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It is one of the provinces created in 2010, consisting of 8 municipalities. It has gained great economic relevance for being the seat of the Special Development Zone of Mariel. It has among its charms the famous Orchid Garden of Soroa, of the International Film School of San Antonio de los Baños, and for its rural communities, examples of the development of sustainable tourism in Biosphere Reserves.

Capital: Artemis

Extension: 4 004.27 km2

Municipalities: Mariel, Guanajay, Caimito, Bauta, Güira de Melena, Alquízar, Artemisa, Bahía Honda, Candelaria and San Cristóbal

Gentilicio: artemiseño / a

Limits: It limits to the north with the Strait of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, to the east with the provinces of Havana and Mayabeque, to the south with the Gulf of Batabanó, and to the west with the province of Pinar del Río

Access: It is accessed primarily by land, through the country's road and rail network.

Places of interest

Protected Area of Managed Resources Thousand Summits

It is located in an area where several physiogeographic subregions, such as the Sierra de los Órganos, Alturas de Pizarras, Poljas, karst valleys, and holes, the Sierra del Pan de Guajaibón, and the Cajalbana plateau. Its complex geological evolution has led to a highly diversified relief in which the plains, depressions, heights and mountains stand out. Among its geographical features is the Pan de Guajaibón, the highest elevation in western Cuba with 699 meters above sea level.

A thousand summits are considered a place of interest for botanists because of the high percentage of endemism of their flora, among which Palma Cork stands out, considered a living fossil. Their cuabales are considered among the best preserved in the country in which they inhabit the Tomeguín del Pinar, the Tomeguín de la Tierra, the Negrito, the Bobito Chiquito, the Cartacuba, the Nightingale, the Carpenters Jabao and Verde, and among the reptiles the Majá from Santamaría. Due to its abundant presence of birds, it is considered a bird watching site par excellence.

Within this wide area there are others with more restrictive categories such as the Sierra de la Güira Ecological Reserve, the Pan de Guajaibón Featured Natural Element and the San Marcos Floristic Reserve. Mil Cumbres is characterized by important cave systems and numerous streams, highlighting the many canyons of Sierra Azul and the cave system of Mamey and Canilla, on the northern slope of Pan de Guajaibón.

Sierra del Rosario 

Biosphere Reserve

First Biosphere Reserve of Cuba, a condition that was granted on February 15, 1985. It occupies the eastern half of the Guaniguanico Range, between the provinces of Pinar del Río and Havana. Within this protected area of managed resources are the El Mulo Nature Reserve, the Las Peladas Nature Reserve, and the El Salón Ecological Reserve.

It has elevations in the form of blades and beautiful valleys formed by crystalline rivers. Its structure is made up of a variety of landforms where pine groves, cuabales and mogote vegetation abound. Its forests have a varied flora and serve as a refuge for many endemic species of fauna. Considered a sanctuary for bird watching, there are plenty of Tocororo, Mockingbird, Churroso Carpenter, Cartacuba and Chillina. Among its main tourist attractions are Las Terrazas and Soroa.

Soroa

Soroa road, km 8, Candelaria

Natural landscape of great beauty that attracts visitors from all over the world. It takes its name from the Spanish brothers Lorenzo and Antonio Soroa, who arrived in the area in 1856 and acquired several coffee plantations. Located in the limits of the Sierra del Rosario, it has several attractions:

Soroa Orchid 

Botanical Garden

It was started in 1952 by Canarian lawyer Tomás Felipe Camacho in honor of his wife and daughter. Known for its extensive collection of orchids, the construction of the garden near the Pinillo Ranch began. Exotic native specimens from Asia, Central and South America, were expanding the garden that, over the years, has had more than 20,000 representative plants of 700 species, of which 250 are endemic to Cuba. Today it is the largest Orquideario in the country and one of the most important in the world. It also has a library specialized in orchids.

Soroa's Leap

With a height of 22 m, this jump caused by the Manantiales River, is one of the wonders of Cuban geography, also known as the Salto del Arcoíris de Cuba. Descend through nature trails to the waterfall pool, where visitors can take refreshing baths, while enjoying a splendid panoramic view.

The Venus Viewpoint

Elevation to 250 meters above sea level, from where you can see one of the best views of the Sierra del Rosario and the Candelaria Valley.

The Castle in the Clouds

Building dating from 1940, stands on the Loma del Fuerte and resembles a medieval castle, with a circular tower at its highest point. It was ordered to be built by the landowner Antonio Arturo Sánchez Bustamante. It retains several items belonging to true European castles, purchased at auctions by its original owner. It is currently a complex with 6 rooms with excellent views over the valley and has a specialized Creole and international restaurant.

Cafetal la Independencia

French coffee plantation dating from the 19th century, stands out for the charms of the old ruins of the stately home and the coffee dryers.

Las Terrazas Tourist Complex

Habana-Pinar del Río Highway km 51, Las Terrazas Community, Candelaria

Telph. 48 77 8578

It constitutes a rural experience of sustainable development found in the Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve, just 60 km west of Havana. It has a rural settlement whose architecture is in harmony with the environment.

It offers a varied tourist product and has several facilities, among which the Hotel Moka (Las Terrazas, Candelaria, Artemisa / Telph. 48 77 8601/02) stands out, where visitors can enjoy a reinterpretation of Cuban colonial architecture and services rental of specialized guides, bird watching tours, horseback riding, mountain bikes, rowing boats and kayaks; as well as the Camp Baños de San Juan (Telph. 48 77 8700), which offers the possibility of renting rustic cabins and tents.

Canopy tour

Spectacular attraction for adventure lovers. Starting from the Moka Hotel you can travel at high speed through a cable laid for several hundred meters, even above the lake. The Canopy Tour can be booked at the Moka Hotel.

Aquatic Activities Center

Located on the lake, just at the entrance of the town, it is possible to rent rowing boats, and water bicycles. Trout fishing is allowed as long as the catches are returned to the water.

Polo Montañez House

Museum dedicated to the memory of the local musician and composer, Polo Montañez, who achieved worldwide fame for the traditional style and freshness of his compositions.

Curujey Ranch

Telph. 48 778700

A striking tourist facility that has a bar and a viewpoint with splendid views.

Ecological Research Center

Telph. 48 77 8700

Basic Ecological Center that welcomes visitors looking for a more direct and friendly relationship with the environment.

Union Treasury

Recreational farm located in the vicinity of Cafetal Union, currently served by a peasant family. It has a restaurant and a tropical garden.

Ruins of Cafetal Buena Vista

Located 2 km east of the Moka Hotel, it preserves the ruins of an old coffee plantation built in 1801 by French immigrants from Haiti. The main building is currently an elegant restaurant, located 240 meters above sea level.

San Juan River Baths

Natural spa located on the banks of the San Juan River. It has natural pools of crystalline waters, some of them of remarkable depth and with mineral-medicinal waters.

Routes and Trails

There are seven trails with varying degrees of complexity, although all are suitable for the average tourist:

Route of the Cañada del Infierno

8 km west of Las Terrazas, follow the Bayate River route to the south for 2 km, to the superficial ruins of the old San Pedro Cafetal and the sulphurous baths of Santa Catalina.

• Las Delicias Trail

Go up the hills of Las Delicias, where visitors can see excellent views of the valley below. The trip culminates in the Buena Vista Cafetal, also extended to the Buena Vista Trail.

• Serafina Trail

Excellent for bird watching like the tocororo and the woodpecker.

• The Terraceo

• The Pleasure of Walking

• The stool.

• The Song of Tocororo

Ruins of the Old Cafetal Angerona

Artemisa Cayajabos road, km 5, Artemisa

Sample of the splendor of the coffee plantations of the west of the Island during the Colony. Recognized in the first quarter of the 19th century as the most important coffee plantation in Vuelta Abajo, and the second most important in Cuba, it was founded by the German Cornelio Souchay and his wife the Haitian Úrsula Lambert, who bought these lands in 1813. The legend of Angerona's owners' love has inspired several literary works and the film Roble de Olor.

The former coffee plantation, declared a National Monument in 1989, conserves part of the house of residence, the house of the mayoral, the system of reservoirs for water storage, the walls of confinement of slaves and the watchtower. At the entrance of the hacienda was a statue of the Roman goddess Angerona, goddess of silence, carved in Carrara marble, which can now be seen in the Municipal Museum of Artemis.

Rancho Charco Azul

Cayajabos

Telph. 7 6491055

Horse breeding center located 14 km west of Artemis. Formerly belonging to the cattle rancher Rosendo Palacios, today it belongs to the company of Flora and Fauna and is dedicated to the breeding of purebred English horses. Horseback riding around the farm and guided excursions for bird watching can be hired.

San Antonio de los Baños

Small town founded in 1775 on the banks of the Ariguanabo River, it houses the headquarters of the Museum of the Biennial of Humor (Calle 60 No. 4116, corner 45 / Telph. 47 38 2817). Its rooms exhibit samples of works by the best cartoonists from around the world who have participated in the event over the years.

International School of Film and Television of San Antonio de los Baños

 Under the supervision of the New Latin American Cinema Foundation, the Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez participated directly in its foundation. It was created for the training of film artists and for the development of the film industry in different countries.

Beaches

The coasts of Artemisa are not very relevant as sun and beach destinations, except for Baracoa Beach, located 16 km west of Havana and of great popularity among national tourism in the summer stage. In addition to Playa Salado, hard sands that make it the ideal seat for a go-kart track, and Herradura Beach.