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This
beautiful beach is near both the city of Cienfuegos-one
of the loveliest in the country-and Trinidad,
which has been declared a part of the world heritage. The beach
has good hotels,
ecotourism programs, and scuba diving and other water sports, offering
you a fulfilling and relaxing stay.
Location
and How to Get There
Rancho
Luna beach is 11 miles (18 km) by road from the city of Cienfuegos
(capital of the province of the same name). The city has an international
airport-the third largest of the country-and is linked to the rest
of the country by a system of modern roads. Cienfuegos is in the
south-central part of the island of Cuba, 159 miles (241 km) from
Matanzas and just 53 miles (85 km) from Trinidad.
What
to Do
Activities
include sunbathing, swimming, scuba diving, snorkling and other
water sports; minature golf; tennis; beach volleyball; tours along
the attractive coast; excursions to nearby natural attractions,
the city of Cienfuegos (international water sports competitions
are held in its bay on a regular basis) and a nearby dolphin center
(with dolphin and sea lion shows). In the evenings, entertainment
put on excellent shows.
Accommodation
and Facilities
The
3-star Horizontes Rancho Luna Hotel has 222 airconditioned rooms,
including suites, mini-suites and double rooms, each with private
bath , satelite TV and safe. It also has buffet and speciality restaurants,
a snack bar, a lobby bar, a grill, a swimming pool for both adults
and children, a tennis court, a miniature golf course, a recreation
club, a games room, shops, a post office and rental cars.
The
Whale Shark Scuba-Diving Center offers beginners courses in scuba
diving, rental equipment, scuba diving during the day and at night,
and marina services-with 30 moorings, drinking water, 110- and 220-
volt electricity, fuel, facilities for mantainmence and minor repairs,
commissary service, protection 24 hours a day, port authorities,
immigration and Custom offices, international communications, and
bathrooms with shower.
Nearby
Places of Interest
Cienfuegos
(founded by a group of Frech settlers in 1819), is one of the most
beautiful cities in Cuba. It has an enveloping sense of tranquility,
a large number of mansions with cupolas, several public squares
and -the legacy of its French founders- perfectly drawn streets
and well-preserved neoclassical architecture. In addition, there
are interesting frame structures on Gorda Point (Punta Gorda).
The
Bay of Cienfuegos, which is one of the most magnificent bays in
the country, is nearly 35 square miles (90 square km) in size and
is dotted with pitoreque cays. We recommend a boat ride around the
bay, where you can sometimes see dolphins leaping from the water.
It is the venue for annual motorboat races and regattas, and cruise
ships put in here , as well. There is a marina (at 22 18'N latitude,
80 28'W longitude-for radio communication, turn to HF 7462 or VHF
16) with a modern recreation room; aquabikes; yachts; catamarans;
and equipment for snorkling, scuba diving and water skiing.
Founded
in 1901, Cienfuegos's Botanical garden is one of the oldest in the
Americas. Its 90 hectares contain over 2000 species of plants, most
of them exotic, including a collection of palm trees which is considered
one of the ten best in the world.
Valle
Palace, near Jagua Hotel, at the very end of Punta Gorda (which
gives you a fabulous view), is a mixture of the Mudejar, Gotic-Roman,
Arabian and Indian styles. It has a fancy restaurant.
The
city has two cemeteries: reina (founded in 1839), the only one in
Cuba that has vertical burial vaults (it also has some beautiful
statues), and Tomas Acea, the first garden cemetery in Cuba, which
is also noted for its beautiful decorations and sculpture.
At
a mile and a quarter (almost 2 km) long, Prado Avenue is the longest
street in Cuba; it is flanked by beautiful buildings. Cienfuegos
also has several museums (including one on a naval history and the
Nuestra Senora de los Angeles de Jagua Polyvalent Museum, which
is housed in a fortress dating from the 18th century); the Terry
Theater, which is one of the three oldest theaters in Cuba that
are still being used; and Villuendas and Marti Parks (the only arch
of triumph in Cuba is in the latter).
The
city has several good hotels
and restaurants offering
all kind of food (with the accent on seafood), bars, cabarets, discoteques
and other places providing evening entertainment.
Attractions
near the city include the Ciego Montero Spa (with excellent medicinal
mineral water and accomodations); Martin Infierno Cave (which contains
the largest stalagmite in the Americas, around 220 feet, or 67 meters
high) and Cuba-Magyar Cave (which is 1542 feet, or 470 meters deep),
both of them in the Escambray Mountains; and El Nicho area of the
Escambray, which has several waterfalls between 65 and 115 feet
(between 20 and 35 meters) high. When visiting any of these waterfalls,
treat yourself to a dip in their crystal-clear pools.
Cienfuegos
's coast is famous for its seabed. There are two scuba-diving centers
in addition to the one at Rancho Luna Beach: the Faro Luna Scuba-Diving
Center, next to the 3-star hotel of the same name, on the road to
Rancho Luna, and the Guajimo Scuba Diving Center, at the 3-star
villa of the same name, on the road to Trinidad.
The offshore area has over 50 diving sites, many species of coral
and fish, caves impressive underwater walls, sunken ships and coral
formations such as "Notre Dame", which looks like the
towers of that Parisian cathedral and is nearly 11 feet (6 meters)
high. Stick around, and you'll see turtles, Barracudas (Spyreana
barracuda), enormous Jewfish (Epinephelus itajara), Spotted Eagle
Rays ( Aetobatus narinari) and impressive but harmless Whale Sharks
(Rhincodon typus).
Along
the road to Trinidad, between the mountains and the sea, in addition
to several ecotourism offers, you'll find a number of beaches, some
of which have excellent accommodations.
Links
on Cienfuegos Province:
| To Do |
Castillo de Jagua
Castillo de Nuestra Senora de los Angeles de Jagua
Fortress
A nice fishermen's village around the fortress to visit |
Jardin Botanico Soledad
A botanical garden owned by Instituto de Egocolica y Sistematic |
| Yaguanabo Valley |
Guajimico for snorkling |
| Rio Negro river |
Hanabanilla river inside
of the Escambray Mountains |
| Beaches like Playa Fria,
Playa Ingles, Playa Giron |
|
|
