Travel To Baracoa Will Be Exciting

The small city of Baracoa lies at the farthest south-west tip of the island of Cuba, remote, unspoilt and approached only by a winding mountain road with nine bridges over steep valleys. Set on glorious Honey Bay (the Bahia de Miel), this almost untouched colonial settlement is guarded by Cuba's answer to Table Mountain (El Yunque), known as the Anvil of Baracoa. Surrounded by waterways and lush forests and as yet untouched by mass tourism, Baracoa is the ideal get-away-from-it-all destination.

The city is the oldest colonial settlement in Cuba, was its first capital in 1511, and is famed as the spot where Christopher Columbus finally touched land after his first epic voyage. Visitors who take the trouble to arrive here will find 18th-century fortifications, cobbled streets, secluded beaches and a famous cross said to have been planted on the beach by Columbus himself. For tourist information, the travel agencies of both Cubatur (on the Calle Antonio Maceo) and Ecotur (on the Coronel Cardoso) are the places to visit.
The beaches fronting Honey Bay are quite special and as result, see large numbers of summer holidaymakers. Just a short distance from Baracoa, the beachfront of Playa Maguana is one of Guantánamo's finest and features tropical palm trees and an azure blue waterfront, which lends itself to snorkelling. Away from the beaches, the colonial character of the city is often of interest to sightseers, who will enjoy walking around the old fortifications and admiring the magnificent architecture of the Cathedral of Our Senora of the Asuncion (Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion), which presides over the Triangle Square (Plaza Independencia). The harbour is a pleasant place to hang out at any time, with its views stretching as far as the El Yunque mountain and beyond, and its breathtaking sunsets. The 50+ pre-Columbian archaeological sites also warrant investigation and offer an insight into the lives of past Native American Indian tribes. More information about Baracoa Tourist Attractions.

When it comes to local landmarks, it is El Yunque that stands out and this towering mountain is just a short drive to the west, where it is possible to climb all the way to the summit, although only with a guide. Other sights to see line the lengthy La Farola road, which was nothing short of a modern engineering masterpiece, passing over giant gorges and providing easy access to the city. The River Toa is another important local landmark, although this time a natural feature, running through the city and forming a series of rapids and pretty waterfalls along the way. Around the centre of Baracoa, look out for the Plaza Independencia's bronze bust of Hatuey - a former Taino Cacique (chief), and the statue of Christopher Columbus - on the seafront promenade named the Avenidos Malecon. More information about Baracoa Landmarks and Monuments.
If you can drag yourself away from the beaches, the small selection of museums in Baracoa provide something different and a spot of culture, being ideal for a rainy afternoon. The Municipal Museum (Museo Municipal) is one of the most popular and is housed within an old fortress, which started life as a part of the city's fortifications and is today dedicated to documenting the regional history through a series of exhibits. On the southerly outskirts of Baracoa, the Paradise Cave Archaeological Museum (Las Cuevas del Paraiso Museo Arqueologico) comprises three galleries and an array of aboriginal and archaeological relics, as well as information relating to past civilisations and some 3,000-year-old petroglyphs. When it comes to appreciating Cuban art, the Eliseo Osorio Art Gallery is the place to visit. More information about Baracoa Museums andBaracoa Art Galleries.
The province of Guantánamo contains some very interesting attractions and those tourists planning a day trip will find it all the more easy with the assistance of a hire car. To the north-west of Baracoa, the sprawling Alexander von Humboldt National Park (Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt) boasts rainforest trails, orchids and mangrove swamps, while next to the extremely photogenic Yumuri Canyon is the town of Yumuri, where white water rafting is possible, as well as a number of other recreational activities. To experience the farming of cacao, coffee and coconuts, take an excursion to the Toa Ranch (Rancho Toa), or if chocolate is more your thing, then the nearby Fabrica de Chocolade (Chocolate Factory) is not to be missed, being inaugurated many years ago by none other than one of Cuba's most famous past revolutionaries, Che Guevara. Further afield, Santiago de Cuba lies to the west, and as Cuba's number two city, is perfect for a weekend getaway.

Tanzania Tourist Love

Whether you are looking for a wilderness adventure away from the crowds, a safari to watch elephants, lions and rhinos, or a beach holiday, Tanzania certainly provides plenty of choice. Fronting the Indian Ocean, many of the most popular beaches are conveniently based around Dar es Salaam, such as Coco Beach at Oyster Bay. The main islands of Zanzibar - Unguja and Pemba, are also home to some of Tanzania's most alluring beaches, with this coastline also being famed for its superb scuba diving and snorkelling. More information about Tanzania Beaches.
The national parks are the principal reason why so many tourists come to Tanzania and although the Serengeti Plains may well beckon, so too will the national parks of Arusha, Gombe Stream, Lake Manyara, Mount Kilimanjaro and Ruaha. At the Mahale Mountains National Park you can get up close to chimpanzees, and in the Selous Game Reserve, the native African creatures often spotted roaming the savannah and alongside the Rufiji River include antelope, elephants, kudus and colobus monkeys. Trips to Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria provide yet another way to experience nature in Africa and here you can take a cruise, swim, snorkel, dive and even fish. More information about Tanzania National Parks.

For sightseeing in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam is the place to hang out and a few days spent exploring this energetic city will reveal tourism gems such as the historic White Fathers' Mission House and Old Boma building. Located on Sokoine Drive and next to the waterfront, St. Joseph's Cathedral may now be sandwiched in between modern buildings, but its spire still towers high above the surrounding cityscape. For a leisurely family day out in the city, you can choose between the Botanical Gardens and Dar es Salaam Zoo. Those in Arusha may like to take time out to pay a visit to the Meserani Snake Park. More information about Tanzania Tourist Attractions.
The most obvious and photographed of Tanzania's landmarks tend to be clustered around Dar es Salaam and here you can tour sights such as the Askari Monument, the Azania Lutheran Church, the Old State House and the Uhuru Torch at the Mnazi Mmoja Park. If you are more interested in natural phenomenon, then the giant Ngorongoro Crater in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is sure to please, offering the chance to see zebras, rhinos, wildebeest and lions living in a unique enclosure shaped by past volcanic activity some three million years ago. Mount Kilimanjaro is certainly not the only eye-catching mountain in Tanzania, with the somewhat shorter Mount Meru measuring in as the second-highest of the country. Other landmarks of note include the Kalambo Falls and the still-active Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano, as well as the archaeological Kondoa Irangi Rock Paintings and the Isimila Stone Age Site. More information about Tanzania Landmarks and Monuments.

As the busiest, largest and still the most important city in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam is understandably the place to come for culture and related tourist attractions. The National Museum and House of Culture has welcomed visitors since it first opened in 1940 and boasts exhibitions of fossils excavated from the Olduvai Gorge. Also in the city is the open-air Village Museum, where authentic rural-life exhibits, artefacts and information about age-old traditions are displayed for all to enjoy. Butiama, Mwanza and Arusha all also have a museum or two, the latter of which being known for its offerings dedicated to natural history, the Arusha Declaration and Tanzanite - a blue / purple mineral stone discoverd locally. More information about Tanzania Museums.
You could easily spend an entire month on holiday in Tanzania and still leave with attractions left unvisited. However, if you are here as part of an African experience, then you may have left time for excursions into one or more of the adjoining countries. To the north, Kenya is certainly one to add to any list and its capital of Nairobi is easy to reach. Head southwards and you will soon discoverMozambique, where the beaches of Bazaruto and Quirimbas really are some of Africa's finest. Also to the south is Malawi, and to the south-west, Zambia, while to the west is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and to the north-west, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. More information about Tanzania Attractions Nearby.

Tourist Information–Madagascar

Madagascar is an island nation in theIndian Ocean on the southeastern coast of Africa. The main island, also called Madagascar, is the fourth largest island in the world. More than 1000 miles (1580 km) long and 350 miles (570 km) wide, Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world. The most prominent feature rugged mountains should be parallel with the entire east coast. Madagascar is located in the Indian Ocean 250 miles off the east coast of Africa across the Strait of Mozambique, south of the equator. Calling Madagascar an island almost seems unfair. Leaf forests, crystal lakes, caverns, and grassland savanna dot vast western plains, and the southern tip of the island is covered with majestic desert.
A nature lovers paradise, and his friend Maromokofro many give way to a narrow coastal plains. There, you’ll find great rivers, stunning waterfalls, and the remnants of an ancient rain forest. This sparsely populated land-area occupies more than twice the size of Great Britain, and crisscrossed by no fewer than six different micro-climates! Madagascar’s highest mountain, Mt. Maromokotro, an impressive tower of 9450 feet (2876 m) in the area north of the island. Eastern slopes of Mt. Garden of Eden as the wealth was filled with so much diversity in life and in geography it is unlike any other island anywhere on Earth. It is no exaggeration to claim that micro-continent, as some have called it, offers limitless opportunities for exploration. Indeed, every expedition into the mountains, its rain forests, valleys of its rivers, its coastal plains, prairie, caves, and deserts led to his discovery of somenew plant or animal species.
Madagascar consists of six different areas by various climate:
1. East. The Betsimisaraka, the second largest ethnic group in Madagascar, friendly, laid back and fun loving. Marie, once a haven of pirates and is now a much sought after destination for beach lovers, the East Coast, and especially the Masoala Peninsula with exceptional concentration of fauna and flora are unique, largely undiscovered, and must for lovers of serious nature. Cash crops such as coffee, vanilla, cloves, and all the tropical fruits grown on the East Coast, making the local population is generally more prosperous than in other regions of Madagascar. With the exception of Ile Ste. (Maroantsetra including both the North and East region because it is considered by many to be the remaining channels of pristine rain forest on the east coast of Madagascar.)
2. Southern Dry Forest. The area is very wide and varied is home to “the people of the thorns”Antandroy on the beach, for Vezo nomadic fishermen, and the Mahafaly famous for their funerary art. South accounted for the benefit of the unique vegetation where tropical moist forest meets the southern dry forest, and is the gateway to the famous Berenty Reserve, National Park Andohela, Beza Mahafaly, the Isalo National Park, and the boom town Ilakaka, where exceptional quality sapphire was mined at this time. While the extreme tip of Madagascar southestern surrounding Ft. Dauphin receives abundant rainfall, the southwestern tip of extreme rainfall have virtually none at all. This is known as the “Grand Sud” and is one of Madagascar’s most attractive regions: remote, harsh, deserted exotic plant with incredibly beautiful scenery, endless beaches clean sand dunes, and strange.
3. Western Dry Forest. This is the area of ??spectacular scenery with majestic baobabs and “forest” of karst peaks of the World Heritage site of Tsingy of Bemaraha. Sakalava people’s homes, large ethnic groups with African beliefs and customs of interest such as a spirit, tromba and the cult of royal heritage, the West is a large area with only remnants of forests, dry leaves that once covered the entire domain. It is hot and dry throughout the year and the two main cities, Majunga (Mahajunga) and Morondava the Malagasy favorite for beach holidays.
4. Southern Rain Forest. This is known as the “Grand Sud” and is one of the most attractive regions of Madagascar: lush virgin rain forests, magnificent granite rock formations, and exotic flora and fauna on the east side, and beautiful scenery, endless beaches clean sand dunes, and plant strange exotic on the west side. While the southeastern region of Madagascar receives abundant rainfall, the southwestern region of extreme rainfall have virtually none at all. South accounted for the benefit of the unique vegetation where tropical moist forest meets the southern dry forest and rain forest southern including Ranomafana and Andringitra National Park is newly developed.
5. North. Despite being the closest to the equator, very long dry season of seven months, was followed by intense rains from December to April, giving the area north of Madagascar, a separate identity. Sparsely inhabited but with a rich mix of ethnic groups: Antakarana, Sakalava, Tsimihety, Betsimisaraka and Antandroy, the area is isolated from the across the country by rugged mountains Tsaratanana. Secluded coves, tranquil lagoons, windswept promontories, wide pastures and rain forest height is much varied and offers a wide palette of landscapes, people, fauna and flora.
6. High Plateau. Outside the two main cities of Antananarivo (Madagascar capital) and Antsirabe (once a resort town / spa and is now an industrial center), the primary calling of agriculture because the soil is warm climate and fertile throughout the year in which each plant may be grown, except for tree cherries. Rural views of terraced rice fields along Route Nationale 7 from Antananarivo to Fianarantsoa prove the Merina people of Asian descent and Betsileo, Madagascar’s political and intellectual elite.

Ethiopia Tourist Information And Tourism:Top Sights

Ethiopia Tourist

Offering a rather refreshing lack of traditional tourist traps and the opportunity to bargain over most prices, Ethiopia provides much more than first meets the eye. The main attractions tend to be of a historical and religious nature, being particularly concentrated in Addis Ababa, where both the St. George Cathedral and the Holy Trinity Cathedral reside, completed in 1896 and 1942 respectively. Somewhat older and located in Axum, on the northern side of Ethiopia, the Old Cathedral of St. Mary of Zion and Treasury dates from the 17th century. In Gondar and of a similar age is the spectacle that is the World Heritage Site of Fasil Ghebbi, which is better known to tourists as the Royal Enclosure and comprises the Fasilades Palace and a series of magnificent castles. More information about Ethiopia Tourist Attractions.
There are some really extraordinary landmarks located in Ethiopia and most visitors find that their rigid preconceived ideas of this region of Africa are quite incorrect. The scenery around the Tisisat Falls couldn't be more lush and less desert-like, with the Blue Nile River cascading into the gorge below. Various ancient stone obelisks (stales) and monoliths are worth searching out in Ethiopia, with the best examples being found at Tiya and also at Axum, where the oldest are believed to date back some 5,000 years. In Addis Ababa, important local landmarks are in abundance, with the most photographed being the Lion of Judah Monument next to the train station, and the Menelik II Square, where a prominent statue of the city's proud founder stands. In the town of Lalibela, the series of churches elaborately carved straight out of the rock are quite a sight to behold, with the Church of St. George being particularly impressive and regarded by many to be the 'Eighth Wonder of the World'. More information about Ethiopia Landmarks and Monuments.
Ethiopia's rich and rather surprising archaeological heritage and culture is well documented in a number of important museums. The National Museum of Addis Ababa is amongst the most popular and is famous for its important 3.5 million year-old 'hominid' skeleton, which is an ancestor of today's human race. Nearby and located on the southerly side of Meskel Square, the Addis Ababa Museum is packed with information about the political and economical history of Ethiopia. Also in this capital city is the Ethnological Museum and its wealth of religious paintings and artefacts. In Addis Alem, the Marian Museum is another highlight and contains various African costumes and treasures once owned by the rulers of this country. More information about Ethiopia Museums and Art Galleries.
A trip of two weeks in Ethiopia is barely long enough to scratch the surface of the huge quantity of sights and appealing destinations that should be investigated, since getting around can be quite time-consuming. If you are here for longer as part of an African adventure, then you might like to visit one of the surrounding countries. Kenya is especially enticing, with the closest attractions coming in the form of the Chalbi Desert, and the towns of Marsabit and Moyale. Bordering the western side of Ethiopia, Sudan is another enormous African country, with its town of Er Roseires being just 60 km / 37 miles away and its city of Kassala being a little further. Both Somaliland and Djibouti are very accessible from eastern Ethiopia and front the Gulf of Aden, while to the north, Eritrea and its beautiful Red Sea coastline is a little more difficult to explore. More information about Ethiopia Attractions Nearby.

Ethiopia Tourist Information And Tourism:Top Sights

Ethiopia Tourist

Offering a rather refreshing lack of traditional tourist traps and the opportunity to bargain over most prices, Ethiopia provides much more than first meets the eye. The main attractions tend to be of a historical and religious nature, being particularly concentrated in Addis Ababa, where both the St. George Cathedral and the Holy Trinity Cathedral reside, completed in 1896 and 1942 respectively. Somewhat older and located in Axum, on the northern side of Ethiopia, the Old Cathedral of St. Mary of Zion and Treasury dates from the 17th century. In Gondar and of a similar age is the spectacle that is the World Heritage Site of Fasil Ghebbi, which is better known to tourists as the Royal Enclosure and comprises the Fasilades Palace and a series of magnificent castles. More information about Ethiopia Tourist Attractions.
There are some really extraordinary landmarks located in Ethiopia and most visitors find that their rigid preconceived ideas of this region of Africa are quite incorrect. The scenery around the Tisisat Falls couldn't be more lush and less desert-like, with the Blue Nile River cascading into the gorge below. Various ancient stone obelisks (stales) and monoliths are worth searching out in Ethiopia, with the best examples being found at Tiya and also at Axum, where the oldest are believed to date back some 5,000 years. In Addis Ababa, important local landmarks are in abundance, with the most photographed being the Lion of Judah Monument next to the train station, and the Menelik II Square, where a prominent statue of the city's proud founder stands. In the town of Lalibela, the series of churches elaborately carved straight out of the rock are quite a sight to behold, with the Church of St. George being particularly impressive and regarded by many to be the 'Eighth Wonder of the World'. More information about Ethiopia Landmarks and Monuments.
Ethiopia's rich and rather surprising archaeological heritage and culture is well documented in a number of important museums. The National Museum of Addis Ababa is amongst the most popular and is famous for its important 3.5 million year-old 'hominid' skeleton, which is an ancestor of today's human race. Nearby and located on the southerly side of Meskel Square, the Addis Ababa Museum is packed with information about the political and economical history of Ethiopia. Also in this capital city is the Ethnological Museum and its wealth of religious paintings and artefacts. In Addis Alem, the Marian Museum is another highlight and contains various African costumes and treasures once owned by the rulers of this country. More information about Ethiopia Museums and Art Galleries.
A trip of two weeks in Ethiopia is barely long enough to scratch the surface of the huge quantity of sights and appealing destinations that should be investigated, since getting around can be quite time-consuming. If you are here for longer as part of an African adventure, then you might like to visit one of the surrounding countries. Kenya is especially enticing, with the closest attractions coming in the form of the Chalbi Desert, and the towns of Marsabit and Moyale. Bordering the western side of Ethiopia, Sudan is another enormous African country, with its town of Er Roseires being just 60 km / 37 miles away and its city of Kassala being a little further. Both Somaliland and Djibouti are very accessible from eastern Ethiopia and front the Gulf of Aden, while to the north, Eritrea and its beautiful Red Sea coastline is a little more difficult to explore. More information about Ethiopia Attractions Nearby.