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Fishermen will love Cuba since it is surrounded
on all sides by ocean. Cuba's waters have
some of the best sport fishing in the world.
Although there is a large variety of edible
fish near the coast, only a few species
are fished for sport. Snook, tarpon, grouper,
sailfish and marlin are the most popular
game fish. The Hemingway Marina,
west of Havana, has world class facilities
for sport fishing. There are several companies
offering sport fishing. The Hemingway
International Marlin Fishing Tournament
is held there yearly in May or June. There
are other deep sea fishing events and tournaments
throughout the year.
Cuba is dotted with numerous man-made lakes
for freshwater fishing. The country's lakes
teem with largemouth bass-the most popular
freshwater fish. Lake Hanabanilla
in the Escambray Mountain Range is
one of the most famous 'fishing holes'.
The best inland fishing is found at Lake
Zaza. La Redonda Lake, Laguna
Grande in Pinar del Río province and
Tesoro Lake in Matanzas province
are also good fishing areas.
Liberal hunting laws make Cuba ideal for
hunters. Pheasant, doves and quail are some
of the game birds found in Cuba. Deer, wild
pigs, and other mammals may also be hunted.
There are about fifteen key hunting reserves
located around the island. A number can
be reached quite easily from Havana. Most
hunting resorts offer lodging, guides, and
all types of hunting equipment. INTUR
issues seasonal hunting permits.
Because of its hundreds of miles of limestone
cave formations, Cuba is one of the best
places in the world for cave exploration.
Almost every province has caves. The Caves
of Bellamar or Las Cuevas de Bellamar,
south of the city of Matanzas, are considered
the best in Cuba. These caves are about
a mile and a half long with vaulted ceilings
and beautifully colored stalagmite and stalactite
formations, and under ground streams. North
of the small town of Viñales is the
Indian Caves or Cuevas de los Indios.
This cave system may be explored on foot
or by boat. At the end of the trail visitors
can climb in a row boat and follow the underground
stream to the cave's end.
Camping and hiking are other activities
in which you may participate. There are
campgrounds located outside of most towns,
by rivers, at beach areas and mountain resorts.
Hikers can find trails to explore and breathe
taking scenery in Cuba's mountain ranges.
The Sierra Maestra Mountains and
Soroa are excellent places to explore
on foot. Nature lovers, bird watchers and
botanists will find a lot to see all over
this tropical outdoor paradise. Horseback
riding is offered at most resort areas.
Golf lovers will find two courses - the
18 hole Havana Golf Club located
10 minutes from downtown and the 18 hole
Varadero Golf Club at Varadero. The
first has a pro shop; rents high quality
clubs, has caddies, charges a $30 green
fee and offers memberships at a reasonable
price. The latter, located on the former
Dupont summer retreat, has a clubhouse,
offers caddys, golf carts and costs around
$60.00 to play all 18 holes. There is little
doubt that, in the future, new courses will
be constructed as foreign investment helps
to improve the country's infrastructure.
A few more golf courses are going to be
built in the country in the next couple
of years. Canadian and Scottish Companies
are involved in a Cuban joint venture to
build 18 hole golf courses throughout Cuba
to satisfy tourist demands. To keep up with
what is going on in the Cuban golf scene
see: www.golfcuba.com.
Also check out www.purecubaplay.com/
to find out about other outdoor activities
like horse riding and dude ranches. At www.cubafun.com
you may find activities related to: golf,
fishing safaris, hunting, natural spas,
nature reserves, water-skiing, underground
caves and much more.
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