santiago de cuba province - lonely planetmedia.lonelyplanet.com/...santiago-de-cuba-preview.pdf ·...
TRANSCRIPT
Why Go?Stuck out in Cuba’s mountainous ‘Oriente’ region and long a hotbed of rebellion and sedition, Santiago’s cultural influ-ences have often come from the east, imported via Haiti, Ja-maica, Barbados and Africa. For this reason the province is often cited as being Cuba’s most ‘Caribbean’ enclave, with a raucous West Indian–style carnival and a cache of folklórico dance groups that owe as much to French-Haitian culture as they do to Spanish.
As the focus of Spain’s new colony in the 16th and early 17th centuries, Santiago de Cuba enjoyed a brief spell as Cuba’s capital until it was usurped by Havana in 1607. The subsequent slower pace of development has some distinct advantages. Drive 20km or so along the coast in either di-rection from the provincial capital and you’re on a different planet, a land full of rugged coves, crashing surf, historical coffee plantations and hills replete with riotous endemism.
When to Go¨¨ July is the key month in Santiago de Cuba’s cultural
calendar, when the city is caliente (hot) in more ways than one. The month begins with the vibrant Festival del Caribe and ends with the justifiably famous Carnaval.
¨¨ More music is on offer in March at the Festival Internacional de Trova, when the city rediscovers its musical roots.
¨¨ The period between these two events (March through June) is renowned for its high water clarity, ensuring excellent diving conditions off the south coast.
%22 / PoP 1,048,000
Santiago de Cuba Province
Best Bars¨¨ Casa de las Tradiciones
(p421)
¨¨ Casa de la Música (p420)
¨¨ Club Nautico (p420)
¨¨ Bar Sindo Garay (p420)
Best Places to Stay¨¨ Hostal San Basilio (p417)
¨¨ Hotel Horizontes el Saltón (p432)
¨¨ Casa Colonial ‘Maruchi’ (p415)
¨¨ Brisas Sierra Mar (p433)
¨¨ Hostal Las Terrazas (p415)
Santiago de Cuba ...... 401Siboney ...................... 425La Gran Piedra...........426Parque Baconao ........ 427El Cobre ......................431El Saltón .................... 432Chivirico & Around ....433El Uvero .....................433Pico Turquino Area ....433
©Lonely¨Planet¨Publications¨Pty¨Ltd
Santiago
de Cuba ProvinCe
Santiago
de Cuba ProvinCe
Santiago
de Cuba ProvinCe S
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aceo
Air
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uel
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raM
aest
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la
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anca
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aya
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lla
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Luis
Ase
rrad
ero
Mat
ias
Sant
a R
itaJigua
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ayam
o
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anca
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orno
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sa
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torin
o
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Arr
iba
Las
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vas
Ocu
jal
La P
lata
Río
Sec
o
Mar
Ver
dePl
aya
El U
vero
Boni
ato
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to
Sori
ano
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aLo
s N
egro
s
los
Baño
sC
ruce
de
Col
ónC
rist
óbal
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anjo
Alt
o de
l
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rico
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ardeiPnar
G
aled
arellidro
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(173
0m)
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ames
aa
rt
se
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ar
re
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Gil
bert
Pre
sa
de C
éspe
des
Man
uel
Car
los
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bals
e
Caz
onal
Play
a
Sevi
llaPl
aya
Sibo
ney
Play
aB
acon
aoPa
rque
(187
2m)
Pico
Cub
a
Car
rete
ra C
entr
al
Nacio
nal
oAut
pist
a
El C
obre
San
tiag
o d
e C
uba
Chiv
iric
o(1
972m
)Pic
o T
urq
uin
o
El Sal
tón
Gra
n P
iedra
020
km
012
mile
s
1 S
trol
l aro
und
the
illus
trio
us
incu
mbe
nts
of S
antia
go d
e C
uba’
s Ce
men
terio
San
ta
Ifige
nia
(p41
2).
2 v
isit
the
Cuar
tel M
onca
da
(p40
8) in
San
tiago
de
Cuba
and
eval
uate
the
auda
city
(or f
olly
) of
Cas
tro’
s 19
53 in
surr
ectio
n.
3 M
ake
an e
co-e
scap
e to
lu
scio
us m
ount
ain
geta
way
El
Saltó
n (p
432)
.
4 E
xplo
re C
uba’
s Af
ro-C
uban
danc
e ge
nres
at a
folk
lóric
o sh
ow in
San
tiago
de
Cub
a.
5 T
race
the
hist
ory
of C
uba’
s Fr
ench
-insp
ired
coffe
e cu
lture
at
Caf
etal
la Is
abel
ica
(p42
6)
in G
ran
Pied
ra.
6 U
nder
take
a p
ilgrim
age
to E
l Cob
re (p
431)
to v
isit
the
shrin
e of
Cub
a’s
patr
on s
aint
, La
virg
en d
e la
Car
idad
.
7 S
tand
ato
p C
uba’
s hi
ghes
t m
ount
ain,
Pic
o Tu
rqui
no
(p43
4), n
ext t
o th
e bu
st o
f Jos
é M
artí,
and
adm
ire th
e vi
ew.
8 d
ive
to th
e w
reck
of
Span
ish
war
ship
Cris
tóba
l Co
lón
(p43
3) o
ff th
e w
ild c
oast
ne
ar C
hivi
rico.
Sant
iago
de
Cub
a P
rovi
nce
Hig
hlig
hts