S PARQUE NACIONAL JARDINES DE LA REINA
ÁREA PROTEGIDA DE RECURSOS MANEJADOS SIERRA DEL CHORRILLO
PLAYA SANTA LUCÍA AND VICINITY
These contiguous and geographically similar provinces are dominated inland by rolling savannas and off the north coast by the Cayería del Norte, low-lying, sandy coral islands, where Cuba’s most spectacular beaches dissolve into mesmer-izing peacock-blue waters. Officially called the Archipiélago de Sabana-Camagüey, but known to all Cubans as the Jardines del Rey (King’s Gardens), this sea-girt wilderness extends for some 470 kilometers in a great line parallel to the coast, between 10 and 18 kilometers from shore. Tourism development is concentrated on Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo.
The islands are mostly covered with low scrub—a perfect habitat for wild pigs and iguanas and birds. The briny lagoons are favored by pelicans, ibis, and flamingos. Running along the northern edge of the cays is coral reef.
Ernest Hemingway actively pursued German submarines in the 1940s, immortalizing his adventures in his novel Islands in the Stream. It is possible to follow the route of the novel’s protagonists as they pursued the Nazis east-west along the cays, passing Confites, Paredón Grande, Coco, Guillermo, and Santa María.
Much of the coastal plain is covered with scrubland and swampy marshland, perfect for bird-watching, and by lagoons, perfect for fishing. Inland, the undulating seas of green sugarcane merge with cattle country dominated by ranches—ganaderías—worked by vaqueros (cowboys) with lassoes.
Pancake-flat Ciego de Ávila (the average elevation of the land is less than 50 meters above sea level) is Cuba’s least-populous province, and though it’s the nation’s leading pineapple producer, almost three-fourths of the province is devoted to cattle. The wedge-shaped province (6,910 square kilometers) forms Cuba’s waist, stretching only 50 kilometers from coast to coast. There are few rivers and no distinguishing features, and few sights of historical interest, even in Ciego de Ávila and Morón, the only two towns of importance. By contrast, the city of Camagüey, capital of the nation’s largest province, offers plenty of colonial charm. The surrounding honey-colored rolling plains are reminiscent of Montana, parched in summer by a scouring wind that bows down the long flaxen grasses. These upland plains are bounded to the north by a line of low mountains, the Sierra de Cubitas.
Look for S to find recommended sights, activities, dining, and lodging.
S Parque Nacional Jardines de la Reina: World-class sportfishing and diving await at way-off-the-beaten-track offshore cays studding crystal-clear shallows (click here).
S Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo: Beaches don’t get any more gorgeous than at these sibling isles, with turquoise waters, flamingos, and top-class all-inclusive resort hotels to match (click here and click here).
S Plaza San Juan de Dios: This square is the most impressive of several atmospheric colonial plazas in the large provincial capital of Camagüey (click here).
S Finca La Belén: There’s good hiking and bird-watching at this farm with exotic wildlife (click here).
S Scuba Diving at Playa Santa Lucía: Though the Playa Santa Lucía beach resort is otherwise a dud, the diving is superb (click here).
S Cayo Sabinal: Coral fringes this lonesome cay with scintillating white sand and peacock blue waters (click here).
The sparsely populated southern plains are covered almost entirely by marshland and swamps. A slender archipelago—the Jardines de la Reina—lies off the southern coast, sprinkled east-west across the Golfo de Ana María. This necklace boasts fabulous beaches and bird-life, coral formations perfect for scuba diving, and shallow waters that offer angling delights.
Running through the center of the provinces, the Carretera Central connects Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey cities with Havana and Santiago de Cuba. The cities are also major stops on the main east-west railway. The paved and less-trafficked Circuito Norte highway parallels the north coast at an average distance of five kilometers inland. Feeder roads connect it with the Carretera Central.
The 400 or so cays of the Jardines del Rey are separated from one another by narrow channels and from the coast by shallow lagoons. Pedraplenes (causeways) link Cayo Coco, Cayo Romano, and Cayo Sabinal to the mainland. Two days is barely sufficient for relaxing on Cayo Coco and neighboring Cayo Guillermo (connected by another pedraplén), the most developed of the keys, with more than a dozen all-inclusive resort hotels. If all you want is to relax with a rum cocktail on fine white sand, with breaks for water sports, then this could be for you. You can rent cars for forays farther afield.
Gateway to these two cays is Morón, a small-scale town that boasts the excellent Museo Caonabo and the Museo de Azúcar, where a steam-train ride is offered. Anglers can cast for game fish in nearby Lago La Redonda. Morón is served by trains, with direct connection to both Havana and Ciego de Ávila, the provincial capital.
More interesting by far is Camagüey. You could easily justify three days in this colonial city, which boasts several historic plazas. Camagüey is a gateway to Playa Santa Lucía. This second-rate beach resort appeals mostly to budget-minded Canadians and Europeans, with second-rate hotels and a desultory nightlife. Sure, the diving is exceptional, but that’s about it (even the beach pales in comparison to Cayo Coco). The hinterland is physically unappealing, although a worthwhile excursion is to Cayo Sabinal, with spectacular beaches and waters touted for future development. At Rancho King, you can watch a rodeo and even play cowboy for half a day.
Opportunities abound for bird-watchers, not least at Finca La Belén, a wilderness area southeast of Camagüey city. Set amid scenic terrain, it provides a rare opportunity for hiking and is served by a delightful hotel.
Divers, anglers, and yachters should set their sights on the Parque Nacional Jardines de la Reina. This necklace of cays off the southern coast is accessed solely from the funky fishing village of Júcaro, south of Ciego de Ávila. Visitation is controlled exclusively through a single agency, based in Júcaro.
The provincial capital city (pop. 85,000), 460 kilometers east of Havana, is worth a day’s browse in passing.
The first land grants locally were given in the mid-16th century. Gradually cattle ranches were established. Local lore says that one of the earliest hacienda owners was named Jacomé de Ávila. His property, established in 1538, occupied a large clearing, or ciego, and was used as a way station for travelers. A settlement grew around it, known as Ciego de Ávila.
The streets are laid out in a grid. The Carretera Central (Calle Chicho Valdés) runs east-west through the city center. The main street is Independencia, running east-west two blocks north of Chicho Valdés; Independencia divides the city into norte (north) and sur (south) sections; Marcial Gómez, the main north-south street, divides the city into este (east) and oeste (west). Calle Independencia west of Parque Martí is now a lovely landscaped pedestrian-only boulevard.
The central plaza, between Independencia and Libertad, and Marcial Gómez and Honorato del Castillo, has a bust of José Martí at its center. Victorian-era lampposts surround the square. On the south side, the Poder Popular, the town hall, dating from 1911, adjoins Iglesia San Eugenia, a modernist church built in 1951. On the southeast corner, the Museo de Artes Decorativos (Marcial Gómez #2, esq. Independencia, tel. 033/20-1661, Mon.-Thurs. 9am-5pm, Sat. 1pm-6pm, Sun. 8am-noon, entrance CUC1, cameras CUC1) is housed in a restored colonial mansion replete with priceless antiques, with rooms set out as if the occupants were still there.
After perusing the antiquities, catch up on the city’s history at Museo de Historia Simón Reyes (Honorato de Castillo, esq. Máximo Gómez, tel. 033/20-4488, Tues.-Fri. 9am-5pm, Sat. 9am-4:30pm, Sun. 8:30am-noon, CUC1). One of Cuba’s best regional museums, it has rooms dedicated to archaeology, history, Santería, etc.
The Teatro Principal (Joaquín de Agüero, esq. Honorato del Castillo, tel. 033/22-2086), one block south of Martí, was built at the whim of a local society figure. Its enormous hand-carved wooden doors open onto an elaborately decorated interior.
This small plaza, four blocks west of Parque Martí, is worth a visit to view the bronze statue of the hero-general Máximo Gómez, sword raised.
An old Spanish fort—Fortín de la Trocha—stands on the park’s east side. It is the only one still standing of seven military towers built during the Ten Years War (1868-1878), when a wooden barricade—La Trocha—was built by the Spanish to thwart a westward advance by the rebels.
As Cuba’s deplorable zoos go, this one (Hernández, one block north of Chicho Valdés, no tel., Wed.-Sun. 9am-4:30pm, one peso) is just about acceptable in terms of animal conditions. It stocks hippos, lions, ostriches, baboons, etc., with a token assortment of local beasts, such as jutías.
Patio de Artex (Libertad #162) hosts live music on its patio (Tues.-Sun. 8pm-2am). The Casa de la Trova (Libertad #130, Tues.-Thurs. noon-6pm and 9pm-1am, Fri.-Sat. until 2am, Sun. 10am-2pm and 9pm-2am, CUC3 including one drink) hosts traditional music, as does the Casa de la Cultura (Independencia #76, tel. 033/72-3974). The Museo de Artes Decorativas (Marcial Gómez #2, esq. Independencia, tel. 033/20-1661) has various cultural events, including classical and chorale.
Gotta get your cabaret kicks? Patio El Mulato (Antonio Maceo, esq. Chicho Valdés) has a tiny open-air cabaret. And the Hotel Ciego de Ávila’s Batanga disco (Carretera Caballos, tel. 033/22-8013, CUC5) operates Wednesday-Monday.
Tops in my book is S Casa de Aleida Castro (Calle 3 #16, e/ Independencia y Joaquín de Agüero, tel. 033/22-8355, CUC20-30), a well-preserved 1959 middle-class home with a double garage and two air-conditioned rooms; the spacious upstairs wood-paneled room has retro furnishings and opens to a vast rooftop terrace.
S Casa de Dr. Alberto de Armas (Independencia #317, e/ 1 y 2, tel. 033/22-8451, CUC20) is another delightful yesteryear modernist home. Alberto rents one spacious and handsome room, which opens to a huge patio with arbor and swing seat.
Villa O’Mari (Máximo Gómez #352, e/ 4ta y 5ta Este, tel. 033/22-3267, CUC20) is another marvelous option. This two-story house is smothered in bougainvillea and has a garden patio with rockers, a lounge with TV, plus two air-conditioned rooms with modern bathrooms. One has a kitchen and its own entrance via a spiral staircase; the other has a terrace.
Islazul’s Hotel Ciego de Ávila (Carretera Caballos, tel. 033/22-8013, carpeta@hca.co.cu, CUC20 s, CUC32 d low season, CUC26 s, CUC42 d high season, including breakfast), two kilometers northwest of downtown, is a faceless four-story building with 143 pleasantly furnished air-conditioned rooms and suites. Locals flock to the swimming pool on weekends.
El Búlevar, Ciego de Ávila
Downtown, Islazul’s Hotel Santiago-Havana (Independencia y Honorato del Castillo, tel. 033/22-5703, administracion@hshca.cav.co.cu, CUC15 s, CUC20 d year-round) has 76 dourly furnished air-conditioned rooms, plus a bar and cabaret disco.
I’m partial to the colonial ambience at La Confronta (Marcial Gómez, esq. Joaquín de Agüero, tel. 033/20-0931, daily noon-3:45pm and 7pm-11:45pm), in a restored colonial mansion. Pork dishes are the name of the game here. Even foreigners pay in pesos. Pork for pennies!
For a seat with a view, slide into a red leather banquette at the modestly elegant Restaurante Solaris (tel. 033/22-2156, daily 12:30pm-10pm), atop the Doce Plantas building on the west side of Parque Martí; the elevator is to the rear of the building. It has the standard criolla menu.
For colonial ambience check out Fonda Cubana (Máximo Gómez, esq. Honorato Castillo, tel. 033/26-6186, daily noon-3pm and 7pm-10pm), with a wooden bar, murals, wrought-iron seating, and live music. I recommend the ropa vieja (CUC3.25) or paella (CUC3.50).
The Restaurante El Colonial (Independencia Oeste #110, tel. 033/22-3595, daily 6pm-midnight) replicates a Spanish bodega and is lent character by its statues of flamenco dancers, a bull’s head over the bar, and cowhide chairs. The menu offers the usual criolla staples. Across the street, the Unión Arabe de Cuba (tel. 033/22-4865, Mon.-Fri. 8am-4pm and Sat.-Sun. 8am-10pm) spices its criolla menu with hummus and Levantine pastries.
If steam trains turn you on, head to the newly laid-out Parque de la Ciudad (Carretera Caballos, esq. Av. Al Aeropuerto), on the north side of the city; the Restaurant El Coche (daily noon-10pm) occupies a former rail carriage. Or opt for the inside of a retired Aerocaribbean Soviet passenger plane, now Restaurante El Avió, a stone’s throw away. Both serve criolla staples.
For ice cream, join the line at Coppelia (Independencia Oeste, esq. Simón Reyes, Tues.-Sun. 9am-2pm and 4pm-10pm) or, one block west, Cremería Arlequin (esq. Agramonte, Mon. and Wed.-Fri. 10am-5pm and 7pm-10pm, and Sat.-Sun. until 11pm).
You can buy produce at the mercado agropecuario (Mon.-Sat. 6am-6pm), beneath the overpass at Chicho Valdés and Fernando Calleja, and baked goods at Panadería Doña Neli (daily 9am-9pm), on the northwest corner of Parque Martí.
Infotur (Honorato del Castillo, e/ Libertad y Independencia, tel. 033/20-9109, Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-4:30pm, alternate Saturdays 8:30am-4:30pm) provides tourist information.
The post office (Marcial Gómez, esq. Chico Valdés, tel. 033/22-2096), two blocks south of Parque Martí, has DHL service. Etecsa (Joaquín de Agüera, e/ Honorato y Maceo, daily 8:30am-7:30pm) has international phone and Internet service.
Bandec (Independencia Oeste, esq. Simón Reyes, and Independencia Oeste, esq. Antonio Maceo) and Banco Popular (Independencia, e/ Simón Reyes y Maceo) have branches. You can also change foreign currency at Cadeca (Independencia Oeste #118, e/ Maceo y Simón Reyes).
The hospital (Máximo Gómez, tel. 033/22-2429) is at the east end of town.
The Consultoría Jurídica Internacional (Independencia, e/ Honorato y Maceo, tel. 033/26-6238, Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-5pm) offers legal aid; the police station (Delgado, e/ Libertad and Independencia) is one block east of the main square. Inmigración (Mon. noon-7pm, Tues., Wed., and Fri. 8am-5pm, Thurs. and Sat. 8am-noon) is on Independencia, 50 meters east of the square.
The Aeropuerto Máximo Gómez (tel. 033/22-5717) is 22 kilometers north of town. Cubana (Chicho Valdés #83, e/ Maceo y Honorato, tel. 033/22-1117) offers flights from Havana.
The Terminal de Ómnibus Nacional (tel. 033/22-2407) is on the Carretera Central, 1.5 kilometers east of town. Víazul buses (tel. 033/22-2514, www.viazul.com) stop here en route between Havana and Santiago de Cuba.
The Terminal de Ómnibus Municipal (tel. 033/22-3076), next to the railway station, serves towns within the province.
The Estación Ferrocarril (tel. 033/22-3313) is at the base of Agramonte, three blocks west and six blocks south of Parque Martí. Ciego de Ávila is on the main railroad between Havana and Santiago and all trains stop here.
You can rent cars at Cubacar (tel. 033/20-7133), on Candelario Agüero and at the bus station (tel. 033/20-5105). There are gas stations at the junction of the circunvalación and Carretera Morón (northeast of town); on Chicho Valdés and Martí; and two blocks east at Chicho Valdés and Independencia. For a taxi, call Cubataxi (tel. 033/22-7636).
The Garden of the Queens archipelago comprises around 660 deserted coral cays in a long chain that extends east-west for some 350 kilometers off the southern coast of Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey Provinces. The ecosystem is protected within Cuba’s first marine park—the largest no-take marine reserve in the Caribbean. Flamingos wade in the briny shallows of the Golfo de Ana María. An extensive coral reef runs along the chain’s southern shore, which is lined by white-sand beaches; the reef is one of the best preserved such ecosystems in the world.
The cays are nirvana for sportfishing and diving. Reservations are handled by an Italian company, Avalon (tel. 033/49-8104, http://cubandivingcenters.com), which has exclusive permits and offers six-day/seven-night diving and fishing packages mid-October through August.
Diving is permitted only with a guide provided by Avalon, even if you arrive on your own yacht. Professional scuba instructors even stage shark riding!
Participants on fishing and diving packages are accommodated aboard La Tortuga Lodge, a former barge turned permanently moored hotel that can accommodate 22 people in seven air-conditioned cabins; the Halcon, a 75-foot cruise yacht with six cabins; the 69-foot, four-cabin La Reina; and the four-cabin Caballones.
Non-divers and non-fishers are given rates upon request. Reservations are essential. Book early, as only 1,000 visitors a year are permitted.
All visits to the cays are handled through Avalon, in the browbeaten fishing village of Júcaro, 20 kilometers south of Ciego de Ávila. U.S. citizens can visit on a licensed travel program offered by Ocean Doctor (tel. 202/695-2550, http://oceandoctor.org/gardens).
Private vessels must report to Avalon, which has exclusive use of Marina Júcaro. Yachts can moor at the cays only with prior permission.
Morón (pop. 50,000), 37 kilometers due north of Ciego de Ávila, is the main gateway to Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo and is perfectly positioned for day excursions to the cays. It is known as the City of the Rooster, a name bequeathed in the 18th century by settlers from Morón de la Frontera, in Andalusia, Spain. In the 1950s, Morón’s city fathers erected a rooster at the entrance to town. Fulgencio Batista was present for the unveiling. After the Revolution, an officer in the rebel army ordered the monument’s destruction. In 1981, the city government decided to erect another cockerel in bronze at the foot of a clock tower fitted with an amplifier so that citizens could hear the rooster crow daily at 6am and 6pm. It stands outside the entrance to the Hotel Morón.
Morón featured prominently during the independence wars. The town was captured by rebel troops in 1876. The Spanish colonial army built the 50-kilometer-long wooden barricade—La Trocha—from Morón to Júcaro.
The only worthwhile site in town is Museo Caonabo (Martí #115, tel. 0335/50-4501, Tues.-Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 8am-noon, CUC1), occupying a three-story neoclassical former bank. Downstairs is dedicated to pre-Columbian culture. Upstairs the historical artifacts range from Spanish swords and mantillas to revolutionary icons, all thoughtfully displayed and labeled.
The defunct Central Patria o Muerte sugar mill at Patria, five kilometers southeast of town, has been turned into the excellent Museo de Azúcar (tel. 0335/50-3309, Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm, Sat. 8am-11am, CUC3), with excellent exhibits describing sugarcane cultivation and refining. There’s a model of the central, where much of the original machinery is in place within the restored building, which has functioning machinery. To the rear are 18 steam trains; rides are offered on a 1917 Baldwin (Mon. 10am and 3pm, CUC12).
The city is enclosed to the north and east by a vast quagmire of sedges, reeds, and water. Laguna de la Leche, five kilometers due north of Morón, is named for its milky complexion, which derives from deposits of gypsum. Bird-life includes flamingos. Forty-minute boat tours are offered (daily 10am-5:30pm, CUC20) from La Cueva, on the west shore; check in at the Flora y Fauna (tel. 033/50-5632) office here.
Northeast of Morón, Lago La Redonda claims the largest concentration of bass in Cuba. Centro Turístico La Redonda (tel. 033/30-2489, daily 8am-7pm), 14 kilometers north of Morón, offers fishing (CUC75 for four hours, four person minimum) and boat trips (CUC7). Yes, there are crocodiles in the water, although you’ll have a better chance of seeing them at the Zoocriadero Cocodrilo (no tel., daily 9am-7pm, CUC3 including drink and guide), 10 kilometers east of Morón, and at Área Protegida de Cunagua (no tel., daily 7am-7pm, CUC1) about 20 kilometers east of town. The latter has hiking trails and a mountaintop restaurant, and horses can be rented. It’s open only to groups arranged through EcoTur (tel. 033/30-8163, comercial@cat.ecotur.tur.cu), on Cayo Coco.
Sitio Arqueológico Los Buchillones, at Punta Alegre (about 30 km northwest of Morón) is the site of one of Cuba’s most important archaeological digs. The National Geographic Society is helping with the excavation of a Taíno village preserved in coastal mud. The remains of canoes and pile-supported wooden houses have been remarkably well preserved. A museum is planned. The site is 35 kilometers north of Chambas, where the Museo Municipal (Calle Agramonte #80, e/ Calixto García y Martí) hosts exhibits.
Museo de Azúcar
Each September, the Carnival Acuático (Water Carnival) takes place in a canal leading to Laguna de la Leche. Musicians serenade the crowd while the city’s prettiest young maidens row boats decorated with garlands of flowers.
The Casa de la Trova (Libertad #74, e/ Martí y Narciso López) hosts traditional music, as does the Casa de la Cultura (Martí #224, tel. 033/50-4309), which offers dance lessons each Wednesday and Friday at 5pm.
La Casona de Morón (Cristóbal Colón #41) hosts an outdoor disco (Tues.-Sun.). Disco La Cueva, three kilometers north of town on the road to Laguna de la Leche, offers karaoke, cabaret espectáculo, and disco (CUC1).
The Buena Vista Club (Martí #111, tel. 033/50-2045) has live music (Wed.-Mon. 2pm-2am).
S Casa de Gina Margarita (Callejas #89, e/ Martí y Castillo, tel. 33/50-4340 or 5295-6585, CUC20) is an attractive 1950s home full of antiques and kitsch. It has two modestly furnished, cross-ventilated air-conditioned rooms with small private bathrooms and independent entrance. There’s parking and a delightful patio. Casa de Mirta Caballo (Dimas Daniel #19, e/ Castillo y Serafina, tel. 033/50-3036 or 5284-0095, mirta64@enet.cu, CUC20) is a smallish, simply furnished home that rents two rooms off the rear patio with rockers. Each has an independent entrance and parking. Mirta also has an upstairs apartment with modern bathroom, kitchen, and terrace.
I’ve twice stayed at Casa de Juan y Bélgica (Castillo #189, e/ San José y Serafín Sánchez, tel. 033/50-3823, juanclen@enet.cu, CUC20), a well-kept home with two air-conditioned rooms with fans and modern bathrooms. Meals are served on a nice patio with planters. Guests get free use of a computer.
Casa de Luis y Liz (Calle Patia #39 e/ Sordo y Alfredo Díaz, tel. 5281-2921, CU20) is on the south side of town. Two spacious independent air-conditioned apartments have plentiful hot water, a full kitchen, and secure parking.
bedroom at Casa de Gina Margarita
Islazul’s modest two-story Hotel Morón (Av. Tarafa, tel. 033/50-2230, www.islazul.cu, CUC26 s, CUC42 high season including breakfast) offers no frills in its 136 rooms and eight junior suites, and facilities include a massage salon, barber shop, swimming pool, and disco.
La Casona de Morón (Cristóbal Colón #41, tel. 0335/50-2236 or 50-2166, casona@uebmr.cav.palmares.cu, CUC19 s, CUC30 d low season, CUC22 s, CUC35 d high season), a colonial mansion that has traditionally catered to anglers, reopened in 2012 with seven lovely rooms with flat-screen cable TVs and a wrap-around veranda. It has a swimming pool and car rental.
Pickings are slim. I like the nautically themed S Restaurante La Atarralla (tel. 033/50-5351, Tues.-Sun. 2:30pm-5pm), on a pier overhanging Laguna de la Leche. It serves paella (CUC5), oyster cocktail (CUC2.50), and grilled lobster (CUC7).
Opening to a patio, Restaurante Las Fuentes (Calle Martí, e/ Libertad y Agramonte, tel. 033/50-5758, Wed.-Mon. 9am-11pm) dishes out simple criolla, Chinese, and continental plates for CUC2-6.
For ice cream, head to Coppelia (Martí esq. Calleja, Tues.-Sun. noon-10pm). You can buy bread at Panadería Doña Neli (Serafín Sánchez #86, e/ Narciso López y Martí, daily 7am-noon and 1pm-8pm), produce at the mercado agropecuario (Machado, esq. Avellaneda), and groceries at Supermercado Los Balcones (Av. Tarafa y Calle 3).
Etecsa (Céspedes, esq. Martí, tel. 033/50-2399, daily 8:30am-7pm) offers phone, Internet, and Cubacel service. Bandec (Martí e/ Serafín Sánchez and Gonzalo Arena) has a branch, and you can change foreign currency at Cadeca (Martí, esq. Gonzalo Arena, Mon.-Sat. 9pm-4:30pm and Sun. 9pm-noon), immediately south. The hospital (tel. 033/50-5011) is at the east end of Libertad; it has a simple ward for foreigners who need to overnight. Conditions here leave much to be desired!
The bus station (tel. 033/50-3398) and railway station (tel. 033/50-5398) are next to each other on Avenida Tarafa. Eight buses daily connect Morón with Ciego de Ávila.
Trains serve Morón daily from Havana (CUC24), Camagüey (CUC4.20), and Ciego de Ávila (CUC1); Santa Clara has service on alternate days.
Cubacar (tel. 033/50-2152) has four outlets, including at the Hotel Morón; the Cupet gas station is one block south.
Much has been made of this community at Turiguanó, 28 kilometers north of Morón, known locally as the Pueblo Holandés because it was modeled on a “Dutch village” (coincidentally, Cuba’s first wind-turbine scheme was built here; two giant turbines loom to the east of the village). The 59 gable-roofed houses supported by timber-beam facades transport you lyrically back to Holland, except they are in a sad state of disrepair. The village is named for revolutionary heroine Celia Sánchez. Turiguanó was a U.S.-owned private cattle estate before the Revolution. In 1960-1961, the land was expropriated and modern houses in Dutch style were built for the 30 or so families who live here. Agroturístico Rodeo, a cattle-breeding center, has rodeos for tour excursions from the cays.
Agroturístico Rodeo, Comunidad Celia Sánchez
These two contiguous islands, separated from the mainland by the Bahía de Perros (Bay of Dogs) and joined to it by a pedraplén (causeway), are the third-largest tourist destination in Cuba, after Havana and Varadero. No wonder! They boast the finest beaches in Cuba and some of the most beautiful jade-colored waters. Two small facilities cater to budget travelers. All the resort hotels operate on an all-inclusive basis. Long-term plans call for 22,000 rooms for the twin islands, with heaven knows what ecological consequences. The 27-kilometer pedraplén was originally made of solid landfill, cutting the Bahía de Perros in two and preventing flow of currents, resulting in damage to the mangrove systems; sluices have since been added. Mangroves line the southern shores. Bring insect repellent!
There’s a toll booth (CUC2 each way, passport required) and security checkpoint at the entrance to the narrow, elevated pedraplén. Drive carefully! There are no barriers. Eventually, you reach a traffic circle. The road straight ahead leads to the hotel complex and main beaches of Cayo Coco. That to the left leads to Cayo Guillermo.
Cubans must buy a prepaid package (CUC8) from Cubatur (tel. 033/52-0106) beside the toll booth.
This 364-square-kilometer cay is a stunner on account of its 21 kilometers of superlative beaches. It’s second only to Varadero in number of hotel rooms—4,600 and counting. Most hotels front the sands of Playa Larga, Playa Palma Real, and Playa Flamenco. Huge sand dunes—Las Dunas de los Puertos—rise over the west end of Playa Flamenco, offering fabulous views along the coast and an inland lagoon.
Cayo Coco has a flamingo colony, sadly few in number since the airport opened (some years see greatly diminished flocks). Every day, they fly over the north end of the pedraplén shortly after sunrise and again at dusk. Scrub-covered Cayo Coco, which is named for the roseate ibis, or coco, was immortalized by Ernest Hemingway in Islands in the Stream.
The 158 bird species here also include migratory waterfowl. The most prominent animals are jabalís—wild pigs—and endemic iguanas. There are even deer. The 769-hectare Parque Nacional El Bagá (tel. 033/30-1063, daily 9:30am-5:30pm) protects the west end of Cayo Coco, though speedboat tours through the mangroves harass the bird and fish colonies, and dynamiting for hotel development does the same. Guided tours of the trails are available, through EcoTur (tel. 033/30-8163, comercial@cat.ecotur.tur.cu), next to the Centro de Investigaciones de las Ecosistemas Costeros (tel./fax 033/30-1151, ciec@ciec.fica.inf.cu), immediately east of the Hotel Tryp Cayo Coco.
From the traffic circle, you can follow a road east past the service area (with a workers complex and warehouses) to a channel separating Cayo Coco from Cayo Romano. Cross the bridge and ask the military personnel in tatterdemalion uniforms to lift the rope that serves as a barrier. You can follow the road around to Cayo Paredón, where the cay’s northern tip is studded by a lighthouse—Faro Diego Velázquez—built in 1859. A side road fit for jeeps only leads to Playa Los Pinos, popular for day excursions by catamaran from Cayo Coco.
All the hotels offer theme parties, cabarets, and discos. A cabaret espectáculo is offered at the Cueva del Jabalí (1.6 km west of Villa Gaviota, tel. 033/30-1206, Tues.-Thurs. 10:30pm-2am, CUC15). Excursions are available from the hotels. Bring repellent.
All the hotels have water sports. Nonguests can pay for banana-boat rides, snorkeling, and Hobie Cat rental at Sol Cayo Coco.
Diving (CUC40 one dive) is available at the Hotel Tryp Cayo Coco and Hotel Blau Colonial Cayo Coco, and through Blue Diving (tel. 033/30-8179, www.bluediving.com), between the Sol Cayo Coco and Meliá Cayo Coco.
Horseback riding (CUC10 per hour) is offered at Sitio La Güira (tel. 033/30-1208), a rather hokey facility six kilometers west of the roundabout. It displays farm animals and hosts a Fiesta Campesino (folkloric country show) each Tuesday at noon.
Sportfishing (CUC270 half day, CUC410 full day, up to six people) and fly-fishing at Cayo Paredón (CUC129 half day, CUC179 full-day) is offered from Marina Marlin Aguas Tranquilas (tel. 033/30-1328), east of the main roundabout. EcoTur (tel. 033/30-8163 or 07/641-0306, www.ecoturcuba.co.cu) offers fishing trips, an eight-hour jeep safari, and birding.
You can pilot a speedboat on guided two-hour convoy tours of the mangroves with Cayo Guillermo Boat Adventure (tel. 033/30-1515, CUC40), with departures at 9am, 11am, 1pm, and 3pm.
Catamaran cruises include snorkeling (CUC20 adult, CUC10 child), sunset trips (CUC30 adult, CUC15 child), and a full-day safari (tel. 033/30-1323, CUC75 adult, CUC38 child) with snorkeling and a lobster lunch.
Budget hounds have three options: Islazul’s 142-room Villa Azul (tel. 033/30-1278, carpeta@villazul.cav.co.cu, CUC22 s/d low season, CUC32 s/d high season) was built to house workers in three-story blocks two kilometers from the beach. All units are simply furnished suites. Price aside, I don’t see any upside to staying here. The same goes for Islazul’s Motel Jardín Los Cocos (tel. 033/30-8121, carpeta@jcocos.cco.tur.cu, CUC18 s, CUC24 d year-round), four kilometers inland. Serving Cubanacán staff and tourists, it offers 24 air-conditioned no-frills rooms with satellite TVs and modern bathrooms. It has a café-bar and swimming pool. And Sitio La Güira (tel. 033/30-1208, CUC25 s/d including breakfast), about six kilometers west of the roundabout, has four rustic air-conditioned huts with private baths, plus a thatched restaurant.
The all-inclusive Villa Gaviota (tel. 033/302180, recepcion@villagaviota.co.cu, CUC60 s, CUC80 d low season, CUC80 s, CUC100 d high season) has 48 air-conditioned rooms in two-story blocks arrayed around a handsome pool with bar, plus eight seafront cabinas. All are nicely furnished, with satellite TVs. Facilities include a water sports club, gym, and sauna.
At Playa Uva Caleta, the 306-room Oasis Playa Coco (tel. 033/30-2250, fax 033/30-2255, CUC80 s, CUC120 d year-round) is a two-star all-Cuban budget option.
At Playa Flamenco, the middling Memories Caribe Beach Resort (tel. 033/30-2350, www.memoriesresorts.com, from CUC112 s, CUC166 d), which began life as the Blue Bay in 2008, and the adjoining, similarly priced yet more appealing Memories Flamenco Beach Resort, completed in 2011, together offer 1,000 rooms and all the services you could wish for. New in 2013, the 508-room Pestana Cayo Coco Beach Resort (tel. 033/30-4200, www.pestana.com, from CUC192 s/d) offers a contemporary chic that makes competing hotels look dowdy. Rooms in three-story blocks have minimalist decor in tropical ice cream colors.
The 485-room Cuban-managed Hotel Colonial Cayo Coco (tel. 033/30-1311, from CUC76 pp low season, CUC146 s, CUC 242 d high season) is dowdy, but it has most amenities you would want.
An elevated contemporary lobby with bar and shopping arcade overlooking a serpentine swimming pool makes a great first impression at the Hotel Tryp Cayo Coco (tel. 033/30-1300, www.solmeliacuba.com, from CUC125 s, CUC178 d low season, from CUC177 s, CUC252 d high season). The food at this sprawling all-inclusive Sol Meliá property is OK at best, but the 508 rooms are nicely furnished and have cavernous bathrooms. Up a rung in quality, but identically priced, Sol Cayo Coco (tel. 033/30-1280, www.solmeliacuba.com, from CUC125 s, CUC178 d low season, from CUC177 s, CUC252 d high season), also managed by Meliá, is a compact all-inclusive with 266 handsome rooms and four suites in condo-style units around a long, sinuous swimming pool. Rooms are equipped to international standard, and the hotel is brimful with facilities.
S Meliá Cayo Coco (tel. 033/30-1180, www.solmeliacuba.com, from CUC159 s, CUC227 d low season, from CUC299 s, CUC426 d high season) is a more gracious all-inclusive nestled between the beach and a lagoon, with lush landscaping. The 250 spacious rooms are done up in a subdued contemporary take on traditional Spain. A specialty seafood restaurant is suspended over the lagoon, as are two-story villas.
Nonguests can purchase a day or night pass to the all-inclusive hotels. If you wish to escape the resorts, three identical thatched beach grill restaurants compete: Ranchón Las Dunas (daily 8am-8pm), Ranchón Playa Flamenco (daily noon-3:30pm), and Ranchón Playa Prohibida (daily 8am-8pm). Parador La Silla (tel. 033/30-2137) is a simple thatched café on one of the cays that precede Cayo Coco.
Infotur (tel. 033/30-9109, aeroinfotjr@enet.cu, Mon.-Sat. 8am-5pm) has a bureau in the airport.
DHL (tel. 033/30-1300, Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm, Sat. 8am-1pm) has an office in the Hotel Tryp Cayo Coco.
Clínica Internacional (tel. 033/30-2158, 24 hours), adjacent to Villa Gaviota, has it all: dental clinic, clinical lab, high-pressure oxygen chamber, plus massage and hydrotherapy at the adjoining Spa Talasoterapia. The police station is one kilometer west of the roundabout.
International flights serve Cayo Coco International Airport (tel. 033/30-9165). Some flights arrive at Máximo Gómez International Airport in Ciego de Ávila, from where arrivals are bused to Cayo Coco.
There is no bus service to Cayo Coco.
Skippers can berth at Base Náutica Cayo Coco (tel./fax 033/30-2246).
Getting around is now a breeze thanks to Transtur’s hop-on/hop-off BusTour (tel. 033/30-1175, daily 9am-5pm, CUC5) aboard double-decker buses that run on a continual basis between the Meliá Cayo Coco to Cayo Guillermo.
Cubataxi (tel. 033/50-3290) charges CUC25-30 for an island tour in a classic car. A 45-minute tour by horse-drawn coche costs CUC5 per person. And tren shuttles (open-sided faux trains) run between the hotels (CUC2).
You can hire bicycles, scooters, and cars at most hotels. Rent cars from Havanautos (tel. 033/30-1371), at the airport and at the Cupet gas station, and from Rex (tel. 033/30-2244), at Sol Cayo Coco.
This 18-square-kilometer cay lies west of Cayo Coco, to which it is joined by a pedraplén. Hotels are laid out along chalky, five-kilometer-long Playa El Paso. Other beaches unspool westward, ending at Playa Pilar, where sand dunes pile up 15 meters high and a thatched restaurant, Ranchón Pilar (noon-3pm), serves seafood and criolla dishes and has lounge chairs and umbrellas.
The Delfinario (tel. 033/30-1529 or 033/301695), at the east end of the cay, has dolphin shows daily at 9:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm. Viewing from the oceanside platform costs CUC25 adult (CUC15 child), or you can interact (CUC49 adult, CUC25 child) or even swim with the dolphins (CUC110 adult, CUC60 child). Boardwalks lead through mangroves to the seawater pen.
swimming with dolphins at the Delfinario, Cayo Guillermo
Marina Marlin (tel. 033/30-1718, commercial@marlin.cco.tur.co), at the east end of Cayo Guillermo, offers sportfishing.
Scuba diving, paragliding, and kite-surfing are available at the Green Moray Dive Center (tel. 033/30-1627, greenmoray@marlin.cco.tur.cu), at Meliá Cayo Guillermo.
Horse-riding is offered at a stable on the road to Playa Pilar.
On rainy days, head to Bolera (tel. 033/30-1697, daily 10am-11pm) for 10-pin bowling.
Now run by Occidental, Allegro Club Cayo Guillermo (tel. 033/30-1712, from CUC150 s/d low season, from CUC197 s/d high season), on Playa El Paso, is a beautiful low-rise all-inclusive property with spacious lawns and 211 rooms in small one- and two-story cabinas. Facilities include tennis and car rental.
More upscale, the 312-room all-inclusive Iberostar Daiquirí (tel. 033/30-1560, ventas@ibsdaiq.gca.tur.cu, from CUC140 s, CUC180 d low season, from CUC160 s, CUC240 d high season) has a contemporary Spanish vogue and lush landscaping. It has excellent children’s facilities, a panoply of water sports and land activities, plus entertainment nightly. There’s little to choose between the Iberostar and slightly higher priced, 264-room Sol Cayo Guillermo (tel. 033/30-1760, www.solmeliacuba.com), managed by Spain’s Sol Meliá.
The top hotel is the S Meliá Cayo Guillermo (tel. 033/30-1680, www.solmeliacuba.com, from CUC141 s, CUC201 d low season, from CUC210 s, CUC299 d high season), with 314 air-conditioned rooms in the company’s trademark turquoise and Caribbean pastels.
There’s a Banco Financiero Internacional (Mon.-Fri. 8am-noon and 1pm-3pm) outside the Cupet gas station.
The BusTour (tel. 033/30-1175, daily 9am-5pm, CUC5) runs on a continual basis between the Meliá Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo.
Horse-drawn coches await custom outside the hotels.
Camagüey (pop. 270,000), 570 kilometers east of Havana and 110 kilometers east of Ciego de Ávila, sits in the center of the namesake province on a bluff above the vast plains. Cuba’s third-largest city is full of beautifully restored plazas that lend the city one of its nicknames, “City of Squares.” The historic core is a national monument.
Camagüey lacks the heavy baroque architecture of Havana. Its style is simpler, more discreet. The bourgeoisie built their homes with eaves supported by unembellished wooden columns.
It’s a pleasure to walk the colonial streets, especially in late afternoon, when the sun gilds the facades like burnished copper, and at night, too, when moonlight silvers the Spanish grills of the poorly lit streets, full of impending intrigue. In the dark, full of shadows, it is easy to imagine yourself cast back 200 years.
Camagüey was one of the original seven settlements founded by Diego Velázquez, though the first buildings were erected in 1515 miles to the north, on the shores of Bahía de Nuevitas. The site lacked fresh water and came under constant attack from local Indians. It was finally moved to its present location, where it was built on the site of a native settlement.
The early settlers were beset with water shortages. The town’s Catalonian potters therefore made giant earthenware amphorae called tinajones to collect rainfall. Soon the jars (up to 2.5 meters tall and 1.5 meters wide) were a standard item outside every home, partly buried in the earth to keep them cool, but always under the gutters that channeled the rain from the eaves. Citizens began to compete with each other to boast the most tinajones and demonstrate their wealth. According to local legend, an outsider offered water from a tinajón will fall in love and never leave.
The city prospered from cattle raising and, later, sugar, which fostered a local slave-plantation economy. Descendants of the first Spanish settlers evolved into a modestly wealthy bourgeoisie that played a vital role in the national culture. The wealth attracted pirates. The unfortunate city was sacked and almost destroyed twice during the 17th century—in 1688 and 1679. Many Camagüeyans were themselves notorious smugglers who went against the grain of Spanish authority. “This town has always been looked upon with suspicion by the authorities on account of the strong proclivities its people had for insurrection,” wrote Samuel Hazard in 1871. U.S. Marines even occupied the city in 1917-1923 to quell antigovernment unrest. Its citizens vigorously opposed the Machado and Batista regimes, when student and worker strikes often crippled the city. They supported the armies of Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos when they entered the city in September 1958. But the province had been one of the most developed before the Revolution, and Fidel’s turn to Communism received little support from the independent-minded people of Camagüey. Following the Revolution, the town and its hinterlands were administered by Huber Matos, the popular Camagüeyan military commander, who challenged Castro’s increasingly Communist turn. He was arrested for treason and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Camagüey is bisected by the Carretera Central, which arcs around the southern side of the labyrinthine historic core, north of the Río Hatibónico. República runs north from the Carretera Central through the heart of the historic quarter and eventually becomes Avenida de los Mártires. South of the river, Avenida de la Libertad links with the Carretera Central Este (one-way westbound), linking Camagüey with Las Tunas. Calle Martí bisects the city east-west, linking Parque Agramonte—the main square, two blocks west of República—to the Carretera Central westward. The city is encircled by a circunvalación, a four-lane freeway.
Many streets have a modern (official) name and an original (now colloquial) name.
This attractive plaza—a parade ground in colonial days—is bounded by Cisneros (west), Independencia (east), Martí (north), and Luaces (south). At its center is a life-size bronze Monumento Major General Ignacio Agramonte showing the Mambí general mounted atop his steed, machete in hand. Born in Camagüey, he rose to become a sugar estate owner and head of the Camagüeyan rebel forces during the Ten Years War. He was killed in battle in May 1873.
The Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria Santa Iglesia (tel. 032/29-4965), on the south side, was built in 1864 atop a predecessor established in 1530. In 1688, the pirate Henry Morgan locked the city fathers in the church and starved them until they coughed up the location of their treasures. It’s worth a peek for its statuary and beamed roof.
Afro-Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén (1902-1989) was born in Casa Natal de Nicolás Guillén (Hermano Agüiro #57, e/ Cisneros y Principe, tel. 032/29-3706, Mon.-Fri. 8am-4:30pm, free), one block north of the plaza. A loyal nationalist and revolutionary, Guillén served as chairman of the National Union of Cuban Writers and Artists (UNEAC), which he helped found. The house contains some of his personal possessions.
Casa Natal de Carlos Finlay (Cristo #5, tel. 032/29-6745, Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm, Sat. 8am-noon, CUC1), 50 meters west of the plaza, is the birthplace of the scientist who discovered the vector for yellow fever. It has apothecary jars.
Parque Agramonte
This intimate cobbled square (Martí and 10 de Octubre), six blocks west of Parque Agramonte, features life-size ceramic figures: an old man pushing a cart, three women sipping tazas of coffee, two elderly lovers sharing gossip, and my favorite—Norberto Subirat Betancourt reading a newspaper (he often hangs out to re-create the pose next to his likeness for a tip). The tiny plaza is surrounded by venerable houses in bright pastels. On the west side, the former Convento de Nuestra Señora del Carmen, built in 1825, today houses the Galería de Arte Fidelio Ponce de León (tel. 032/25-7577, Tues.-Sat. 8am-5pm, Sun. 8am-noon, CUC1).
On the north side, Estudio-Taller Martha Jiménez (tel. 032/29-1696, www.martha-jimenez.es) displays superb paintings and sculptures by the artist. She’s always happy to break her work to welcome visitors.
The Gossips by Martha Jimenez, Plaza del Carmen
Hidden away two blocks south of Parque Agramonte, one block west of Cisneros, this plaza is a national monument boasting 18th-century buildings with huge doorways and beautifully turned window bars.
On the east side, the Moorish Antiguo Hospital de San Juan de Dios, a former military hospital dating from 1728, has arcaded cloisters. Today it houses the Museo de Arquitectura Colonial (tel. 032/29-1388, Tues.-Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 8am-noon, CUC1, camera CUC2). Adjoining it is the Iglesia de San Juan de Dios (open Monday), featuring a splendid mahogany ceiling and a bell tower, which can be climbed for the view.
The Workers’ Plaza, three blocks north of Parque Agramonte and two blocks west of República, is a triangular piazza with a venerable ceiba tree at its heart.
On the east side is the Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Merced (tel. 032/29-2740, daily 8:30am-11:30am and 4pm-6pm), dating to 1748 and boasting an elaborate gilt altar beneath a barrel vaulted ceiling with faded murals. The devout gather to request favors at a silver coffin, the Santa Sepulcro, made of thousands of old coins and topped by a prostrate figure of Christ. Check out the catacombs, with skeletons in situ.
Ignacio Agramonte was born on September 23, 1841, at Casa Natal Ignacio Agramonte (Agramonte #459, esq. Candelaria, tel. 032/29-7116, Tues.-Sat. 9am-4:45pm, Sun. 9am-12:45am, CUC2, camera CUC1), on the south side of the square. Beautifully restored, it is now a museum containing an important art collection, plus mementos and colonial furniture.
One block east of the plaza, the red-brick Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (República, esq. Agramonte) dates from 1755. It has interior frescos, an elaborate gilt altar, and a beamed ceiling.
Pinned by a small statue of José Martí, Parque Martí, four blocks east of Parque Agramonte, is worth the visit to admire the neo-Gothic Iglesia Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. Dating from 1920, it features beautiful trompe l’oeil.
Casino Campestre, a park on the south side of the river, is accessed from the historic center via the stone-and-metal Puente Hatibónico bridge dating from 1773. It has prerevolutionary statues plus a small and dispiriting zoo (daily 7:30am-6pm, 0.50 peso), with African animals. On its west, across the Carretera Central, rises the imposing neoclassical Instituto de Segunda Enseñanza (Institute of Secondary Education).
To the east of the park, the Plaza de la Revolución features an impressive marble and granite Monumento Ignacio Agramonte inscribed with 3-D sculptures of Fidel, Che, and other revolutionaries.
The Museo Provincial Ignacio Agramonte (Av. de los Mártires #2, tel. 032/28-2425, Tues.-Sat. 10am-5pm, Sun. 10am-1pm, CUC2), at the north end of town, occupies a former garrison for Spanish cavalry. It exhibits an eclectic array of Cubana, from archaeology exhibits and stuffed flora and fauna to historical records up to the Revolution.
In early February, the Jornadas de la Cultura Camagüeyana festival celebrates the city’s founding. The Festival del Teatro de Camagüey is a September biennial. A religious festival is held on September 8 to honor Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, the city’s patron saint.
On Saturday nights, República is closed to traffic for a rum-soaked fiesta.
The Casa de la Trova (Cisneros #171, tel. 032/29-1357, Mon.-Fri. noon-6pm and 9pm-midnight, Sat. 11am-6pm and 9pm-2am, and Sun. 11am-3pm, CUC3), on the west side of Parque Agramonte, hosts traditional music, as does Galería UNEAC (Cisneros #159, daily 9am-6pm).
The small open-air cabaret at Centro Nocturno El Colonial (Agramonte, esq. República, tel. 032/78-5239, daily 10pm-2am, CUC1-2) is followed by disco and is the most popular place in town.
You half expect the Rat Pack to show up at the Gran Hotel’s moody Jazz Club (Calle Maceo #67, tel. 032/29-2314, daily 4pm-2am). The Piano Bar (tel. 032/23-8935, Sun.-Fri. noon-11pm and Sat. noon-2am), 50 meters south of the Jazz Club, is popular, despite being darker than an underground cave.
Most action takes place on Parque Agramonte, where El Cambio (daily 10am-2am), on the northeast corner, attracts a large crowd. It has a great ambience and serves Bucanero draft beer, including in tall three-liter dispensers (CUC8). There are lots of jineteros and jineteras on the scrounge, as at Café Las Ruinas, a tiny yet hugely popular open-air bar with live music, one block north at Plaza Maceo.
El Cambio
The world-acclaimed Ballet de Camagüey performs at the Teatro Principal (Padre Valencia #64, tel. 32/29-3048, Fri.-Sat. 8:30pm, Sun. 5pm, CUC5-10), dating to 1850 and where notables such as Enrico Caruso once sang.
Baseball games are held at the Estadio Cándido González October-May.
Warning: Jineteros on bicycles (and scooters) accost tourists arriving in the city and will pursue you relentlessly to guide you to casas particulares, in which case you’ll have to pay a commission.
I enjoyed a stay at Casa Particular Alfredo y Milagro (Cisneros #124, e/ Raúl Lamar y Padre Olallo, tel. 032/29-7436, allan.carnot@gmail.com, CUC20-25), a huge, nicely furnished 1950s house with a pleasant host. Two spacious rooms open to a patio. The daughter teaches English. A lush patio garden is also a highlight at S Casa Caridad (Calle Oscar Primelles #310A, e/ Bartolomé Masó y Padre Olallo, tel. 032/29-1554, abreucmg@enet.cu, CUC20), where three identical bedrooms with private bathrooms open to an atrium corridor. Meals are served beneath an arbor in a delightful garden patio. Caridad’s son, Eduardo, also has a casa particular with garage.
Hospedaje Juanita y Rafael (Santa Rita #13, e/ República y Santa Rosa, tel. 032/28-1995, CUC15-20) is beautifully kept and offers a sunlit, breezy lounge filled with contemporary art. The owners rent two spacious, modestly furnished rooms with modern bathrooms.
I enjoyed a stay at Casa de Delfin y Elena (San Ramón #171, e/ Primelles y Solitario, tel. 032/29-7262, casadelfinyelena@yahoo.es, CUC20-25), with two spacious rooms with fans and modern bathrooms. The owner speaks English and Italian; ask Elena to make her delicious arroz dulce (sweet rice dessert).
Handily close to the bus station, Casa de Gardenia Valero (Carretera Central #515, e/ Argentina y 2da, tel. 032/27-1203, CUC20) is a splendid middle-class home with two air-conditioned rooms with fans and private hot-water bathrooms; one bathroom is a stunner. It has secure parking. Casa de Isidro (Calle Victoria #6, e/ Carretera Central Este y General Reeve, tel. 032/27-1614, CUC20-25) is a virtual carbon copy.
All hotels in town are run by Islazul. Good enough for a night, Hotel Plaza (Van Horne #1, e/ República y Avellaneda, tel. 032/28-2413, olastre@hplaza.cmg.tur.cu, CUC25 s, CUC40 d low season, CUC30 s, CUC48 d high season), opposite the rail station, offers 67 adequately furnished air-conditioned rooms with satellite TVs. It has a restaurant.
The bargain-priced S Hotel Colón (República #472, e/ San José y San Martín, tel. 032/25-4878, reservas@hcolon.cmg.tur.cu, CUC30 s, CUC48 d low season, CUC35 s, CUC60 d high season including breakfast) has served as a hotel since 1927. Splendidly restored, it offers gleaming hardwoods, colonial tiles, lofty ceilings, and elegant furnishings. The 48 air-conditioned rooms (one is for travelers with disabilities) have satellite TVs and modern bathrooms. It has an atmospheric lobby bar and fine restaurant.
For location, you can’t beat the Gran Hotel (Calle Maceo #64, e/ Gómez y Agramonte, tel. 032/29-2314, reserva@granhotel.cmg.tur.cu, CUC44 s, CUC66 d low season, CUC49 s, CUC78 d high season, including breakfast). This restored 18th-century hotel features dark antiques and has 72 lofty-ceilinged rooms with modern bathrooms. A swimming pool and jazz bar are highlights.
The Soviet-style, 142-room Hotel Camagüey (Carretera Central Este, Km 4.5, tel. 032/28-7267, CUC21 s, CUC30 d low season, CUC25 s, CUC40 d high season), although nicely refurbished, can’t compete for location. It’s there if you need it, as is the lackluster Hotel Isla de Cuba (Oscar Primelles #453, esq. Popular, tel. 032/29-2248, recepcion@islacuba.cmg.tur.cu, CUC25 s, CUC40 d year-round), downtown.
Outshining all other hotels is the S Hotel Camino de Hierro (Plaza de la Solidaridad #76, e/ Maceo y República, tel. 032/28-4264, eduardo@hgh.cu, CUC75 s, CUC120 d year-round), which opened in 2013 in a restored colonial building with rambling layout. You get lovely furnishings in the spacious guest rooms with flat-screen TVs. Its restaurant is one of the best in town.
For a splurge, the S Restaurante de Hierro (Plaza de la Solidaridad #76, e/ Maceo y República, tel. 032/28-4264, daily noon-midnight), in the Hotel Camino de Hierro, offers colonial elegance—think eye-pleasing gold, mahogany, and white color scheme, and real silverware—in a lofty beamed dining room cross-ventilated by soaring windows. Bargain-priced meals range from tuna sandwich (CUC4.50) to shrimp enchilada (CUC9) and grilled pork steak with garlic (CUC4).
The best restaurant, however, is the private S Restaurant 1800 (tel. 032/28-3619, www.restaurante1800.com, daily noon-midnight), on Plaza San Juan de Dios. One of the best paladares in Cuba, it combines colonial decor and tremendous ambience with a creative menu that includes marinated lobster and Moorish kebab starters, and entrées of lamb stew and grilled pork chops. Most dishes cost CUC4.50. Or opt for the nightly buffet (CUC12). It even has a large wine cellar and sommelier.
Also private, Mesón del Príncipe (Astilleros #7, e/ San Ramón y Lugareño, tel. 032/29-3770, daily noon-midnight) offers a lovely ambience, with colonial tile floor and large prints of yesteryear Camagüey. The front room opens to the street, the rear to a patio. Its international menu includes lamb prepared to order.
Ristorante Pizzería (San Ramón #1, e/ Astillero y General Gómez, tel. 5271-2654) serves Italian and criolla dishes on a charming patio with tables under shade. Alternatively, head to Ristorante Italiano (Av. de la Victoria #12 e/ Padre Carmelo y Freyre, tel. 032/29-7108, daily noon-midnight), in Reparto Alturas del Casino; it serves ravioli, cannelloni, etc.
Prefer Spanish? Head to Bodegón Callejón (República, esq. Callejón de la Soledad, tel. 032/29-1961, daily 11am-11pm), where Spanish flags, thick taberna benches and tables, plus tapas (below CUC2) and paella (CUC6.50) whisk you allegorically to Iberia.
Another good bet is the elegant rooftop restaurant of the Gran Hotel (Calle Maceo #64, e/ Gómez y Agramonte, tel. 032/29-2314, daily 7am-9:30pm), where a lobster enchilada costs CUC6 and a buffet dinner costs CUC10.
Campaña de Toledo (Plaza San Juan de Dios, tel. 032/28-6812, daily 10am-10pm) is lent colonial ambience by terra-cotta tile floors and rustic furniture. Try the house dish, boliche mechado, of beef stuffed with veggies (CUC4). Equally atmospheric El Ovejito (Hermano Agüero #280, tel. 032/25-4706, daily 11am-10pm), on Plaza del Carmen, specializes in lamb and pork dishes (CUC7-15).
Coppelia (Independencia, e/ Agramonte y Gómez, tel. 032/29-4851, Sun.-Fri. 10am-10pm, Sat. 10am-11pm) serves ice cream for pesos.
The S Café Ciudad (tel. 032/25-8412, daily 9am-11pm) is on the northwest corner of Plaza Agramonte. This lovely coffee shop occupies a marvelous colonial building adorned with massive sepia lithographs—a tremendous venue for cappuccino (CUC1.20), hot chocolate, coffee, and tea.
Café Ciudad
You can buy baked goods for dollars at Panadería Doña Neli (Maceo, daily 8am-9pm), opposite the Gran Hotel. You can buy produce from the mercado agropecuario (Matadero, daily 7am-6pm).
Infotur (tel. 032/26-5807, infocmg@enet.cu) has an impressive tour bureau at the airport.
The post office (Agramonte #461, esq. Cisneros, tel. 032/29-3958, 8am-5pm Mon.-Fri.), on the south side of Plaza de los Trabajadores, has DHL service. Etecsa (Avellada, e/ San Martín y Primelles, daily 8:30am-7:30pm) has international telephone and Internet service.
Banks include Bandec (Plaza de los Trabajadores, as well as on República, one block north of Ignacio Agramonte) and Banco Financiero Internacional (Independencia, on Parque Maceo). You can also change foreign currency at Cadeca (República #353, e/ Primelles y Solitario, Mon.-Sat. 8:30am-6pm, Sun. 8:30am-1pm).
Hospital Provincial (Carretera Central, Km 4.5, tel. 032/28-2012) is west of town. Farmacia Internacional (Agramonte, 20 meters east of Plaza de los Trabajadores; and Maceo #88, e/ Gómez y Parque Maceo, tel. 032/28-0896, Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm, Sat. 9am-1pm) stocks imported medicines, but hours are unreliable.
Consultoría Jurídica Internacional (Joaquín de Agüero #166, e/ Tomás Betancourt y Julio Sanguily, Rpto. La Vigía, tel. 032/28-3159) offers legal assistance. Asistur (Agramonte #449, e/ López Recio e Independencia, tel. 032/28-6317, asisturcmg@enet.cu, Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm, Sat. 8am-1pm) assists travelers in distress.
The Ignacio Agramonte Airport (tel. 032/26-1000 and 032/26-7154) is 14 kilometers northeast of the city. A taxi costs about CUC8. Cubana (República #400, esq. Correa, Camagüey, tel. 032/29-2156) flies from Havana.
The Terminal de Ómnibuses Intermunicipales (Carretera Central Oeste, esq. Perú, tel. 032/27-2480) is two kilometers southeast of town. Víazul buses (tel. 032/27-0396, www.viazul.com) between Havana and Santiago de Cuba stop at Camagüey.
Buses and camiones to provincial destinations depart from the Terminal de Municipales (tel. 0322/28-1525), adjoining the train station.
The railway station is at the north end of Avellaneda; the ticket office (tel. 032/25-3132) is on the north side of the station. All trains on the Havana-Santiago de Cuba route stop in Camagüey and operate every third day only. Westbound trains depart Camagüey for Havana (CUC32 especial, CUC19 regular) at 2:07am (express), 3:59am, 5:15am, and 6:15am; and for Santa Clara at 3:52am. Eastbound trains depart Camagüey for Bayamo at 5:27pm, Guantánamo at 4:10am, and Santiago de Cuba (CUC16 especial, CUC11 regular) at 1:56am, 3:39am, and 9:26pm.
The Terminal de Ferro-Ómnibus (tel. 032/28-7525), adjacent to the main station, serves local destinations. Trains depart for Santa Cruz del Sur (CUC3) at 5:45am (return trains depart Santa Cruz at 3:15pm).
For a taxi, call Cubataxi (tel. 032/28-1245).
You can rent cars from Havanautos (Independencia, esq. Martí, tel. 032/27-2239, and at the airport, tel. 032/28-7067), Cubacar (tel. 032/28-5327, in the Café Buro de Turismo on the southeast side of Plaza de los Trabajadores), and both Rex (tel. 032/26-2444) and Vía (tel. 032/24-2498) at the airport.
There are gas stations on the Carretera Central, just west of Puente La Caridad; outside town, on the road to Nuevitas; and at Carretera Central, corner of General Gómez.
Both Cubatur (Agramonte #421, e/ Independencia y República, tel. 032/25-4785) and Havanatur (tel. 0322/28-8604) offer excursions. EcoTur (Calle Céspedes, e/ C y Carretera Central, tel. 032/27-4951, ecotur@caonao.cu) offers ecotourism excursions.
Southeast of Camagüey is an upland area—the Sierra Chorrillo—marked by mogotes. The formations lie within the 4,115-hectare Área Protegida de Recursos Manejados Sierra del Chorrillo (CUC4 entrance), about 13 kilometers south of the community of Najasa, 43 kilometers southeast of Camagüey. The reserve has two distinct regions, semideciduous woodland and tropical montane forest, and protects 110 species of higher plants, a rare endemic cactus, jutías, and at least 80 bird species, including parrots and tocororos. It also features Cuba’s only fossil forest, Bosque Fósiles de Najasa, featuring fallen trees of petrified wood.
From the entrance, on the south side of the community of El Pilar, a dirt track winds two kilometers uphill to this working farm, where zebu and other exotic cattle species are raised. There are even zebras and various species of antelope (previously raised for the hunting pleasure of Communist bigwigs). The Sendero Santa Gertrudis hiking trail (4.5 km) leads to mineral springs with pools and a cave; Sendero de los Aves (1.8 km) is best for birders (guided, CUC17). Other excursions include horseback riding (two hours CUC5), show-jumping (CUC7), birding (CUC7), and hiking (CUC7) to “Casa Perico” (a peasant home with animals), where lunch is served.
Continue past the entrance to the reserve and the dirt road delivers you at a trailhead for a petrified forest (one km).
The farm has a surprisingly modern hotel, S Motel La Belén (tel. 5219-5744, CUC18 s, CUC25 d low season, CUC28 s, CUC40 d high season, including breakfast), with a swimming pool, TV lounge, and 10 spacious air-conditioned rooms with modern bathrooms. Its rustic restaurant specializes in meals of antelope.
Tours and reservations are handled through EcoTur (tel. 032/27-4995, ecotur@caonao.cu).
This small town, straddling the Carretera Central 65 kilometers east of Camagüey, has an intriguing granite column in the town square, Parque Constitución. The monument—with bronze bas-reliefs of various heroes of the wars of independence—commemorates the opening in April 1869 of the Constitutional Assembly, where the first Cuban constitution was drafted, Carlos Manuel de Céspedes was elected president of the Free Republic of Cuba, and the abolition of slavery was decreed. The building where the 1869 Assembly was held today houses the Museo Histórico de Guáimaro.
Between Camagüey and Guáimaro, Sitio Histórico Ingenio Oriente, an old sugar mill where General Ignacio Agramonte launched his first attack of the Ten Years War in 1868, is promoted along the Carretera Central. Beginning two kilometers east of Sibanicú and eight kilometers west of Guáimaro, it’s a 14-kilometer drive along a dirt track to the community of Oriente Rebelde, but the site is of interest only to serious historians.
The small town of Minas, 37 kilometers northeast of Camagüey, is known for its Fábrica de Instrumentos Musicales (tel. 032/69-6232, Mon.-Fri. 7am-2pm, Sat. 7am-11am, free), at the south end of town. Workers turn native hardwoods into elegantly curved violins, violas, cellos, and guitars. It was founded by revolutionary comandante Juan Almeida Bosque, who rose to become Cuba’s Vice President of the Council of State.
A Zoocriadero de Cocodrilos (daily 7am-4pm, CUC2), or crocodile farm, outside Senado, about 10 kilometers northwest of Minas on the road to Sola, raises the American crocodile for leather. A guided tour is fascinating. Divert in Senado to the derelict sugar factory, where a 19th-century steam train—Elizabet—stands outside.
baby crocodile at Zoocriadero de Cocodrilos, Senado, near Minas
Ingenio de Santa Isabel, roadside about 15 kilometers east of Minas on the road to Santa Lucía, is the ruins of a historic sugar mill; it has a pleasant café under shade trees.
Nature lovers might call at Los Cangilones del Río Máximo (no tel., 7am-5pm), between Minas and Solas, a restored natural site with swimming pools, weirdly sculpted marble rocks, and a campismo with thatched restaurant. You can hike to a cave good for spelunkers. It’s eight kilometers west of Caidije, via dirt road.
The Circuito Norte coast road runs west-east about 10 kilometers inland of the coast. Floating offshore, Cayo Romano is the largest cay in the Archipiélago de Camagüey. It and dozens of other cays sprinkled offshore are deserted and have no facilities. The government’s tourism master plan contemplates 4,700 hotel rooms.
Cayo Romano is accessed via the town of Brasil, from where a road leads north 5 kilometers to a 12-kilometer-long pedraplén that leapfrogs to Cayo Romano and, beyond, Cayo Cruz. There’s a military checkpoint. You’ll need your passport. Permission to access the cay is never guaranteed. EcoTur (tel. 032/27-4995 or 07/641-0306, www.ecoturcuba.co.cu) offers guided fishing trips to Cayo Cruz.
The major city is Nuevitas, a port town 12 kilometers north of the Circuito Norte and 65 kilometers northeast of Camagüey. Three kilometers east of the turnoff for Nuevitas is Ingenio Santa María, a historic sugar mill.
Popular with budget-oriented German, Italian, and Canadian charter groups, Playa Santa Lucía, 110 kilometers east of Camagüey, 85 kilometers north of Las Tunas, and 20 kilometers north of the Circuito Norte (the turnoff is just north and west of Camalote, about 30 kilometers east of Nuevitas), is touted as a major resort destination. Forget the hype! Santa Lucía is an ugly duckling with minimal infrastructure and zero pizzazz. The meager facilities spread out over several kilometers, with stretches of nothingness between them. What Santa Lucía does have is an astounding 20 kilometers of beach protected by an offshore coral reef.
The shorefront road extends west of Santa Lucía to a funky fishing hamlet—La Boca—with its own beach, Playa Los Cocos, with atmospheric restaurants and showers. The dirt road to La Boca is full of deep pools and mud. Mangrove-lined Laguna Daniel and Laguna El Real form a swampy morass inland of the shore. Flamingos occasionally flock to wallow by day, then take off in a flash of bright pink at dusk.
Marlin Náutico (tel. 032/33-6404), at the west end of the beach, offers fishing (three hours, CUC204 for four people) and catamaran excursions.
Scuba diving is superb. The warm waters support dozens of coral and fish species. And the mouth of the Bahía de Nuevitas is a graveyard of ships, including the steamship Mortera, which sank in 1898, its prow resting at a depth of 20 feet. Diving (including resort, certification, and specialized courses) is offered from Shark’s Friend Dive Center (tel./fax 032/36-5182, shark_friend@nautica.stl.tur.cu), on the beach between Brisas and Hotel Gran Club Santa Lucía, with dive trips daily at 9am and 1pm (CUC40, CUC40 night dive). It has a “shark show,” in which you can witness sharks being hand fed (CUC69\5), plus snorkeling trips (CUC20).
Since 2011, locals have been permitted to rent rooms as casas particulares. For example, Casa Martha Santana (Residencial #32, tel. 032/33-6135, CUC25) is an independent two-room apartment near Hotel Tararaco. One room is small and has a basic bathroom; the second is larger. At Playa Los Cocos, try Hostal Coco Beach (tel. 5248-9359, CUC25), a beachfront bungalow with two simply furnished air-conditioned rooms with modern bathrooms.
Cubanacán runs the hotels (and badly at that), all having air-conditioned rooms with satellite TV.
Budget hounds can choose the 31-room Hotel Tararaco (tel. 032/33-6310, CUC19 s, CUC30 d year-round), a motel-style option with pleasant rattan furnishings and small modern bathrooms. It has a restaurant, but facilities are minimal.
Far better is Islazul’s S Hotel Costa Blanca (Rpto. Residencial district, tel. 032/33-6373), two kilometers east of the main hotel zone. It has 12 rooms (CUC19 s, CUC28 d) and 16 one- to four-room villas (CUC20-43), all with modern bathrooms and accoutrements, plus a pleasant restaurant.
The ho-hum, Soviet-style, all-inclusive Club Amigo Mayanabo (tel. 032/36-5168, www.hotelescubanacan.com, from CUC45 s, CUC56 d low season, from CUC78 s, CUC98 d high season) has 213 rooms and 12 suites with balconies (first floor only) and king-size or twin beds. Amenities include a tennis court, attractive swimming pool, water sports, plus a nightclub. Its Siamese twin is the Club Amigo Caracol (tel. 032/36-5158).
Hotel Gran Club Santa Lucía (tel. 032/33-6109, www.hotelescubanacan.com, from CUC45 s, CUC90 d low season, from CUC65 s, CUC115 d high season) has 252 minimally furnished air-conditioned rooms spread around unkempt grounds. The pool with thatched bar is attractive, however, and the buffet restaurant is reasonable.
The classiest option, albeit no prize winner, is the overpriced Oasis Brisas Santa Lucía (tel. 032/33-6317, CUC70 s, CUC90 d low season, CUC96 s, CUC120 d high season), a modern, 214-room all-inclusive low-rise combining a contemporary design with traditional thatch. At its heart is a pleasant swimming pool, and it has entertainment, water sports, etc.
There are few other options beyond the dismal hotel restaurants. The Italian-themed beachfront Restaurante Luna Mar, in the Centro Comercial Villa Vientos, serves spaghetti and pizza (CUC4-9) plus seafood.
At Playa Los Cocos, Bar y Restaurante Bucanero (tel. 032/36-5226, daily 9am-6pm) serves seafood and criolla fare, including lobster (CUC18), and rents lounge chairs.
Etecsa (tel. 032/33-6126, daily 8:30am-7:30pm), next to the gas station at the east end of Santa Lucía, has international telephone and Internet service.
Bandec (Mon.-Fri. 8am-3:30pm, Sat. 8am-1pm) has a branch on the coast road, 1.5 kilometers east of the tourist center. A Clínica Internacional (tel. 032/33-6370, 24 hours) is 200 meters farther east; the Gran Club and Brisas hotels have pharmacies. The police station is 400 meters west of the bank.
International charter flights arrive at Camagüey and Las Tunas airports. A taxi from Camagüey will cost about CUC75 one-way.
You can rent cars at the hotels and from Cubacar (tel. 032/36368), 50 meters west of Gran Club Santa Lucía.
Cubatur (tel. 032/33-5383) and Cubanacán (tel. 032/33-6404) offer excursions.
Coches ply the shorefront strip (CUC2 between points, or CUC5 one hour). You can rent bicycles and scooters at the hotels.
For a taste of cowboy culture, book a 9am excursion (CUC29 including lunch) to Rancho King (tel. 5219-4139, daily 8am-4:30pm), a cattle ranch on the Circuito Norte about seven kilometers west of the junction for Santa Lucía. It was once owned by the owners of the famous King Ranch in Texas. The Castro regime expropriated the property, which though still a working ranch today also serves tourists with a rodeo show (CUC50) with bull riding and steer wrestling. You can saddle (CUC3) to join vaqueros on the trails, or take a wagon. The ranch tour includes a visit to a rural elementary school (this exists merely for the excursion), plus lunch in a thatched restaurant with chickens underfoot. You can even stay here: The ranch rents three air-conditioned rooms (CUC16 s, CUC25 d low season, CUC19 s, CUC30 d high season, including breakfast).
Cayo Sabinal is the easternmost cay in the archipelago and one of my favorites. It is attached to the north coast of Camagüey by a hair’s-breadth isthmus and encloses the flask-shaped Bahía de Nuevitas. This virginal isle has 33 kilometers of beaches protected by coral reefs, within one kilometer of shore; the turquoise shallows can be waded.
In all your explorations, you will pass only a couple of military posts and no more than a half dozen humble bohíos belonging to impoverished charcoal-burners and fisherfolk. There are plenty of birds and iguanas, and wild pigs called jabalí. Flamingos wade in the shallows of Laguna de los Flamencos.
At the far eastern end of Cayo Sabinal is a lighthouse—Faro Colón—built in 1850, and an even older fortress—Fuerte San Hilario—built to protect the entrance to Bahía de Nuevitas.
The best place to spend your time is the fantastically lonesome Playa Los Pinos. Occasionally a small tour group may arrive for a day visit from Santa Lucía, but it’s more likely you will have the place to yourself.
Bring insect repellent!
The Cuban government reckons Sabinal has a potential capacity for 12,000 hotel rooms. Ouch! For now, there is nowhere to stay.
Your only option for miles is Islazul’s no-frills Hotel Caonaba (tel. 032/24-4803, CUC18 s, CUC22), 100 meters east of the gas station at the entrance to Nuevitas.
Most visitors to Cayo Sabinal arrive on boat excursions from Playa Santa Lucía. If driving, you’ll have to route through Nuevitas, which is linked to Sabinal via a badly deteriorated dirt road (jeep required) and a bridge over the Ensenada de Sabinal, where there’s a military checkpoint (you’ll need your passport). The gate is usually locked; honk your horn to summon the guard, or retreat 200 yards and drive down to the guard post visible on the flat. Your car will be thoroughly searched coming and going. A CUC5 entrance charge is collected about 600 meters beyond the gate. After a few miles you reach a crossroad. Playa Brava is straight ahead; Playa Los Pinos is about six kilometers to the right (alternatively, drive straight to the shore and turn right for Playa Los Pinos). In places, the narrow tracks are smothered in sand. The going can be challenging after heavy rains.
Trains depart Camagüey for Nuevitas.
