Reserva Ecológica Varahicacos

Varadero


The Varahicacos is about all that's left of the 'wild' Hicacos Peninsula: hotel developers have been chomping away at its edges for years. There are three underwhelming trails here which, despite their tameness, attract an entry fee. The highlight is the Cueva de Musulmanes with its 2500-year-old human remains, followed by the giant cactus called El Patriarca (separate CUC$2 entrance fee) accessed from a different road near the eponymous hotel.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Varadero attractions

1. Cueva de Ambrosio

0.56 MILES

For something completely different in Varadero's tourist circus, decamp to this large cave 500m beyond the Club Amigo Varadero on the Autopista Sur. It's…

2. Marina Gaviota

1.65 MILES

At the peninsula's eastern tip, state-run Gaviota's impressive marina, built in the early 2010s, encompasses a wide malecón (main street), luxury…

3. Mansión Xanadú

4.2 MILES

Everything east of Varadero's small stone water tower (it looks like an old Spanish fort, but was built in the 1930s) once belonged to the Du Pont family…

4. Cayo Piedras del Norte

6.39 MILES

Located 5km north of Playa las Calaveras (one hour by boat), Cayo Piedras del Norte has been made into a 'marine park' through the deliberate sinking of…

5. Parque Josone

6.87 MILES

If you're set on sightseeing in Varadero, ensconce yourself in this pretty green oasis. These landscaped gardens date back to 1940 and take their name…

6. Iglesia de Santa Elvira

7.37 MILES

Just east of Parque Central is this tiny colonial-style building resembling a displaced alpine chapel.

7. Arechabala Rum Factory

10.44 MILES

To the northwest of the center of Cárdenas, in the industrial zone, is this famous rum factory founded in 1878 by Spanish immigrant José Arechabala…

8. Flagpole Monument

10.53 MILES

No, not just any old flagpole. Follow Av Céspedes past Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción to its northern end and you will see this flagpole is attached…