Cuba's leisure industry, which benefits from hundreds of kilometers of excellent white-sand beaches, over four centuries of history and unique cultural traditions, has incorporated many options in which vacationers can enjoy nature and improve their health.

Natural riches and an ideal environment go hand in hand everywhere you go in the Cuban archipelago, contributing a one-of-a-kind element to the attractions the largest Antillean Island offers to thousands of travelers who spend their vacations in Cuba every year.

One of these sites has become a true complement to the tourist offer of the city of Trinidad, one of the first villages founded by the Spanish conquistadors, in central Cuba.

That place is Topes de Collantes, a tourist resort built 800 meters (2,625 feet) above sea level and covering 110 square kilometers (43 square miles) inhabited by many endemic plant and animal species.

Topes de Collantes, which is 12 kilometers (5 miles) from the Villa de la Santísima Trinidad, enjoys an average temperature of 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit) and is a breathtaking paradise for nature lovers.

The region's attractions are complemented by an excellent hotel infrastructure that has been designed to allow visitors to walk along several paths, where they can enjoy the tropical rainforest in its natural state.

The facilities allow travelers to enjoy both the landscape and many plant and animal species living in perfect harmony, in addition to help them improve the quality of their lives.

One of Topes de Collantes's main economic activities is health tourism at the 200-room Kurhotel Escambray, which provides such services as a warm-water swimming pool, steam baths, a sauna and a gymnasium.

The hotel provides a series of basic medical programs, including cardiovascular, orthopedic, neurological, endocrinological, anti-stress, geriatric and esthetic treatments, as well as special services for business executives.

The region's lodging capacity is complemented by others establishments, including the hotel Los Helechos and Villa Caburní.

Vacationers who choose to visit Topes de Collantes can enjoy excursions to Codina Park, Guanayara and Los Almendros, which are away-from-it-all places with several caves and underground rivers, as well as paths flanked by curative and ornamental plants.

These mountain roads will certainly surprise visitors with waterfalls that are as high as 60 meters (197 feet) and are considered among Cuba's highest cascades, and puddles of crystal-clear water from nearby springs.