The best description of the southern Cuban province of Holguin was actually coined by Christopher Columbus in 1492, upon entering the Bariay keys: “This is the most beautiful place that human eyes have ever seen.”

The more than 41 natural beaches, found near the Sierra Cristal, among them Guardalavaca, Estero Ciego and Don Lino, are well known among the local inhabitants and tourists, interested in eco-tourism. The best samples of the flora of Antilean islands can be found in this zone, including palm trees, coconut palms, tropical fruit, ferns and trees of precious woods.

The province economy is based in agriculture, tourism, sugar, agricultural machinery and mining, especially in nickel: the mines here are some of the most important of their kind in the world, and their fruits have given the province the name “Land of Nickel”.

Holguin is different from other colonial cities, because of its revolutionary (for the time) plan. Founded in 1720, it was the first city to have a well-planned outline of streets that connected its colonies and plazas in an orderly way. Because of this neat layout, Holguin is known as the City of Parks.

Recommended to see are the Colonial Art Museum in Gibara village, the Bani Indocubano Museum in Banes city, the Natural Tourism Park Cayo Saetia and the Bay of Naranjo.

For first-time visitors, an agreeable trip is to the highest waterfall in Cuba, Salto del Guayabo. For those who love the sea and scuba diving to underwater caverns, go see the sunken cavern Tanque Azul de Caletones, which is found along the most important migration route for the region's birds.