The panorama of Camagüey is uniformly flat, broken up only by palm trees, whilst the soil, some of the most fertile in the land, makes it suitable for the growing of sugar cane. The area is also cattle country-home to herds of cattle, primarily Cuban Charolais, which are bred for beef, and Zebu, bred for their milk.
This province is also home to one of the most important port towns in the country, Nuevitas, which handles the transportation of the many thousand of tons of sugar produced by the 13 provincial sugar mills. Camagüey also boasts the up and coming beach resort of Santa Lucia, some 100km north of the city.
Camagüey City:
It was one of the most important cities in the colonial period, nowadays it has a wealth of fine baroque churches and some picturesque nooks and crannies, such as the restored Plaza San Juan de Dios.
Sightseeing in the city will inevitably bring you to a closer appreciation of the life of the city's hero, Ignacio Agramonte, as there is both a park and a museum dedicated to his memory. The city itself is one of the prettiest in Cuba, full of architectural gems testifying to its colonial past.
Near the train station you can find The Museum of the Birthplace of Ignacio Agramonte. Visit the La Merced church opposite to see its peeling frescoes and the venerated objects stored in its crypt, finally the best of this city is Plaza San Juan de Dios which is an old cobblestoned square surrounded by brightly hued, single-storey buildings and a lovely yellow church alongside a restored former hospital.
Nuevitas:
Situated around 68km northeast of the city, much of the area is blighted by heavy industry and the thermoelectric generating stations, which form part of the industrial complex, are the biggest in Cuba.
There are some decent beaches close by where you can swim in the waters around here.
Playa Santa Lucia:
It is fast becoming a popular holiday destination for western package tourists and is an excellent place for scuba diving as there are more than 50 different species of coral in the waters. The sunsets over this area are spectacular. The only other drawbacks are the mosquitoes, as voracious as anywhere on the island.
It is recommend the coral reef off La Boca, which is a tiny fishing village 5 miles west of the main resort. La Boca is one of the most lovely spots in Cuba. It is impossibly picturesque with a glorious crescent of sand that knocks spots off the strip at Santa Lucia.
