Nature

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.

Escambray Mountains / Topes de Collantes
More To Do in Trinidad