Topes de Collantes
Encyclopedia
Topes de Collantes is a nature reserve park in the Escambray Mountains
range in Cuba
. It also refers to the third highest peak in the reserve, where a small settlement and tourist center is located, all sharing the same name.
Topes de Collantes, literally Collantes’ Highs, almost 800 metres (2,624.7 ft) above sea level, along with Potrerillo peak, 931 metres (3,054.5 ft) and tallest San Juan peak, 1140 metres (3,740.2 ft) are located in the Escambray range. These mountains are shared by the three central provinces of the island; Villa Clara Province
to the north, Cienfuegos Province
and Sancti Spiritus Province
to the east and west respectively. The wet winds coming off the Atlantic Ocean
have made the north face of the mountains a luxurious refugee for plants and animals, while the drier south face hosts important ecosystems, in which it lie two famous UNESCO World Heritage sites; Valle de los Ingenios
(Valley of the Sugar Mills), and Trinidad
city, both a living examples of early 17th century wealthy colonial Cuba.
Nature is the big attraction here. Caves, rivers, falls, grottos, canyons, natural pools with crystal clear water, mountain hills surrounded by Mariposa (Butterfly lily, Hedychium coronarium
) Cuba’s national flower announcing their presence with a soft unique flagrance from June to early September. More than 40 indigenous species of orchids and 100 species of fern
s, of which 7 are 6 metres (19.7 ft) tall palm-like tree ferns
, wild plantain
and banana
trees, jasmine
, begonia
s, several representatives of the ginger family and around 40 species of coffee are growing under the shade of giant 40 meter tall pine
s, eucalyptus
, West Indian Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni
) and magnolia
s making the wonder of this tropical rainforest
.
Important animal species live here as well. They include the Cartacuba (Todus multicolor
), Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpecker
(Campephilus principalis bairdii), unique hummingbird
s, and the Tocororo (Priotelus temnurus
), which is Cuba's national bird.
Coffee growers were living in the area when president Fulgencio Batista
ordered the construction of a massive battleship
-like Art Deco
sanatorium
for tuberculosis
patients in 1954. Rumor has it that his wife Martha was battling against this illness and once there she fell in love for the place. As a result she persuaded Batista to build her a cottage in the zone as well. After the Revolution
the hospital was converted into a school, and in the mid 70’s it was returned to a similar use as a hotel specialized in rehabilitation and special therapies. The Kurhotel is also famous for its vast collection of original Cuban art. Scattered in its 210 rooms, lobbies and halls, almost 800 pieces of art from the most famous Cuban painters of all times can be found. As a result, a small worker’s settlement was developed around the place. The Universidad de Montaña or Mountain Campus of Las Villas University was built here in the 80's. Due to its connection with Trinidad city and the beaches of the Ancon peninsula a couple more hotels and a resort villa catering to tourist have been developed.
There are several places to go, these are some of the most popular trips:
Caburni Falls, at about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) is the most popular hike through coffee plantations, traditional farmers houses, and cliffs to end in Caburni river which falls from a 62 metres (203.4 ft) rock wall into a series of ponds.
La Batata, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the city, offers scenic views as well, ending in an underground river-cave system with several levels of natural ponds.
Hacienda Codina, a ranch with several attractions: medicinal mud baths, medicinal and ornamental gardens, the orchid’s collection has more than 40 local species including bamboo; Altar’s cave from where a secret passage ends in a natural lookout facing south of the mountain system and the Valley of the sugar mills, Trinidad and Ancon can be seen.
Paseo Ecologico, Ecology walk, 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) local path connecting the Kurhotel with hotel “Los helechos” filled with mariposa shrubs and arborescent ferns under the canopy of pines and eucalyptus.
Parque La represa, a 1 square kilometre (0.386102158592535 sq mi) park developed around the original house built for Batista’s wife Martha. Placed on the banks of River Vega Grande, there is an arboretum with more than 300 exotic species. The highest and oldest mahogany ever found in Cuba lives in this place.
Snak Bar “El mirador”, literally The Lookout, it in the way down to Trinidad, between the Valley and the range in the back, but still 600 meters above sea level offers views of the city and peninsula below.
With around 500 years of history in its stone built streets and colonial architecture the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site
of Trinidad
is located close to the white sands and blue waters of Ancon and La Boca beaches.
Escambray Mountains
The Escambray Mountains are a mountain range in the central region of Cuba, in the provinces of Sancti Spíritus, Cienfuegos and Villa Clara....
range in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. It also refers to the third highest peak in the reserve, where a small settlement and tourist center is located, all sharing the same name.
Geography
Villa Clara Province
Villa Clara is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is located in the central region of the island bordering with the Atlantic at north, Matanzas Province by west, Sancti Spiritus by east, and Cienfuegos on the South. Villa Clara shares with Cienfuegos and Sancti Spiritus on the south the Escambray...
to the north, Cienfuegos Province
Cienfuegos Province
Cienfuegos is one of the provinces of Cuba. The capital city of the province is also called Cienfuegos and was founded by French settlers in 1819....
and Sancti Spiritus Province
Sancti Spíritus Province
Sancti Spíritus is one of the provinces of Cuba. Its capital is the identically named Sancti Spíritus. Another major city is Trinidad.The southern coast of the province is flat, but the western portion of Sancti Spíritus province is mountainous. The southeast has numerous mangroves and swamps...
to the east and west respectively. The wet winds coming off the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
have made the north face of the mountains a luxurious refugee for plants and animals, while the drier south face hosts important ecosystems, in which it lie two famous UNESCO World Heritage sites; Valle de los Ingenios
Valley de los Ingenios
Valle de los Ingenios, Valley de los Ingenios or Valley of the Sugar Mills is a series of three interconnected valleys about outside of Trinidad, Cuba. The three valleys, San Luis, Santa Rosa and Meyer, were a centre for sugar production from the late 18th century until the late 19th century...
(Valley of the Sugar Mills), and Trinidad
Trinidad, Cuba
-External links:* , Online travel guide to Trinidad* , Selected photos of Trinidad* , Photos of Trinidad...
city, both a living examples of early 17th century wealthy colonial Cuba.
Nature
Hedychium coronarium
The White ginger lily is originally from the Himalayas region of Nepal and India where it is known as dolan champa दोलन चम्पा in Hindi, দোলনচাঁপা in Bengali, takhellei angouba in Manipuri, Sontakka in Marathi, suruli sugandhi in Kannada and Kalyana sauganthikam in Malayalam.In Brazil it is very...
) Cuba’s national flower announcing their presence with a soft unique flagrance from June to early September. More than 40 indigenous species of orchids and 100 species of fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s, of which 7 are 6 metres (19.7 ft) tall palm-like tree ferns
Cyatheales
The order Cyatheales is a taxonomic division of the fern subclass, Cyatheatae, which includes the tree ferns. No clear morphological features characterize all of the Cyatheales, but DNA sequence data indicates that the order is monophyletic. Some species in the Cyatheales have tree-like growth...
, wild plantain
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
and banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
trees, jasmine
Jasmine
Jasminum , commonly known as jasmines, is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family . It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World...
, begonia
Begonia
Begonia is a genus in the flowering plant family Begoniaceae and is a perennial. The only other members of the family Begoniaceae are Hillebrandia, a genus with a single species in the Hawaiian Islands, and the genus Symbegonia which more recently was included in Begonia...
s, several representatives of the ginger family and around 40 species of coffee are growing under the shade of giant 40 meter tall pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
s, eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
, West Indian Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni
Swietenia mahagoni
Swietenia mahagoni, commonly known as the West Indies Mahogany, is a species of Swietenia native to southern Florida, USA, The Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, and Hispaniola. It is the species from which the original mahogany wood was produced....
) and magnolia
Magnolia
Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
s making the wonder of this tropical rainforest
Cuban moist forests
The Cuban moist forests are a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion that occupies on Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. The ecoregion receives more than of rainfall annually, and does not have a dry season. Soils are usually derived from quartz, limestone, or serpentinites...
.
Important animal species live here as well. They include the Cartacuba (Todus multicolor
Cuban Tody
The Cuban Tody is a bird species in the family Todidae that is restricted to Cuba and adjacent islands. The species is characterized by small size , large head relative to body size, and a thin, pointed bill...
), Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpecker
Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpecker
The Cuban Ivory-billed Woodpecker or Carpintero real is, or was, a Cuban subspecies of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker . Once classified as a separate species, recent research has indicated that C. p...
(Campephilus principalis bairdii), unique hummingbird
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
s, and the Tocororo (Priotelus temnurus
Cuban Trogon
The Cuban Trogon or Tocororo is a species of bird in the Trogonidae family. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Cuba, where it is also the national bird....
), which is Cuba's national bird.
History
Fulgencio Batista
Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
ordered the construction of a massive battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
-like Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
for tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
patients in 1954. Rumor has it that his wife Martha was battling against this illness and once there she fell in love for the place. As a result she persuaded Batista to build her a cottage in the zone as well. After the Revolution
Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
the hospital was converted into a school, and in the mid 70’s it was returned to a similar use as a hotel specialized in rehabilitation and special therapies. The Kurhotel is also famous for its vast collection of original Cuban art. Scattered in its 210 rooms, lobbies and halls, almost 800 pieces of art from the most famous Cuban painters of all times can be found. As a result, a small worker’s settlement was developed around the place. The Universidad de Montaña or Mountain Campus of Las Villas University was built here in the 80's. Due to its connection with Trinidad city and the beaches of the Ancon peninsula a couple more hotels and a resort villa catering to tourist have been developed.
Attractions
Caburni Falls, at about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) is the most popular hike through coffee plantations, traditional farmers houses, and cliffs to end in Caburni river which falls from a 62 metres (203.4 ft) rock wall into a series of ponds.
La Batata, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the city, offers scenic views as well, ending in an underground river-cave system with several levels of natural ponds.
Hacienda Codina, a ranch with several attractions: medicinal mud baths, medicinal and ornamental gardens, the orchid’s collection has more than 40 local species including bamboo; Altar’s cave from where a secret passage ends in a natural lookout facing south of the mountain system and the Valley of the sugar mills, Trinidad and Ancon can be seen.
Paseo Ecologico, Ecology walk, 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) local path connecting the Kurhotel with hotel “Los helechos” filled with mariposa shrubs and arborescent ferns under the canopy of pines and eucalyptus.
Parque La represa, a 1 square kilometre (0.386102158592535 sq mi) park developed around the original house built for Batista’s wife Martha. Placed on the banks of River Vega Grande, there is an arboretum with more than 300 exotic species. The highest and oldest mahogany ever found in Cuba lives in this place.
Snak Bar “El mirador”, literally The Lookout, it in the way down to Trinidad, between the Valley and the range in the back, but still 600 meters above sea level offers views of the city and peninsula below.
With around 500 years of history in its stone built streets and colonial architecture the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
of Trinidad
Trinidad, Cuba
-External links:* , Online travel guide to Trinidad* , Selected photos of Trinidad* , Photos of Trinidad...
is located close to the white sands and blue waters of Ancon and La Boca beaches.
External links
- Cuba Tourism Department. Topes de Collantes