Las Tunas Province 31 / POP 538,000
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©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd %Las Tunas Province 31 / POP 538,000 Includes ¨ Why Go? Las Tunas . 335 Most travelers say hello and goodbye to Las Tunas province Monte Cabaniguan . .. 341 in the time that it takes to drive across it on the Carretera Puerto Padre . 341 Central (one hour on a good day). But, hang on a sec! This so-laid-back-it’s-nearly-falling-over collection of leather- Punta Covarrubias . .. 342 skinned cowboys and poetry-spouting country singers is Playas La Herradura, known for its daredevil rodeos and Saturday night street La Llanita & parties where barnstorming entertainment is served up at Las Bocas . 343 the drop of a sombrero. Although historically associated with the Oriente, Las Tu- nas province shares many attributes with Camagüey in the west. The flat grassy fields of the interior are punctuated Best Bucolic with sugar mills and cattle ranches, while the eco beaches Escapes on the north coast remain wild and lightly touristed, at least by Varadero standards. ¨ Monte Cabaniguan (p341) In this low-key land of the understated and underrated, ¨ El Cornito (p337) accidental visitors can enjoy the small-town charms of the ¨ Playa La Herradura (p343) provincial capital, or head north to the old mill town Puerto Padre where serenity rules. Best Places When to Go to Stay ¨ The wettest months are June and October, with over ¨ Hotel Cadillac (p337) 160mm of average precipitation. July and August are the ¨ Mayra Busto Méndez hottest months. (p337) ¨ Las Tunas has many festivals for a small city; the best is the ¨ Roberto Lío Montes de Oca Jornada Cucalambeana in June. (p342) ¨ Festival Internacional de Magia (Magic Festival), held in the ¨ Brisas Covarrubias (p343) provincial capital in November, is another highlight. ¨ The National Sculpture Exhibition, an event befitting the so-called ‘City of Sculptures,’ happens in February. 4 335 Playa Santa Lucía e# 040km CAMAGÜEY 020miles PROVINCE 4Bahía de 4 Nuevitas ATLANTIC Punta Ignacio Agramonte 5 OCEAN #] #– 5 Covarrubia5 s El Socucho International Airport Bahía de Camagüey #7 Playa la 4Manatí 444Bahía de4Llanita Playa la LAS TUNAS PROVINCE Sibanicú Malagueta55#\5Ù# #3 He5rradura \# #\ #\ Marañón Uno 5 Ù# Cascorro ]# Playa las Bocas La Guinea\# Puerto#4 #\ #\ Bahía de Lora Gibara #\Contramaestre Padr444e Jesú4s 44444 \# Guáimaro Menéndez \# Gibara \# Velasco #–Hermanos Ameijeiras Airport #\ 5 Colombia El Cornito#5 ^# #1 #2 Las Tunas \#Aguas Claras 55#\ La Jagua #\Jobabo \# Buenaventura #6 Calixto \# #]Holguín 5 Carretera Amancio #\ Monte #–Frank País #÷ Central 55 Cabaniguan555 #\Ojo de Agua Airport 5 555 #\ \# Cacocum HOLGUÍN Guayabal 55Vado del5 Yeso \# GRANMA TUNAS LAS PROVINCE #\Naranjal PROVINCE 55La5guna Urbano Las Playas Miradero #\ 4 4Golfo 55de4 5 \# \# Bayamo \#Cauto Cristo Noris CARIBBEAN Guacanayab55o 5 Río D(22km) \#Babiney \# SEA Cauto Dos Ríos 44444444554 5 Las Tunas Province Highlights 1 Hunt for the imaginative 3 Enjoy the unkempt country crooning at the sculptures embellishing beaches of Playa la Jornada Cucalambeana the sleepy cityscape of Las Herradura (343), before (p337) music festival . Tunas (below) . resort developers shatter 6 Enjoy some slick private 2 Check out the dudes the tranquility . enterprise in Las Tunas’ new with lassos in Parque 26 4 Linger awhile in friendly, Italian restaurants (p337) . de Julio (p340), Las Tunas’ out-on-a-limb seaside town 7 Go diving in the largely celebrated twice-annual Puerto Padre (p341) . undiscovered reefs offPunta rodeo . 5 Roll into El Cornito in Covarrubias (p342) . June to experience some History bother with La Victória de Las Tunas (as it’s The settlement of Las Tunas was founded in officially known), a sleepy agricultural town 1759 but wasn’t given the title of ‘city’ until that seems like it hasn’t woken up to the fact 1853. In 1876 Cuban General Vicente García it’s been a provincial capital almost 40 years. briefly captured the city during the War of Its sleazy reputation for being the Oriente’s Independence, but repeated Spanish suc- capital of sex tourism hardly helps. But, cesses in the area soon led the colonizers to thanks to a handy location on Cuba’s arteri- rename it La Victória de Las Tunas. During al Carretera Central, handfuls of road-weary the Spanish-Cuban-American War the Span- travelers drop by. ish burned Las Tunas to the ground, but the Referred to as the ‘city of sculptures,’ Las Mambís fought back, and in 1897 General Tunas is certainly no Florence. But what it Calixto García forced the local Spanish garri- lacks in grandiosity it makes up for in small- son to surrender in a pivotal Cuban victory. town quirks. You can see a thigh-slapping Las Tunas became a provincial capital in rodeo here, admire a statue of a two-headed 1976 during Cuba’s post-revolutionary geo- Taíno chief, go wild at one of the city’s graphic reorganization. riotous Saturday-night street parties or wax lyrical at the weird and witty Jornada Cucalambeana, Cuba’s leading country- music festival. Go on, give it a whirl! Las Tunas POP 154,000 If it was down to sights and historical attrac- tions alone, it’s doubtful many people would .