Camagüey: A Live Canvas That Leads To Adventure

Camagüey City

CAMAGÜEY

A LIVE CANVAS THAT LEADS TO ADVENTURE

By Myrurgia Hernandez | Photographs courtesy of Havanatur S.A.

Camagüey, Cuba is one of the many destinations serviced by Bahamasair. Visit Bahamasair.com to book your next flight.

Ready for a new destination? I present to you Camagüey, the third largest city of Cuba, and one of the seven cities founded by Spaniards in The Pearl of The Caribbean, located in eastern Cuba, 540 km from Havana. In just 50 minutes, Bahamasair will get you to this live canvas that will lead you to an unforgettable adventure! Let’s explore the city of Camagüey!

Have you ever witnessed a scene that seems like it was taken from a canvas? The beautiful city of Camagüey is like a pastel colonial oleo painting. Lovely galleries, hidden plazas, baroque churches, welcoming bars, and restaurants describe this well-preserved historical city.

Known as Camagüey by the natives, the city was named “Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe” when founded in 1514 by Spaniards. Throughout time, Camagüey’s architecture remained still, almost as if time didn’t pass by. In 2008, UNESCO listed Camagüey as the 9th World Heritage Site, and, in 2014, the Camagüeyanos celebrated their city’s quincentennial. After celebrating their 500th anniversary, it should be fair to say that history is really their expertise.

To explore this wonderful city, I decided to interview the specialists in Cuban tourism: Havanatur. Luis Armando Perez Cobas, Director of Havanatur Bahamas Ltd., known to us as ‘Armandito’, gave me a visual tour, so descriptive, that, immediately, I realized that choosing Camagüey as my next destination means that I must have a boating experience after viewing the patrimonial city. Tinajones

Iglesia Del Carmen

Plaza Del Carmen with Water Man

According to Armandito, “Camagüey has a rich ballet tradition, an incredible Haitian heritage choir, unforgettable beach sites and excellent folklore groups like Rumbatá.” Camagüey is also known as Cuba’s Ceramic Capital, something like a Big Clay Potter’s Villa.

The Tinajón is the symbol of Camagüey. It is the most deeply rooted local representation since colonial times, that is why Camagüey is known as the “city of the Tinajones”. This name is rooted in cultural tradition because Camagüey residents collected rainwater and drinking water in huge clay jars, which eventually became the symbol of the city.

Culture and art lovers would be thrilled to visit the birthplace of Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista (July 10, 1902 – July 17, 1989), Cuban poet, journalist, political activist, and writer, remembered as the National Poet of Cuba. During the interview, Armandito recommended places like Estudio-Galería Jover, the studio of Cuban artist Joel Jover, with exhibits in New York, Vienna, and Italy. He also shared that Museo Casa Natal de Ignacio Agramonte is the birthplace of independence hero Ignacio Agramonte (1841–1873), a rancher who led Camagüey’s revolt against Spain. I can’t wait to visit to see the hero’s gun, one of the few personal possessions displayed. You may also request a day tour to visit Plaza del Carmen, San Juan de Dios Plaza, Plaza San Juan de Dios, Marta Jimenez’s Studio, Ignacio Agramonte Park, Coco Beach, Rancho King Touristic Park, Workers (Los Trabajadores) Plaza.

For water sports lovers, Camagüey has it all. If you love diving, you will be thrilled to immerse yourself in the shallow waters of the city’s beaches. Love nautical activities? Camagüey offers fishing or catamaran boating across the coral reef of Santa Lucia Beach. Also known as Playa Santa María, this is one of the finest diving destinations in Cuba, with about 35 dive sites where 19th and 20th century shipwrecks can be found, as well as numerous marine species.

Not far from Camagüey, you may choose to hop to a very popular destination cay in the Province of Ciego De Ávila: Cayo Coco. You may access the cay by train via Ferrocarriles de Cuba (2.5 hrs.), by bus via Viazul (3 hrs.), by taxi (2.5-3 hrs.) or, most definitely, by boat: my favourite. The Glass Bottom Boat tours are an excellent choice for nature lovers.

Also known as the “Cuban keys”, the tiny islands of Jardines del Rey (“the King’s Gardens”) can be seen just off Cuba’s Atlantic coast. Los Jardines del Rey, immortalized by Ernest Hemingway’s novel, “Islands in the Stream”, are home to mangroves and wetlands, and to birds such as the white ibis, pink flamingos, and roseate spoonbills birds. In a nutshell, this sun-bleached sand, and clear turquoise waters spot, can be considered your new secret paradise retreat.

After an exhausting, yet delightful, weekend escapade to Camagüey, enjoying its unique culture and cuisine, visiting nearby attractions, and returning home with such wonderful memories are nothing but the perfect excuses to discover all the destinations that Bahamasair has to offer. Oh, yes! The next destination awaits! UA

Plaza Del Carmen