By: Dr. Martin Luis

After having enjoyed the beauties of Baracoa and its surroundings, we suggest to visit Guantánamo, the capital of the province of the same name. The Guantánamo River, which originated the valley where the city is, flows into one of the biggest bag bays in the country. From Baracoa you should well organize your trip and determine your arrival hour so that you can have enough time to book in a hotel. The journey, of about 150 km, is an adventure itself for you should cross the whole Nipe- Sagua- Baracoa Mountain Range using a road that was the dream of many and became true after the triumph of the Revolution, in the 60´s.

 

This winding road is known as La Farola (The Streetlamp). Consult your map, page 23.  There are almost 60 km between Baracoa and Jacobabo, the village where this road gets to the coastal plain besides the Caribbean Sea and goes west, to Guantánamo. The views are impressive and the road, in sections, is built over very high piles, which work as support. It has eleven bridges hanging to the void with precipices at both sides, giving the impression of defying gravity. Its highest point is at 600 m over the sea level and it is known as Altos de Cotilla, which appears in your map. This is a road where the five senses should be used. Even the map warns you about that. It is an unforgettable experience.

 

This area is very different from the rest of Cuba for many reasons. One of them is the occurrence of the rain. In all the information given in Cuba about the rain, it is mentioned that its annual average, taking into account the amount of years used to calculate it, is of 1 360 mm, with a rainy season from May to October and a dry season from November to April. In this area, this is not like that because of local reasons, mainly the mountain system existing there. It happens there what is known as orographic rain or Foehn effect, that is to say, intensive rain in the slope where the wind blows and dry on the other slope where the wind descends. Baracoa is located where the wind starts to blow from the sea.

 

That is why it rains there almost every day and 2 700 mm of rain fall in a year. In the west part of these mountains there is a tropical climate, with savanna features, while the East has a tropical jungle climate with 2 200 mm of rain, falling up to 3600 mm in the most isolated high areas. The National Park Alejandro de Humboldt and the Biosphere Reserve Cuchillas del Toa, which we have recommended to visit in previous articles, are in this area.

 

In the coastal plain of the Southern coast the climate is semi desert, where only between 400 and 600 mm of rain fall. La Farola, and all the roads that cross the mountains towards the coast to Guantánamo, pass through these regions. So, during your trip you can find a downpour area or another where a single drop does not fall. This can happen all the year.

 

Another difference of this area as compared with the rest of Cuba is the existence of an impressive marine terrace system. It is considered among the most spectacular and well preserved of the Caribbean. Near Maisí the terraces are almost 350 m high, being less pronounced towards the west, in the direction of Imías and Guantánamo.

 

If you take La Farola directly to Guantánamo, you will miss truly interesting unique places of Cuba, although the distance will increase in almost 160 km. But if you have time and you love the marine and mountain landscapes, we recommend stopping in one of the camping sites of the shore: Yacabo Abajo o Playitas de Cajobabo, both separated by only 24 km. (Consult your map).

 

The surrounding of these sites is very interesting for they are next to the rivers where, according to the year season, you can go for a swim or enjoy the delights of the Caribbean Sea. The attraction of the first one is the semi desert vegetation of the coastal plain, while the other is characterized by the terrace relief and counts with the museum house where José Martí and other patriots landed to join the War of Independence in 1895. If you accept this suggestion, remember to confirm your hotel reservation in Guantánamo.

 

The following day, come back to Baracoa through La Farola and, consulting your map, get to Cabacú village and take the road that crosses Boca de Miel, Majana and other towns, visiting the small bays Boma and Mata (very beautiful), until you arrive in a place called Boca de Yumurí (Yumurí Mouth) to enjoy the impressive canyon or narrow gorge that the Yumurí River has formed to get to the sea.

 

After visiting it, take the road that leads to La Máquina town. It has also impressive views and very steep slopes as La Farola. All this tour is attractive, particularly the far away views of the sea, the Maisí lighthouse and the terraces. Your map also warns you about this road.

 

The road twists crossing several villages until it reaches the coast, at Ovando bay, descending to it along the terraces until the sea shore. From there it goes parallel to the coast. The small rivers crossed by the road are like oasis within the semi desert vegetation until Playitas de Cajobabo. From here, you take the road that leads to Guantánamo, which is at 100 km.

 

The road slowly leaves the semi desert vegetation behind. Some terrace levels can still be seen, particularly near Baitiquirí Bay, where one can see about 10 of them. Picturesque villages are passed through like Imías and San Antonio del Sur, we recommend to eat something in one of them. This last village is at 64 km from Guantánamo.

 

The road goes towards the inner land at Playa Yateritas and approaches Guantánamo Bay. From the road, the bay looks like a blue mirror of great beauty. As different from other province capitals, Guatánamo city has no beltway but its road sign system is good. Enjoy the hospitality of its people at your arrival in the hotel. In next articles we will guide you all along the Southern coast to find new interesting places.

By: Dr. Martin Luis

The tours we had described so far covered the whole Northern coast of our country except the small section between the city of Baracoa and Punta de Quemado (Quemado Tip), the easternmost tip of Cuba. But you should not think that there is nothing else interesting to see for the Southern coast and its inner near territories has natural elements that are unique in the country. It is true that both coasts have bag bays (bays with a narrow entrance and wide interior), archipelagos, coastal reefs, swamps, beaches and other natural elements but the influence of the climate factors, the disposition of the relief and the local geological evolution make the two coasts different.

If you decide to continue visiting interesting places next to our Southern coasts, you will enjoy new natural and cultural elements near the Caribbean Sea. There are five coastal sections in the Southern coast of Cuba. Start from the Southern coast of the Eastern provinces, departing from Baracoa: Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba and Granma. Which surprises await you? Next we give you brief summarized information of this first section of the South coast, which will be enlarged as far as we describe in detail your tour along the seaboard, as we did in previous articles about the Northern coast.

This first section: it goes from Punta de Quemado up to Cabo Cruz (Cross Cape). It is unique in our country regarding the presence of natural, social and cultural elements, being the most outstanding:

The best preserved marine terrace systems of the Caribbean: either emerged or underwater. They are located at both sides of this section. They are excellently preserved worldwide, particularly those next to Cabo Cruz. This is one of the values that justifies it’s been declared Parque Nacional Desembarco del Granma (Granma Landing National Park), also declared Natural Heritage of Mankind. This Park and its terraces can be visited because it counts with a great program of public use.

The Sierra Maestra Mountain System: it is the largest, widest and highest mountain range of the country. It is located at the edge of the coast, between Baconao and Cabo Cruz. The road that goes parallel to the coast next to the Caribbean Sea, locally known as Pilón Road, between Santiago de Cuba and Pilón is of great beauty and unique in the country regarding its surroundings. It has all kind of rocks, especially volcanic ones; they are polished by the intense waves of the Caribbean and commonly found at both sides of the road.

The Turquino National Park: it is the highest in Cuba, located at the Sierra Maestra. It has numerous peaks, more than fifteen, which exceed the 1 300 m of height, including the highest in our country: Turquino Royal Peak with 1974 m, Cuba Peak with 1872 and Suecia (Sweden) Peak with 1734 m. It has great values from the landscape, flora, fauna and historical points of view. It is considered the roof of Cuba and unique of its type in our country. It also counts with a program of public use.

The Baconao Reserve of the Biosphere: located between Guantánamo and Santiago de Cuba cities. It has a tourist infrastructure that allows you to stay in the area and coordinate your visit, which should be requested to the ministries of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA), of Agriculture and of Tourism. In this Reserve there is also the Jurassic Prehistoric Park, a place of great interest.

The deepest of the Cuban waters: at a few kilometers from the coast, the depth is almost of 6 000 km, one of the biggest in the Caribbean. It is known as the Bartlet or Oriente Basin. There are almost 9 kilometers between the bottom of the basin and the top of the Turquino Royal Peak. This great depth is due to the fact that the basin is at the limit between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Micro Plate. In the whole area, particularly around the Santiago de Cuba bay, the micro earthquakes are frequent, many of them imperceptibles.

An excellent road: all the coast can be traveled without difficulty for the communications are very good, even the harbors or defiles that communicate the rest of the country with the coast are crossed by these roads. Many hotels, camping sites, marinas, diving centers and places to stay in are along this road that goes parallel to the Southern coast, crossing beaches and passing not far from very interesting places such as the Monitongos, the desert zone of Guantánamo or La Gran Piedra (the Big Stone), a miniature copy of the Argentinean Tandil.

Two important cities: Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo: they both are province capitals. The first is towards the central part of the coast, while the second is at the easternmost part of it. These are the Cuban cities that are influenced the most by the Caribbean culture. They both have an intensive cultural life, although the first one is outstanding for being the oldest, the most populated and the second important city of Cuba after Havana. It has more than a million inhabitants.

Santiago de Cuba was for a short period of time the capital of Cuba. It is a city with a lot of history, either during the colonial times or during the Republic. It has several museums and other places of historical interest, particularly about the time that preceded the triumph of the Revolution. As well as other Cuban cities it is known with other names: the Hero City and the Caribbean Capital.

The Caridad del Cobre Virgin Sanctuary (patron Saint of Cuba): It is a Sanctuary – Basilica placed on a hill near the Cobre (Copper) village, close to Santiago de Cuba. It was inaugurated on September 1927; eleven years after S.S Benedicto XV accepted the petition letter of generals, officers and veterans of the Liberation Army where they requested the Caridad del Cobre Virgin, to be proclaimed the patron saint of Cuba.

It is the center of pilgrimage for many Cubans. It is visited all the year round. The temple has a long stairway flanked by twelve small pilasters crowned with lights that are covered with crystal trapezoidal figures. It leads to the two-floor Sanctuary. In its middle part there is a central tower with a clock. It ends in an ogival tower of red tiles with a cross on the top. At both sides of the central tower and behind it, there are two other pointed towers.

If you are in Baracoa city, this tour will allow you to continue your trip along the Cuban coasts. If you are somewhere else in Cuba, take your car and make a reservation from your hotel and cheer up to visit this part of Cuba, so different from the rest of the country. Lovely surprises await you.