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Where is Santa Lucia in Cuba?

Playa-Santa-Lucia-Cuba

Santa Lucia, also known as Playa Santa Lucia, is located on Cuba’s north coast in the geographic center of the country. Santa Lucia is detached from the island of Cayo Sabinal due to the La Boca canal, a slim sea estuary which leads into the larger Bahia de Nuevitas (Nuevitas Bay). Seen using satellite imagery, Playa Santa Lucia would have been an island had the lowlands between the aforementioned Bahia de Nuevitas and Bahia de Nuevas Grandes (further east) been just 30 meters lower than they currently are. Therefore, while not an island, Santa Lucia is as close to being part of the Jardines del Rey Archipelago as any Cuban mainland destination could be. The obvious benefits of the location are, easy road access from Camaguey (population 330,465) and the same coastline and reefs that make the Jardines del Rey Islands so attractive to tourism.

Santa Lucia Cuba Map

The town of La Boca is a small seaside town, with less than 2000 inhabitants, perched on the northwest coast of Santa Lucia at the limit of the sea estuary. There are no tourism installations in the town, although it is a popular place to visit from the Playa Santa Lucia Hotels which are around 10 km further down the coastline.

At the start of the hotel zone there is an airport called Joaquin de Aguero Airport or NLU, also known as Santa Lucia Airport. The airport is being updated to permit direct flights from international destinations such as Canada and Europe. The update underway will extend the runway for larger planes and also incorporate the building of a new terminal.

Santa Lucia is 643 km (399 miles) from Havana. Varadero is 554 km (344 miles) from Playa Santa Lucia, whereas the closest major cities to Santa Lucia are Camaguey (population of 330,465) at 109 km (68 miles) and Las Tunas (population of 193,338) 87 km (54 miles) away. Both Camaguey and Las Tunas are authentic Cuban cities and, as such, popular tour destinations from Playa Santa Lucia (click above map for detail)

Santa Lucia as part of a tour of Cuba? Due to its easy mainland access and multiple entry points to Cuba’s 1435 km Carretera Central (Central Highway), the main road artery that runs through the center of the country, Santa Lucia is a favorite destination for those looking to add a beach destination to a broader tour of Cuba. Located between Camaguey and Las Tunas, it takes just 1 hour to transit the minor roads from the Central Highway at Camaguey to get to the resorts along the 21km (13 miles) beach of Playa Santa Lucia. Departing again from Santa Lucia, road trip vacationers often continue their tour of Cuba by taking the alternate route southeast. This passes through Puerto Padre (see image below) in Las Tunas then leads onto Holguin and beyond. In fact, it’s quite feasible to use Santa Lucia as a stopover point, halfway through a Cuba road trip, before contemplating the final 286 km (178 miles) to Santiago de Cuba. Contact us via chat for our unique Cuba Road Trip Package.

Puerto Padre Las Tunas

Even though there are no direct flights, to give an idea of just how close Santa Lucia in Cuba is to The Bahamas, the Clarence A. Bain Airport (MAY) in the Bahamas is just 301 km (187 miles) from Joaquin de Aguero Airport or Santa Lucia Airport (NLU).

With regard to the United States of America, Key West Florida is just 356 miles (572 kilometers) by flight from Playa Santa Lucia.