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Camaguey Province

CAMAGUEY PROVINCE

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Camaguey City

CAMAGUEY CITY

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Santa Lucia

SANTA LUCIA

HOTELS

Camaguey Beaches

Santa Lucia & Cayo Sabinal

Santa Lucia has 13 miles (21 km) of wide, white-golden sandy beaches bathed by warm turquoise water that is always calm, thanks to an extensive coral reef just a mile and a quarter (two km) from the coast. This reef is the longest one of its kind in the western hemisphere. The hollows and branches of these coral formations from the habitat of a surprising diversity of marine life.

In one area which has 35 scuba-diving sites, you can see ridges nearly 33 feet (10 m) high, and the wealth of underwater flora and fauna is complemented with many sunken ships-some of them dating from the 19th century. Inland, the El Real Lake is an excellent place for seeing flocks of Roseate Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber) and other water birds. Santa Lucia is a tourist resort with enormous potential which is being developed in harmony with its gorgeous natural surroundings.

Cayo Sabinal is another jewel. Once a refuge of pirates-like many other islets in the Cuban archipelago it has several miles of intimate beaches of excellent quality, tucked into nooks along the coastline with virgin areas inland that abound in wildflowers and animals. Here, too, you can see the ruins of San Hilario Fort (built in 1831) and visit Colon (Columbus) Lighthouse (built in 1848), which warns mariners of dangers in the area.

Santa Lucia reviews at TripAdvisor

Location & How to get there

Santa Lucia Beach is on the northern coast of Camaguey Province, in the east-central part of Cuba, around 338 miles (545 km) from Havana. By air, you land at Ignacio Agramonte International Airport, which serves the city of Camaguey, 68 miles (110 km) southeast of Santa Lucia, where there is an airport for small planes. By land, the region is linked to the rest of the country by road (the Central Highway) and by rail.

What to do

Activities at Santa Lucia include scuba diving and snorkeling at the coral reef, sunning, swimming, playing beach volleyball, windsurfing, pedal boating and engaging in other water sports. Visit the coral reef. Enjoy the entertainment that is offered during the day and at night. Or go to the Bay of Nuevitas for sports fishing, scuba diving in sunken ships, seeing colonies of Roseate Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber) and watching a great show featuring Bull Sharks (Carcharhinus leucas). At Cayo Sabinal, you can go snorkeling, scuba diving and hiking.

Accommodations and Facilities

There are over 1000 rooms at Santa Lucia Beach, in 4- and 3-star hotels. All use the All-Inclusive plan. There are swimming pools for children and adults, a mini-club for children, volleyball and tennis courts, water sports, games rooms, a jacuzzi, shops, and shopping malls, restaurants with many options, bars, discotheques, money-exchange offices, a doctor on call 24 hours a day, gymnasiums, international communications, taxis, rental cars and entertainment during the day and at night.

The Shark's Friends Scuba Cuba International Scuba-Diving Center, with international qualified specialists, offers at all levels and an opportunity to make underwater videos.

Cayo Sabinal has five ecological cabanas which blend with their surroundings. Each has a private bath and fan. There is also a combination bar and restaurant which specializes in seafood, plus bicycle rentals and facilities for snorkeling and scuba diving.