Hotels in Santiago de Cuba.
Santiago de Cuba is the eastern province of Cuba. Its main geographic feature is the Sierra Maestra Mountains, which stretch across the province to the Guacanayabo Bay, east of Santiago de Cuba. The highest point in Cuba, Peak Turquino is part of this mountain range. The province hosts the World Biosphere Reserve Baconao, since 1987 included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In addition to its pristine nature, the park is famous for its historical, archaeological and cultural attractions, such as the Prehistoric Valley.
The province of Santiago de Cuba is known as the cradle of the bolero, the distinctive style and the famous Cuban rum. In addition, the music traces the African, French and Haitian cultures.
Carnival in Santiago de Cuba is the most colorful holiday on the island. This event involves all residents of the city in a real fun and is a vivid demonstration of the cultural traditions of the region.
However, the province of Santiago de Cuba is most famous for its history of rebellion. The city of Santiago de Cuba - the provincial capital, the second largest city of Cuba, is known as the "cradle of the revolution" due to its role in overthrowing the Batista regime.
The city of Santiago de Cuba can surprise tourists with the number of attractions. There are many interesting museums, including the Emilio Bacardi Museum, the Cathedral, Morro Castle, etc. Central Plaza Santiago, Cespedes Park, the former Arms Square, is one of the most beautiful squares of the island. The cathedral, the House of Diego Velasquez, the conquistador, the founder and the first governor of the city, the former town hall surround Cespedes Park with a majestic ring.
The city stretches out on the hills, and the winding streets rise and fall, revealing unique landscapes before the visitors. One of these streets - Padre Pico - is a beautiful street-staircase, on the steps of which people like to spend time, playing in their favorite dominoes or maps. From the top of the street, a circular panorama of the city opens.
The world community highly appreciated the historical traditions and natural attractions of Santiago: UNESCO declared the fortress of San Pedro de la Roca del Moro, built at the entrance to the bay of Santiago, part of the world cultural heritage.
25 km from Santiago de Cuba majestically rises on a hill the church of El Cobre, the basilica of the Blessed Virgin of Mercy. Inside the church, there is a miraculous wooden sculpture of the saint, to the feet of which believers and pilgrims traditionally place gifts. Thus, Ernest Hemingway presented the saint with his golden Nobel medal. In 1916, the Vatican declared the statue of the Virgin to be a shrine. Every year many pilgrims visit this pilgrimage site.
Chivirico is a picturesque village on the southern coast of Cuba with a population of about 15,000. It is 30 minutes’ drive west of Santiago de Cuba. Chivirico is located next to the Sierra Maestra mountain range. Here you can practice rock climbing and watch exotic birds. Here are also the most famous thermal baths in Cuba, the Bañadero de Cuquita. This water is rich in minerals and is recommended for physiotherapy procedures.
Baconao National Park is located on the south coast of the island of Cuba, east of the city of Santiago de Cuba, between the coast of the Caribbean Sea and the mountains of the Sierra Maestra. Bacao Park was established in 1987, occupies an area of 84,887 hectares, which is characterized by a large variety of landscapes and ecosystems (beaches, lagoons, valleys, rocky cliffs and mountains). In the park, grow more than 2000 species of flowering plants, 496 species of ferns and 277 species of bryophytes, including about 300 endemic species. The fauna includes 140 species of arachnids, 120 Lepidoptera species, 38 species of land snails, 94 fish species, 17 amphibian species, 42 reptile species, 14 bat species and 153 bird species (about half of all fauna - endemic species of Cuba).
In 1987, the Bakonao National Park was declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve of world importance. In its territory, the remains of settlements of Indian tribes inhabiting the territory back in the pre-Columbian era, the colonial period left behind the ruins of about 70 French coffee plantations, the American period includes abandoned mines for the extraction of iron and manganese ore. Among the most famous tourist attractions of the park is the Prehistoric Valley.