Matanzas Province % 45 / Pop 692,536
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©Lonely¨Planet¨Publications¨Pty¨Ltd Matanzas Province % 45 / pop 692,536 Why Go? Northern With a name translating as ‘massacres,’ Matanzas province Matanzas ...................206 conceals an appropriately tumultuous past beneath its Matanzas ...................206 modern-day reputation for glam all-inclusive holidays. In Varadero ......................215 the 17th century pillaging pirates ravaged the region’s prized north coast, while three centuries later, more invaders grap- Cárdenas ....................230 pled ashore in the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) under the San Miguel de los dreamy notion that they were about to liberate the nation. Baños & Around .........233 The Bahía de Cochinos attracts more divers than mer- Península de cenaries these days, while sunbathers rather than pirates Zapata ........................234 invade the northern beaches of Varadero, the vast Carib- Central Australia ........234 bean resort and lucrative economic ‘cash cow’ that stretches Boca de Guamá .........235 20km along the sandy Península de Hicacos. Gran Parque Natural Providing a weird juxtaposition is the scruffy city of Ma- Montemar ..................236 tanzas, the mildewed but music-rich provincial capital that Playa Larga ................ 237 has gifted the world with rumba, danzón and countless grand neoclassical buildings. Santería is rife both here and Playa Girón .................238 in other nearby cities where tourists are scant but soulful, only-in-Cuba experiences are surprisingly abundant. Best Outdoor Adventures When to Go ¨¨Wildlife-watching on Río ¨¨December through April the all-inclusive hotels in the Hatiguanico (p237) province’s tourist set-piece, Varadero, hike prices for the temporada alta (high season). ¨¨Diving in the Bahía de Cochinos (p239) ¨¨High season is the best time for beach-basking: the ¨¨Boat trip on Río Canímar hurricane season is over and the weather is hot without being (p210) unbearable. ¨¨Hit Matanzas city around october 10 for the annual rumba festival. Best Casas Particulares ¨¨Hostal Azul (p212) ¨¨Hostal Luis (p240) ¨¨Hostal Ida (p231) ¨¨El Caribeño (p238) 206 NortherN MataNzas the UK’s Norfolk Broads – occasionally rup- turing into lush, dramatic valleys like the Home to Cuba’s largest resort area (Varade- Valle de Yumurí. ro) and one of its biggest ports (Matanzas), the northern coastline is also the province’s main population center and a hub for indus- try and commerce. Despite this, the over- Matanzas pop 152,408 riding feel is distinctly green, and most of Once radiant and beautiful, Matanzas has the region is undulating farmland – think a aged terribly since the Revolution; now its cross between North American prairie and Straits of Florida 0 40 km Península 0 20 miles de Hicacos Varadero Cayos Blanco Bahía de Playa Bahía de Santa Cruz Matanzas Coral Cárdenas del Norte Valle de Santa Cayo de las Yumurí Marta Cinco Leguas Carbonera Matanzas Cárdenas Juan Gualberto Gómez International José Smith Airport Limonar Comas Coliseo Máximo Gómez San Miguel Güines de los Baños Jovellanos Unión Carretera Perico Nueva Paz de Reyes Central Mayabeque Pedro Province Betancourt Colón Matanzas Province El Estante Autopis ta Nacional Ensenada de la Broa Jagüey Grande Corral Australia de Santo Museo de la Tomás Comandancia (Central Australia) Boca de Península de Zapata Guamá Gran Parque Norther M Cienfuegos Natural Montemar Playa Larga A Province t Ciénaga de Zapata anzas Cayo del N Cayería El Rincón M Macio Bahía Caleta de D A iego de Buena t Pérez Cochinos anzas Playa (Bay of Pigs) Girón Matanzas Province Highlights 1 Unlock the buried Coral (p211) for a spot of 6 explore the vast, varied secrets of dusty Matanzas, snorkeling. vegetation zones of the the ‘Athens of Cuba’ (p206). 4 Go tandem skydiving Ciénaga de Zapata (p236). 2 Check out a over diamond-dusted 7 Discover the plunging performance at Matanzas’ Varadero (p215). drop-offs and colorful coral resplendent Teatro Sauto 5 Admire forgotten walls while diving offPlaya (p213). grandeur in San Miguel de Larga (p237). 3 Immerse yourself in the los Baños (p233). crystalline waters of Playa .