Cuba’s TURNAT 2004 Roots for the Promotion of Nature Tourism

The prodigious Caribbean nature has turned out to be a valuable source of adventures and new discoveries, a reason why ecotourism and its different modalities have claimed a top spot of their own in the daily going of the region’s travel industry.

A paradise for endemism, natural beauties and biodiversity as far as flora and wildlife are concerned are some of the choices the Caribbean has to offer, other than the more traditional sun-and-sand circuits. Birds, famous geographical features, one-and-only rocky formations, beaches of powder-thin sands and crystal-clear waters, peerlessly beautiful sea bottoms good enough to make a scuba diver’s day and bright sunshine all year round are things the region has always offered in an array of unforgettable experiences.

These territories that drifted away from the mainland millions of years ago, eventually made up a group of islands, islets, keys and archipelagos called the Caribbean, the West Indies, the Greater Antilles or the Lesser Antilles. The local scenery has many similarities and differences with the continental land these islands broke free from, even though they don’t always pop up to a naked eye.

After decades of toilsome dedication to the making of raw materials, the Caribbean has found in tourism the economic thruster it needed so badly to make things happen.

Today, this is one of the top travel destinations on the face of the earth. Caribbean authorities have begun to cotton on to the need of increasing their tourist offerings with a number of exclusive themes. Either mountain climbers, birdwatchers, agriculture enthusiasts or solitary trekkers can find in this neck of the woods what they’re truly looking for.

Most experts forebode dramatic upturns in the number of ecotourists visiting Cuba in coming years, given the island nation’s endemism, lavish flora, abundant wildlife species and official commitment to environmental protection.

There are three well-defined divisions within the Cuban archipelago –the Western, Central and Eastern regions. In Pinar del Rio –the country’s westernmost province- visitors have the national parks of Viñales Valley (Cultural Heritage of Mankind) and Guanahacabibes (Biosphere Reserve), as well as Sierra del Rosario, Soroa and Las Terrazas. Moving eastbound to Matanzas, we find a couple of valuable spots: the Zapata Marshlands (Cultural Heritage of Mankind) and Ramsar in Varahicacos, an ecological reserve located in the world-class tourist circuit of Varadero.

In central Cuba, lovers of nature tourism may visit the protected natural landscapes of Topes de Collantes and Hanabanilla, as well as the mountains of Guamuhaya, a special sustainable development area running through the provinces of Cienfuegos, Villa Clara and Sancti Spiritus.

The eastern side of the country is dominated by the Desembarco del Granma National Park (Natural Heritage of Mankind in the province of Granma), and the Sierra Maestra Nature Park, a special sustainable development area located in the province of Santiago de Cuba.

In the same breath, the Santiago de Cuba province boasts the Turquino National Park and the protected natural landscape of Gran Piedra. For its part, the province of Guantanamo harbors the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park (Natural Heritage of Mankind) and the Quibijan, Duaba and Yunque de Baracoa ecological reserves.

The central province of Sancti Spiritus will host the Fourth International Meeting on Nature Tourism (TURNAT 2004), an event that promises to meet all attendants’ expectations because of the region’s outstanding flora and wildlife endemism, great biodiversity and striking beauty of the Topes de Collantes Grand National Park.

Perched on the Guamuhaya Mountain Range, this is the largest park of its kind in the Cuban archipelago. Topes de Collantes averages 800 meters above sea level and abuts the cities of Trinidad and Sancti Spiritus, a couple of major human enclaves in the region and two of the first seven villages founded by Spanish conquistador Diego Velazquez in the early 16th century.

The area harboring Topes de Collantes is a huge reserve of endemic species of the Cuban flora and wildlife, and the third most sought-after travel destination in the province after the cities of Trinidad and Sancti Spiritus.

Attendants to the International Meeting will have the opportunity of swinging by the Codina, Guanayara Los Almendros, El Cubano, Caburni, Vegas Grandes, El Nicho and Javira parks, and enjoying the lavish vegetation that each and every of these sites have to offer. At the same time, they could opt for a train ride around the old Valley of Mills, an area declared Heritage of Mankind by UNESCO in 1988 where some fifty sugar factories set up shop in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

Also available to TURNAT delegates, there’ll be tours around the Zaza Dam (Cuba’s largest water reservoir), the Banao Heights and along the province’s northern shoreline, featuring Caguama Key and the Los Lagos de Mayajigua Hotel. Last but not least, organizers are planning visits to northern Sancti Spiritus, especially to one of the best-preserved natural destinations of the Cuban archipelago: the Cayo Caguanes National Park, declared a Biosphere Reserved by UNESCO.

This location in particular includes 11,500 meters of cavern galleries (over 35 caves and caverns in all) and shows off plenty of ancient paintings on their rugged walls. Culture will also be there for this international meeting with the National Trios Festival, an event held every year in this wonderful province of central Cuba.

The agenda of TURNAT 2004 is guarantee to pack an emotionally positive wallop among visitors, featuring unforgettable moments that only a region blessed with excellent weather conditions, high level of endemism, and rich and varied flora and wildlife can really provide. Moreover, the hospitable people of Sancti Spiritus will give attendants a warm welcome as a complement to the gorgeous and genuine natural beauties that have marked this neck of the woods for centuries.