In the regions bathed by the Caribbean Sea, each and every corner has a surprise of its own in store. These are the lands where dreams, reality and myth usually get mixed up. A giant 500-plus-year-old cactus of 6.75m high, 1.08cm wide chest high and a diameter of 25m, jut out from the rest of its fellow specimens at the Varahiacos Ecological Reserve in world-class Varadero Beach. Its age is precisely the reason why this slow-growing tree has reached such a magnificent size. The Patriarch –as it's been nicknamed- is a must-see for tourists coming to this place. Nobody knows for sure how long this tree will continue to remain as a token of the power of nature. But for the time being, you should swing by and take a look.