Trinidad

As if it were stagnant in time, Trinidad gives the visitor the extraordinary charms of a vivacious museum-city embedded between the sea and the mountain. Trinidad comprises an area of 1 165Km2 and it is located to the center-south of Cuba, facing the Caribbean Sea, in the mountainous skirts of Guamuahaya or Escambray Mountains, belonging to the province of Sancti Spíritus. You can get there by roads that connect it with the rest of the country, and it has an airport for small and medium size airplanes.

Proclaimed World Heritage by UNESCO in 1988, the old Villa de la Santísima Trinidad founded in the 16th century shows togeher with its multiple architectural values, a wealth of traditions and cultures where Hispanic and African traits are combined. A culture of craftsmanship and ceramics has been transmitted notably from generation to generation. In this area the gentle atmosphere of small cities reigns, where the creative capacity and their residents' wisdom have contributed to preserve from the past their most important values.

Together with historical and cultural values of the territory, the attractiveness of the mountainous Escambray area, its beaches and the beauties of its sea bottoms, as well as its people's hospitality, are the particular features of this city. Trinidad is one of those cities that invites you to travel all around them. Its museums, squares and stone-paved streets make it possible to go back in time. Once in the territory you are invited to know the symbolic Manaca- Iznaga Tower, from where you can see the Valley of the Sugar Mills; Ancón and María Aguilar beaches, Caburní Waterfall, the Cave of the Skulls and Zaza Lake, host of periodic trout fishing tournaments. To visit its nearby keys among which Key Blanco of Casilda stands out are of great interest for those who are keen in the art of deep diving.

Maria la Gorda

Located in the western Guanacabibes Peninsula, is considered a Reserve of the Biosphere. Private and serene, Maria La Gorda is famous for its transparent marine landscapes, considered by many among the one with the biggest biological diversity in Cuba, and from where it is possible to find multiple species of corals, the biggest colony of black coral in the Cuban seas. The International Diving Center counts on its own lodging and it is located in the province of Pinar del Rio 304 km far from the capital of the country.

the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, holds a true natural treasure characterized by exuberant vegetation, fauna and flora, as well as the attractions of the region's sea bottoms.,The territory also treasures the imprint of Cuba's first inhabitants, who named the region Guanahacabibes. In 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared the region a Biosphere Reserve.

The Guanahacabibes National Park is the country's largest natural reserve and is separated from the rest of the island by an isthmus of white-sand plains where Cuba's largest lakeside area lies. A relative small area holds some 100 lakes, as well as the largest and purest fields of silica sand, which is 99.8 percent pure.

The peninsula, one of the last refuges of aboriginal communities fleeing from the Spanish conquistadors, according to experts, also holds some 140 archeological sites linked to the life of aborigines, who were known as guanahatabeyes. Research has shown that aboriginal communities in different stages of development settled in the region, although the largest population consisted of fishermen and pickers rather than harvesters.,Ecotourism enthusiasts can enjoy a wide range of options, from themes trails such as "Las Perlas Cave", "Forest Facing the Sea" and "Guanahacabibes before Columbus", to excursions to Cabo de San Antonio (Cape San Antonio) and local communities, which are representative of the region's population.

Development prospects include the incorporation of such options as the trails "La Majagua" and "Hoyo del Palmar", and excursions to "El Valle Community", "In favor of Ecological Agriculture" and bird-watching spots in Cabo Corrientes (Cape Corrientes), La Bajada, el Bosque, Hoyo del Palmar and Herbazal de Ciénaga.,In Guanahacabibes, nature tourism is a major attraction in a 50,000-hectare National Park inhabited by 172 species of birds belonging to 42 families, 11 of which are endemic and 84 are migratory.,As a peculiar sign of the region's potential for nature tourism, experts say that four of the seven species of marine turtles living on the planet have survived in the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, thanks to Cuban authorities' protection programs.,Coral reefs in a perfect state of preservation are the foundations for the development of underwater programs in Cuba's warm crystal-clear waters.