Holguin And Guardalavaca, Cuba's Eastern Paradise

Located in Eastern Cuba on the Northern coast where the Atlantic stream abruptly breaks against the coastline is the province of Holguín. The city was founded in 1725 by the captain García Holguín who had received a portion of land around that area and built there the first homes. Initially, the city was totally devoted to agriculture, but in the last 40 years it has developed an industrial economy based in mining and more recently tourism.

It's been said that it was through a point within this area that Christopher Columbus disembarked in 1492, overwhelmed by the lush vegetation of the area. And the point is that with more than 41 wonderful beaches, Holguín consolidates itself as the third major touristic spot in Cuba. Pesquero, Estero Ciego, Esmeralda and the best known, Guardalavaca, with its remarkable hotel and services complexes, are some of the best beaches in the area. This latter small but fabulous stretch of beach is commonly regarded as Eastern Cuba's Varadero for its crystalline waters which in the distance turn turquoise-green, and for its extremely fine sand, almost like powder. 

Guardalavaca and its surrounding hotels specialize in a more familiar tourism, away from the huge urban centers. In fact, the majority of its visitors never leave the beach. Nautical sports and diving in the area can easily fill all your time due to the existence of a considerable coral reef protecting the beaches, offering hundreds of sites ideal for snorkeling and diving, including magnificent deep sites like the flooded cavern of the Tanque Azul de Caletones. Situated far from the city Guardalavaca makes for an ideal resting place, although you can miss meeting Cubans who normally only visit the beaches during Summer. 

Around five kilometers from Guardalavaca, there is one the best preserved archeological spots in Cuba: the burial ground Chorro de Maíta exhibiting 56 out of the 180 skeletons founded in an expedition in 1976. A Taínos Village was also built there with 36 sculptures narrating the lifestyle of those natives living in Cuba at the time that the New World was discovered. In Banes, you can visit the Museo Indocubano Bani with a collection featuring more than a thousand objects including stone axes, earthenware, wooden and gold pots. There is evidence of human settlements since the 4th century B.C. in the Northern part of Holguín, hence the name "the Capital of the Cuban Architecture". 

Other nearby and interesting places are Cayo Saetía in the Bay of Nipe, the biggest in Cuba and one of the biggest of its type in the world, and the natural park Bahía de Naranjo which combines the charm of the tropical forests with the wealth of the marine fauna. There is also an aquarium with dolphin and sea lions show. The largest and most important nautical center base in the Cuban North-eastern coastline is located in Cayo Naranjo.   

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This guide to Holguin and Guardalavaca in Cuba was written by a Cuba travel expert from Cuba For Less, a specialist in fully customizable Cuba vacations.