A Guide to Attractions in Holguin, Cuba

Guests visiting Holguin, Cuba, is home to miles of pristine, sandy beaches as well as monuments to the history of the town. There's even a monument to Christopher Columbus because the locals believe that the explorer stopped there during his famous 1492 voyage.

Parque Calixto Garcia

The Parque Calixto Garcia is a traditional Cuban park, but it's also one of the more popular tourist destinations in the area. This is one of the largest parks in the area and a place where locals invite tourists into pickup games or just stop for a talk. The park also has benches set up where people can sit under a shade tree and people watch.

Bahia de Bariay

Bahia de Bariay is a small bay located in Holguin. This is the site where locals believe Columbus landed, and in 1992 they built a monument to him and his voyage as a way of expressing their pride in the event. There's also a monument to the Taino Indians, who once lived in the area. Additionally, the bay has its own beach and several restaurants.

Museo Aborigen Chorro de Maita

The Museo Aborigen Chorro de Maita is a museum in the Holguin area devoted to the Taino Indians. In 1986 an excavation done in the area discovered more than 100 skeletons, including one of a Spanish explorer. Today the museum displays these skeletons in the museum as well as artifacts relating to the lives of those Indians, such as pots and tools.

San Isidro Cathedral

The San Isidro Cathedral, or Catedral de San Isidro, is a large church in Holguin that was originally built in 1720. Additions and changes to the church have all but erased the original building, but it's still a site worth seeing. In the middle of the square surrounding the cathedral is a bell tower, complete with one of the largest bells in Cuba. Visit it on Calle Manduley, Parque Peralta.

Museo de Historia Natural Carlos de la Torre y Huerta

Inside the natural history museum, the Museo de Historia Natural Carlos de la Torre y Huerta at Calle Maceo 129, visitors will find more than 7,000 different stuffed and mounted animals, including turtles, birds and different types of reptiles. The museum also has displays devoted to fossils and shells found in the area.