| Ancon
and Maria Aguilar Beaches |
In
addition to its lush natural surroundings and colonial appearance,
Trinidad is graced by the sea, which gave it two excellent beaches:
Ancon and Maria Aguilar, both of which are very close by and are
among the best beaches on the southern coast of Cuba. Ancon Beach
is just a little over 7 miles (12 km) from the city. It is two and
a half miles (4 km) long, with white sand and green-blue water.
Its seabed is ideal for scuba diving and spearfishing. The Ancon
Peninsula is bordered by a narrow shelf of sandy bottom, with colorful
patches of coral, ridges up to 16 and a half feet (5 meters) high,
tunnels and other features. It has 21 scuba-diving sites, where
you can see concentrations of Black Coral (Antipathes spp.), a wide
varietay of spnges, gorgonians, Common Sea Fans (Gorgonia spp.)
and many kinds of colorfull fish.
| Location
and How to Get There |
The
Ancon Peninsula is slightly over 7.5 miles (12 km) from Trinidad
(232.5, or 375 km, east of Havana, in the middle of the country).
Modern roads link the city to the city of Sancti Spiritus, capitol
of the province of the same name, and to the city of Cienfuegos
(25 miles, or 40 km, away). A large part of the road to Cienfuegos
hugs the coast and offers some beautiful views. There are three
national airports in Sancti Spiritus Province. The one serving Trinidad
handles the most flights-of small and medium sized planes-and links
that city with other important tourist resorts in the country.
Activities
include lazing in the sun, swimming, snorkling, scuba diving and
other water sports; seafaris and excursions to nearby cays; deep-sea
and bottom fishing; tours of the oldest part of Trinidad and of
its surrounding area, including Sugarmill Valley and Topes de Collantes,
in a large area of parks and natural preserves; excursions to Cienfuegos;
visits to beaches along the road to that city; and trips to other
tourist resorts in the archipelago.
For
evening entertainment, there are many recreational options which
can be combined with the offers in Trinidad.
| Accomodation
and Facilities |
There
are 3 hotels on
the Ancon Peninsula: the 3-star, All-Inclusive, Club Gran Caribe
Ancon; and the 3-star Horizontes Costasur; The 4 star Brisas Trinidad
del Mar. All three are on the beach, with a total of over 500 airconditioned
rooms, each with satelite TV. The hotels also have swimming pools,
restaurants, gyms, bars, tennis courts, discoteques and a family
atmosphere. In Trinidad , there are at least six other urban and
rural hotels and villas, plus an international clinic. A scuba diving
center on on the Ancon Peninsula will fit you out with the equipment
you need for enjoying this beautiful caribbean beach to the full.
The
Ancon Peninsula also has a marina with scuba diving equipment. It
offers seafaris to cays in the area; bottom, trolling and deep-sea
fishing; and services for living on board in the Jardines de la
Reina Archipelago: mooring services, anchorages, drinking water,
electricity, commissary service, fuel, bathrooms with showers, and
a bar-restaurant.
| Nearby
Places of Interest |
UNESCO
declared Trinidad (founded in 1514, the third Spanish settlement
in Cuba) to be a part of world cultural heritage because of its
colonial architecture, which dates from the 18th, 19th and early
20th centuries. The oldest part of the city (55 blocks in size,
with 1211 buildings) is one of its greatest attractions. It contains
beautiful churches (such as the Great Parish Church, a neoclassical
edifice built in 1892) and public squares, the most important of
which is Main Square-surrounded by buildings of great beauty and
historic and architectural interest and considered the second most
important square in the country, after Havana's Cathedral Square.
Trinidad
has several museums: the Romantic Museum and the Museum of Architecture,
Archeology, History and the Struggle against Counterrevolutionaries.
One Mansion, built in 1723 sells souvenirs and
special drinks typical of the city: canchancharas (for which the
house is named), a cocktail made of honey, Lime juice and high wine.
The city also has a Troubadours House (Casa de la Trova) and a House
of Music (Casa de la Musica). In the evening, there's a discoteque,
several bars and folkdance performances.
A few miles from Trinidad, going
up a steep mountain road, you'll come up to Topes de Collantes Natural
Park. Some 2625 feet (800 meters) above sea level, up in the mountains,
it has a cool microclimate. The streams and rivers in its valleys
go underground to drain, and dozens of species of plants and animals
live here. They include colorful birds, ferns, precious-wood trees
and orchids, many of which are endemic. Here, too, you'll find beautiful
waterfalls-such as Caburni Falls, which drops from a height of nearly
200 feet (60 meters) into a pool fed by several springs.
There is a 4-star tourist complex,
the Escambray Kurhotel, with more than 200 rooms, a gym, a heated
swimming pool and other facilities, an ideal base for all who love
hiking, bird watching, horseback riding, swimming in crystal clear
rivers, spelunking and visiting sites which combine nature with
farm traditions and delicious Cuban
cuisine.
Sugarmill Valley-which UNESCO also
declared to be a part of world hertiage- is just a few minutes drive
frim Trinidad. Here, you can see ruins of sugarcane plantations
dating from the 19th century, with sugar pans, towers, wheels (gear
wheels) and even some of the mansions built by the aristicracy of
that era, such as the "big house" at the Guaimaro Sugar
Mill, which has Italian frescoes, wooden balustrades and round-arched
windows. The tower of the Manaca Iznaga Sugar Mill, known as Iznagna
Tower, is still standing. It has seven levels and is nearly 143
feet (43.5 meters) high. Then take another mountain road to reach
El Nicho Park, with its impressive waterfalls, endemic flora and
birds, caves and pools where the swimming is great.
| Interesting
Trinidad links: |
|
|
|
