Where is Varadero ?

Varadero is located on the Hicacos peninsula (22 km north-east) in the Atlantic Ocean (140 kms south of Florida). Located north of the province of Matanzas, the tourist attraction is the most important in Cuba and one of the largest of the Antilles.

Punta Hicacos is the northernmost point of the island of Cuba. At the northern tip of the peninsula is a nature reserve with virgin forests and beaches. Hicacos Park is an ecological reserve (3.12 km2), established in 1974.

There are the caves of Ambrosio Mangon Lake (home to 31 species of birds and 24 reptiles) and the ruins of La Calavera (skull). They are saline (one of the first to be exploited by Spaniards).

In 2007, Varadero had a population of about 20,000 people between the peninsula and Hicacos the two localities of Santa Marta and Boca de Camarioca. Varadero receives over 500,000 visitors yearly.

Click HERE to see the location of Varadero in Cuba (Google Earth kml file).

Varadero has three marinas: Chapelín, Gaviota and Puertosol Dársena. The Hicacos Natural Park is located at the north end of the peninsula. It was declared an ecological reserve in 1974. Its 312 hectares contain many specimens of flora and fauna. Apart from the hotels of the peninsula, there are ...

  • Ambrosio cave ... This is one of fifteen archaeological sites on the peninsula that bears witness to Indian customs of the region. It extends over 250 m and has five interconnected galleries. The cave contains 72 drawings, one of the largest collections of Indian pictographs in the Caribbean. During the colonial period, runaway slaves took refuge in this cave.
  • Mangón lake ... This is the main lake on the peninsula that is home to 31 species of birds (19 migratory) and 24 varieties of reptiles.
  • La Calavera (Skull) Salt ... The abandoned salt is supposed to have been the first that the Spanish used in the Americas during colonization. Its production meets the needs of the island and the Spanish fleet in the New World. Legend has it that the pirate Francis Drake had set foot in this region on the way back to England.

    • Airport

    Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport receives direct flights not only from North America but also from Europe, South America and Africa. This is the second largest in Cuba, after Jose Marti in Havana (the capital). It represents 25% of the air traffic in the country. The Varadero airport was named after the black journalist and rights activist, Juan Gualberto Gómez (1854-1933).

    The Varadero airport has one terminal where you can find snack bars, cafeterias, shops and duty-free shops, VIP lounges in the departure's area. The terminal building is air-conditioned and non-smoking, except in a designated area. For more airport information, visit our website dedicated to all the airports in Cuba, in the menu on the right.

    Histoire

    The first mention of Varadero was in 1555. The place was first used as a dry dock (Spanish: Varadero) and the salt mines of the peninsula (closed in 1961) provided the Spanish fleet in Latin America since 1587.

    Varadero was founded December 5, 1887, when ten families from the city of Cárdenas received permission to build their holiday houses between 42nd and 48th Street today.

    The first tourists visited Varadero date from the 1870s. The first hotel was built in 1915, the name was Varadero and near the Nautical Club. In the early 1930s, Irenaeus DuPont de Nemours, an American millionaire, built a residence on the peninsula. Many famous people have stayed in Varadero, like Al Capone. After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, there was a massive expropriation of properties on the peninsula.

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