Ciego de Ávila

Let yourself be captivated by the natural beauty and cultural richness of the province of Ciego de Ávila in Cuba

Exploring Ciego de Avila

Ciego de Avila Cuba is a province known as the city of the portals and cradle of the Cuban locution. Located in the central part of the island of Cuba, bordered on the west by Sancti Spíritus, north by the Strait of Florida, east by Camagüey and south by the Caribbean Sea.

History

The capital is the city of Ciego de Ávila, founded in 1840 is characterized by the regularity of the grid layout and the presence of continuous portals and neoclassical columns of varied design that define the image of this territory.

The origin of the name Ciego de Ávila is related to the Spanish Colonization. In those times it was referred to as “blind” a flat land that was surrounded (obstructed or walled up) by forests. And it is said that Ávila was the name of one of the colonists, although it is not determined exactly who he was or the role he played in the colonization of the region.

With the passing of the years, really the centuries, the fertility of the land allowed the area to be populated and prospering. The locality that would later become Ciego de Ávila in particular, benefiting from being on the road by land from Havana to Santiago de Cuba.

Nowadays Ciego de Ávila Cuba is a modern city, although in the historic centre you can find many features of the colonial architecture typical of this type of city. The Catholic Church, very modern and with an eclectic architecture has at its entrance the statue of St. Eugene de la Palma, patron saint of the city, this church was completed in 1952. Another jewel of the architecture of the historic center of the city is the Teatro Principal, considered one of the best theaters in Cuba.

In the center of the city, is located the park José Martí in which it was finished in 1995, its origins go back to the 1800s where in the same place was located the Plaza Alfonso III, with a roundabout in the center where the municipal symphonic orchestra played on Sundays.

Main Sights in Ciego de Ávila

The province of Ciego de Avila Cuba one of the main tourist destinations of the island, basically because of the presence in its territory of Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo (Jardines del Rey). However, this is not its only attraction, the city of Ciego de Avila itself, the city of Morón, the area adjacent to Morón where the Laguna de La Leche and Laguna Redonda are located, as well as the city of Morón itself and the Dutch people, are also sites that are worth visiting and that annually attract many visitors interested in trout fishing and water sports.

  • Moron

Known as the city of the Rooster. It is located to the north of the province of Ciego de Ávila in cuba the central region, under a cayería of vegetation and very beautiful beaches, infinitely escorted by the imposing Current of the Gulf. It’s the second most populated municipality of the province and in the cayería this nailed one of the biggest tourist poles of the country. It has patrimonial values that express a clear urban and territorial identity.

The tourist region of Jardines del Rey is the third most important destination in the country and where magnificent beaches are joined by a wonderful natural environment to increase its already immense attractions for tourism.

  • Cayo Coco

Is the largest of the keys and has the bulk of the hotel and transportation infrastructure, here are the international airport and the marina Gaviota Bautista (not international) and several hotels; It also has magnificent beaches, diving areas 1-2 miles from Flamencos and Las Coloradas beaches (there are more than 20 diving sites in about 32 km of coral formations), 200 species of animals among which birds and reptiles such as iguanas (all harmless) and more than 360 species of plants, several of them endemic. It also has two diving centers and several points for the practice of all kinds of nautical sports.

  • Cayo Guillermo

The key joins to its beautiful beaches the abundance in species of flora and fauna, enviable seabed and variety of land landscapes, among which stands out the sandy dune of Playa Pilar with about 15 meters high (the highest in the Caribbean). Other beautiful beaches of this key are El Paso – where the hotels are currently located – and Playa del Medio. Cayo Guillermo also has two marinas (Marina Internacional Marlin Cayo Guillermo and Jungle Tour Cayo Guillermo), as well as two diving centers.

Without a doubt, nature tourism has remarkable sceneries here, both in the cayería and on land and above all in hiking and contemplative tourism. In the keys there are 2 interpretative trails: Sendero de las Dolinas and Sendero del Sitio La Guira.

  • Ciego de Avila City

Main Sights

  • Parque de la Ciudad
  • Museo Provincial Simón Reyes
  • Museo de Artes Decorativas
  • Parque Martí
  • Centro de Promoción Cultural Guiarte
  • Iglesia Católica
  • Plano-Mural de Ciego de Ávila City
  • Ayuntamiento

Museo de Artes Decorativas

Cuba’s most beautiful beds? Not in Varadero, nor in one of the island’s classic colonial stop-offs, but downstairs at this modest museum. The thoughtful collection contains items from a bygone age, such as a working Victrola (Benny Moré serenades your visit) and antique pocket watches. Up top, the exhibits impress with ornate oriental art: check the striking Chinese screen.

Plano-Mural de Ciego de Ávila city

A bronze map of the city in the late-19th century is stuck on the side of a building, and it marks the site of its founding on June 26, 1840.

Town Hall

Looking out over the main square, Parque Martí is Ciego’s town hall dating from 1911. Visitors are not allowed inside