The Guamá recreational complex, in the Zapata Swamp (western province of Matanzas), is an emblematic tourist resort in Cuba, some 90 kilometers from the famous beach resort of Varadero and 142 kilometers from Havana.
The attraction starts from the very start, as visitors are drawn to a boat ride along canals to the actual tourist centre, or accommodation, where several islets have cabins on pontoons in the middle of the water.
The boat trip, a crocodile farm, the palafitos (stilt houses), wooden paths to allow access through swampy places and sculptures of indigenous people at work in those pre-Columbian times add a sense of distinction to Guamá, named after a Taino chieftain of the 16th century.
Plenty to see Boca de Guamá is the pier from where you can embark for tours of the canals and the lagoon that lead to the lodgings, a place where you can also enjoy a service complex for travelers, with facilities including a restaurant, bar, handicrafts sales area and entertainment with shows and traditional ceremonies, among others.
The entire swampland has international recognition for its environmental conservation, as a Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar site (wetlands of international importance).
A tourist visit to the crocodile farm, one of the most popular activities, is made of three stages: one is to interact, without disrupting the area’s biological balance, with small animals and appreciate different species, such as the jicotea or the iguana; the latter being not native to the place but that was introduced and adapted well.
The second is historical and social, as it shows an area dedicated to charcoal makers, since this region was very poor with many people dedicated to making charcoal (it is still produced). Several ovens allow the traveller to learn about this trade.
The third is an excursion to where the crocodiles are found, with species like the Cuban Rombifer, endemic to the swampland, and to see a hatchery with different sections, where you can appreciate newborn animals as well as others as old as 40.
Particularly interesting is the Taino Village, an excursion that allows you to appreciate 26 sculptures, in the positions of indigenous people hunting, fishing or in various activities of their time, works of the renowned Cuban artist Rita Longa (1912-2000).
The hotel itself has about thirty standard rooms made of guano and wood on stilts, with all the regular comforts, and access by bridges and paths or boats and water bicycles, which gives it a singular charm.
The food offered is Creole and traditional, along with international dishes to satisfy clients from various parts of the world.
Hiking, birdwatching and other species, and water sports are among the tourist activities offered by this truly wonderful place that many people like to visit more than once for its attractive connection between nature, history and traditions.
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