Sancti Spiritus
is located in the central part of Cuba and borders on
Villa Clara to the north, on Cienfuegos province to
the west, on Ciego de Avila province to the east and
on the Caribbean Sea to the south. Its capital is the
identically named Sancti Spíritus city, considered
a fairly minor city in terms of economic importance.
This province has a surface area of 6,738 square
kilometers (2,625 square miles) and a population of
around 460,328 inhabitants (Population Density: 68.33
per km²-174.92 per sq m).
Casa Albertina
Budget
Accommodation
in Vedado, Havana
Hotel Nacional
Recomended
Hotel
in Havana
The western portion of Sancti Spíritus
province is mountainous, with predominance of the
Guamuhaya mountain range. Its highest point is the
Pico Potrerillo, at 931m (3,042 ft.) above sea level.
The massif of Guamuhaya, subdivided
into Alturas de Trinidad and Alturas de Sancti Spíritus,
is characterized by steep peaks and deep valleys,
the exuberance of vegetation, endemism of species
of flora and fauna, cave systems, beautiful landscapes,
pure and transparent rivers, picturesque waterfalls
and crystalline ponds.
The
northern coast of the province (scarcely 50 kilometers)
is lined with a dozen of small cays; scrublands, mangroves
and coral reefs near the shoreline. It contains some
fish cooperatives and sandy beaches.
Its southern coast is flat and includes bays, inlets,
points and ports, among which Casilda is the most
important. Two white sand beaches are very near Casilda:
Ancon and Maria Aguilar, ideal for scuba diving, and
Cayo Blanco, where Puertosol marina operates. The
southeast has numerous mangroves and swamps.
Sancti Spíritus has numerous lakes,
which are used for both water sports and fishing.
The largest man-made reservoir in Cuba, the
Embalse Zaza, is located close to the province’s
capital city. Like most Cuban provinces, sugarcane
is its major crop. Cattle and tobacco are
important commodities, and subsistence agriculture
is practiced. Some rice is grown as well.
Tourism is a big source
of income for the province, with special interest
for nature tourists. Comfortable hotels have been
built in some of the most beautiful spots in cities,
beaches and mountains. Most of the tourist activity
is centered on the museum city of Trinidad (1514),
a UNESCO World Heritage listed city that today keeps
all the splendor of its colonial past. The best
time to visit Sancti Spiritus is between December
and April. The weather is at its coolest and driest
during these months, yet it's still far warmer than
those of North America and Europe. In the spring
and fall, it is off-season and this may mean fewer
hotel amenities. There are, however, benefits for
traveling in the low season: lack of crowds and
prices that tumble by up to 25%.
Tops destinations in Sancti
Spiritus , Cuba are:
Casilda
Sancti Spíritus City
Topes de Collantes
Trinidad
Valle de los Ingenios (Sugar
Mills Valley)
Zaza
Sancti
Spiritus City was one
of the original seven Cuban cities founded by the
Adelantado Diego Velazquez de Cuéllar in 1514.
Its colonial origins are evident in its buildings,
though its capital status has given it a more commercial
atmosphere. The variety of styles can be appreciated
in buildings such as the Parroquial Mayor and the
Museum of Colonial Art. Historically, Sancti Spíritus
has been somewhat neglected by Spanish and more recent
governments.
It does not earn much tourist attention; for all its
historic sites and attractions dim in comparison with
the exquisitely preserved colonial city of Trinidad
to the south.
And the attractions you should visit in Sancti Spiritus
city cuba are:
The Agricultural
Fair
The Cultural Heritage Center
The Nuestra Señora de
la Caridad Church
The Parroquial Mayor Del Sancti
Spíritus Church
The Colonial Art Museum
The Tavern of the Plaza (Mesón
de la Plaza)
The Yayabo Bridge
The Main Theatre (Teatro Principal)
Trinidad:Just 78 kilometers southeast
of the major port city of Cienfuegos is Trinidad city
(approximately 80,000 inhabitants), one of UNESCO World
Heritage sites since 1988. Velázquez de Cuéllar
founded the city in 1514 also under the name Villa De
la Santísima Trinidad, near rivers that the Spanish
believed would offer gold. Four year later Hernán
Cortés would stop in Trinidad in his way to conquer
Mexico. In that city he would, in fact, recruit members
for expeditions.
While the Indians living
in the area did find and pan some gold, the spectacular treasures
of Mexico quite outshone them. During the 16th and 17th centuries
the city’s residents became rich with the slave trade.
They even dealt illegally with England via Jamaica. From 1660
to 1680, pirates from Jamaica and Tortuga plagued Trinidad,
and on two occasions, pirates devastated the city.
The ready abundance of cheap black labor promoted the sugar
cane industry. By the mid-18th century there were some 25-sugar
mills in operation and a number of families had made their
fortune.
It’s one of
the best-preserved colonial cities in the Caribbean from the
time when the sugar trade was the main industry in the region.
Nowadays, its main industry is tobacco processing. The oldest
parts of the town are well preserved as the Cuban tourism
industry sees benefit from tour groups.
And the attractions you should visit in trinidad, cuba are:
The Plaza de Armas
The Santisima Trinidad Greater Parrish
Church:
The Iglesia de la Popa
The Romantic Museum
The Archeological Museum
The Museum of Decorative Arts
The Corsair House
Ancon resort
Cayo Blanco
Zaza:Near
Sancti Spiritus city is the Zaza resort, with a comfortable
hotel on the banks of the Zaza River and the dam of
the same name.
It is the largest man-made lake in Cuba, where the
tourists can play many water sports. Other tourist
attractions are trekking, hiking, photo-hunting and
admiring the beauties of nature.
Topes
de Collantes:Located
in the Guamuhaya mountain range, the Topes de Collantes
Natural Park is a place of extraordinary beauty and
great scientific value for Cuban Botany, Zoology and
Ecology. It’s a protected area of 200 square kilometers
with a great number of endemic species of flora and
fauna. Also, these mountains include
the Topes de Collantes Spa, a large and luxury destination
for health tourism and quality-of-life tourism programs.
Activities include
hiking, trekking, mountain climbing, photo hunting and also
admiring the beauties of nature. You will also find many restaurants
and recreation centers offering typical local dishes and drinks
such as Canchanchara.
And the attractions you should
visit in topes de collantes cuba are:
The Caburní Falls
The Gallo’s House
The Caburní Falls
The Vega Grande Falls
The
Valley of the Sugar Mills,or
San Luis Valley is a vast area also declared Heritage
of Mankind by UNESCO. Located very close to Trinidad,
it preserves in its 324 sq km a significant period of
development of the productive forces and sugar production.
By 1827, this region had perfected the most advanced
techniques thanks to its long-standing commercial links
with Jamaica, which always escaped the monopoly and
the dictates of the Spanish colonial metropolis.
By traveling by
train across the valley you can see the beautiful landscape
of archeological remains and architectural ruins which exemplify
the economic splendor of this region: the boiler house, the
dregs house, the manor house, the slave quarters, warehouses,
stables, distilleries, tile factories, bell towers, as well
as other masonry works to dam and conduct the water of brooks
and cisterns used for storing rainwater, among others.
Other tourist
attractions in cienfuegos cuba are:
The hunting grounds of
El Jíbaro, Manatí and El Taje
