In the north coast is the Sabana-Camagüey Cays, place of transit and nesting of numerous species of migratory birds.
To the south, the Jardines de la Reina cays, an exotic and wild natural region, presents abundant coral reefs of wide biodiversity and some sandy beaches of little extension.
Two mountain clusters of low elevation stand out in the plain landscape: Sierra de Cubitas to the north is notable for the canyons and pass that cut it, deep and transversely. The main elevation is the Tuabaquey hill, 330 meters high. The presence of caves with secondary formations and with paleontological and archeological interest is considerable; in the Sierra de Najasa, in the south, stands the fossil woods, among other notable natural elements.
The hydrography of Camagüey is represented by Caonao, San Pedro, Máximo and Saramaguacán rivers, and the Jimaguayú, Porvenir, Amistad Cubano-Bulgara and Muñoz dams.
Protected Areas of tourist interest in Camagüey, Cuba
Fauna Refuge Los Ballenatos Keys and Nuevitas Bay Mangrove
The area is located in the municipality of Nuevitas, exactly inside the bay of the same name. Access to the area is by sea. Its peaks known as Los Ballenatos, due to their shape, constitute the symbol of the city of Nuevitas and emerge up to the maximum height of 54.2 meters above sea level in Ballenato Grande. A trail is made in Ballenato del Medio consisting of a journey through the key to its highest point where there is a viewpoint from which you can see the Bay of Nuevitas.
The flora identified to date is made up of 156 species, belonging to 105 genera and 66 families; 11.71% of them are endemic.
For its part, the fauna of the area has been studied in recent years, showing the existence of 121 species belonging to 53 families. From the faunistic point of view, Los Ballenatos has values of interest due to the presence of national and local endemic species and subspecies such as the jutía conga (Capromys pilorides), the iguana (Cyclura nubila nubila), the juan chiví (Vireo gundlachii) and the crested lizard (Anolis jubar ballaenarum).
Limones-Tuabaquey Ecologic Reserve
Located in Sierra de Cubitas, not so far from the capital city, to the north, we find the ecological reserve Limones-Tuabaquey, an important wildlife and vegetation shelter, considered the largest and best preserved site of the two forest areas existing in the province. Among the most important natural spots in the zone is the Hoyo de Bonet, an 80 meters-deep sinkhole containing an evergreen forest made of more than 400 botanical species; more than 15 per cent of it endemic of the place. There are also more than 75 bird species and valuable sites as the Pichardo cave pictographs, the best preserved of the Caribbean, and the deepest underground lake system in Cuba.
Protected Area of Managed Resources Sierra del Chorrillo
Another significant place regarding the natural beauty of Camagüey is Sierra del Chorrillo, which can be reached going eastwards from Camagüey City, 24km along the Main Road, and then turning south, to Najasa municipality. Within this protected area locates Rancho La Belén, a tourist farm famous for its stallion horse display, bird-watching trails and horseback-riding pathways through Santa Gertrudis Path; there are comfortable rooms as well as some other facilities.
Featured Natural Element Najasa Fossil Forest
The Najasa Fossil Forest is located in the southeast of the province of Camagüey, in the municipality of Najasa; The most distant deposit, Santa Rosa, is located 6 km from the main entrance of the Sierra del Chorrillo protected area (La Belén), 18.5 km from the town of Najasa and 79 km from the provincial capital.
A unique curiosity of its kind in Cuba: the fossil forest; It consists of a concentration of remnants of trees in the form of heels or pieces that have been petrified for more than three million years spread all over a hectare.
The primary interest of the site is geological-paleontological-botanical in nature, and lies in the geological quality of the petrification phenomenon that occurred there, which gives the site inestimable cultural and heritage values that are essential to conserve. Various forms, numerous fragments and whole plant organisms, coming from archaic geological times, were preserved in a natural way, constituting a rarity, not only for Cuba, but for the world. In the country there are 4 sites that can be classified as fossil forests, being Najasa the most important. Since 1887, according to the National Monuments Commission, silicified woods have been discovered in Najasa. In 1984, Manuel Iturralde Vinent explained, after visiting the site: "... this is the first town in Cuba where preserved remains of the soft parts of a plant have been found." The fossil deposits of petrified trees were declared a National Monument on June 11, 2007.
Outstanding Natural Element Cangilones del Río Máximo
The rivers that cross these endless meadows have modeled a spectacular panorama of canyons, abrasions, caves and natural pools carved out of limestone, the greatest exponent of which is the Cangilones del Río Máximo: approximately 300 meters of slabs form an unrepeatable landscape in which the current runs placidly over the polished surface of the rock.
Other Protected Areas in Camagüey, Cuba
-Maternillos-Tortuguilla Ecological Reserve.
-Fauna Refuge Río Máximo.
-Protected Area of Managed Resources Wetlands of Cayo Romano.
-Protected Area of Managed Resources Sierra de Cubitas.
-Protected Area of Managed Resources Cayo Guajaba.
-Protected Area de Managed Resources Cayo Sabinal.
-Protected Natural Landscape Cerro Cachimbo.
-Protected Natural Landscape Sierra de Najasa.
-Fauna Refuge Correa.
-Fauna Refuge Cayo Cruz.
-Macurije Wildlife Refuge- Santa María.
-Managed Floristic Reserve Silla de Cayo Romano.
-Managed Floristic Reserve Los Orientales.
-Managed Floristic Reserve Humedales de San Felipe.
-Managed Floristic Reserve Laguna Larga.
-Managed Floristic Reserve Sierra de Guaicanamar.
Ecotur
Buró de Reservas Ecotur El Bambú
Centro Turístico El Bambú, República No.279
(53) 32244957
Buró de Reservas Ecotur Hotel Gran Club Santa Lucía
Hotel Gran Club Santa Lucía, Avenida Turística, Playa Santa Lucía, Nuevitas.
(53) 32336655