Cuba - Lonely Planet [60]
Good boat dives for snorkeling happen around Isla de la Juventud (see boxed text,) and Cayo Largo especially, but also in Varadero (for sunken wrecks and reef; Click here) and in the Cienfuegos and Guajimico areas. If you anticipate spending a lot of time snorkeling, bring your own gear as the rental stuff can be tattered and buying it in Cuba will mean you’ll sacrifice both price and quality.
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BIRD-WATCHING
Cuba offers a bird-watching bonanza year-round and no serious ornithologist should enter the country without their binoculars close at hand. Your experience will be enhanced by the level of expertise shown by many of Cuba’s naturalists and guides in the key bird-watching zones. Areas with specialist bird-watching trails or trips include the Cueva Las Perlas trail Click here in Parque Nacional Península de Guanahacabibes; the Maravillas de Viñales trail Click here in Parque Nacional Viñales; the Sendero La Serafina in the Reserva Sierra del Rosario; the Observación de Aves tour Click here in Gran Parque Natural Montemar; Parque Natural El Bagá Click here, on Cayo Coco; and the Sendero de las Aves in Hacienda La Belén in Camagüey province.
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Cuba is home to both the world’s smallest toad, the ranita de Cuba (Cuban tree toad; 1cm) and the world’s smallest bird, the zunzuncito (bee humming-bird; 6.5cm).
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Must-sees include the tocororo (Cuban trogon), the zunzuncito (bee hummingbird), the Cuban tody, the Cuban parakeet, the Antillean palm swift, the cartacuba (an indigenous Cuban bird) and, of course, the flamingo – preferably in a flock. Good spots for some DIY birding are on Cayo Romano (see boxed text,) and adjacent Cayo Sabinal, although you’ll need a car to get there. Specialists and ivory-billed woodpecker seekers will enjoy Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt (see boxed text,).
For more bird-watching tips, see the Itineraries chapter Click here.
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HIKING & TREKKING
European hikers and North American wilderness freaks, take note. While Cuba’s trekking potential is enormous, the traveler’s right to roam is severely restricted by badly maintained trails, poor signage, lack of maps, and rather draconian restrictions about where you can and cannot go without a guide. The Cubans don’t really understand hiking in the modern Western sense. They automatically assume that all trekkers want to be led by hand along short, relatively tame trails that are rarely more than 5km or 6km in length. You’ll frequently be told that hiking alone is a reckless and dangerous activity, despite the fact that Cuba harbors no big fauna and no poisonous snakes. The best time of year for these activities is outside the rainy season and before it gets too hot (December to April).
The dearth of available hikes isn’t always the result of nit-picking restrictions. Much of Cuba’s trekkable terrain is in ecologically sensitive areas meaning access is carefully managed and controlled. Another reason is the lack of any real hiking culture (and thus demand) among Cubans themselves. Walking from A to B for the fun of it is often viewed with a certain degree of mirth in many Latin American countries, and Cuba is no exception. Rather than spend all day bushwhacking along a path in order to reach a beautiful waterfall, the Cubans would much rather pack some beers, load up the car and drive there.
For multiday hiking in Cuba, you’ve basically got two options, the three-day trek to the summit of Pico Turquino or the overnight San Claudio trail in the Reserva Sierra de Rosario.
More challenging day hikes include El