Near a hundred kilometers of beaches of an exceptional quality located at Santa Lucía Beach and a group of surrounding keys, is the main and most renowned tourism attraction of the province of Camagüey. This province covers 15 900 km2 of the central-east region of the Cuban archipelago, and the two main pillars that sustain its economic development have traditionally been the sugar and cattle industries.
The birth of Camagüey as a capital in Punta de Guincho, facing the Bay of Nuevitas, dates back to February 2 of the year 1514. Camagüey was one of the first seven villas founded by the Spanish colonizers in the Island and baptized as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe. Nevertheless, it was only on January 6, 1528 that the capital was definite and paradoxically moved to its current location, between the Tínima and Hatibonico rivers and well away from the coasts,to avoid the frequent attacks of pirates and corsairs "according to some historians" or escaping away from plagues, the infertility of the soils and the lack of water; according to the opinion of other specialists.
Most of the foreign visitors who come these days to this tourist destination, through the services of the Ignacio Agramonte International Airport.
When driving from other regions of the country, visitors are attracted by the natural charms of Santa Lucía, particularly by its 20 kilometers of sandy beaches, and the warm and transparent waters protected by the second largest Coral Reef of the Planet, which stretches to the west along near 400 kilometers parallel to Sabinal, Guajaba, Romano and Cruz Keys and extending up to Varadero.
It is precisely in front of Santa Lucía that the Coral Reef is closer
to the Cuban coast. As close as 200 meters from the shore, it is possible to
dive into the fascinating world of 50 species of Coral, 200 species of sponges,
and near 500 species of tropical fish.
Related Site: Santa Lucia Beach
