Cuba's central region, full of environmental attractions, is an excellent place for the promotion of nature tourism in all its versions.

Culture, history and traditions go hand in hand in the area, where the kindness of the environment is a strong feature to boost tourism.

For enthusiasts of ecological tourism, Lake Hanabanilla stands out in Villa Clara. It is the only one lake in the mountains in Cuba and it is fed by three tributaries (Negro, Hanabanilla and Guanayara rivers), so it is an ideal place for nature lovers.

The aforementioned reservoir has a water mirror of 14.9 square kilometers and it is 30-40 meters deep on average, with an altitude above sea level of 364 meters and a storage potential of around 300 million cubic meters.

The "little basket of gold" – the meaning of its name in aboriginal language – is a true reflection of the region's natural wealth and occupies the place once known as Siguanea Valley, where centuries ago, Galician immigrants settled to grow coffee mainly.

There is also place for the legends, where they associate the name of the site with one of the daughters of the aboriginal chief Arimao, one of the leaders of the resistance against the Spaniards, and the older inhabitants assure that the figure of the Indian emerges from the water in times of floods.

This Cuban region allows tourists to walk along the path El Nicho, walk through its tranquil waters to the restaurant located in Río Negro, stay at the Hanabanilla Hotel or visit the Cascada del Amor (Love Waterfall).

In the same way, in the exuberant and wonderful landscape, visitors can appreciate an exceptional flora and fauna, composed of Cuban trogons, parrots, royal carpenters, flowered ducks and the Toad of Hanabanilla, which has its only habitat there, among other species that populate the region.

The local flora includes ferns, curujeyes, lilies and different types of orchids, which are confused with birds such as cartacuba, arriero, blackbird, bobito chico, pitirre guatíbire, and sometimes parrots or Cuban parrots, as well as lizards and some species of mollusks such as the Zachrysia auricoma.

The area has the accommodation facilities of the Hanabanilla Hotel, which provides the amenities that leisure requires today with 125 well-equipped rooms, coupled with the complement offered by its location next to the lake.

The province also holds the Cubanacán Protected Area, a true natural paradise and a safe haven for amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds, including ten species that make up the list of endemic groups in the country.

The park occupies part of the region is the Escambray Mountain Range, full of steep slopes, winding roads and the persistence of wooded areas, as well as serving as a trench for the last flocks of parrots that can be seen in the province.