| Nearby places of interest
Villa Clara has great historic, architectural, cultural and natural attractions. Its capital, Santa Clara, is an industrial and educational center with a solid artistic and cultural movement.
It contains the memorial which contains the remains of Ernesto Che Guevara and his comrades in the guerilla struggle in Bolivia; the La Caridad Theater (built in 1885); several museums, including one of decorative arts; two hotels (the Santa Clara Libre and Los Caneyes, this last with honeymoon facilities); several restaurants; and other service installations.
Other places of interest in the province include the town of Remedios, which was founded nearly 500 years ago and has some very well-preserved colonial architecture, including the Great Parish church (built in the 16th century); traditional annual festivities, such as the Remedios revels (one of the most colorful and oldest popular festivities in the country); and a large service instructure.
The Elgua Spa, with its medical mineral water, is a popular destination in health tourism and quality-of-life tourism programs. It, too, is in Villa Clara Province-as is Lake Hanabanilla (the only mountain lake in the archipelago), up in the Escambray Mountains, which has a hotel and ideal conditions for fishing for such freshwater fish as Largemouth Bass (tag and release). Activities include excursions around the lake, hiking, bird watching and nature walks.
We recommend driving through the Escambray Mountains area, both to see its beautiful scenery and to and to learn about the farmers traditional way of life. To get there from the Cayos, start from the port of the Caibarien.
Nature in Villa Clara
Nature, with its power of creation, offers the visitor who ventures the Villa Clara plains and mountains a trip of amazing colors and contrasts. We put at your reach the opportunity to visit real natural reservoirs, where unique animal and vegetable species dominate.
To the south of the city of Santa Clara is the Cubanacan Protected Area. This natural paradise, is the refuge of amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. In this place there are 10 species that conform to the list of endemic groups of our country.
Occupying part of the Villa Clara region, we find the mountainous massif of Escambray. Along its big slopes, sinuous pathways and persistence of forest areas, is a bastion for the last flocks of parrots (Amazona leucocephala) that can be seen in the province. Amongst the birds one can also observe the Cuban Trogan, known as the national bird, woodpeckers and sparrowhawks. Other representatives of the fauna of this ecosystem are the deer and the hutia congas and carabalies. At this place La Hanabanilla, the only intramountainous lake of Cuba can be found.
|
