Merian - Kuba – Schümannová Beate (2016)

Cuba will enchant you with its Caribbean climate, beautiful beaches, vast national parks, mostly charmingly restored old town centers, and a captivating Caribbean zest for life – sun and sea, rum and rum. On the beaches – of which there are around 300 – the island shows itself at its best, with sand as white and fine as powder. This tropical paradise is lured by names like Varadero, Vayo Coco, or Costa Esmeralda – places where palm trees rustle, the turquoise sea sparkles in the sun, and the tropical breeze cools the skin. Even Christopher Columbus thought he was in paradise when he first arrived in 'Cubanacán' (the indigenous name for Cuba) in 1492. However, the island has much more to offer than beautiful beaches. Cuba stretches in an elegant arc of coral reefs from west to east. Across a total of 114,524 square kilometers, palm-fringed beaches, mountain ranges covered in lush vegetation, dense mangrove swamps, and wide sugar and tobacco plantations spread out. Along the coast, coral reefs stretch like front gardens, which are among the best diving spots in the world, and sailors won't be disappointed either. The largest of the Caribbean Antillean islands is one-quarter mountainous. The highest mountain range, Sierra Maestra, has...