Cuba - Lonely Planet [352]
The well-preserved wreck of the Spanish cruiser Cristóbal Colón lies where it sank in 1898, about 15m down and only 30m offshore near La Mula. No scuba gear is available here, but you can see the wreck with a mask and snorkel. (Divers from the Brisas Sierra Mar resort are brought here by bus for a shore dive on the wreck.) If you have the time, hike up the Río Turquino to Las Posas de los Morones, which has a few nice pools where you can swim (allow four hours round-trip). You must wade across the river at least three times unless it’s dry.
Activities
The emblematic Pico Turquino trek is often tackled from Las Cuevas on the remote coast road 130km west of Santiago de Cuba. If summiting the mountain is your main aim, this is probably the quickest and easiest route. If you also want to immerse yourself in the area’s history and hike from Comandancia La Plata through and/or across the Sierra Maestra, you should set out from Alto del Naranjo in adjacent Granma province (see boxed text,). Bear in mind that both options can be linked in a spectacular through trek (note that onward transport is better from the Alto del Naranjo side).
The hike from Las Cuevas can be organized at relatively short notice at the trailhead. A good option is to book through Ecotur ( 65-38-59) in Santiago de Cuba. Click here for the map of this hike.
The trail from Las Cuevas begins on the south-coast highway, 7km west of Ocujal and 51km east of Marea del Portillo. This trek also passes Cuba’s second-highest peak, Pico Cuba (1872m). Allow at least six hours to go up and another four hours to come down, more if it has been raining as the trail floods in parts and becomes a mud slick in others. Most climbers set out at 4am (but if you’re on the trail by 6:30am, you’ll be OK), having slept at the Campismo La Mula, 12km east; self-sufficient hikers also have the option of pitching camp at Las Cuevas visitors center. The CUC$15 per person fee (camera CUC$5 extra) that you pay at the visitors center/trailhead includes a compulsory Cuban guide. You can overnight at the shelter on Pico Cuba if you don’t want to descend the same day (two days/one night CUC$30). Alternatively, you can do the entire Las Cuevas–Alto del Naranjo three-day hike by arranging to be met by a new team of guides at Pico Turquino (three days/two nights CUC$48). Add an extra CUC$5 onto the latter two options if you wish to include a side trip to Castro’s former headquarters at Comandancia La Plata.
This hike is grueling because you’re gaining almost 2km in elevation across only 9.6km of trail. But shade and peek-a-boo views provide plenty of respite. Fill up on water before setting out. The well-marked route leads from Las Cuevas to La Esmajagua (600m; 3km; there’s water here and a hospitable country family), Pico Cardero (1265m; quickly followed by a series of nearly vertical steps called Saca La Lengua, literally ‘flops your tongue out’), Pico Cuba (1872m; 2km; water and shelter here) and Pico Turquino (1972m; 1.7km). When the fog parts and you catch your breath, you’ll behold a bronze bust of José Martí that stands on the summit of Cuba’s highest mountain. You can overnight at either Pico Cuba on the ascent or La Esmajagua on the descent. The Pico Cuba shelter has a rudimentary kitchen and a wood-fire stove, plank beds (no mattresses) or, if those are taken, floor space. For the Alto del Naranjo–Santo Domingo continuation, see boxed text.
Alternatively, walkers with less lofty ambitions can arrange a short four-hour, 6km trek from Las Cuevas to La Esmajagua and back for CUC$13 (camera CUC$5 extra).
Trekkers should bring sufficient food, warm