Cuba, the largest of the Antillean islands, is strategically located in the Caribbean area and is favored by leisure activities and recreation that are complemented by excellent beaches, mountain areas and patrimonial values.

The attractions are everywhere, both in western Cuba, as in the east, which includes provinces like Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Holguin, Santiago de Cuba, Granma and Las Tunas.

Undoubtedly, it´s mandatory to mention the city of Santiago de Cuba, second in importance on the island and also has the privilege of enjoying its status as capital of the Caribbean, favored by its position and centuries-old history.

Precisely, around the Gran Piedra - registered as the largest rock in the world in the Guinness record book - it stands majestic and imposing, with approximately 70,000 tons located about 220 meters above sea level.

Meanwhile, Las Tunas hosts 35 excellent unspoiled beaches in more than 260 kilometers of irregular coastline, with possibilities to appreciate many bird species of Cuban fauna in places like the Bay of Malagueta, besides having the largest reserve of American crocodiles in the Caribbean.

In Camagüey, the beach options concentrate in the resort of Saint Lucia, with a sandy coastal strip of 20 kilometers, with warm, clear waters, protected by a huge coral reef.

In turn, Holguin has in its territory Bariay, first place where the Genoese admiral Christopher Columbus set foot on Cuban soil, bearing witness to history of the island´s beauty.

In addition, coastal areas of unique beauty can be found in Guardalavaca, Esmeralda and Pesquero, together with the options offered by the Natural Park Bahia de Naranjo as well as a possible encounter with the natives at the archaeological site Chorro de Maita.

The recreational design includes Granma province, which has nearly 50 percent of the historical sites on the island, such as the city of Bayamo, second village founded by the Spaniards in 1513 and declared a National Monument.

The National Park Desembarco del Granma and Sierra Maestra complement the offer for lovers of the environment, with unique species of flora and fauna, virgin forests and one of the most representative systems of marine terraces karst.

Eastern Cuba, with a centuries-old history closely followed by visitors to its attractions, incorporates the ruins of dozens of French-Haitian coffee plantations established in that territory in the late 17th and early 19th century.

About a hundred of these farms are recorded in Santiago de Cuba, remnants of a time when the French colonists settled, with their customs and culture.

Meanwhile, 32 of those old coffee plantations, developed by the French who fled neighboring Haiti in 1789 after the revolution in the European country, belong to the territory of the also eastern province of Guantanamo.