Beaches - Havana

Playa Arroyo Bermejo

This beach is very popular with Cubans. It's a small beach surrounded by cliffs at the mouth of the Rio Jibacoa, about three kilometres east of Santa Cruz del Norte. Some beautiful coral reefs lie very close to shore, which are perfect for snorkelling and scuba diving.

Playas del Este

Playas del Este or the Eastern Beaches extend for about 24 kilometers along the north coast of Havana province. The Eastern Beaches are full of white sand and coconut palms and is a very popular tourist spot with excellent natural conditions, though their facilities are very scarce and yet to be expanded.

The beaches stretch from Bacuranao Beach –12 kilometers east of Havana– to Guanabo Beach –27 kilometers east of Havana. Between these two one can find four other beaches: Tarará, El Mégano, Santa María del Mar and Boca Ciega. All of them are excellent options for tourists who want to spend a day at the beach without leaving the capital.

Opposed to other beaches in Cuba where one can only find tourists, Playas del Este is very popular among the habaneros, who can frequently enjoy these warm waters thanks to their closeness to the city.

Guanabo Beach

Guanabo Beach is located 27 kilometers from Havana City and occupies the coastal area of the town of Guanabo. With 25 kilometers of beaches it is the most visited of the Playas del Este. During the summer, up to 120,000 people are spending their holidays here. It has many facilities, such as shopping centers, restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

The only thing missing is hotels, though lots of houses are for rent instead.

El Mégano Beach

This beach is located near Havana City and is the westernmost beach of the Playas del Este. It is famous for it coral and perfect snorkeling and scuba diving conditions.

Playa Bacuranao

Bacuranao beach is located only 12 kilometers from Havana and is the first of the Playas del Este. The beach is located on a small bay and is mostly visited by Cubans. You can stay in one of the 30 cabins, which are available for renting.

Playa Tarará

The beach between Bacuranao and El Mégano is Tarará, 20 kilometers from Havana. Its marina is perfect for those who want to go fishing or diving.

The diving center has several medium size boats, superb diving equipment and a great team of divers. The sea bottoms to the east of Havana are quite rocky and there are no coral reefs, though because of the very clear and shallow waters it can still be a great experience.

One of the most interesting diving sites is a sunken ship near Bacuranao Beach, at around 14 meters under the surface. Another interesting spot in this area is a small rocky edge called Itabo, at 20 meters under the surface, with a great variety of sea life, such as eels, lobsters, barracudas, parrot fish, dogfish, spider crabs, sponges and fire corals.

Santa María del Mar

With 8 kilometers of good quality sand, Santa María del Mar is the longest beach of the Playas del Este. It has many facilities, such as hotels and villas, as well as restaurants, nightclubs and bars by the seashore. In Santa María del Mar, tourists can enjoy catamaran rides, rent jet skis, sail boats, rowboats and explore its many other attractions.

Playa El Salado

This beach is located about 25 minutes from Havana City, on the way to Pinar del Río. Villa Cocomar offers excellent conditions for relaxation as well as for diving, which can be done at a beautiful coral reef area. The Blue Reef Cente offers diving courses, nighttime diving, motorboating and catamarans rental.

Playa Jibacoa

This beach is located on the north coast of Havana Province, 60 kilometers from Havana City and 50 kilometers from Varadero and is also known as Playa Amarillo. Jibacoa is a beach of incredible beauty because of the more than 100 meter high hills surrounding it.

Jibacoa, Boca de Jaruco, El Fraile, Puerto Escondido and El Abra, lie on coves bordered by hills, which make it a very attractive area.

The quality of the sand on the beaches is excellent. The sea water is warm most of the year and the sea bottoms have beautiful coral beds and a great variety of underwater life. That's why it's a perfect spot for diving.

Besides sun, sand and sea sports, the visitor can enjoy other outdoor activities like horse riding and boat trips. The visitor can take lodgings at the Breezes Jibacoa Hotel or choose camping at El Abra, where there is a diving center.

One of the most interesting diving spots is to go to the Jibacoa and Sparta ships. The Jibacoa, a cargo ship, and the military ship Sparta have lain sunken for about twenty years. The ships were used for military target practice, becoming eventually a favourite haunt for divers. The Jibacoa is visible from the surface and the Sparta lies on its side complete with guns, ladders and anchor ropes.