Cuba
Cuba Tourist Office,
154 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JT
T: 020 7240 6655, E:
tourism@cubasi.info, W:
www.cubatravel.cu
Size: 42,804 square miles
Cyclists will enjoy Cuba for its miles
View from the front line
of long roads and beautiful scenery.
Currency: Cuban peso
Take to the Sierra Maestra Mountains “Cuba, as the largest island
Dialling code from the UK: 00 53
on a hike and enjoy camping out, forest in the Caribbean, has a lot to
Population: 11,822,800
treks, and swimming in waterfalls. offer. There is the culture in
Main city: Havana
Vinales is a prime ecotourist Havana and the beach resorts of
Varadero, Guardalavaca, Playa
Local time: GMT –5
destination and is an
exceptional place for Pesquero and the Cayo’s.
Language: Spanish Did
you
Hav
kno rock climbing. It also I stayed on Cayo Guillermo
ana
w?
is
host
quar
to offers mountain and found it very beautiful and
ter
a
Cuba, known as the largest and most the centuries–old population
of
Cuba
’s
biking and cave the people extremely helpful
diverse island in the Caribbean, buildings are
lays
and
claim
the
city
to
exploration trips. and friendly. There were trips
offers everything from sun, sea and now being
most
being
beautiful
the
For the more available to Havana but as
sand to historical cities, untouched meticulously
in
the
to
wn
Caribbean.
passive tourist, there it is quite a distance I would
underwater reefs, towering mountain restored to their is bird watching at recommend a twin-centre holiday
ranges, breathtaking natural beauty original style and state. Las Terrazas and a host or a stay in Varadero if you wish
and of course an unsurpassed musical The city’s museums provide of trails at the Sierra del to just visit Havana briefly.
heritage. Cuba is an amazing country an insight into its turbulent past. Rosario Biosphere Reserve, Cuba is definitely family-friendly
that offers, for example, sandy bays Havana hosts a vibrant night life with including lakes, swimming holes with great beaches and many
and coves at Guardalavaca. This part lots of bars, live music, and dancing. and sulphur springs. hotels have very good facilities
of the Holguin district has an unspoilt One spectacular show is the famous Other opportunities include deep for kids. There are trips where you
reef, perfect for offshore diving and and long-established open-air cabaret, sea fishing for swordfish, marlin and can swim with dolphins available
snorkelling, and the pristine, 20km Tropicana. shark as well as going on various day too. I am also visiting St Kitts later
long Varadero Beach. Although there Cuba has plenty to offer for those excursions around the island. A visit this year and Tobago early next
are lots of hotels, the beaches are not who are looking for adventure. It is to a local cigar factory is an absolute year so I hope these will be as
crowded - perfect for a family holiday. home to several UNESCO biosphere must. The largest island in the good as Cuba.”
Havana, the capital, is a blend of reserves, national parks, ecological Caribbean offers the most variety for Sally James, Harvey World
old and new with old Havana being a reserves, and offers guided tours with tourists and is undeniably a spectacular Travel, Chard, Somerset
UNESCO World Heritage site. Many of many activities. holiday for everyone.
Curaçao Tourism Development Bureau,
Curaçao
Vasteland 82-84, 3011 BP, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
T: +31 10 414 2639, F: +31 10 413 6834 E:
info@ctbe.nl, W:
www.curacao.com
Size: 444 square km (182 sq m)
View from the front line
Currency: Netherlands Antillean
guilder
“Curaçao is a Dutch Caribbean
Island and its capital Willemstad
Dialling code from the UK: 00 599
is steeped in history. It's shops
Population: 138,000
and cafés, along with the splendid
Main city: Willemstad architecture, give it a European
Local time: GMT -4
feel. Curaçao is the perfect place
to go diving with impressive coral
Language: Dutch is the official
language, although both English
formations and fantastic wrecks,
and Spanish are widely spoken. The even if you are a beginner as most
local language is Papiamento, a
Dutch, English and Spanish are Curaçao’s reefs surround the island of the hotels there have their own
version of Creole, only spoken in
the ABC islands
also regularly spoken. Curaçao is attaching to the shore like a narrow dive schools.
famously known for its exotic liqueur fringe and there are over 60 identified There are no direct flights so
Curaçao is part of the Dutch Antilles made from the dried peel of oranges. dive sites including wrecks, shore, Curaçao is an excellent two-centre
and is located in the southern The first Spanish settlers arrived wall and reef dives. There are over destination ideal for families to
Caribbean, 35 miles north of in the 1500s and bought with them 400 species of sea life including rays, visit. Kids would love it as I
South America (Venezuela). A Naranja orange trees, however the sharks and turtles and 57 remember spotting a
year round 27˚C temperature, it is soil and low rainfall yielded inedible varieties of hard and soft giant turtle
slightly larger than the Isle of Wight bitter oranges so the enterprising coral. 50% of sites
Did
Cur
you
açao
kno swimming in the
is
w?
with a population similar to that Spanish found another use for the can be accessed
home
working
to
the
synagogue
oldest
sea close to the
of Lancaster District in Cumbria, fruit and infused the skins – Curaçao from the shore with
western
hemispher
in
the
shore and the
138,000. the liqueur was born. much too see within
Congr
e.
egation
The
United
Emanuel
Mikvé
stalagmites in
The island is a melting pot of more Curaçao is known as one of the the first 15 metres,
was
Isr
ael-
by
S
founded
ephar
the Hato Caves
dic
in
than forty different cultures with Caribbean’s best islands for diving an average water
Jews
1651
S
who
panish
fled are fascinating.”
Inquisi
the
the major influence coming from and is out of the hurricane path. Its temperature of 25
tion.
Lucy McAdam-
Jewish, Portuguese, Dutch, African diversity, density of sea life and many degrees year round and Freud, Green Star
and South American heritage. The underwater landscapes make it an crystal clear waters offer Travel, Surrey
local language is Papiamentu, but excellent destination for new divers. visibility of up to 30 metres.
WWW.CARIBBEAN.CO.UK 25
p•25 Cuba & Curacao.indd 25 22/8/07 18:34:24
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