wonderful holidays latin america cuba

overview

Situated 90 miles south of the Florida Keys, Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean. With miles of golden beaches, rich, colourful scenery and a proud cultural heritage this stunningly beautiful and exceptionally diverse country has been enticing visitors since Christopher Columbus landed here in 1492.

Cuba swings to a different rhythm, and at first it can be hard to get the beat. Opinions are divided on the effect of Castro, 40 years of US blockade and the collapse of the Soviet Union. They have health care, education, food and work but Cubans are still not free to say what they think.

Fortunately, the country has undergone a transformation since it opened its doors to global tourism in the 1990s which has opened up parts of the country that were once inaccessible or off-limits. The country's heritage is in safe hands. Historic Havana and Trinidad, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, have undergone painstaking restoration and preservation. Walking around them is like a trip back in time.

Because of the blockade, Cuba has not suffered a half century of reckless expansion along its beautiful coastline, and Cuba boasts mile upon mile of unspoilt golden sandy beaches waiting to be explored. For the more adventurous travellers, explore the mountainous countryside with sugar cane and rice fields and a fantastic coral reef, second only in length to the Great Barrier Reef.

Visitors to Cuba are often surprised that the island is the size of England, with a tropical climate, three large mountain ranges and 6,000 kilometres of coastline. It faces three seas, the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico to the north and Caribbean in the south.

The Republic of Cuba has a fascinating 500 year history and an unrivalled legacy of architectural treasures, including two World Heritage UNESCO sites. Its natural wonders include several unique species of plant and wildlife in a wide variety of habitats. Cuba’s culture has produced some of the world’s finest dancers, boxers and athletes, plus great writers, artists and musicians who brought us the salsa style of music amongst others.

Havana

Situated on the north coast of the island and built around a natural harbour, Havana (La Habana), is one of the most lively and colourful cities in the Caribbean. Much of the city's charm can be found among the narrow, derelict streets packed with crumbling buildings and fascinating people. Every open door and overhanging balcony allows glimpses of rocking chairs and colourful washing accompanied by the strains of music. On the streets Chinese-made bicycles, yellow, egg-shaped coco-taxis and two-humped camello (camel) buses weave among the melee of 1950s Chevy's and Russian Ladas.

The historic old town, Habana Vieja or Colonial Havana, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and fast becoming a tourist Mecca. The Spanish left behind some superb colonial architecture and many of the great buildings and grand plazas are being restored to their former glory. Centro Habana boasts some of the most important museums and architectural highlights, including the RevolutionMuseum, and the National Capitol, resembling the US Capitol Building in WashingtonDC. The trendy suburb of Vedado boasts high-rise buildings and modern hotels, and draws locals and visitors alike with its theatres, art galleries, restaurants, cafes, and cabaret shows; however most of the city's sights are in Habana Vieja and Centro Habana. The five-mile (8km) seawall, or malecón, stretches from Vedado to Habana Vieja and is lined with architectural gems in various states of dilapidation or restoration.

Havana's nightlife will exhaust even the most seasoned partygoer. After dark nightclubs and bars come alive and the famous rum cocktails flow freely. The city has plenty of cultural entertainment too, and its fair share of monuments, museums and statues. For those travellers needing rest from all this activity, the beaches are only twenty minutes east of the city.

Trinidad

One of the most visited towns in Cuba, Trinidad maintains a charming colonial atmosphere with its uneven cobbled streets, quiet plazas, churches, red tiled roofs, wooden shutters and wrought-iron grilles. Bicycles and horse-drawn carts bump along streets lined with untidy pastel-coloured houses, where open doors afford brief views of folk on rocking chairs and wooden birdcages, and the strains of salsa music drift out from cool courtyards where the intricate steps of the dance are practiced.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, Trinidad has thankfully escaped the modern tourist infrastructure and large hotels usually accorded a popular destination and retains its welcoming and tranquil atmosphere. Surrounded by sugarcane plantations, and situated between the Topes de Collantes mountains and the Caribbean Sea, Trinidad's location also provides easy access to the beach, mountains and the beautiful surrounding countryside, where vestiges from the 18th and 19th centuries in the Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills) testify to a time of prosperity during the sugarcane boom.

Santiago de Cuba

Santiago , the original capital of the island of Cuba, was founded in 1514 and is today the centre of the province of Santiago de Cuba in the south east of the island, 485 miles (780km) from the present capital, Havana.

It is a hilly city with sloping streets, surrounded by the Sierra Maestra mountain range, and boasts some monuments and museums associated with Cuba’s long struggle for national independence. Santiago also claims to have the oldest home in the Americas, the Case de Diego Velazquez, residence of the Spanish governor of old, which is a highlight of the city’s historic quarter.

Santiago is also known for its annual carnival and its closely situated natural areas, including the 80,000-hectare (197,684-acre) BaconaoPark, which begins in the city and ends in the lagoon of the same name. It is climatically the hottest part of Cuba with average temperatures of 90°F (32°C).

Vinales Valley

A recent addition to the UNESCO World Heritage list, the town of Vinales and the valley in which it is set in Cuba's 'green' Pinar del Rio province, is characterised by its impressive round-topped hills, or mogotes. These date back to the Jurassic period and are covered with rich and varied vegetation, and are remnants of the plateau that was eroded by a network of underground rivers millions of years ago.

The VinalesValley is located about 112 miles (180km) west of Havana. The natural beauty and tranquillity of the valley is interspersed with green fields of tobacco, coffee and other crops that grow out of the rich red earth, where traditional agricultural techniques have remained unchanged for centuries. Scattered palm trees and pine forests shelter a variety of melodious birds, and the area is also a magnet for speleologists, being riddled with limestone caves and caverns.

The hilly landscape, quaint villages, oxen-ploughed fields, rustic barns and underground rivers, stalagmites and stalactites provide a striking contrast to the colonial grandeur and white sandy beaches found on the rest of the island. The main valley village, Vinales, is a charming, very laid-back place that makes a good base to explore the beautiful surrounds.

Cayo Largo del Sur

One hundred and ten miles (177km) southeast of Havana is the popular diving and snorkelling paradise of Cayo Largo. The island offers 16 miles (26km) of white sand and crystal sea, where it is possible to swim and dive among grottos and sandy valleys full of crustaceans, sponges, coral and fish of every hue, shape and size. There are other numerous smaller cays accessible from the beach, each with their own natural treasures such as Cayo Iguanas, an isolated spot inhabited by iguanas. It is possible to rent motorcycles, bicycles, horses and watersports equipment to make the most of a visit to Cayo Largo, which can be reached by yacht or by daily air connection from Havana.

Varadero  

Cuba 's premier beach resort and tourist Mecca, Varadero, is situated on a spit of land that reaches out into the Atlantic, a two-hour drive to the east of Havana. Varadero is internationally known for its transparent waters and beautiful setting and is the largest resort complex in the Caribbean, with more than 50 hotels. Growing numbers of sun-seeking European, Canadian and American tourists flock here for the warm aquamarine waters. There are 23 world-renowned dive spots along this 13-mile (21km) stretch of beach, not to mention numerous restaurants, cabaret spots, nightclubs, water and land sport opportunities, skydiving centre, golf courses, and much more.

Varadero's largest shopping complex is Plaza America where you will find fancy boutiques and all manner of shops. There are a number of artisan markets that sell a wide variety of souvenirs along Avenue 1. For cigars the Casa del Habano sells excellent quality cigars.

Private restaurants (paladares) in people's houses are not allowed in Valadero and all restaurants are government-owned. In Varadero town there is everything from market food stalls and fast food outlets to sit-down restaurants. There are many bars offering live music, cabaret shows are popular, and dance clubs and discos in the town cater to Cubans and tourists alike. The hotels have nightly entertainment, with lots of Cuban music, dancing and cocktails on offer.

There are over 30 dive sites around Varadero and dive centres offering dive courses. Deep sea fishing, windsurfing, parasailing, kayaking and sailing are all offered. Land-based activities include golf, skydiving and bowling.

Why not get into the mood of Cuba before leaving by reading some literature about the country, such as Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea”, or “Islands in the Stream” or Graham Green’s “Our Man in Havana”, “Havana Bay” by Martin Cruz Smith (author of Gorky Park) or “Havana Red” by Leonardo Padura (published 2005 www.bitterlemonpress.com).