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CUBA
Cuba is the largest Caribbean island, about the size of England, and the most westerly of the Greater Antilles group, lying 145km (90 miles) south of Florida. A quarter of the country is fairly mountainous. West of Havana is the narrow Sierra de los Organos, rising to 750m (2461ft) and containing the Guaniguanicos hills in the west. South of the Sierra is a narrow strip of 2320 sq km (860 sq miles) where the finest Cuban tobacco is grown. The Trinidad Mountains, starting in the center, rise to 1100m (3609ft) in the east. Encircling the port of Santiago are the rugged mountains of the Sierra Maestra. A quarter of the island is covered with mountain forests of pine and mahogany.
Cuba is an island that assaults the senses. Surprisingly for one of the last remaining communist countries, the visitor is greeted with strains of exotic rhythms – the salsa or rhumba – emanating from every corner.
Cuba has undergone a transformation since it first opened its doors to global tourism after almost three decades of isolation. Most noteworthy has been the rapid growth in private accommodation, the extensive network of casas particulares allowing the independent traveller the opportunity, not only to experience life more as it is lived by the average Cubano, but
also to explore corners of the country that had previously been inaccessible or off-limits. Good news for the tourist is the growing choice of resorts and the number of new or refurbished hotels that are opening in towns across the country. In addition, an ever-increasing range of flights and hotels are opening up previously inaccessible corners.
Once faded and crumbling houses, with ornate wrought iron balconies, and central courtyards are now being lovingly restored, while weathered campesinos sucking on titanic cigars watch contentedly as visitors discover this intoxicating island.
While ecotourism is still in its infancy and much of the island’s extraordinary natural beauty remains to be discovered, the government is already making strides in the right direction. An aquamarine sea laps the white, palm-fringed beaches of Varadero and offshore Cayos Largo and Coco. Here you can try your hand at blue marlin or barracuda fishing, just as Hemingway depicted in his novel The Old Man and the Sea, or dive to the coral reef and search for shipwrecks. The little visited Zapata Peninsula or the Bahia de Naranjo Nature Park offer the chance to swim with the dolphins. Inland, only the roar of 1950s US cars disturbs deserted roads. The tobacco-growing area of Viñales with its intriguing limestone mogotes (outcrops), contrasts dramatically with the rugged tree-covered mountains of the Sierra Maestra. Cuba’s rich history as a Spanish colony is evident in the wealth of colonial architecture in major towns such as Havana and Santiago de Cuba.
Travelers should not forget that the country prides itself in its sporting achievements and participates in many sports in the Olympic Games. Baseball is the national sport; soccer and a variety of ball games are also played. There are many stadiums, and both playing and watching sport is one of the national pastimes.
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