Camagüey Province%32 / pop 780,600

Why Go?Neither Occidente nor Oriente, Camagüey is Cuba’s provin-cial contrarian, a region that likes to go its own way in politi-cal and cultural matters – and usually does – much to the chagrin of folks in Havana and Santiago.

Seeds were sown in the colonial era, when Camagüey’s preference for cattle ranching over sugarcane meant less reliance on slave labor and more enthusiasm to get rid of a system that bred misery.

Today Cuba’s largest province is a mostly pancake-flat pastoral mix of grazing cattle, lazy old sugar mill towns and, in the south, a few low-but-lovely hill ranges. It’s flanked by Cuba’s two largest archipelagos: the Sabana-Camagüey in the north and the Jardines de la Reina in the south, both underdeveloped and almost virgin in places.

Staunchly Catholic capital Camagüey is, with its alluring architecture and cosmopolitan charm surpassed in Cuba only by Havana, pin-up for the province. It’s a fiercely in-dependent city that nurtured revolutionary poet Nicolás Guillén, groundbreaking scientist Carlos J Finlay and an internationally famous ballet company.

When to Go¨¨ There’s debate about the actual year of Camagüey’s

founding (the 500th anniversary is being celebrated in 2014 with innumerable parties) – everyone, however, hits the streets in February to celebrate Jornada de la Cultura Camagüeyana (Days of Camagüeyan Culture).

¨¨ For outdoor enthusiasts, March is prime time for viewing migratory birds on the northern keys.

¨¨ In playa Santa Lucía, the amazing underwater shark-feeding show is held when sharks are in the area between June and January.

¨¨ In September, Camagüey showcases some more of its cultural prowess with the Festival Nacional de Teatro (National Theater Festival).

Best Places to Eat¨¨ Café Ciudad (p332)

¨¨ Restaurante 1800 (p332)

¨¨ El Bucanero (p341)

¨¨ Restaurante Italiano Santa Teresa (p332)

Best Places to Stay¨¨ Gran Hotel (p332)

¨¨ Casa de Magalis (p337)

¨¨ Los Vitrales (p330)

¨¨ Motel la Belén (p336)

Camagüey.................. 325Florida........................336Sierra.del.Chorrillo.....336Guáimaro.................... 337Nuevitas..................... 337Brasil.&.Around..........338Cayo.Sabinal..............338Playa.Santa.Lucía.......339

©Lonely¨Planet¨Publications¨Pty¨Ltd

Camag

üey ProvinCe .

Camag

üey ProvinCe .

Camag

üey ProvinCe C

AmAGüey.P

roviN

Ce.H

iGHLiG

HtS

324

Spíritus (40km)Sancti

(68km)Holguín

NuevitasBahía de

GuacanayaboGolfo de

Ana MaríaGolfo de

OCEANATLANTIC

SEACARIBBEAN

Ciego de

ProvinceLas Tunas

ProvinceÁvila

Ciego de Ávila

Las Tunas

Nuevitas

Vertientes

Morón

Cromo

Jobabo

Cascorro

Sibanicú

FloridaMinas

Sola

BrasilEsmeralda

La Tomatera

Contramaestre

Najasa

La Jagua

Altagracia

Senado

Lugareño

La Gloria

Cubitas

Caonao

SecoPalo

del SurSanta Cruz

de BagáSan Miguel

de CéspedesCarlos Manuel

la BelénLa Hacienda

CocodrilosCriadero de

RanchKing

ValentinaEl Canyon 2,Poseidon 2,

Avalon, Pipin, Farallón Meseta de los Meros,La Cueva del Pulpo, Faisy,Cabeza de Coral Negro,

VelázquezFaro Diego

Morteva, Escalón,

MuñozEmbalse

la LecheLaguna de

PorvenirEmbalse

GrandeCayo Paredón

de la Riena

de los Jardines

Archipiélago

Sabana-

yeüg

ama

C

edog

aléi

pihcrA

GuillermoCayo

JudasCayo

CocoCayo

Doce LeguasLaberinto de las

RomanoCayo

Ana MaríaCayo

GuajabaCayo

SabinalCayo

Playa Bonita

Airportdel ReyJardines

Ignacio

AirportInternational

AirportAmeijeirasHermanos

Agramonte

Gómez AirportMáximo

Checkpoint

Playa CuatroVientos

PinosPlaya los

Central

Carretera MáximoSilvestre Río

Refugio de Fauna

Cayo Cruz

Camagüey

Guáimaro

Sierra del Chorrillo

LucíaPlaya Santa

0 40 km0 20 miles

1.retreat.into.the.Sierra del Chorrillo,.harboring.rare.birds.and.petrified.forests.(p336).

2.Watch.dive.instructors.fearlessly.feed.sharks.off.Playa Santa Lucía (p339).3.Discover.huge.flamingo.nesting.sites.on.the.Refugio de Fauna Silvestre Río Máximo (p339).

4.Say.your.penance.in.Camagüey.and.find.Cuba’s.Catholic.soul.in.a.stash.of.colonial.churches.(p328).5.Stop.in.Guáimaro,.where.Cuba’s.first.constitution.was.signed.(p337).

6.Go.fly-fishing.for.tarpon.and.bonefish.in.the.shallow.flats.off.Cayo Cruz (p338).

7.explore.the.most.sophisticated.restaurant.scene.at.one.of.Camagüey’s.delectable.eateries,.like.Restaurante 1800.(p332)..8.Go.shopping.for.fresh.produce.with.the.locals.at.Camagüey’s.Mercado Agropecuario Hatibonico.(p330).

Camagüey Province Highlights