Western Cuba
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Western Cuba - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Sort by:
5 Recommendations
{{numTotalPoiResults}} {{ (numTotalPoiResults===1)?'Recommendation':'Recommendations' }}
0 Recommendations
Loading...
-
1. Parque Nacional Ciénaga de Zapata
Bird-watchers from all over the world flock to this national park in hopes of feasting their eyes on some 190 bird species, including 21 endemic species. Even if you're not a passionate birder, you can still enjoy watching a mass of wading birds—flamingos, wood storks, sandhill cranes—feeding here. The park forms about half of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that also includes the Las Salinas Wildlife Sanctuary. The combined reserve covers 4,520 sq km (1,641 sq miles) encompassing mangroves, cactus, dry woods, savannahs, salt pans and forest, providing habitat for reptiles, mammals, and all those birds. It's a mecca for fly-fishermen and hikers, as well. Bird-watching platforms on the way out to Las Salinas offer a chance to see some of the endemic species, such as the eponymous Zapata Rail and Zapata Wren, along with the red, white, and blue tocororo—Cuba's national bird and the zunzuncito (Bee Hummingbird), the smallest bird in the world. The main access to the park is via Playa Larga at the head of the Bahía de los Cochinos. Check in at the park office in Playa Largo a day before you plan to visit the vast park, to plan which area you want to explore, pay your entrance fee (CUC$10), and make arrangements for hiring a guide (CUC$10).
Playa Larga, Matanzas Province, 43000, Cuba4598--7249-park officeSight Details
Rate Includes: CUC$10 entry fee, CUC$10 guide fee, Park, daily sunrise--sunset; park office, daily 9--5 -
2. Criadero de Cocodrilos
From the safety of wooden walkways, you can observe some 3,000 crocodiles in various stages of development at this breeding center-cum-tourist attraction. The original enterprise was the idea of Celia Sánchez, one of Fidel Castro's close companions and advisers, who was determined to restore the failing crocodile and caiman populations in the Cienaga Swamp. Today, buses crowd the parking lot bringing tour groups for the guided tour, which takes about 45 minutes. Along the way you can stroke a baby crocodile and have your photo taken cradling a three-year-old croc. The guides fill you in on such crocodilian factoids as: these naturally aggressive creatures can jump 1 meter (3 feet) high and run as fast as a horse for 80 meters (264 feet), reaching speeds of up to 60 kph (37 mph). So stay on the walkway! After visiting with the crocodiles, if you're not too sensitive, you can lunch on crocodile steaks at two on-site restaurants, La Boca and El Ranchón. The Ranchón is smaller and cheaper, and has live music to accompany your reptilian repast (CUC$10). The entrance fee to the breeding center includes a soft drink or glass of juice. Boat tours to the Laguna de Tesoro model village leave from a dock here.
Km 19 on road south of Australia, Playa Girón, Matanzas Province, 43000, Cuba4591–5662Sight Details
Rate Includes: CUC$5, Daily 9:30–5, Kids under 2 years, free -
3. Finca Fiesta Campesina
At this casual farm-cum-zoo visitors can see two of Cuba's distinctive animals: the manjuarí, a primitive water creature with an alligator-like head and a fish body, and the jutía, a large-eared, muskrat-like tree rat, once prized for guajiro stews. Scattered around the farm yard there are deer, peacocks, rabbits, ducks, and guinea fowl. At the guarapa bar, you can buy a glass of fresh-pressed cane juice, with or without rum (CUC$2). The musical entertainment is provided by a caged Cuban Bullfinch, a small black bird, so prized for its song that Cubans organize bird-song competitions. There's no entrance fee to the farm but there are souvenir kiosks scattered around, and an open-air restaurant ($) mostly set up for tour-group buffets.
1 km south of village of Australia, Matanzas Province, 43000, Cuba4591--2045-for restaurantSight Details
Rate Includes: Daily 8–5 -
4. La Cueva de los Peces
South of Playa Larga, on the east side of the Bay of Pigs, lies this natural aquarium in a 61-meter-deep (201-foot-deep) cenote (a flooded sinkhole filled with multicolor fish that swim in from the bay via a subterranean passage). Diving through the banks of fish and the lush subaquatic vegetation is superb. There is no entrance fee—you walk along a short, shaded trail to the pool and dive in. There's a makeshift, on-site dive shop with tanks, as well as snorkeling gear to rent. If you plan on doing a lot of snorkeling and care about hygiene, bring along your own mask. You can also snorkel from the beach, across the road from the entrance to the cenote. La Casa del Pescador (see Where to Eat, below) is next to the cenote.
Carretera e/Playa Larga y Playa Girón at Km 18, Matanzas Province, 43000, Cuba5341--7297-dive shopSight Details
Rate Includes: Dive center: daily 8--5 -
5. La Laguna del Tesoro
According to legend, Taíno aboriginals dumped gold and other loot in this lake to hide it from the Spanish. No treasure has ever been found, although Taíno relics have been recovered from the lake and are now displayed in the Museo Guamá. The museum is part of an impressive replica of a Taíno village on an island, complete with 32 life-size figures of Taínos going about their daily business, created by Cuban sculptor Rita Longa. The lake is stocked with largemouth bass for visiting fishermen who stay in the cabins dotted around the lake. Access to the museum is by boat, leaving from the Criadero de Cocodrilos dock. The outboard motorboats, some with sunshades, travel 4 km (2½ miles) along a canal into the lagoon. The boat trip takes about 30 minutes and costs CUC$12, including entrance to the museum. The first boat leaves at 9 am and the last one at 4 pm.
Matanzas Province, 43000, CubaSight Details
Rate Includes: Daily 9:30--5:30 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
-
{{ (numCurrentPage-1)*numPageLimit+index+1 }}.
{{ item.neighborhood }} | {{ item.first_keyword }}{{ item.review }}
{{ item.address }}{{ item.phone[0] }}{{ item.details.title }} Details
{{ item.details.content.toString() }}View Tours and Activities -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
No sights Results
Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:
There are no results for {{ strDestName }} Sights in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions:
