Holguín province offers more variety than most of Cuba. The city itself is built around leafy plazas and has a landmark hilltop cross worth the climb. The coast north of the city — Guardalavaca and Playa Esmeralda — ranks among Cuba's finest beach destinations. Inland, forests hide Cuba's tallest waterfall and a wildlife reserve where you might encounter buffalo and antelope. The colonial town of Gibara, with its crumbling sea walls and flooded cave systems, rounds out a province that rewards those willing to explore beyond the resort.