Cuba - Lonely Planet [358]
TRAIN
The train station ( 32-55-18; Pedro A Pérez), several blocks north of Parque Martí, has one departure for Havana (CUC$32, 9:05pm) on alternate days. This train also stops at Camagüey (CUC$13), Ciego de Ávila (CUC$16), Guayos (CUC$20; you should disembark here for Sancti Spíritus), Santa Clara (CUC$22) and Matanzas (CUC$29). There was no service to Santiago de Cuba at the time of writing. Purchase tickets in the morning of the day the train departs at the office on Pedro A Pérez.
Getting Around
Havanautos ( 35-54-05; Cupet Guantánamo) is by the Servi-Cupet gas station on the way out of town toward Baracoa. If you couldn’t get a car in Santiago, you should be able to pick one up here.
The Oro Negro gas station (cnr Los Maceos & Jesús del Sol) is another option to fill up on gas before the 150km trek east to Baracoa.
Taxis hang out around Parque Martí or you can call CubaTaxi ( 32-36-36). The bus 48 (20 centavos) runs between the center and the Hotel Guantánamo every 40 minutes or so. There are also plenty of bici-taxis.
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AROUND GUANTÁNAMO US NAVAL BASE
Traditionally, it has been possible to enjoy a distant view of the base from the isolated Mirador de Malones (admission incl drink CUC$5; 8am-3pm), a Gaviota-run restaurant perched on a 320m-high hill just east of the complex. At the time of writing, visits here had been suspended with no reliable information as to when (or if) they would be reinstated. Check the current status beforehand at Hotel Guantánamo Click here or one of the Gaviota-run hotels in Baracoa.
Should you get lucky, the entrance to the Mirador is at a Cuban military checkpoint on the main Baracoa highway, 27km southeast of Guantánamo. You then ascend 15km up a steep, severely rutted road to the restaurant where you can peer through a telescope at the surprisingly tranquil base below. Sharp-eyed observers should look out for a US flag fluttering at the northeast gate and the sinister glassy sheen of Camp Delta. Contrary to popular belief, there is no visible sign of Cuba’s only Golden Arches.
Sleeping
Hotel Caimanera (Islazul; 9-9414; s/d with breakfast CUC$23/30; ) This hotel is on a hilltop at Caimanera, near the perimeter of the US Naval Base, 21km south of Guantánamo. It has peculiar rules which permit only groups of seven or more on prearranged tours with an official Cuban guide to stay and enjoy the lookout – which isn’t as good as the Mirador de Malones anyway. Ask at the Hotel Guantánamo about joining a trip.
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ZOOLÓGICO DE PIEDRAS
A surreal spectacle even by Cuban standards, the Zoológico de Piedras ( 86-51-43; admission CUC$1; 9am-6pm Mon-Sat) is an animal sculpture park set amid thick foliage in the grounds of a mountain coffee farm, 20km northeast of Guantánamo. Carved quite literally out of the existing rock by sculptor Angel Iñigo Blanco starting in the late ’70s, the animal sculptures now number more than 300 and range from hippos to giant serpents. A 1km path covers the highlights. To get here you’ll need your own wheels or a taxi. Head east out of town and fork left toward Jamaica and Honduras. The ‘zoo’ is in the settlement of Boquerón.
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SOUTH COAST
Leaving Guantánamo in a cloud of dust, you quickly hit the long, dry coastal road to the island’s eastern extremity, Punta de Maisí. This is Cuba’s spectacular semidesert region where cacti nestle on rocky ocean terraces and prickly aloe vera poke out from the dry scrub. Several little stone beaches between Playa Yacabo and Cajobabo make refreshing pit stops for those with time to linger, while the diverse roadside scenery – punctuated at intervals by rugged purple mountains and impossibly verdant riverside oases – impresses throughout.
At the far end of deserted Playita de Cajobabo, just before the main road bends inland, there is a monument commemorating José Martí’s 1895 landing here to launch the Second War of Independence.