With a strong participation of the agricultural and fishing sectors in its economic system, the province of Havana –founded as result of the new political and administrative division of the country in 1975– has, in its white sand beaches and the quiet environment of its fields, two highly significant elements for the development of tourism.
Jibacoa, a tourism resort located to the northeast of Havana, has always attracted locals and foreigners because of the excellent quality of its beaches of warm and quiet waters, surrounded by mountains up to 100 meters high all along the coast that give to this place and incomparable feeling of privacy.
Steep sectors, a rich and a very well preserved sea bottom and the existence of enjoyable views are some of the other of the attributes which, with the exuberant vegetation surrounding its environment, enhance the tourism values of the area, virtually located half way between the Cuban capital and Varadero.
Very close to this place, Puerto Escondido and el Peñón del Fraile provide visitors with the opportunity of enjoying a wonderful marine landscape and, at the same time, experience the presence of several oil wells for the extraction of oil and gas, an increasingly important activity for the economy of Havana.
On the way to the city of Havana, in the town of Santa Cruz del Norte, you will see the largest plant in Latin América for the production of Rum, whose warehouses assist the birth of the famous Havana Club Rum. There are on the waterside of this small town several camping sites allowing further opportunities to enjoy, in inexpensive facilities, the beaches of Havana. Traveling further east and leaving behind the capital of Cuba, you will enter another highly important beach resort for the province of Havana: El Salado, located little more than 30 kilometers away from the José Martí International Airport and with a very private beach protected by a Coral Reef, which enables the existence of excellent conditions for the practice Scuba Diving.
It is very easy to go form there to Artemisa, where an area of managed resources under the name Rancho Azucarero and the ruins of the famous Coffee Plantation La Angerona deserve the attention of visitors.
Inland, Havana has many other attractions, among which are: the only Museum of Humor of the Island, traditional venue of all the International Biennials of Humor; Escaleras de Jaruco, with a particular landscape resulting from the typography of the area. The existence of several cliffs and caves turned it into a good scenario for the practice adventure tourism and speleotourism.
On the south coast, the anchorage of Batabanó (Port that controls maritime communication with the Isle of Youth) offers the opportunity of getting acquainted with one of the most important sea sponges reserves of the Cuban archipelago, and an important center for the capture of chelonian and crustaceous species.
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