Baconao Park is a large park region, about 60 kilometers away from the city of Santiago de Cuba, with a total surface of .

History

The name Baconao is related to the name of a little native who lived in the south of Cuba during the pre-Columbian period. Legend mentions a magical tree, called ''bacona'', that allowed the child to play music from the lagoon's snails. This little Cuban was known for his fishing and swimming skills, as well as playing ''Batos'' (Cuban original baseball game). The child used to sit under the ''bacona'' tree to play music from his snail. Everybody in the village was fascinated, and thought that the ability to play the music was a gift from the magical tree. Therefore, they began to call the child ''Baconao''. One day, the young boy left the village for a trip, and never came back. The villagers believed that the child's magic returned to the trees, and as time passed, the whole area got the name ''Baconao''. In 1987, it was declared a World Heritage Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO. UNESCO
Baconao Biosphere Reserve Information

Attractions

The park contains a variety of attractions beside wildlife refuges and coffee plantations. ;Great Rock (Gran Piedra) The Great Rock is a large rock of volcanic origin, measuring long, high, and wide. Its estimated weight is more than 63 thousand

ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

s. It is possible to climb 459 stone steps to the summit of the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, and stand 1,234 meters above sea level for a panoramic view. It is said that on a dark night one can see the lights of Jamaica. ;Prehistoric Valley In the Valle de la Prehistoria visitors encounter dozens of life-size model dinosaurs sculpted in stone and other

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

creatures lurking in lush vegetation. ;Farm (Granjita Siboney) The farm is the place where the attackers of the

Moncada Barracks The Moncada Barracks was a military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, named after General Guillermo Moncada, a hero of the Cuban War of Independence. On 26 July 1953, the barracks was the site of an armed attack by a small group of revolutionaries ...

''(Cuartel Moncada)'' led by

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

, spent the night prior to the attack on 26 July 1953. ;Botanical Garden There is also a garden, called ''Jardin Ave de Paraiso'', dating from 1860, that was laid out on a former coffee plantation and features a series of colour-coded gardens with unique scents and displays in each. ;Museum of History of Terrestrial Transport The museum displays over 2,500 small-scale car

replica A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...

s. ;Aquarium The

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

is deep, and has a

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

tunnel, and a Dolphinarium. ;Baconao Lagoon The lagoon has an area of . There is also a

reproduction Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual organisms – "offspring" – are produced from their "parent" or parents. Reproduction is a fundamental feature of all known life; each individual or ...

of a Taíno Village, and a restaurant specialized in seafood.

References

External links

DTCuba
– Baconao Park {{Authority control Biosphere reserves of Cuba Parks in Cuba Nature conservation in Cuba Santiago de Cuba Protected areas established in 1987 1987 establishments in Cuba Geography of Santiago de Cuba Province Tourist attractions in Santiago de Cuba Province Dolphinariums 20th-century architecture in Cuba