Cienfuegos and the South Coast
Cienfuegos, known as the 'Pearl of the South', was founded by French settlers from Louisiana in 1819 and is located on a beautiful bay on the southern coast of Cuba, some 250km east of Havana. One of the chief seaports of Cuba, it is a centre for the sugar trade and is surrounded by one of the most picturesque and fertile regions in the country.
Nearby is Playa Giron, nestled on the infamous Bay of Pigs, where the failed CIA invasion took place. Peninsula Zapata National park, home to plenty of wildlife, is known for its birdwatching opportunities.