Guantanamo Province

The easternmost province of Cuba, despite its numerous natural and historical values, remains the most unexplored area of tourists. It is in Guantanamo that the colonial history of Cuba begins. At the site of the Indian settlement of Baracoa Diego Velasquez founded in 1511 the first Spanish settlement and the capital, which he calls the name of the Assumption of the Virgin, Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. Today, Baracoa is the main tourist destination for the province of Guantánamo. Guantanamo is heard around the world because of the location in the Gulf of America's permanently rented US naval base. Since 2001, it has been used by the United States as a prison where prisoners are kept on suspicion of terrorism. Guantanamo is a predominantly mountainous province that includes the Nipe-Sagua-Baracoa mountain range (one of the largest and most beautiful in the country), and the hills of Los Monitongos and El Yanque, which were described by Columbus in their journals.
The most famous sights of the region are the biosphere reserve and the Alexander Humbold National Park. In 2001, the Alexander Humboldt National Park was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the National Park, there are interesting excursions for tourists.
This province is an ideal place for those who want to spend a relaxing holiday in Cuba, away from problems and fuss, as well as for lovers of eco-tourism.
The city of Baracoa is the most beautiful city of Cuba, located in the Gulf, where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean.
In Baracoa, it is worth to visit the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion, which houses one of the wooden crosses of the XV century, which brought with them to the New World Columbus. On the embankment of the city, where tourists and locals like to walk, a Columbus monument was built. In addition, in Baracoa is the Archaeological Museum, where you can see, for example, the funerary cave of the Indians. The museum is located on a hill with a beautiful view of the city.
Baracoa can be called the chocolate capital of Cuba. Here there are plantations on which the best cocoa grows in Cuba. It is in Baracoa that Cuban chocolate was made.
The urban rhythm of Guantanamo is concentrated around two main arteries: the avenues Camilo Cienfuegos and José Martí, which passes through the center and where the eponymous park is located. Here is the church of St. Catalina de Ricci, which was built in two stages. In 1960, the church was completed, and now is a landmark of the city.
The neighborhood of the city is also interesting, for example, the Humboldt National Park and the Zoological Museum, built of stone 15 km from the city. An ordinary peasant showed his talent as a mason and created 300 sculptural images of various animals in full size. Among the figures, for example, there is a three-meter elephant, a gorilla, a boa constrictor, a zebra, and a lion. In the south of the city, a semi-desert begins with stony statues of incredible shapes. They were named Monitongos, and in 1990, they were included in the list of natural monuments of the country. Tourists have the opportunity to see this unusual attraction thanks to the tectonic processes that transformed the former sea basin into this chain of hills.