Cuba's
smallest province with some sugar industries and some coffee.
The province has of everything a bit, or as Cubans say un tin,
some flat land, some mountains (Sierra Escambray) shared with
other provinces, but this province has his capital city Cienfuegos,
a beautiful city where lots of tourists love to come back to each
year. As it could be for it's beautiful beaches or scuba diving
or eco tourism.
Capital:
Cienfuegos
City 
Sierra
Escambray Mountains
| Cities
Towns Places |
| Aguada de Pasajeros |
Abreus |
Guaos |
Cienaguita |
| Bainerario |
Ciego Montero |
Paradero de Camarones |
Constancia |
| Catorce de Julio |
Caunao |
Rodas |
El Salto |
| CIENFUEGOS |
Congojas |
Yaguaramas |
La Milpa |
| Cruces |
Cumanayagua |
Ariza |
Pepito Tey |
| Espartaco |
Potrerillo |
Cartagena |
San Anton |
| Palmira |
San Fernando de Camarones |
|
|
Cienfuegos
Province Information
Racho
Luna Beach
This
beautiful beach is near both the city of Cienfuegos-one of the
loveliest in the country-and Trinidad, which has been declared
a part of the world heritage. The beach has good hotels, ecotourism
programs, and scuba diving and other water sports, offering you
a fulfilling and relaxing stay.
Hotels
in Cienfuegos
Location
and How to Get There
Rancho
Luna beach is 11 miles (18 km) by road from the city of Cienfuegos
(capital of the province of the same name). The city has an international
airport-the third largest of the country-and is linked to the
rest of the country by a system of modern roads. Cienfuegos is
in the south-central part of the island of Cuba, 159 miles (241
km) from Matanzas and just 53 miles (85 km) from Trinidad.
Cienfuegos
Beaches
What
to Do
Activities
include sunbathing, swimming, scuba diving, snorkling
and other water sports; minature golf; tennis; beach volleyball;
tours along the attractive coast; excursions to nearby natural
attractions, the city of Cienfuegos (international water sports
competitions are held in its bay on a regular basis) and a nearby
dolphin center (with dolphin and sea lion shows). In the evenings,
entertainment put on excellent shows.
The
Whale Shark Scuba-Diving Center offers beginners courses in scuba
diving, rental equipment, scuba diving during the day and at night,
and marina services-with 30 moorings, drinking water, 110- and
220- volt electricity, fuel, facilities for mantainmence and minor
repairs, commissary service, protection 24 hours a day, port authorities,
immigration and Custom offices, international communications,
and bathrooms with shower.
Scuba
Diving around Cienfuegos
Casa-Cuba
Diving course
 |
Accommodation
and Facilities
The
3-star Horizontes Rancho Luna Hotel has 222 airconditioned
rooms, including suites, mini-suites and double rooms, each
with private bath , satelite TV and safe. It also has buffet
and speciality restaurants, a snack bar, a lobby bar, a
grill, a swimming pool for both adults and children, a tennis
court, a miniature golf course, a recreation club, a games
room, shops, a post office and rental cars.
Cienfuegos
Hotels
Cienfuegos
Casa Particular |
 |
Nearby
Places of Interest
Cienfuegos
(founded by a group of French settlers in 1819), is one
of the most beautiful cities in Cuba. It has an enveloping
sense of tranquility, a large number of mansions with cupolas,
several public squares and -the legacy of its French founders-
perfectly drawn streets and well-preserved neoclassical
architecture. In addition, there are interesting frame structures
on Gorda Point (Punta Gorda). |
The
Bay of Cienfuegos, which is one of the most magnificent bays in
the country, is nearly 35 square miles (90 square km) in size
and is dotted with pitoreque cays. We recommend a boat ride around
the bay, where you can sometimes see dolphins leaping from the
water. It is the venue for annual motorboat races and regattas,
and cruise ships put in here , as well. There is a marina (at
22 18'N latitude, 80 28'W longitude-for radio communication, turn
to HF 7462 or VHF 16) with a modern recreation room; aquabikes;
yachts; catamarans; and equipment for snorkling, scuba diving
and water skiing.
Founded
in 1901, Cienfuegos's Botanical garden is one of the oldest in
the Americas. Its 90 hectares contain over 2000 species of plants,
most of them exotic, including a collection of palm trees which
is considered one of the ten best in the world.
Valle
Palace, near Jagua Hotel, at the very end of Punta Gorda (which
gives you a fabulous view), is a mixture of the Mudejar, Gotic-Roman,
Arabian and Indian styles. It has a fancy restaurant.
Hotel
Jagua
The
city has two cemeteries: reina (founded in 1839), the only one
in Cuba that has vertical burial vaults (it also has some beautiful
statues), and Tomas Acea, the first garden cemetery in Cuba, which
is also noted for its beautiful decorations and sculpture.
At a mile and a quarter (almost 2 km) long, Prado Avenue is the
longest street in Cuba; it is flanked by beautiful buildings.
Cienfuegos also has several museums (including one on a naval
history and the Nuestra Senora de los Angeles de Jagua Polyvalent
Museum, which is housed in a fortress dating from the 18th century);
the Terry Theater, which is one of the three oldest theaters in
Cuba that are still being used; and Villuendas and Marti Parks
(the only arch of triumph in Cuba is in the latter).
The
city has several good hotels and restaurants offering all kind
of food (with the accent on seafood), bars, cabarets, discoteques
and other places providing evening entertainment.
Attractions
near the city include the Ciego Montero Spa (with excellent medicinal
mineral water and accomodations); Martin Infierno Cave (which
contains the largest stalagmite in the Americas, around 220 feet,
or 67 meters high) and Cuba-Magyar Cave (which is 1542 feet, or
470 meters deep), both of them in the Escambray Mountains; and
El Nicho area of the Escambray, which has several waterfalls between
65 and 115 feet (between 20 and 35 meters) high. When visiting
any of these waterfalls, treat yourself to a dip in their crystal-clear
pools.
Cienfuegos
's coast is famous for its seabed. There are two scuba-diving
centers in addition to the one at Rancho Luna Beach: the Faro
Luna Scuba-Diving Center, next to the 3-star hotel of the same
name, on the road to Rancho Luna, and the Guajimo Scuba Diving
Center, at the 3-star villa of the same name, on the road to Trinidad.
The offshore area has over 50 diving sites, many species of coral
and fish, caves impressive underwater walls, sunken ships and
coral formations such as "Notre Dame", which looks like
the towers of that Parisian cathedral and is nearly 11 feet (6
meters) high. Stick around, and you'll see turtles, Barracudas
(Spyreana barracuda), enormous Jewfish (Epinephelus itajara),
Spotted Eagle Rays (Aetobatus narinari) and impressive but harmless
Whale Sharks (Rhincodon typus).
Scuba
Diving around Cienfuegos
Along
the road to Trinidad, between the mountains and the sea, in addition
to several ecotourism offers, you'll find a number of beaches,
some of which have excellent accommodations.
Cienfuegos
Beaches
Nature
Guanaroca
Lagoon
It
is formed by the Arimao River before it flows into the bay. It
is declared a protected area and includes the Labyrinths of los
Naturales, Cayo Ocampo, and other smaller keys towards the inside
of the bay. Its coastal environment is very attractive because
of its mangrove swamps and natural refuges of autochthonous and
migratory avifauna. Amongst the noteworthy is a colony of more
than 2000 pink flamencos and more than seven types of species
of heron. There are important archeological sites of past aborigine
and of Spanish Colonization. Cayo Ocampo was visited by the Spanish
navigator of the same surname, when he sailed around Cuba, and
by Diego Velázquez, in 1515. Very close to the lagoon was
a site where el Padre de las Casas, Protector of the Indians,
settled.
The
mountain range of Escambray or Massif of Guamuahaya
The
most important mountainous group of Central Cuba. It is characterized
by steep peaks and deep intramountainous valleys, by its exuberant
vegetation, its endemic species of flora and fauna, waterfalls
and natural pools, its cavernous systems and its natural pathways
that run all over this landscape. In the Martin Infierno Cave,
one of the biggest stalagmites in the world can be found with
a height of 67.20 meters. El San Juan is the tallest summit of
the Escambray, measuring 1156 mts. The most attractive zones are:
El Nicho, Topes de Collantes, San Juan Peak, and the Hanabanilla
dam. The most spectacular waterfalls are Los Desparramaderos and
Tres Deseos in El Nicho, respectively. In Topes de Collante it
is El Caburní, Rocío and Charco Azul. The visit
to these mountains also permits that you get to know the rural
life associated with coffee plantations and other agricultural
activities
Topes
de Collantes
Yaguanabo
Valley
It
is located at the foot of the mountain, between the Escambray
and the coast, close to the Cienfuegos to Trinidad highway, just
55 km from Cienfuegos. Its country landscapes are stunning, especially
those visual sights towards the Caribbean. The Yaguanabo River
crosses the valley, reserving beautiful scenery. It is possible
to get to know agricultural activities of the zone linked to livestock
raising and contemplate the flora and fauna.
Natural
Montemar Park
It
is in the Zapata Peninsula, declared by the UNESCO
a Reserve of the Biosphere. It is the biggest marsh of insular
Caribbean. This ecosystem possesses a great diversity and endemicism.
There are multiple archeological sites and testimonies of the
Bay of Pigs mercenary invasion in 1961.
To Do in Cienfuegos
Province
 |
Castillo
de Jagua
Near the entrance to Bahía de Cienfuegos, first visited
by Christopher Columbus, is the Castillo de Jagua, a fortress
erected (1740-1745) for protection against Caribbean pirates.
A nice fishermen's village around the fortress to visit.
From Cienfuegos you can go to the fortress by the ferry.
It leaves at the corner of 23 and 46. The trips cost for
tourists fifty USD cents. There's also a posibility to leave
from the Marina Puertosol (Punta Gorda - Street 35 between
10 and 11) but this service is only for tourists and you
will pay a lot more!
|
 |
Jardin
Botanico Soledad
A botanical garden owned by Instituto de Egocolica y Sistematic
This
Botanical Garden is another good offer of the province.
In its 97 hectares -seven of which cover a nature reserved
forest area- visitors will find more than two thousand plant
species comprising 670 varieties and 125 families. |
 |
Guajimico
To the south of the central region of Cuba, in the highway
that unites the cities of Cienfuegos and Trinidad, a paradise
of name aborigine rises: “Villa Guajimico.”
With more than fifty cabins whose architecture is integrated
organically to the gentle and natural environment, “Villa
Guajimico” it is an ideal destination for those who
prefer to combine the coast tourism and sea, with the practice
of the diving and the hiking. Many are the attractions that
you will find in “Villa Guajimico”, the most
attractive will surely be the initiation and diving practice
in an area that reserves you a surprising landscape.
This
picturesque village also has always the warm and professional
treatment of those that only want for you, the pleasant
memory of some wonderful days. |
Yaguanabo
Laguna de Guanaroca-Yaguanabo-El Nicho is a natural reserve covering
six thousand hectares. One of its main attractions is a highly
endemic flora with 65 thousand plant species. It is, in addition,
a nesting site for flamingoes and other waterfowl.
Cienfuegos features archeological sites where indigenous vestiges
can be found as well as other sites where corsairs and pirates
took refuge.
Beaches
Racho
Luna Beach
This
beautiful beach is near both the city of Cienfuegos-one of the
loveliest in the country-and Trinidad, which has been declared
a part of the world heritage. The beach has good hotels, ecotourism
programs, and scuba diving and other water sports, offering you
a fulfilling and relaxing stay.
Location
and How to Get There
Rancho
Luna beach is 11 miles (18 km) by road from the city of Cienfuegos
(capital of the province of the same name). The city
has an international airport-the third largest of the country-and
is linked to the rest of the country by a system of modern roads.
Cienfuegos is in the south-central part of the island of Cuba,
159 miles (241 km) from Matanzas and just 53 miles (85 km) from
Trinidad.
What
to Do
Activities
include sunbathing, swimming, scuba diving, snorkling and other
water sports; minature golf; tennis; beach volleyball; tours along
the attractive coast; excursions to nearby natural attractions,
the city of Cienfuegos (international water sports competitions
are held in its bay on a regular basis) and a nearby dolphin center
(with dolphin and sea lion shows). In the evenings, entertainment
put on excellent shows.
Cienfuegos
Hotels
Cienfuegos
Beaches
Other
Cities/Towns in Cienfuegos Province
Abreus
Yaguaramas: lugar
donde cayó Henry Reeve, “El Inglesito”
Carretera de Yaguaramas
a Horquita, Abreus
Cruces
Batalla de Mal
Tiempo
Carretera de Mal Tiempo, Cruces
Rodas
Cueva de Palo
Liso o Santa Ana
Monument
Carretera de Congojas a Cartagena,
Rodas
Palmira
Vivienda de General
Alemán No. 89
Monument
General Alemán No. 89, Palmira
Escambray
Pico San Juan
Sitio de interés
More
about Escambray
Cumanayagua
Los
Desparramados
Sitio de interés
El Nicho, Cumanayagua |
Mirador
de Crucesitas
Sitio de interés
Crucesitas, Cumanayagua |
Hacienda de
La Gallega
Sitio de interés
Guanayara, carretera de
La Sierrita a Topes de Collantes,
Cumanayagua |
Museo Etnográfico
de Montaña
Centro Cubano II, carretera de
la Sierrita a Topes de Collantes,
Cumanayagua |
Cueva
Martín Infierno
Carretera Circuito Sur
Cienfuegos-Trinidad, Cumanayagua |
Water
Sports
Diving
Rancho
Luna Beach
area 18 km from Cienfuegos City Coral reeves, perfect place
for diving
|
Faro Luna
Cubanacán Náutica
Hotel Faro Luna, Carretera de Rancho Luna, km. 17 |
Whale Shark
Marinas Puertosol
Hotel Rancho Luna, carretera de Rancho Luna, km. 16 |
Guajimico
Cubamar
Carretera de Trinidad, km. 42, Cumanayagua |
Harbours
Marina Puertosol
Cienfuegos
Marinas Puertosol
Calle 35 s/n, e/. 6 y 8, Reparto de Punta Gorda, Cienfuegos
Telf: (53 432) 55-1241 Fax: (53 432) 55-1275
E-mail: mpsolcfg@ip.etecsa.cu
Situación: 22°18’ N, 80°28’ W
Comunicación por radio: VHF 16 y HF
Links
& Sources:
