Santiago de Cuba Province

Interesting Places to Visit

Comandancia del II Frente Oriental
Ave. Los Mártires s/n,
Segundo Frente

The place where the Command Headquarters of the Second Front of the Rebel Army was based under the command of the Commander Raul Castro. Today, it is not only a cultural complex with a mausoleum to honor the martyrs of the second front but also a municipal museum.

Museo “La Isabélica”
Carretera de la Gran Piedra

About 2km (1 1/4 miles) beyond Gran Piedra, a passable dirt track leads to Museo La Isabelica, Carretera de la Gran Piedra Km 14, an early-19th-century coffee plantation finca (country house) that once was the property of newly arrived French immigrants who fled Haiti after the slave revolt there in 1791. The owner named La Isabelica for his mistress (and later wife), a beautiful slave.

The house was a stone mansion built in the style of rural French manor houses in Haiti. It was one of about 60 coffee plantations in the area, which proved very hospitable for planting coffee beans. The 200 Arabica coffee plantations in the region helped Cuba become the number-one coffee producer in the world until 1850, when it was surpassed by Brazil. These Franco-Haitian plantations were recently declared UNESCO World Heritage sites. On the premises of La Isabelica are a workshop, original furniture, and slave instruments. The house has recently been renovated and provides a glimpse into the life of the period. Admission is $2; it's closed Monday.

Gran Parque Natural Baconao
25km (16 miles) SE of Santiago de Cuba

A UNESCO biosphere reserve, Parque Baconao is spread over some 40km (25 miles). The local dark-sand beaches are scruffy and the hotels are isolated, but the park hides a number of attractions, several of them man-made, for visitors with a couple of extra days in Santiago.
The road leading southeast out of Santiago is lined with 26 monuments to revolutionary heroes who died in the attack on the Moncada barracks. About 10km (6 miles) east is the Valle de la Prehistoria, Carretera Bacanao Km 6.5 (tel. 22/63-9039), Cuba's very own but lifeless Jurassic Park and cheesiest attraction.Lodged on farmlands are 250 massive life-size statues of dinosaurs and a giant, club-wielding Stone Age man. The park is open daily from 8am to 6pm; admission is $1.

Nearby, in a nod to more recent history, the Museo Nacional del Transporte (Automobile Museum), Carretera Bacanao Km 8.5 (tel. 22/63-9197), has a decent number of old cars, some more valuable and in better shape than others. One vehicle, a 1951 Chevrolet, was driven by Fidel's brother Raúl to the Moncada attack (he got lost); a Cadillac on view belonged to the legendary singer Beny Moré. The museum's collection of vintage American cars has been built by the novel practice of offering Cubans new Russian-built Ladas for their old Cadillacs and Chevys. Next door is a collection of several thousand model and Matchbox cars. 

Basilica del Cobre
18km (11 miles) W of Santiago de Cuba

The most important shrine for Cubans and most famous church in the country is lodged in the foothills of the Sierra Maestra near the old copper mines that give it its name. The triple-domed church with the mouthful name of El Sanctuario de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre, built in 1927, rises on Maboa hill and is photogenically framed by green forest. The faithful come from across Cuba on pilgrimages to pay their respects to (and ask for protection from) a black Madonna, the Virgen de la Caridad (Virgin of Charity). She is nothing less than the protectress of Cuba, and her image, cloaked in a glittering gold robe can be seen throughout the country.
Her parallel figure in Afro-Cuban worship is Ochún, goddess of love and femininity, who is also dark-skinned and dressed in bright yellow garments. In 1998 the Pope visited and blessed the shrine, calling the Virgin "La Reina de los Cubanos" (Queen of Cubans), and donated a rosary and crown.

According to legend, Cuba's patron saint was rescued bobbing in the Bay of Nipe in 1611 by three young fishermen (or miners, depending on who's telling the story) about to capsize in a storm. The Madonna wore a sign that read YO SOY LA VIRGEN DE LA CARIDAD (I am the Virgin of Charity). With the wooden statue in their grasp, they miraculously made it to shore. Pilgrims, who often make the last section of the trek on their knees, pray to her image and place mementos (votos) and offerings of thanks for her miracles; among them are small boats and prayers for those who have tried to make it to Florida on rafts.

Ernest Hemingway -- whose fisherman in The Old Man and the Sea made a promise to visit the shrine if he could only land his marlin -- donated his Nobel Prize for Literature to the shrine, but it was stolen (and later recovered, but never again to be exhibited here). The Virgin sits on the second floor, up the back stairs, encased in glass. When Mass is being said, the push of a button turns the Virgin around to face the congregation. The annual pilgrimage is September 12, and the patron saint's feast day is July 25. The Basílica is open daily from 6am to 6:30pm; admission is free.

You can take a taxi to El Cobre for $20 to $30 round-trip. The no. 2 bus runs between Santiago and El Cobre four times daily, leaving from the main bus station in Santiago. To enhance the spiritual experience, or to merely have a serene and incredibly cheap overnight stay, there's an inn behind the church, Hospedería de la Caridad, which welcomes foreigners who abide by the strict rules; a stay costs a mere 10 pesos a night (38¢), although they generally charge foreigners a few dollars. There are only 15 austere but well-kept rooms; it's necessary to reserve by phone (tel. 22/3-6246) at least 15 days in advance. 

El Cobre

Museo El Cañón
Finca San Isidro, km. 7,
San Luis

El Uvero
Sitio histórico
Carretera Granma s/n,
Guamá

A memorable battle of the Rebel Army (Ejército Rebelde) against the troops of Batista’s dictatorship took place in this area of the present day municipality of Guamá on May 28th of 1957. Commander in Chief Fidel Castro led the combat. It is known as the greatest battle fought by the Rebel Army (Ejército Rebelde) and was a starting point for developing the insurrectional struggle against the enemy forces, demonstrating the existence of the struggle that could no longer be hidden by the authorities. The high combat capacity of the Rebel troops was proved, as well as the importance of the farmers in the area, in collaborating and fighting side by side along the troops. According to Che this battle marked the coming of age of the Rebel Army (Ejército Rebelde). It was declared a National Monument on December 25th of 1979.

Mangos de Baraguá
Parques
Carretera Mangos de
Baraguá-Regina, Mella

This place is in the Mella municipality, in the province of Santiago de Cuba and was declared a National Monument on October 10th of 1978 due to its significance in the struggles for independence. On March 15th of 1878 the famous Baragua Protest (Protesta de Baraguá) took place. It was one of the most dignified and glorious events in the struggles of the Cuban Mambi Army against the Spanish Colonialist troops in the XIX century. On this memorable occasion, Mayor General Antonio Maceo Grajales in his talks with the Spanish General Martínez Campos was able to bring up the ideas of the glorious Cry of Yara (Grito de Yara), protesting against the peace treaty lacking in independence signed previously at the Zanjon.

Museo Histórico de Palma Soriano
Aguilera No. 201,
Palma Soriano

Beaches of Santiago de Cuba

Baconao

The coast of Santiago de Cuba Province is wild, very warm and apparently untouched, dotted with enticing coves that have beaches of pebbles or sand and backdrops of peaks covered with lush vegetation. This setting of the baconao preserve of the biosphere, whose many attractions include these small but intimate beaches and natural attractions to be bound inland.

The Sigua, Daiquiri, Bucanero and Sierra Mar diving areas extend for many miles along the coast, which also has comfertable hotels and many scuba diving centers with expert staffs and modern equipment. The 73 scuba diving sites are at places where the seabed is well conserved; visibility is excellent because the water is so clear; and there are hillocks, large sandy areas, ridges, drops and impressive walls. Moreover, there are around 70 sunken ships on this part of the insular shelf, including sveral from the Spanish Fleet that ships of the US Navy defeated and sank off Santiago de Cuba in 1898, during the Spanish-Cuba-American War.

Location and how to get there
Located around 545 miles (880 km) east of Havana, Santiago de Cuba is linked to the rest of the island by road, rail, air and sea. Its Antonio Maceo International Airport is one of the best in the Caribbean, and it also has a port at which cruise ships put in and a marina (at 20 58'N. latitude, 75 52.3'W. longtitude

What to do
Activities in Baconao preserve of the biosphere an enormous natural park just a few minutes drive from the city of Santiago de Cuba include snorkeling, scuba diving (starting with beginners courses), windsurfing, kayaks, sailing, pedal boating, fresh water sports fishing, horseback riding on mountain paths, boating, swimming both in the sea and swimming pools, electronic and table games, tennis, basketball, beach volleyball, cycling and hiking. In the evenings there is entertainment in bars, around swimming pools and in discoteques, and the nearvu city offers even more options.

The park has an area calles Valley of Prehistory, which contains life-size statues of prehistoric animals and men. Other attractions include and old car museum.

Accommodation and Facilities
There are several 3- and 4 star hotels in the Baconao area, all on the coast or at the beaches. Each of their air conditioned rooms has a telephone, satelite TV, safe and other features. The hotels services include buffet and sit-down restaurants featuring seafood and international, French, Cuban and Italian cuisine; grills, bars, swimming pools, jacuzzi's, games rooms, equipment for land sports and for scuba diving and for other water sports, cabarets, discoteques, dance classes, doctors on call 24 hours a day, rental cars, taxis, barbershops, beauty parlors, laundries and dry cleaners, safe and shops.

Hotels in Santiago de Cuba

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Nature and Adventure

Now being fully developed, the offer in this stage is mainly in the form of optionals.

The beach hotels in the Baconao area offer horseback riding along trails with natural lookout points and abundant vegetation. Boats can be rented, and there are good conditions for sports fishing in fresh water.

We particularly recommend El Salton, a lodging far from the city, in the middle of the Sierra Maestra Mountains. You can get there either by helicopter or by boat.

Water Sports

At Punta Gorda, Santiago de Cuba has one of the most important international marinas in the country. Its service include mooring, electric power, provisioning and repairs. Thus, if you come to Santiago de Cuba by sea, you and your vessel will receive excellent attention.

The Punta Gorda International marina offers yacht cruises (living on board for the long ones) so you can see impressive coatal scenery with bays, terraces and towering mountains that drop sharply to the coastal platform.

The four main scuba-diving areas are Sigua, Daiquiri, Bucanero and Sierramar, all of which have the necessary conditions.

An excellent technical and human base; underwater scenery with clear water and a well-preserved coral reef; and several irregularities in the terrain, including ridges, drops in the sea bed, and impressive walls, are the main attractions for scuba-divers.

Guests staying in the hotels along Santiago de Cuba's coast have access to good beaches and water sports centers.

Scuba Diving