Summer in Cuba, a fast-growing tourist destination in the Caribbean region, complements its traditional sun and beach options with a wide range of cultural offers for national and foreign vacationers.

Mixed races and centuries-old customs resulted in a unique culture that combines African, aboriginal, Chinese, French and, of course, Spanish elements, creating a unique and rich mixture.

In addition, Cuba offers such options as health and cultural tourism, congresses and incentives, nautical programs and diving at specialized centers.

In Havana, tourists can visit the historic heart and the modern part of the city, and stay at excellent hotels while enjoying literary options specially designed for the summer season.

Literature fairs are held everywhere in the country, complementing traditional recreational programs.

Books sales and exchanges between readers and authors add a special element to recreation in Cuba.

Vacationers can also take part in carnivals that are held throughout the country, each of which has its own characteristics. The most popular ones are those held in Santiago de Cuba, Remedios and Havana.

Cuba also offers rich natural sites inhabited by some 16,500 species, some of which report an endemism of more than 90 percent.

The Caribbean island's autochthonous flora consists of more than 6,300 varieties.

Well-preserved natural and biosphere reserves, natural landscapes, national parks and protected areas are also part of Cuba's tourist options.

The country's beauty can also found underground, as more than 60 percent of Cuban territory is made up of calcareous rocks from the glacial period, creating the largest caverns in the region.

Experts say there are more than 10,000 caves in Cuba, many of which are more than 25 million years old, especially the Santo Tomas cavern system, in western Cuba, which is about 45 kilometers long.

Another site that is visited by thousands of tourists every year is the Bellamar Cave, in western Matanzas province.

Bellamar, which is 23 kilometers long and 300,000 years old, is made up of three caverns that were a single cave in ancient times: Bellamar, El Jarrito and Soto Jíbaro.

Other Cuban caverns visited by national and foreign tourists are Cuyaguateje, Cable, Simón, Paredones, Los Tomates, Quintanal, Aston, Caguanes, Palmarito, La Patana, Solapas de Jauco and Caleta del Rosario, among others.