Cabra Island, Ciete Hermanos (Monte Christi)

Monte Christi was founded in 1533 by settlers from the Canary Islands. There were 60 families that Juan de Bolaños brought here. Like all the cities of the northern coast, in the XV century, during the Spanish persecutions, Monte Christi was practically depopulated, and life in it began to revive only in the next century, and flourished in the XIX century, when the trade of agricultural products and timber began lively. In the middle of the XX century. here settled a huge fruit company that organized banana plantations. Bananas grown there were of very high quality and were successfully exported.

Now Monte Cristi is a little sleepy and slightly dilapidated city with 20,000 inhabitants. As a legacy from past eras, he inherited numerous buildings of the Victorian style. And the highlight of the city can be considered Plaza de Reloj (Plaza de Reloj - with Spanish). "Clock Square." It is a small square with a clock tower on it. Back in the XIX century. watches were delivered from France, and still please everyone with their fight, which is heard every 15 minutes. Very close to the city is the Monte Cristi National Park.

It circles the city towards the north, west and south. The area of the park is 530 square kilometers. It includes a dry subtropical zone, coastal lagoons - mangroves and a group of small islands. When you are there, pay attention to the Mount El Morro rising from the water. It is funny that its silhouette is exactly a sleeping one-humped camel. In the park of Monte Christi interesting island group Ciete Hermanos (Siete Hermanos), which means “Seven brothers”. These are seven wild islands surrounded by coral reefs with magnificent aquatic fauna.

And the surface part of them is an untouched world of feathered inhabitants. They say that a special revival is observed in May, when numerous birds come here from Florida to nest. From November to February, large sea turtles lay eggs in the sand of the beaches on Ciete Hermanos. In the northern part of the park is what lovers of scuba diving come here for. Here at the bottom of the bay in a kind of ocean cemetery are sunken ships. They say that there are about 180 sailboats.