It is true that in the Caribbean there are many beautiful beaches but only few can be compared with Varadero, Guardalavaca, Los Flamencos, Pilar and others less known in Cuba.
With more than 300 natural and protected beaches, and with an average of 330 days of sunshine a year, Cuba can be the option to spend the holidays. Even more so if summer is chosen, where there is sun and beach almost all the time, with very hot temperatures.
The beaches are excellent options for those seeking sun, fine sand, abundant vegetation, pleasant music, marine environment, diving, water sports and nautical activities, bath with dolphins, D vitamin…
From Varadero to Levisa Cay, the beaches of Cuba offer all that. But which one to choose? Here we make a proposal of the best beaches in Cuba for a summer vacation.
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1. Varadero
The most famous and known in the world of Cuban beaches is a wonder of nature. With more than 20 km of white sands and transparent waters full of natural pools where you can admire patches of multicolored fish and pelicans. Located on the Hicacos Peninsula, just two hours from Havana, 45 minutes from Matanzas and three hours from Trinidad, Varadero is a tourist attraction in itself.
Here you can enjoy nautical activities such as catamaran, kayaking, diving, snorkeling and catamaran excursions to Blanco Cay. In night time, Varadero has different nightclubs and places where live music is offered. Most hotels and resorts are All Inclusive and include daytime entertainment and evening shows as well as spas, fitness and massage services.
2. Pilar Beach
Located in Cayo Guillermo, a small island paradise north of Ciego de Avila, Pilar Beach has a fauna and flora among the most spectacular in Cuba. A protected natural area, part of an ecosystem composed of marine vegetation such as mangroves, palm trees and coconut trees.
Its beach merges in the landscape full of tropical vegetation where there are numerous endemic species of Cuba such as sea grapes, seedlings and Coccothrinax litoralis palm. You can also admire the beautiful coral reef where sea stars, corals and colorful fish abound.
3. Los Flamencos Beach
Located in Cayo Coco, east of Punta del Cuerno, in the Jardines del Rey Archipelago, Los Flamencos is a spectacular beach surrounded by a rich vegetation of coconut trees and mangroves. In it, as in almost all the beaches of the region, you can find more than 200 species of animals and more than 360 species of plants, most endemic to Cuba. From Los Flamencos you can go by boat to dive, snorkel and visit sunken ships.
If you are looking for a quiet and relaxing stay, Los Flamencos is what you need.
4. Santa Maria Cay
This beach is located in the north of central Cuba, just 50 km from Caibarien and 115 km from Santa Clara. The turquoise blue waters of Cayo Santa Maria and the stillness of the natural surroundings make this fantastic place a favorite destination for travelers looking for sun, beach and daytime activities.
The area where Santa Maria Cay is located was a virgin area until the years 2000 in which the first resorts were built. But almost 20 years later, you can still see the diversity of birds in which you can find pink flamingos and also areas full of colorful fish, with more than 20 dive sites where you can admire corals and reefs.
5. Ancon Beach
Located in the Cuban Caribbean, Ancon Beach is known for its white sand, blue-green waters and the umber of dive and snorkel points it possesses.
On this beach, undoubtedly the most beautiful of the south coast of Cuba, there are plenty of coral and many species of fish typical of the Caribbean. The surrounding landscape is unique in Cuba because from the beach you can see the mountains of the Sierra del Escambray, the most famous mountain massif in the center of the island.
A visit to Playa Ancon could not be done without reaching Trinidad, the colonial city of Cuba and a World Heritage Site that is only 12 kilometers away.
6. Santa Lucia Beach
Santa Lucia Beach is located south of the Channel of the Bahamas on the northeastern coast of Cuba. This privileged location allows you to have one of the most beautiful and unspoiled coral reefs in the Caribbean.
Santa Lucia is also a paradise for divers, because it has no less than 20 kilometers of coastline. In it extends an exuberant strip of mangroves and coconut trees where they inhabit immense colonies of pink flamingos and other species very colorful.
7. Sirena Beach
Sirena Beach brings together all the ingredients for an excellent vacation. The beach, the most beautiful of Cayo Largo, invites you to lie down in the sun and never get up again … if not for some Mojitos in the bar of some of the hotels that exist.
Here you can also enjoy nautical activities like catamaran rides, snorkeling, scuba diving … and visit the nearby coral reefs.
8. Esmeralda Beach
Esmeralda Beach is one of the most famous and beautiful beaches of Holguin, the third tourist pole of Cuba after Havana and Varadero. It is the beach preferred by travelers and Cubans who wish to have more tranquility compared to the neighboring Guardalavaca.
The beach itself is an authentic beauty with very fine white sand and transparent waters of turquoise and emerald green. In Playa Esmeralda you can also enjoy boat trips to visit and snorkel in the coral reef.
9. Levisa Cay
Cayo Levisa is located in the north of Pinar del Rio, very close to Jutias Cay and about three hours from Havana, one hour from Viñales and two hours from Maria la Gorda. It is a beach that is not very well known in Cuba and only accessible by boat. In addition, in this western part of the island, tourism is concentrated in Viñales and Maria la Gorda.
The beach is about three kilometers and its sand is fine and white. In it you can find, even a few meters from the edge, beautiful live sea stars. On this beach you can also dive in low depth and admire the beauty of the coral reef very close.
10. Guanabo Beach
Although it is located about 45 minutes from the center of Havana, Guanabo is a beach city.
With more than 2 million inhabitants for whom “going to the beach at the weekend and on vacation” is one of the favorite activities, Guanabo is the most popular beach in Havana. Full of Caribbean colors and rhythms, with an intense “Cuban” activity, Guanabo is a unique experience.
11. Guardalavaca Beach
For many the most beautiful beach in Cuba, Guardalavaca is very close to Holguin, in the extreme north of Cuba. Bathed by the Atlantic Ocean, it preserves the characteristics of the destinations of eastern Cuba: white and fine sand, turquoise blue water, crystalline and transparent. Vegetation of coconut trees and very mild climate. Guardalavaca has all the attributes of a Caribbean beach that combined with the kindness and the jovial character of the inhabitants will make your stay a moment of pure joy.
