Las Terrazas
A Singular Community in Western Cuba

Las Terrazas is a community of little more than 800 inhabitants in the centre of an environmentally rich area known as Sierra del Rosario, a massif in the Cuban west which was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.

Its origin date back to the 1970's when it was conceived as part of a comprehensive program for the redevelopment of the area which included the reforestation on terraces and the rescue of its natural, historical and cultural values. Featuring a singular design and only 45 minutes from Havana, the town is built in a narrow valley on the banks of the San Juan Lake forming a harmonious and coherent pairing and with a pleasant vista of the surrounding landscape. In this community one can breathe the hospitality of the Cuban country people. A walk along the Callejón de Moka, where the Fonda de Mercedes and the Café de María can be found, are enough for you to see for yourself the customs and traditions of rural Cuba.

Mercedes and María were famous for the traditional cuisine offered in their establishments. Travelers would arrive in search of roast pork, white rice and black beans, and the good tasting coffee from these mountains.

This area is the birthplace of the late singer and composer Polo Montañés and his old lakeside home is now a museum