Cuba - Lonely Planet [368]
The species’ decline is linked directly to deforestation in both Cuba and the US. Ivory-billed woodpeckers inhabit hardwood forests and require a spacious 25 sq km per pair to feed and survive.
If you want to join the search, head for the mountains around Baracoa where you’ll need to look out for the bird’s shiny black-and-white plumage, and 75cm wingspan (the ivory-billed woodpecker is the second-largest member of the woodpecker family). Even more distinctive is its characteristic bill drum, said to sound like a toy trumpet.
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Activities
The park contains a small visitors center ( 38-14-31) staffed with biologists plus a network of trails leading to waterfalls, a mirador (lookout) and a massive karst system with caves around the Farallones de Moa. Three trails are currently open to the public and take in only a tiny segment of the park’s 594 sq km. Typically, you can’t just wander around on your own. The available hikes are: Balcón de Iberia, at 5km the park’s most challenging loop; El Recrea, a 2km stroll around the bay; and the Bahía de Taco circuit, which incorporates a boat tour (with a manatee-friendly motor developed by scientists here) through the mangroves and the bay, plus the 2km hike. Each option is accompanied by a highly professional guide. Prices range from CUC$5 to CUC$10, depending on the hike, but it’s far better to organize an excursion through Cubatur in Baracoa.
Sleeping
Lodging is periodically available at the bare-bones Campismo Bahía de Taco. Phone ahead or inquire at Hostal La Habanera in Baracoa.
Getting There & Away
You can arrange a tour through an agency in Baracoa or get here independently. The road is rough but passable in a hire car if driven with care.
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ACCOMMODATION
Cuban accommodation runs the gamut from CUC$10 beach cabins to five-star resorts. Solo travelers are penalized price-wise, paying 75% of the price of a double room.
In this book, budget means anything under CUC$40 for two people. In this range, casas particulares are almost always better value than a hotel. Only the most deluxe casas particulares in Havana will be anything over CUC$35, where you’re assured quality amenities and attention. In cheaper casas particulares (CUC$15), you may have to share a bath and will have a fan instead of air-con. In the rock-bottom places (campismos, mostly), you’ll be lucky if there are sheets and running water, though there are usually private baths. If you’re staying in a place intended for Cubans, you’ll compromise materially, but the memories are guaranteed to be platinum.
The midrange category (from CUC$40 to CUC$80) is a lottery, with some stylish colonial hotels and some awful places. In midrange hotels, you can expect air-con, private hot-water bath, clean linens, satellite TV, a restaurant and a swimming pool – although the architecture’s often uninspiring and the food not exactly gourmet.
Unsurprisingly, the most comfortable top-end hotels cost CUC$80 and up for two people. These are usually partly foreign-owned and maintain international standards (although service can sometimes be a bit lax). Rooms have everything that a midrange hotel has, plus big, quality beds and linens; a minibar; international phone service; and perhaps a terrace or view. Havana has some real gems.
Factors influencing rates are time of year, location and hotel chain (in this book the chain is listed after the hotel to give you an idea of what standard and services to expect). Low season is generally mid-September to early December and February to May (except for Easter week). Christmas and