Cienfuegos

Paradise!

The province of Villa Clara is a traditional sugar, cattle and mineral producer. Excellent coffee grows on its southern mountain slopes, as does one of Cuba's important tobacco crops. Hence Santa Clara has always been an important commercial center and today houses one of Cuba's largest universities.

A recently built causeway linking the mainland to the keys of Santa Maria has helped open the beautiful virgin beaches to tourism.

Beaches

Accessible by a recently built causeway linking the mainland to the keys, Villa Clara's northern coast counts two pristine beaches:

- Caye Santa María, with 11 km of spectacular sands, is set in a beautiful natural surrounding.

- The isle of Las Brujas has 2 km of virgin beach.

Flora

Hanabanilla Lake is a large, fresh-water mountain reservoir surrounded by tropical forest of the Escambray Mountains. It is a popular Cuban fishing spot and includes a flora and fauna reserve.

The Elguea Health Spa lets you dip into its natural medicinal and thermal baths near the coast of Villa Clara province.

History

The city was founded in 1689 on the site of the ancient Native American village of Cubanacan. The coastal population wanted to flee from the frequent attacks of privateers and pirates, a common story for many coastal towns.

In 1958, guerilla troops commanded by Ernesto Che Guevara attacked the industrial centre of Santa Clara after a hard, 400-kilometre march that had begun in the Sierra Maestra mountains. The dictatorship finally surrendered to Guevara's troops.

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