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Viñales Valley, Varadero, Cayo Coco...
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Beautiful Cuban nature

Here you will find the description of several interesting places to visit in Cuba, near Havana or elsewhere in the Island. There are excursions available to some of them and if you are interested, you will find information related to it. Each excursion includes transportation in air-conditioning buses and/or domestic flights, bilingual speaking guides and lunch. The information is only as a reference. You can obtain all the information you need and book your desired excursion at any tourist desk in the hotels, generally the day before. You also will find information related to rooms for rent at home stays, casa particular, hostels, B&B, and hotels in several Cuban destinations and you will be able to book your accommodation.

Viñales Valley - Pinar del Río Province

The 706-km2 valley at the westernmost side of the Island is considered by many to be the most spectacular landscape of Cuba. It’s characterized by peculiar geo-morphological formations that make it unique in the country. UNESCO declared the Viñales Valley a World Cultural Park. The main attractions are its hummocks, small rounded mountains with plenty of tropical vegetation. You can also find there tobacco plantations, a Prehistoric Mural (paintings drawn at the side of a hummock), and amusing caves, some of which can be travelled by boat on underground waters. Viñales town, with its colonial style constructions, is in the middle of the valley. A one-day excursion - Duration: 9 hours. Price: $CUC 49 per person. Cuba home stays, casa particular, hostels, B&B... are available for accommodations in Viñales Valley & Pinar del Río City.

Las Terrazas Community - Pinar del Río Province

Las Terrazas, an ecological community 60 km from Havana, is located in a mountainous system, which was declared by UNESCO a World Reserve of the Biosphere. In the late 60s, the area was reforested and a town was built to gather the peasants who were living in dispersed settlements. More than 1200 km of terraces were developed to stop erosion. Highways, bridges, houses, and La Moka hotel were constructed as part of this cultural and social project, under the principle of coexisting with Nature. In addition, you will be able to appreciate French traditions and culture through the reconstructed French ruins of coffee plantations and slaves’ barracks. A one-day excursion Duration: 8 hours. Price: $CUC 39 per person. Cuba home stays, casa particular, hostels, B&B... are available for accommodations in Las Terrazas Community, Pinar del Río.

Playa Larga (Beach) - Matanzas Province

Playa Larga is a small seaside village at the end of the Bay of Pigs, in the Zapata Swamp, where visitors can be in close contact with Nature. Numerous areas within the Zapata Swamp are designated for preservation, such as the Zapata Swamp Natural Reserve and the wildlife sanctuary Las Salinas, which is part of the larger Zapata Biosphere Reserve, the largest protected area in Cuba and in the Caribbean. The swamp is renown for its size and for being the best-preserved wetland of the Antilles, designated as a “Wetland of International Importance” by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1971. Bird watching by day or night is a starting point for vacationers. Besides, in Playa Larga, visitors can swim in beaches with excellent sand, warm, and safe waters and practice scuba diving. Its abrupt edge at the bottom of the sea, located very close to the coastline, is impressive for its beautiful corals, including colonies of black corals, gorgonians, and sponges. Visitors also have the possibility to swim in the underwater caves, some of which are 70 m deep. Playa Larga is 177 km from Havana. Cuba home stays, casa particular, hostels, B&B... are available for accommodations in Playa Larga, Matanzas.

La Boca (Beach) - Sancti Spiritus Province

The typical houses of this region have verandas with comfortable chairs, hammocks, gardens with palm trees, fruit trees, patios, and most of all, a sight of the sea in front of your eyes. The town is just 5 km from Trinidad City. The special location of La Boca offers charming and tranquil surroundings allowing you to combine the real Cuban flavour with the tourist possibilities and attractions of Trinidad. You can find magnificent areas for snorkelling and scuba diving near La Boca. This beach offers an enchanting beauty and a pleasant quietness near the coolness of the Caribbean Sea. Cuba home stays, casa particular, hostels, B&B... are available for accommodations in La Boca Beach, Trinidad.

Varadero (Beach) - Matanzas Province

Varadero is located 34 km to the East of Matanzas City and 140 km to the east of Havana. Varadero offers a fabulous beach 22 km long, wonderful luxurious hotels and many nautical activities, all set in a gorgeous natural environment famed around the world. The bus route includes a beautiful scenic road and one stop at the Bacunayagua Bridge to enjoy a marvellous valley view from a height of 112 m. A one-day excursion - Duration: 12 hours. Price: $CUC 50 per person. Cuba home stays, casa particular, hostels, B&B... are available for accommodations in Varadero.

Cuban keys - Los cayos cubanos

Surrounded by beaches, crystalline waters, fine sand and palm trees, the Cuban keys in the northern and southern coasts are natural paradises. Its beaches are distinguished for the blue and green tones of their seawaters and the thinness of their sand. Water sports lovers will find a perfect place to swim, yacht, fish and more. Their marvellous coralline reefs, within seawaters of more than 30 m of visibility, constitute enjoyable places for scuba diving. Some must-see keys are Cayo Largo del Sur, Cayo Jutía, Cayo Levisa, Cayo Santa María, and Cayo Coco. You can find a one-day excursion to any of these keys at any tourist desk. Cuba home stays, casa particular, hostels, B&B... are not available for accommodations in the keys, only hotel lodging is available.

Cayo Levisa (Beach) - Pinar del Río Province

In the northern coast of the western region, 146 km from Havana, is Cayo Levisa, a small tropical key of pristine nature and impressive marine landscapes. Cayo Levisa is an ideal place to enjoy a vacation and come into direct contact with nature. It has approximately 3.2 kilometres of virgin beach of fine white sands and can be reached only by boat. A one-day excursion - Duration: 12 hours. Price: $CUC 65 per person.

Cayo Coco (Beach) - Ciego de Avila Province

Cayo Coco, located in the northern coast of the Island, is a natural reserve where as many as 159 different kinds of birds have been sighted. Cuba’s largest flamingo colony is located there. The rose-colored birds seem to float atop the water, like mirages. Other bird species, which live there, include the miniature hummingbird, Cuban cuckoos, ibises, herons, egrets, and sea swallows. Its most prominent animals are the wild boar and endemic iguanas. As a protective step, hunting is not allowed in the 370 km2 of the key. Ernest Hemingway immortalized Cayo Coco in his novel “Islands in the Stream”. A one-day excursion - Duration: 12 hours. Price: $CUC 137 per person.