It is nearly 31,000 square miles (80,000 square kilometers) in size and has a good road that runs through lush vegetation most of the way (though the last portion, near the sea, is rather arid) past isolated villages and some beaches to Baconao Lake. The park has several museums, recreation areas, historic monuments and curiosities (such as the Valley of Prehistory, a large rolling plain which contains life-size statues of animals from the Jurassic Period).

What to do ?

El Saltón

We particularly recommend El Saltón, up in the Sierra Maestra Mountains, which you can reach either by road or by helicopter. Villa El Saltón specializes in programs to alleviate stress, and the Carisol, Los Corales, Meliá Santiago de Cuba, Sierra Maestra, Brisas Sierra Mar and Galeones Hotels offer similar services.

La Gran Piedra

The Gran Piedra  is reached through a serpentine highway that  travers the Sierra Maestra abundant vegetation. To 1 226 meters on the sea level , an enormous stony mass of volcanic origin considered among the biggest rocks in the world appears and  it gives name to this place with such dimensions that include 51 meters long, 25 of high and 30 of wide, with a  weight of 63 thousand tons.  
The ascent to the peak of the Gran Piedra is of 452 steps, where the visitor faces the surrounded adventure of an abundant vegetation of ferns, orchids and other species that inhabit the area.

Several hundreds of vegetable categories,  222 of them are ferns, with a  22 percent endemic as a complement  to the offer of the place for  adventure tourism which a fauna  with 926 species where it highlights the tocororo, Cuban national bird

The studies carried out by experts confirmed to the Sierra of the Gran Piedra like the main pole of establishment of the emigrated French in the XIX century, because of the ruins of dozens of plantations of coffee
For the leisure there are available the capacities of the Hotel of the Gran Piedra where the lovers of the nature tourism, enjoy the   different ecotourism programs, based on the flora and fauna.of the area

 Panoramic view

View Point

Landscape of the mountain

  Baconao Lagoon

Prehistory Valley

Prehistoric animals in stone

See panoramic from the interior