Cuba - Lonely Planet [143]
Getting to La Isla requires a bit of effort. There are two options; airplane (book early) and boat (a trip that should be straightforward, but rarely is). The boat will take you to capital Nueva Gerona, a town that is easily negotiated on foot; but to see the rest of the island you need to decipher the unreliable local bus service or commission a car or taxi. There are no tourist buses or trains on the Isla.
Return to beginning of chapter
ISLA DE LA JUVENTUD
One of the most welcoming places you will come across in Cuba, Isla de la Juventud is a world apart from anywhere else on the archipelago. The laid-back pace and opportunities for getting (way) off the beaten track here will appeal to escape artists and adventure types alike. While the hotel scene is a little thin on the ground, the social opportunities are good and the ingratiating casas particulares dotted around the capital Nueva Gerona are run by the kind of generous people who open both their homes and hearts to guests. The island’s southern half, with its preserved ecosystems and rich natural wildlife, is a largely undiscovered wilderness while the southwestern part of the island around Punta Francés is known for its magnificent scuba diving.
Return to beginning of chapter
NUEVA GERONA
46 / pop 37,300
Flanked by the Sierra de Las Casas to the west and the Sierra de Caballos to the east, Nueva Gerona is a small, unhurried town that hugs the left bank of the Río Las Casas, the island’s only large river. Little visited and devoid of any the major historical buildings that dot Cuba’s Isla Grande, it’s a small, cheap and incredibly friendly place and you could easily find that you’re the only foreign face around.
Information
INTERNET ACCESS & TELEPHONE
Etecsa Telepunto (Calle 41 No 2802 btwn Calles 28 & 30; 8:30am-7:30pm)
MEDIA
Radio Caribe Broadcasts varied musical programs on 1270AM.
Victoria Local paper published on Saturday.
MEDICAL SERVICES
Farmacia Nueva Gerona ( 32-60-84; cnr Calles 39 & 24; 8am-11pm Mon-Sat)
Hospital General Héroes de Baire ( 32-30-12; Calle 39A) There’s a recompression chamber here.
MONEY
Banco de Crédito y Comercio ( 32-48-05; Calle 39 No 1802; 8am-3pm Mon-Fri) On the corner of Calle 18.
Banco Popular de Ahorro ( 32-27-42; cnr Calles 39 & 26; 8am-noon & 1:30-5pm Mon-Fri)
Cadeca ( 32-34-62; Calle 39 No 2022; 8:30am-6pm Mon-Sat, 8:30am-1pm Sun) Located on the corner of Calle 20.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photo Service ( 32-47-66; Calle 39 No 2010 btwn Calles 20 & 22) Buy or develop film.
POST
Post office ( 32-26-00; Calle 39 No 1810 btwn Calles 18 & 20; 8am-6pm Mon-Sat)
TRAVEL AGENCIES
Ecotur ( 32-71-01; Calle 39 btwn Calles 24 & 26) Organizes trips into the militarized zone and to Punta Francés.
Sights
This is a good area to discover on bicycle, with beaches, Museo Finca El Abra and the Presidio Modelo all only a few kilometers from Nueva Gerona. Ask at your casa particular about bicycle rentals.
DOWNTOWN
The Museo Municipal ( 32-37-91; Calle 30 btwn Calles 37 & 39; 9am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-noon Sun) is in the former Casa de Gobierno (1853). It houses a small historical collection with assorted pirate tidbits mixed in with the usual bones and birds.
The art school on the west side of Parque Central is the former Centro Escolar, built in 1928. On the northwest side of Parque Central is the church of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores ( 32-18-35). This Mexican colonial- style church was built in 1926, after the original was destroyed by a hurricane. In 1957 the parish priest, Guillermo Sardiñas, left Nueva Gerona to join Fidel Castro in the Sierra Maestra, the only Cuban priest to do so. Sardiñas was eventually promoted to the rank of comandante.
On Calle 28, two blocks east of Parque Central, you’ll see a huge ferry painted black and white and set up as a memorial next to the river. This is El Pinero ( 32-41-62), the original boat used to ferry passengers between La Isla and the main island from the 1920s until 1974. On May 15, 1955, Castro and the other prisoners released from