Cuba - Lonely Planet [313]
Sights & Activities
Santo Domingo is a tiny village that nestles in a deep green valley beside the gushing Río Yara. Communally it provides a wonderful slice of peaceful Cuban campesino life that has carried on pretty much unchanged since Fidel and Che prowled these shadowy mountains in the late 1950s. If you decide to stick around, you can get a taste of rural socialism at the local school and medical clinic, or ask at Villa Santo Domingo about the tiny village museum. The locals have also been known to offer horseback riding, pedicure treatments, hikes to natural swimming pools and some classic old first-hand tales from the annals of revolutionary history.
The park closes at 4pm but rangers won’t let you pass after mid-morning, so set off early to maximize your visit.
All trips into the park begin at the end of the near-vertical, corrugated-concrete access road at Alto del Naranjo (after Villa Santo Domingo the road gains 750 vertical meters in 5km). To get there, it’s an arduous two-hour walk, or you can ask about passage in a bone-rattling Russian truck (formerly used by the military in Angola). There’s a good view of the plains of Granma from this 950m-high lookout, otherwise it’s just a launching pad for La Plata (3km) and Pico Turquino (13km).
Situated atop a crenellated mountain ridge amid thick cloud forest, Comandancia La Plata was first established by Fidel Castro in 1958 after a year on the run in the Sierra Maestra. Well camouflaged and remote, the rebel HQ was chosen for its inaccessibility and it served its purpose well – Batista’s soldiers never found it. Today it remains much as it was left in the ’50s, with 16 simple wooden buildings (including a small museum) providing an evocative reminder of one of the most successful guerrilla campaigns in history.
Comandancia La Plata is controlled by the Centro de Información de Flora y Fauna in the village of Santo Domingo. Aspiring guerrilla-watchers must first hire a guide at the park headquarters (CUC$11), get transport (or walk) 5km up to Alto del Naranjo, and then proceed on foot along a muddy track for the final 3km. For further information, contact Villa Santo Domingo or Cubanacán in Bayamo Click here.
Sleeping & Eating
There are three accommodation options for park-bound visitors.
Campismo La Sierrita (Cubamar; 59-33-26; s/d CUC$9/14) Situated 8km south of Bartolomé Masó you start to feel the slanting shadow of the mountains here. The campismo (camping installation) is 1km off the main highway on a very rough road and boasts 27 cabins with bunks, baths and electricity. There’s a restaurant, and a river for swimming. Ask at the desk about trips to the national park. To ensure it’s open and has space, reserve in advance with Cubamar ( 7-833-2523/4) in Havana or at the Campismo Popular ( 42-42-00; General García No 112) office in Bayamo.
Motel Balcón de la Sierra (Islazul; 59-51-80; s/d CUC$22/28; ) One kilometer south of Bartolomé Masó and 16km north of Santo Domingo, this attractively located place nestled in the mountain foothills is a little distant for easy access to the park. A swimming pool and restaurant lie perched on a small hill with killer mountain views, while 20 air-conditioned cabins are scattered below. A lovely natural ambience is juxtaposed with the usual basic but functional Islazul furnishings.
Villa Santo Domingo (Islazul; 56-53-68; s/d with breakfast CUC$32/37; ) This villa, 24km south of Bartolomé Masó, sits at the gateway to Gran Parque Nacional Sierra Maestra. There are 20 separate cabins next to the Río Yara and the setting, among cascading mountains and campesino huts, is idyllic. From a geographical aspect, this is the best jumping-off point for the La Plata and Turquino hikes. You can also test your lungs going for a challenging early morning hike up a painfully steep road to Alto del Naranjo (5km; 750m of ascent). Other attractions include horseback riding, river swimming and traditional music in the villa’s restaurant. If you’re lucky, you might even catch the wizened old Rebel Quintet, a group of musicians