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Sugar, beans, coffee and corn is what grows, and nickel, iron, steel and cobalt is the other important industry of Holguin.
It is from up here they will tell you Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon) did his first step on Cuba … but in a lot of places you will hear the same, a shame we can't ask Chris about the truth anymore.

Around Guardelavaca you will find most tourists, places like Playa Esmeralda, Don Lino, Bahia de Naranjo. You can find eco tourism at Pinares del Mayari. If you are looking for real culture you do the best going to Holguin city

Capital City: Holguin

Holguin Province Information

Guardalavaca, Playa Esmeralda Beaches & Cayo Saetia
The close to 50 beaches in Holguin Province cover close to 25 miles (40 km) of coastline. Very intimate, they are among the most pictoresque beaches in the Caribbean and have a warm turquoise water that is very calm, thanks to the protection offered by nearby coral reefs. They are bordered by thick vegetation which is typical for thisprovince, which has 12 wildlife refuges.

	Guardelavaca Beach Is a shell-shaped and over half a mile (almost a km) long. It is near several sites of great archeological and natural interest. Holguin Beaches Holguin Scuba Diving Holguin Hotels
	Esmeralda Beach Which is over 2950 feet (900 meters) long, is protected by extensive coral reefs, escarpments, cliffs and lush vegetation that provides shade. The area also contains Pesquero Beach, rich in underwater scenery and good fishing spots; Don Lino, a beautiful beach which blends open spaces, architecture and the world of nature in perfect harmony; and Blanca (White) Beach, another site with very fine sand and unbelievably beautiful water near Cayo Bariay, the place where Christopher Columbus first set food on Cuban soil. Esmeralda and Guardelavaca Beaches, which have an excellent hotel infrastructure, share an offshore area around 11 miles (18 km) long which contains 40 scuba diving sites. The seabed is irregular and complex, forming high hillocks, caves, small valleys and cliffs with vertical sides which in some places descend gently to form terraces covered with Common Sea Fans (Gorgonia spp.), other Gorgonians and coral. Many species of colorful fish live there.
	Location and How to Get There These beaches are on the northern coast of Holguin Province, around 500 miles (over 800 km) east of Havana. Access is by road (both Guardelavaca and Esmeralda Beaches are linked to the city of Holguin and to other parts of the province by a network of roads), air (flights from other parts of Cuba, Europe and the Americas put in Holguin's Frank Pais International Airport) and sea (the Gaviota Puerto de Vita Marina)

What to Do
Activities at Playa Esmeralda Beach include swimming, sailing lessons, scuba diving, snorkling, other water sports, horseback riding, excursions along the coast and inland, visits to farmer's houses, miniature golf, tennis and cycling. At night, choose among the discoteque and other attractions.

At Guardelavaca Beach, activities include sunning, swimming, scuba diving, snorkling, other water sports, beach volleyball, tennis, excursions on yachts, horseback riding, cycling and hiking.

In both cases, nearby Naranjo Bay (in a natural park) offers sea lion and dolphin shows in its aquarium, swimming with these animals, seafaris, air tours along the shore, deep sea and surface fishing, seafood and typical Cuban cuisines, hiking and the services of the Puerta de Vita Marina.

The Chorro de Maita archeological digs, the largest aboriginal cemetery in the Antilles that has been found to date, is also in the area, with a restored Taino Indian village near it.

Activities on Cayo Saetia include water sports, yachting, horseback riding, seafaris through forests and meadows (accompanied by experienced guides) to see migratory birds and exotic species of flora and fauna.

Nearby Places of Interest
The City of Holguin is famous of its profusion of beautiful parks. Attractions include the straight but narrow streets in the oldest part of the city; many public squares; the Museum of History; the Museum of Natural Sciensces; the San Isidoro Cathedral (dating from the 18th century); the San Jose Church (built in 1815); the house in which calixto Garcia, one of the most important generals in Cuba's Wars of Independence, was born (now a museum); Cruz (Cross) Hill, an excellent lookout point, which you reach by climbing a staircase with 458 steps; and Marqueta Square Cultural Center, which has a print shop and exhibit and sales areas for handycrafts, works of art and books.
There are several hotels, cabarets, discoteques and restaurants with a wide range of offers.

Close to the city, Mayabe Valley offers many options for rest and recreation. Villa El Quinque and Villa El Cocal are also nearby. These centers are internationally reknowned for their treatments that combat addictions.

Cayo Saetia
To the east, near the broad Bay of Nipe, is 16 square miles (42 square km) in size, and 65 percent of it is covered with forests. The rest of its territory concists of meadows where American ostriches, antilope, zebras, deer, wild boars, hutias and wild bulls roam at will. It has accommodations of its own. Activities include swimming, yachting and going on safaris in jeeps or horseback.

Hotel Cayo Saetia

The province has several points of interest, as well. Gibara is a quiet, pictoresque fishing village and port with interesting colonial architecture, a Museum of Colonial Ambience and a Museum of Natural Sciences (which has particularly a good butterfly collection). The Bariay National Monument Park, at the spot where Christopher Columbus first set foot on Cuban soil, celebrates that meeting of Indian and European cultures that took place over five centuries ago. Banes, called the archeological capital of Cuba, is the site of the Bani Indo-Cuban Museum, which has exhibits of artifacts used by the island's first inhibitants. Dozen of species of endemic plants and many species of animals live in Pinares de Mayari, the northeastern part of the mountains in Holguin. The area also has 2-star accommodations. Other natural attractions in the province include the Alexander von Humboldt National Park, which UNESCO has declared a world preserve of the biosphere, the Cuchillas del Toa preserve of the biosphere, the Sierra Cristal Mountains, the Silla de Gibara and Yaguajay Hill.

To Do in Holguin

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