Guardalavaca
You are here for our cycling tours in Cuba, but lets dig deeper
Guardalavaca is a small local village with an amazing beach that boasts clear turquoise waters and powder soft white sand. Be sure to take your swimming attire with you as you will get extremely hot and unable to resist a refreshing dip in the beautiful ocean. Guardalavaca hosts the daily craft market with its few bars and cafebars. The market is quite small and vendors change daily so if you see something you like buy it there and then as you may never see it again! At the Indian Village you can see a reinactment of how the Tainos came to settle in Cuba, its a little cheesy but fun and nice for a couple of hours. The scenic routes offer some wonderful photo opportunities of local countryside, plantations, homes and an insight into the Cuban way of life and for this reason alone is a must do!
Places to keep in mind
You are here to ride your bicycle, and though there is plenty of that, here are some interesting spots. Many you will visit with us but maybe some are worth you taking your time while you are here.
- Las Guanas Eco-Archaeologic Trail
- Eagle Ray Scuba Diving Center
- Cuba Horseback Rides
- Guardalavaca Flea Market
- Plaza Mayor
- Playa Ancon
- Ruinas de Ingenio San Isidro de los Destiladeros
- San Francisco de Asis Convent
Brief History
Guardalavaca was originally a farming community, horse rearing is still a local speciality although the shoreline area which is about about 1 ml from end to end, abd is now given over totally to tourism. The first hotel was inaugurated in the late 70s by Fidel Castro who swam in the pool. The village inland comprises several rundown apartment blocks and is home to about 200 inhabitants. The whole place depends completely on its superb, carefully maintained beaches. Tropical rains in May and June; sweltering weather in August.
The area is strictly for the get-away-from-it-all brigade seeking sun, sea and sand. There are water sports and scuba-diving enthusiasts catered for. There are lots of Canadians and a smattering of Europeans. The accommodation here is mainly all-inclusive options, with some sited at Playa Esmeralda. However, most all-inclusives actually exclude motorised water sports and some limit drinks to locally produced rum and beer. So if you want to drink French champagne and water-ski every day for free, check the tour-operator’s brochure very carefully. Guardalavaca is situated towards the east end of Cuba’s north coast. It is on a stretch of rocky north west-facing shoreline with several fine beaches backed by rolling tree-covered hills.