Cuba Guide
Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey
Spanning the trunk of the island some 450km east of Havana, the provinces of Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey form the farming heart of Cuba, their handsome lowland plains given over to swathes of sugar cane, fruit trees and cattle pasture. Camagüey city, one of the original seven villas founded by Diego Velázquez in 1515, was nurtured by sugar wealth that dates to the late sixteenth century. Camagüey has grown into a large and stalwart city with many of the architectural hallmarks of a Spanish colonial town, and is deservedly beginning to compete as a tourist centre. Away from the capital and tourist attractions, Camagüey province is the country's cattle-farming centre, and it's common to come across lone bullocks wandering or being herded skilfully by vaqueros (cowboys) beneath the palm trees.
Highlights
1 Hotel Colón Almost a museum in itself, this beautiful 1927 hotel in the heart of Camagüey has been artfully renovated, preserving its eclectic mix of styles.
2 Plaza de San Juan de Dios Camagüey's most photogenic square is lined by well-kept lemon-yellow and dusty-pink buildings, their windows hemmed with twists of sky-blue balustrades.