Situated in Cuba’s Artemisa Region southwest of Havana, Soroa is a mountain resort town known for its incredible natural beauty featuring lush landscapes, majestic mountains, and meandering rivers. Dubbed the ‘Rainbow of Cuba’, it is listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and is home to the El Salto del Arco Iris, a magnificent waterfall and the Soroa Orchidarium, a world famous orchid garden boasting the largest collection of orchids in the world.
Playa Larga is a low-key beach village on the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs), about 13 km south of Boca de Guamá, where the forested edge of Ciénaga de Zapata meets a broad, uncrowded arc of sand. Simple, family-run casas particulares and small paladares line the shoreline, giving the town an easygoing, local feel that suits its setting on Cuba’s great wetland.
The surrounding landscape is rich in wildlife and water: mangroves and marshes shelter endemics such as the bee hummingbird and Zapata wren, while nearby limestone sinkholes and clear, near-shore reefs are renowned for their visibility and marine life. Traces of 1961 Bay of Pigs history linger along the coast, but the rhythm here is unhurried—sea, marsh, and village life in close conversation.
Havana is Cuba’s capital and its living archive - colonial plazas, Art Deco theaters, mid-century landmarks, and post-Revolution institutions overlooking the Caribbean. In Old Havana (Habana Vieja), a UNESCO World Heritage site, restored squares connect to blocks still in progress; former convents host government offices, and once-grand mansions now house families, studios, and small businesses. Classic convertibles share the streets with modern taxis, while the Malecón doubles as the city’s front porch.
What makes Havana compelling is its vitality. Community-led restoration, independent paladares, and artist cooperatives breath new life into historic neighborhoods without erasing their character. The result is an authentic, working city where the past and present meet at street level—in live music, in markets and galleries, and in conversations with Habaneros who shape their city every day. This layered, resilient Havana is the one we explore: engaging with people and place to understand the history, creativity, and culture that define it.
