The lake
Houses mirrored in the water.
Cosa2244 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cosa2244 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cosa2244 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · BenjiPill — CC BY-SA 4.0 · BenjiPill — CC BY-SA 4.0
Las Terrazas is a small village and nature reserve in the Sierra del Rosario mountains of western Cuba, in the municipality of Candelaria, Artemisa Province. UNESCO declared these mountains a Biosphere Reserve in 1984, and the village lies about 68 km in a straight line from central Havana. About 1,000 people live in the village, which has hotels and restaurants for visitors. The reserve includes some 5,000 hectares of secondary forest planted on the once-cleared hills, with terraces built to stop erosion, which gives the place its name: terrazas means terraces in Spanish. The village's white houses with blue windows and colourful balconies climb green slopes above a calm lake that mirrors the buildings. Dense forest and royal palms surround it, and the reserve has lakes, rivers and waterfalls, with rich plant and animal life. Walks on the many trails can be booked at the local tourist office. Bring comfortable shoes, insect repellent and water for the trails. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Cuba because of fuel, power and water shortages, so read the current advice before you plan.
Houses mirrored in the water.
Blue windows and balconies.
Forest and waterfalls.
Candelaria, Artemisa Province, Cuba
After the terraces built to replant forest and stop erosion.
At the local tourist office.