Destinations in Cuba

Regions in Cuba

• Western Cuba (Pinar del Rio, Havana, Matanzas, Isla de la Juventud)
  The capital, the hills of Pinar del Rio and an off-the-beaten-track island where you can go diving make for an exciting region.
• Central Cuba (Camagüey (province), Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus, Ciego de Ávila)
• Eastern Cuba (Las Tunas, Holguin, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Guantánamo)

Cities in Cuba

• Havana – cosmopolitan capital with a lively nightlife.
• Baracoa – a picturesque city by the sea and the first capital of Cuba.
• Camagüey – Cuba’s third largest city is a labyrinth of narrow streets, Catholic churches and jars called tinajones.
• Cienfuegos – a city founded by the French that rivalled (and eventually surpassed) Trinidad as the main port in southern Cuba.
• Matanzas – whose name translates as “massacre”, this industrial port city at the end of the Hershey Railway is a hidden gem of Afro-Cuban culture and history.
• Pinar del Rio – centre of the cigar industry
• Santa Clara – site of the battle that won the revolution and now home to the mausoleum of Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
• Santiago de Cuba – a coastal city rich in Caribbean influence and steeped in revolutionary history.
• Trinidad – World Heritage Site with charming colonial buildings.

Other destinations in Cuba

• Cayo Largo – a small island with naturist resorts
• Gran Parque Natural Topes de Collantes – a national park located in the mountains of the Sierra del Emcambray and spanning the provinces of Cienfuegos, Villa Clara and Sancti Spiritus.
• Isla de la Juventud – a large island south of Havana
• Jardines del Rey – an island chain of resorts including Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo.
• Maria la Gorda – a small village with some diving and snorkelling opportunities.
• Parque Nacional Ciénaga de Zapata – similar to Everglades National Park in Florida, with extensive wetlands, beaches and world-renowned sites for bird watching and diving; site of the US invasion of the Bay of Pigs in 1961.
• Parque Nacional La Güira – Another national park in the province of Pinar del Rio, with mountains and caves, but without many tourist facilities.
• Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra del Rosario – UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Sierra del Rosario mountains in the province of Pinar del Rio; the main sites are Soroa and Las Terrazas.
• Varadero Beach – 20 kilometres of beach with fine white sand and water.
• Viñales – a national park in the province of Pinar del Rio, with mountains and caves; it has the most developed tourist facilities of the national parks in Cuba.