VILLA CLARA PROVINCE

The province of Villa Clara is located in the central region of the country, so it is a usual stop on the travel routes. In addition, it occupies a vast area of outstanding natural and historic attractions. Its territory snuff plantations and sugar production is defined.

The most important tourist destination in the province is the thriving hub Keys North, comprising mainly Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Las Brujas and Cayo Ensenachos, the smallest and most private of all three.

The excellent condition of its beaches, for diving and tremendous hotel infrastructure, integrated harmoniously with the environment, make this a premier destination within the country. The region is also home to large colonies of flamingos and iguanas. However, it is important for the enormous marine biodiversity that welcomes, as part of Buenavista Bay Ecosystem, declared by UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve.

The province boasts proudly of the four universities, Marta Abreu Central University of Las Villas, located in the city of Santa Clara, which is the provincial capital. Meanwhile, Santa Clara can pleasantly surprise visitors with its intense cultural management, as well as its vibrant nightlife.

Moreover, since the battle conducted in 1958 by the famous Cuban-Argentine guerrilla Ernesto Che Guevara, the history of this city would be inextricably linked to the image of the so-called "Partisan Hero". There are several important sites that testify to the history of an identification between this city and its main heroic figure, the main Memorial to the Armored Train Derailment and the Monument to Ernesto Che Guevara.

Cayo Ensenachos

Cayo Ensenachoscovers a total area of just over 2 km², being the smallest of the three keys to hotels in the region, so you can understand that is also the most intimate and peaceful.
Cayo Ensenachos is located in the area of greatest tourist potential of Cuba today, which has developed very carefully planned infrastructure, in order not to affect the exceptional natural conditions. Northern Keys of Villa Clara province comprise a portion of the Biosphere Reserve - Buenavista, so one of the banners displaying their hotels is the harmonious integration with the environment.


In this regard, highlights the Iberostar Ensenachos hotel, considered among the best in Cuba for its comfortable and luxurious service facilities. The motto of "One island, one hotel" could not be more expressive, offers over 500 bungalow rooms of Caribbean colonial style, and all inclusive. It also coordinates diving expeditions, sailing and hiking the best area beaches: Ensenachos Beach and El Megano Beach, true tropical paradises of fine white sand, with light backgrounds and varying shades of blue in the distance.
Cayo Ensenachos visitors can also enjoy tourist-oriented programs contemplation of the exuberant nature, including countless species of extraordinary value for the Cuban flora and fauna, one of the best preserved natural environments in the country. The view of the beaches included in Cayo Ensenachos is indescribable. Never before has the idea of paradise has made so much sense.

Cayo Las Brujas

Belonging to the archipelago of cays and islets known as Northern Keys of Villa Clara, is one of the most beautiful natural places of the Cuban geography. virgin beaches of fine white sand, in conjunction with magnificent coral reefs and a strip that serves as a refuge for the second most diverse marine fauna in the world after the Australian reefs make this tropical paradise.
Undoubtedly, it is one of the main destinations of sport fishing in the country by the large shoals of tarpon, jacks, groupers, barracudas and other species that abound in the area and offer a wide variety of capture. In the Marina Gaviota, on the other hand, it invites tourists to enjoy its facilities and other sea-related activities such as snorkeling or catamaran excursions, sheltered from the blue Caribbean Sea.

Cayo Santa Maria

The whole area occupied Cayo Santa Maria is a remarkable reservoir of fauna and flora of Cuba, mainly due to the great biological diversity that allow their mangroves and for being home to large colonies of iguanas, gulls, pink flamingos, and a tremendous variety of birds in general. Cayo Santa Maria is considered as part of the Gardens of the King - Jardines del Rey archipelago, and is located in the protected ecosystem of the Bay of Buenavista, declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.


However, the most impressive in the landscape are the white sand beaches, warm waters and tropical shades of blue, stretching for over 10 km.
All that in the region of greatest potential within the current Cuban tourism.

Cayo Santa Maria is accessed by a road stones as called riprap breakwater or Pedraplen, which includes 46 bridges for the circulation of currents, and spans an impressive distance of 48 km. The Pedraplen, who later won a civil engineering Alcantara Award, is a monumental achievement which took ten years.
The total area covered Cayo Santa Maria is 13 km², making it the largest of the hundreds that exist in the region.

The excellent natural conditions of its beaches have enabled the foundation of a hotel infrastructure frontline in Cuba, which still continues in development.



Cayo Santa Maria includes the Pueblo La Estrella (The Start Town), which serves as headquarters of a craft fair where local artists exhibit their pieces, especially of Santa Clara, Remedios and Caibarien. It also incorporates souvenir shops, spas, restaurants, a bowling alley and a nightclub, visited every night by vacationers staying at the cay own hotels, as well as their neighbors Cayo Las Brujas and Cayo Ensenachos.


Cayo Santa Maria is a safe bet for those who intend to take a vacation paradise beach, bright sun and blue water.

Hanabanilla

The Hanabanilla´s lake is unique with intramontanas characteristics of the country, ideal place for the lovers of the nature, is located in the municipality of Manicaragua, province of Villa Clara.
The Hanabanilla has a water mirror of 14.9 km², and between 30 - 40 meters of depth on average, with an altitude above sea level of 364 meters and a potential storage around 300 million m³.
In Aboriginal language its name is interpreted as "small basket of gold", a faithful reflection of the natural wealth of the region. It occupies the place formerly known as Siguanea´s Valley, where centuries Galician emigrants were established dedicated to the cultivation of coffee.

Remedios

Founded between 1513 and 1524, Remedios, cradle of traditions and legends, is one of the oldest settlements in the region. This condition, made transparent in each of the corners of its historic center, declared a National Monument since 1980, gives a rich historical and cultural background.

When walking the streets, tourists can find a very unique place in Cuba, having two churches: Our Lady of Good Voyage and the Parish of San Juan Bautista. The latter, true wonder of ecclesiastical art on the island, boasts a huge gold-plated altar and a sculpture of the Immaculate pregnant, only Concepción in the world.

Its most distinctive, without doubt, an element is its famous sprees "Parrandas", annual festivities to where people gather from all over the island. The popularity that have reached these festivities, euphoric mixture of dances and fireworks, is such that, since 1980, a museum designed to safeguard his memory was established. In it, through your collection of photos, documents, costumes and other pieces, visitors can find one of the most important graphic and physical representations of the Cuban cultural heritage.
Los Remedios suffered pirate attacks. After an attack of Lolonois, the villa was divided, some wanted to move it inland, others preferred to stay and face the pirates. In the first, a group of 37 citizens left Remedios and in June 1689 came to the place where the city of Santa Clara sits and fixed the residence.

Santa Clara City

Santa Clara happens to be one of the most discreet cities of Cuba from the architectural point of view. In this sense, its greatest charms lie in its friendly people, in their urban myths and the interesting cultural life that protect their quiet and clean streets.
The city of Santa Clara, capital of Villa Clara province, marks the center of the island, which is a primary for those who want to explore Cuba from beginning to end stop.
Founded in 1689 by several families who escaped from Remedios because of the constant pirate attacks, Santa Clara soon expanded and acquired relative economic autonomy within the region.


The main buildings of historic value are at the periphery of its beautiful central park, also famous for its huge gazebo. This includes the monuments to Leoncio Vidal, for whom it was named Vidal Park, and the benefactor and philanthropist Marta Abreu, two of the most important historical figures of the region.



Relevant near the Parque Vidal buildings include: the La Caridad  Theater, which dates from 1885 and which at the time would be the country's third largest; the Provincial Palace; the Church of Our Lady of Carmen, built in 1748, is the most beautiful and oldest in the city; the Decorative Arts Museum; and the Tobacco Factory Constantino Perez Carrodegua where world-renowned brands like Partagas, Montecristo and Romeo and Juliet twist.


In December 1958, the legendary Argentine guerrilla and idealistic Ernesto Che Guevara lead the storming of the City of Santa Clara, a key for the subsequent overthrow of Fulgencio Batista battle. Today, visitors can visit the Memorial to the Armored Train Derailment, which commemorates the most decisive and famous skirmish by Che in America. Since then the city would be associated with the image of guerrilla known.

Meanwhile, the impressive Monument to Ernesto Che Guevara, by Jose Delarra, has its visual center in a huge bronze statue, erected in 1987, with what Santa Clara proudly owns the most monumental and museum complex in the world dedicated to the Argentine guerrilla figure. This includes a mausoleum where, since 1997, lie the mortal remains of Che and of 17 fallen men beside him in a remote region of Bolivia.

The exciting artistic life of the city includes concerts and shows in the parks, or in the nightclub The Mejunje, where they act local artists. The Rock-Metal Festival is held every year and is the most important country in relation to this musical genre. The nightlife of Santa Clara offers the genuine spirit of entertainment designed by Cubans for Cubans, unmitigated or tourist artifices, which constitutes a genuine experience. So the city is extending its many attractions fascinated visitors each year pass its streets.

Elguea

Located 136 km northwest of Santa Clara, is a resting center, with excellent water and rejuveneting healing factors, being notable mostly in Latin America. The main reason for this, it is its high mineral content, including chlorine, bromine salts and sodium, that contributes to the overall health and quality of life; being prescribed even for relaxation, stress, revitalizing, respiratory, circulatory and neurological problems.

The tradition mentioned here, with sanitary purposes, dates back to 1860.
According to the legend, the discovery of the medicinal properties of the site was made when a slave belonging to Don Francisco Elguea, bathed in its waters while suffering from a rare skin disease. Upon returning, completely healthy, the slave recognize the miraculous effects and spread them in the area and eventually, in 1917, a small hotel was founded under the name of the Elguea family.

The spa, with its Thermal Centre of 1300 square meters long, three pools of medicinal waters, massage and beauty treatments, sauna, gym and medical consultations offers the services of such facilities: facial, exercises body aerobics , electrotherapy, massage therapy, physiotherapy, mud therapy, physiotherapy, moxibustion, hydrotherapy, podiatry, psycho-relaxation and traditional medicine.

It also has more than a hundred rooms, tennis and volleyball and daytime activities and evening entertainment, including horseback riding and tours to nearby places of attraction such as the historical center of Santa Clara visits, the northern coast and some of its most pristine and beautiful beaches.