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Lucia has 13 miles (21 km) of wide, white-golden sandy beaches bathed
by warm turquoise water that is always calm, thanks to an extensive
coral reef just a mile and a quarter (two km) from the coast. This
reef is the longest one of its kind in the western hemisphere. The
hollows and branches of these coral formations from the habitat
of a surprising diversity of marine life. In one area which has
35 scuba-diving sites, you can see ridges nearly 33 feet (10 m)
high, and the wealth of underwater flora and fauna is complemented
with many sunken ships-some of them dating from the 19th century.
Inland, the El Real Lake is an excellent place for seeing flocks
of Roseate Flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber) and other water
birds. Santa Lucia is a tourist resort with enormous potential which
is being developed in harmony with its gorgeous natural surroundings.
Cayo
Sabinal is another jewel. Once a refuge of pirates-like many other
islets in the Cuban archipelago it has several miles of intimate
beaches of excellent quality, tucked into nooks along the coastline
with virgin areas inland that abound in wildflowers and animals.
Here, too, you can see the ruins of San Hilario Fort (built in 1831)
and visit Colon (Columbus) Lighthouse (built in 1848), which warns
mariners of dangers in the area.
Location
and How to Get There
Santa
Lucia Beach is on the nothern coast of Camaguey Province, in the
east-central part of Cuba, around 338 miles (545 km) from Havana.
By air, you land at Ignacio Agramonte International Airport, which
serves the city of Camaguey, 68 miles (110 km) southeast of Santa
Lucia, where there is an airport for small planes. By land, the
region is linked to the rest of the country by road (the Central
Highway) and by rail.
What
to Do
Activities
at Santa Lucia include scuba diving and snorkling at the coral reef,
sunning, swimming, playing beach volleyball, windsurfing, pedal
boating and engaging in other water sports. Visit the coral reef.
Enjoy the entertainment that is offered during the day and at night.
Or go to the Bay of Nuevitas for sports fishing, scuba diving in
sunken ships, seeing colonies of Roseate Flamingos (Phoenicopterus
ruber ruber) and watching a great show featuring Bull Sharks (Carcharhinus
leucas). At Cayo Sabinal, you can go snorkling, scuba diving and
hiking.
Accommodations
and Facilities
There
are over 1000 rooms at Santa Lucia Beach, in 4- and 3-star hotels.
All use the All-Inclusive plan. Each air-conditioned room has satelite
TV, a refrigerator, a safe and other features. There are swimming
pools for children and adults, a mini-club for children, volleyball
and tennis courts, water sports, games rooms, a jacuzzi, shops,
and shopping malls, restaurants with many options, bars, discoteques,
money-exchange offices, a doctor on call 24 hours a day, gymnasiums,
international communications, taxis, rental cars and entertainment
during the day and at night. The Shark's Friends Scuba Cuba International
Scuba-Diving Center, with international qualified specialists, offers
at all levels and an opportunity to make underwater videos. There
is an international clinic.
Cayo
Sabinal has five ecologocal cabanas which blend with their surroundings.
Each has a private bath and fan. There is also a combination bar
and restaurant which specializes in seafood, plus bicycle rentals
and facilities for snorkling and scuba diving.
Places
of Interest, besides the city of Camaguey
The
province has many natural attractions. The Sierra de Cubitas ecological
preserve has several natural corridors, more than 70 caves of great
speleological and archeological value, and interesting flora and
fauna. Walk through Paredones Pass - a deep defile nearly 5000 feet
(1500 m) long on the bed of an extinct river, between rocks more
than a million years old and roofed over by plants where colorfull
birds nest - Vigueta Pass, where you can see several endemic species
of flora and fauna; and on to Lechuza (Owl) Cave, whose galleries
lead to halls 164 feet (50 m) in diameter. Bonet's Pit, the largest
known karst depression in Cuba, is 295 feet (90m) deep and has important
vegetation. Maria Teresa's and Pichardo's Caves contain Indian pictographs.
For underground climbs, try Rolando's Chasm, 433 feet (132 m) deep,
with a lake at the bottom around 164 feet (50 m) in diameter, or
Mayanna's Chasm, a cave with a vertical access 295 feet (90 m) deep
and a dry bottom.
Off
the southern coast of the province, at Cayo Caguamas, go swimming
and snorkling or go for boat rides and fish with light gear.
Interesting
links on Camaguey:
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