Villa Clara is one of the 14 provinces of Cuba. It's located in the central region of the island bordering north with the Atlantic, west with Matanzas Province, east with Sancti Spiritus, and south with Cienfuegos City. Villa Clara shares the Escambray Mountain Range with Cienfuegos and Sancti Spiritus to its south.
It is a territory of extensive plains, mountains, rivers and artificial lakes that boasts a wealth of history, culture and natural values.
The northern coast of Villa Clara is dotted with numerous cays (part of the Sabana-Camaguey Archipelago), and there are many coral reefs, sandy beaches, and newly constructed resorts in the Ensenachos, Santa Maria and Las Brujas
cays. The cays of Villa Clara are treated in this site as separate destinations.
Among the province’s attractions the following outstand:
Santa Clara: It is a quiet city, built following the Spanish standards (a perfect squared layout with a central plaza), surrounded by extensive plains, mountains, rivers and artificial lakes, which boasts a wealth of history and culture.
Santa Clara is home to a mausoleum which houses the remains of Che Guevara and sixteen of his fellow combatants killed in 1967 during the Bolivia campaign. There is also a monument to the derailing of the armored train during the Battle of Santa Clara.
The position of the city, almost in the very center of the country, makes it a perfect halt and a great communication link, east-west and north-south.
Sister cities:
Santiago de Cali, Colombia (1994).
Oviedo, Spain (1995).
Bloomington, Indiana, USA (1999).
Cheboksary, Russia (2004).
Remedios: One of the most beautiful colonial towns in Cuba, full of Spanish charm, 45 km north-east of Santa Clara. There is less than an hour from there to beach resorts in the Ensenachos, Santa Maria and Las Brujas cays.
Sister city: Ann Arbor,USA.
Caibarién: Known as La Villa Blanca, it is a picturesque fishers’ town situated on the north coast of Villa Clara, about 7 km from Remedios, bordering the Bay of Buena Vista. It lies at the eastern extremity of the province, close to the border with Sancti SpÃritus.
Hanabanilla Lake: This huge manmade lake (32 sq. km) fills what was once a deep valley on the northern slopes of the Escambray. With its 35 meters average depth the lake offers scenic landscapes framed by pine-studded mountains, perfect for boat trips and fishing in its waters stocked with trout and bass.