Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve

Soroa: 87km (54 miles) W of Havana; San Diego de los Baños: 120km (75 miles) W of Havana

The mountainous region between Havana and Pinar del Río is another prime destination in the country's budding ecotourism industry. With both the Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve and La Güira National Park, as well as ecotourism projects in Soroa and at Las Terrazas, the area offers a wealth of opportunities to explore the flora and fauna of Cuba's inland mountain forests.

Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve
Declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1985, the 25,000-hectare (61,776-acre) Sierra del Rosario encompasses a mountainous area of rapidly recovering, secondary tropical deciduous forests, cut with numerous rivers and waterfalls. Nearly 100 species of birds can be spotted here, including over half of Cuba's 22 endemic species. Currently, there are few trails and facilities in the reserve, which is not open to individual exploration and trekking. Most activity is confined to two tourism developments, Las Terrazas and Soroa, which are connected by a loop of paved roads, which begins and ends on the Autopista Nacional.