Sancti Spíritus is a municipality and city in the province of Sancti Spíritus, central Cuba, and is the provincial capital. Sancti Spíritus is Latin for Holy Spirit.

Topes de Collantes is a nature reserve park in the Escambray Mountains in this province. The name also refers to the third highest peak in the reserve, where a small settlement and tourist center is located, all sharing the same name.

Nature is the big attraction here. Caves, rivers, falls, grottos, canyons, natural pools with crystal clear water, mountain hills surrounded by Mariposa (Butterfly lily, Hedychium coronarium) Cuba’s national flower announcing their presence with a soft unique flagrance from June to early September.


More than 40 indigenous species of orchids and 100 species of ferns, of which 7 are 6 meters (20 ft) tall palm-like ferns, wild plantain and banana trees, jasmine, begonias, several representatives of the ginger family and around 40 species of coffee are growing under the shade of giant 40 meter tall pines, eucalyptus, mahoganies and magnolias making the wonder of this tropical rain forest.

Important animal species live here as well. They include the cartacuba (Todus multicolor), royal woodpecker (Campephilus principalis), unique hummingbirds, and Cuba’s national bird the tocororo (Priotelus Temnurus).

Attractions

• Caburni Falls, at about 3 kilometers (2 mi) is the most popular hike trough coffee plantations, traditional farmers houses, and cliffs to end in Caburni river which falls from a 62 meters (203 ft) rock wall into a series of ponds.

• La Batata, 3 kilometers (2 mi) from the city, offers scenic views as well, ending in an underground river-cave system with several levels of natural ponds.

• Hacienda Codina, a ranch with several attractions: medicinal mud baths, medicinal and ornamental gardens, the orchid’s collection has more than 40 local species including bamboo; Altar’s cave from where a secret passage ends in a natural lookout facing south of the mountain system and the Valley of the sugar mills, Trinidad and Ancon can be seen.

• Paseo Ecologico, Ecology walk, 1 kilometers (1 mi) local path connecting the Kurhotel with hotel “Los helechos” filled with mariposa shrubs and arborescent ferns under the canopy of pines and eucalyptus.

• Parque La represa, a 1 square kilometers (0.4 sq mi) park developed around the original house built for Batista’s wife Martha. Placed on the banks of River Vega Grande, there is an arboretum with more than 300 exotic species. The highest and oldest mahogany ever found in Cuba lives in this place.

• Snak Bar “El mirador”, literally The Lookout, it in the way down to Trinidad, between the Valley and the range in the back, but still 600 meters above sea level offers views of the city and peninsula below.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/