Cuba - Lonely Planet [320]
About eight kilometers southwest of Las Coloradas is the easy 3km-long Sendero Arqueológico Natural El Guafe (admission CUC$3), the park’s only advertised nature/archaeological trail. An underground river here has created 20 large caverns, one of which contains the famous ĺdolo del Agua, carved from stalagmites by pre-Columbian Indians. You should allow two hours for the stroll in order to take in the butterflies, 170 different species of birds (including the tiny colibrí), and multiple orchids. There’s also a 500-year-old cactus. A park guard can guide you through the more interesting features for an extra CUC$2.
The park is flecked with other trails, but access to them is limited. Inquire about guided excursion with Cubamar in Havana. Cuban students have recounted fascinating expeditions retracing the footsteps of the Granma survivors from Alegrío del Pío into the Sierra Maestra.
Three kilometers beyond the El Guafe trailhead is Cabo Cruz, a classic fishing port with skiffs bobbing offshore and sinewy men gutting their catch on the golden beach. There’s not much to see here except the 33m-tall Vargas lighthouse, which was erected in 1871. An exhibition room labeled ‘Historia del Faro,’ inside the adjacent building, has lighthouse memorabilia and is open sporadically.
There’s good swimming and shore snorkeling east of the lighthouse; watch out for strong currents.
Sleeping & Eating
Campismo Las Coloradas (Cubamar; Carretera de Niquero Km 17; s/d CUC$8/12; ) A Category 3 campismo with 28 duplex cabins standing on 500m of murky beach, 5km southwest of Belic, just outside the park. All cabins have air-con and baths and there’s a restaurant, a games hall and water-sport rental on-site. Las Coloradas underwent a lengthy reconstruction following damage inflicted by Hurricane Dennis in 2005. You can book through Cubamar in Havana.
Getting There & Away
Ten kilometers southwest of Media Luna the road divides, with Pilón 30km to the southeast and Niquero 10km to the southwest. Belic is 16km southwest of Niquero. It’s another 6km from Belic to the national park entry gate.
If you don’t have your own transport, getting here can be tough. Irregular buses go as far as the Campismo Las Coloradas daily and there are equally infrequent trucks from Belic. As a last resort, you can try the amarillos in Niquero. The closest gas stations are in Niquero.
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PILÓN
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Pilón is a small, isolated settlement wedged between the Marea del Portillo resorts and the Parque Nacional Desembarco del Granma. It is the last coastal town of any note before Chivirico over 150km to the east. Since its sugar mill shut down nearly a decade ago, Pilón has lost much of its raison d’être, though the people still eek out a living despite almost nonexistent transport links and a merciless bludgeoning from Hurricane Dennis in 2005.
Inspired by Fidel’s revolutionary call, the town’s inhabitants were quick to provide aid to the disparate rebel army after the Granma yacht landed nearby in 1956, and Castro muse Celia Sánchez briefly based herself here. The tiny Casa Museo Celia Sánchez Manduley (admission CUC$1; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) has been named in her honor – though it functions mainly as a local history museum.
There’s a popular dance in Cuba called the pilón (named after the town), which imitates the rhythms of pounding sugar. Your best chance of seeing it is to attend a festive Sábado de Rumba, Pilón’s weekly street party – similar to those in Manzanillo and Bayamo – with whole roast pig, shots of rum and plenty of live music. The hotels at Marea del Portillo run a weekly Saturday evening transfer bus to Pilón for CUC$5 return.
Sleeping & Eating
Villa Turística Punta Piedra (Cubanacán; 59-70-62; s/d CUC$26/45; ) On the main road 11km east of Pilón and 5km west of Marea del Portillo, this small low-key resort,