Trinidad is a beautiful town mostly on a hilltop in Cuban province of Sancti Spíritus, approximately 5 hours by car from Havana to the south and east. Trinidad, founded in 1514 by the Spanish explorer Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, has been a UNESCO World Heritage site ever since 1988. Trinidad and is one of the best-preserved cities in the Caribbean. Tourism from Western countries is a major source of income in the city. Trinidad's principal current industry other than tourism is tobacco processing.

 

Since its founding Trinidad was able to grow economically though the labor of slaves imported from Africa to work the area’s production of sugar cane, cattle, and tobacco. This growth funded extravagant palaces, large plazas and colorful colonial homes for rich plantation owners. Much of the remarkable Spanish colonial architecture remains, making it a must-see stop on anyone’s prolonged travels around the Cuban isle.

 

Visitors to Trinidad can stroll the cobblestoned streets of Plaza Mayor in the center of town, listen to live music, including nightly widespread musical entertainment and salsa dancing outdoors at Casa de la Musica, drink fresh sugar cane juice, ride in a horse-drawn carriage, meet the warm and friendly locals and visit Trinidad’s cultural monuments and museums.

 

Nearby nature abounds.  One of Cuba’s best beaches is less than 45 minutes from Trinidad at Playa Ancon, boasting of some of the island’s best snorkeling and diving.  The paradise of the Escambray Mountains offers dramatic scenery and moderate to strenuous hikes ending at lovely waterfalls, off the beaten track to most tourists, and for a “history lesson” on the sugar industry, Cuba’s “lost economy,” travelers can allow a half-day trip to the Valley of the Sugar Mills, including a climb up “El Torre” (the Tower) for a 360-degree panorama of lush inland valleys, town and the sea.