Topes de Collantes

Topes de Collantes
Topes de Collantes
Location	Cuba
Nearest city	Trinidad
Coordinates	21°53′N 80°00′W / 21.883°N 80.000°W / 21.883; -80.000Coordinates: 21°53′N 80°00′W / 21.883°N 80.000°W / 21.883; -80.000

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

Topes de Collantes, literally Collantes’ Highs, almost 800 metres (2,600 ft) above sea level, along with Potrerillo peak, 931 metres (3,054 ft) and tallest San Juan peak, 1,140 metres (3,740 ft) are located in the Escambray range. These mountains are shared by the three central provinces of the island; Villa Clara Province to the north, Cienfuegos Province and Sancti Spiritus Province to the west and east respectively.

The wet winds coming off the Atlantic Ocean have made the north face of the mountains a luxurious refuge for plants and animals, while the drier south face hosts important ecosystems, in which lie two famous UNESCO World Heritage sites; Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), and Trinidad city, both living examples of early 17th-century wealthy colonial Cuba.

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 metres (20 ft) tall palm-like tree 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, West Indian mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni) and magnolias making the wonder of this tropical rainforest.