Guanahacabibes Peninsula

Pinar del Rio - Pinar del Rio City

Cuba's westernmost tip, the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, holds a true natural treasure characterized by exuberant vegetation, fauna and flora, as well as the attractions of the region's sea bottoms.

The territory also treasures the imprint of Cuba's first inhabitants, who named the region Guanahacabibes. In 1987, UNESCO declared the region a Biosphere Reserve.

The Guanahacabibes National Park is the country's largest natural reserve and is separated from the rest of the island by white-sand plains where Cuba's largest lakeside area lies. A relative small area holds some 100 lakes, as well as the largest and purest fields of silica sand, which is 99.8% pure.

The peninsula, one of the last refuges of aboriginal communities fleeing from the Spanish conquistadors, according to experts, also holds some 140 archeological sites linked to the life of aborigines, who were known as guanahatabeyes.

Research has shown that aboriginal communities in different stages of development settled in the region, although the largest population consisted of fishermen and pickers rather than harvesters.

In Guanahacabibes, nature tourism is a major attraction in a 50,000-hectare National Park inhabited by 172 species of birds belonging to 42 families, 11 of which are endemic and 84 are migratory.

As a peculiar sign of the region's potential for nature tourism, experts say that 4 of the 7 species of marine turtles living on the planet have survived in the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, thanks to Cuban authorities' protection programs.

Coral reefs in a perfect state of preservation are the foundations for the development of underwater programs in Cuba's warm crystal-clear waters.

In that regard, experts say that Cuba has a seductive underwater history that reaches every corner of the country and is complemented by naval battles and legends about pirate attacks near the coast.

The "Los Morros de Piedra" Marina, in the region of Cabo de San Antonio (Cape San Antonio), is one of the latest options of the local leisure industry, as part of a strategy to provide vacationers with more than traditional beach and sun options.

A score of diving spots and a marine platform made up of coral reefs inhabited by a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate species can be found in the region.

The waters surrounding the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, especially Cabo Corrientes and Cabo de San Antonio, are inhabited by species of high economic value like the red snapper and the wreck fish, although divers can also find other kinds of treasures.

Maria la Gorda Beach

This beach was named for a woman (Fat Maria) who was supposedly sed on shore here by pirates, who returned here now and again to visit her between forays. Located on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, which has been declared a world preserve of the biosphere, Maria la Gorda Beach has left its rather raucous past behind and is now famed for its serenity and sence of privacy.

The beautiful beach, with fine sand, is 8 km long. The seabed here is one of the richest in Cuba in terms of biodiversity and has the largest colony of black coral in the archipelago.

At its 39 scuba-diving sites, you can see gardens of gorgonians, sponges, a long wall with grottoes, abundant marine fauna and artifacts showing that both pirate and merchant ships used to anchor here in the past.