What does the average people know about Cuba today? Well, those who are older remember Che Guevara, rum, cigars and the fact that all together it is called the Island of Freedom. There are also affordable prices, luxurious snow-white sand (many beaches are included in the tops of the ratings of the best on Earth) and a calm, gentle and beautiful sea with countless colorful fish and sea animals that can be of interest to diving enthusiasts (along with sunken pirate ships, literally covering the seabed for tens of miles around).
But it doesn't stop there! We offer some interesting ideas for a big trip that will not leave anyone indifferent.
In order to come to Cuba, you still need a vaccination certificate and a fresh corona test + an insurance certificate with full coverage. True, these restrictions can be circumvented if you buy a package tour: all this will already be included in the total amount of the trip.
Havana
The best way to get acquainted with any new country for yourself is to visit the capital. Hundreds of thousands of travelers come here every year: they are attracted by the colonial style of architecture, the variety of museums, restaurants, and the richness of nightlife. In order not to miss anything important, we advise you to build your route through such places as:
- Maleconu Embankment. The original idea was to build a fence protecting the city from the sea elements. Now it is a place for promenades, unforgettable sunsets and sunrises, leisurely walks and exploring the restored city sights and monuments;
- Capitol. It resembles the one that is located in Washington, but is distinguished by a bright tropical environment. Construction began in April 1926. It is considered a sighting landmark in Havana. It is best to inspect the building from the roof of the Manzana Kempinski Hotel while sipping rum at a local bar;
- Fort of the Three Kings of El Morro, dated to the end of the XVI century. The Spaniards built it to protect the port from English corsairs;
- Cathedral. Unique is the asymmetry of the towers: one of them helps to drain water. It is considered the only such example in the world architecture of the Baroque style. Here, for more than a century, the ashes of Christopher Columbus were preserved, and the walls are decorated with the works of Rubens;
- El Floridita. An iconic restaurant where Old Man Ham liked to spend his days. It was here in 1914 that the Frozen Daiquiri cocktail was invented. It is famous for seafood dishes and sweets.
Trinidad
An excellent example of colonial architecture, founded at the very beginning of the XVI century by Diego Velázquez. It is a huge open-air museum, literally "stuffed" with Catholic Baroque churches and chapels, gingerbread houses under a roof of terracotta and red tiles, narrow cobbled streets and squares traditional for Spanish and colonial cities.
Since 1988, it has been part of the heritage of mankind according to UNESCO, the most significant Cuban city in all that concerns the classical architecture of old Spain.
The most important places for sightseeing:
- The Palace of the Count of Brunete, occupied by the Romantic Museum,
- Museum of Colonial Architecture,
- monastery and chapel of St. Francis,
- Major Square,
- Quince Catorce Restaurant-Museum, where you can taste traditional Cuban dishes and enjoy cocktails;
- Club-disco Las Cuevas, hidden in an underground cave.
By the way, the city is a great place to taste the local cuisine! Without fail, you should try ahiko (this is stewed pork, beef or poultry meat with vegetable stew) and lechon - pork ham with spices. In addition, numerous snacks like tinos and toastones are interesting - snacks from unripe bananas, branded minced meat gravy with tomatoes, as well as mores and kristanos - rice with black beans or other legumes.
El Nicho Nature Reserve
There are quite a lot of protected places on the island, but the most impressive is El Nicho, where underground springs are located among citrus plantations and cascades of waterfalls. All this is complemented by the singing of countless birds. Of particular interest is a large colony of tiny hummingbirds – microscopic birds that flap their wings so often that their movements are indistinguishable to the human eye.
It is not difficult to climb up, the only thing is that you need to responsibly approach the choice of tourist shoes. The view at the top is damn impressive, to visit the island and not climb here is almost a sin!
Santa Clara
This small town is almost entirely dedicated to the legendary in all respects and sacred for Cubans personality comandante and the vicissitudes of the struggle for Cuban independence.
The main attraction in Santa Clara is the Ernesto Che Guevara Memorial, as well as the Museum of the Revolution. There are no more mandatory points of attraction as such, but in general the town is quite nice. Locals in age, moreover, are an inexhaustible source of legends and tales about the life and amazing adventures of the great leader of the Cuban revolution, his brother and comrades in arms.
Cayo Blanco Island
Let's leave aside the vicissitudes of social struggle and the confrontation of ideologies. Let's just enjoy the magnificent views and beauty of the Caribbean islands!
Adventures begin on the way to the island - it is laid through relict mangroves.
The main purpose of the trip is dolphinariums, made in the form of huge natural (or stylized as such) tanks with stone banks, in which dolphins live exactly as in their natural habitat, in real ocean water, without experiencing the slightest discomfort. In addition, you can swim with them in the open sea.
Another type of leisure - snorkeling, diving to the bottom of the sea with a mask, fins and a breathing tube - also allows you to get acquainted with the inhabitants of the Caribbean coast. After that, getting ashore, you can try crabs and lobsters in the restaurant or taste cocktails with different varieties of rum. All this is quite cheap: a day, literally "stuffed" with impressions, will cost $ 70-100.
