Cuba - Lonely Planet [61]
Topes de Collantes probably has the largest concentration of hiking trails in its protected zone (a natural park). Indeed, some overseas groups organize four- to five-day treks here, starting near Lago Hanabanilla and finishing in Parque El Cubano. Inquire in advance at the Carpeta Central information office in Topes de Collantes if you are keen to organize something on behalf of a group.
Other tamer hikes include Cueva Las Perlas and Del Bosque al Mar in the Península de Guanahacabibes ; the guided trail in Parque Natural El Bagá Click here; El Guafe trail in Parque Nacional Desembarco del Granma ; and the short circuit in Reserva Ecológica Varahicacos in Varadero. Most of these hikes are guided and all require the payment of an entry fee.
If you want to hike independently, you’ll need patience, resolve and an excellent sense of direction. It’s also useful to ask the locals in your casa particular. Try experimenting first with Salto del Caburní or La Batata in Topes de Collantes or the various hikes around Viñales Click here. There’s a beautiful little-used DIY hike on a good trail near Marea del Portillo.
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HORSEBACK RIDING
With its long-standing cowboy culture, horseback riding is available all over Cuba in both official and unofficial capacities. If you arrange it privately, make sure you check the state of the horses and equipment first. Riding poorly kept horses is both cruel and potentially dangerous.
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The Pinto Cubano horse was perfected as a breed in the 1970s. Typically the horse has a suave gait, a well-defined musculature and is obedient and good-natured.
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The state-owned catering company Palmares owns numerous rustic ranchos across Cuba that are supposed to give tourists a feel for traditional country life. All of these places offer guided horseback riding, usually for around CUC$5 an hour. You’ll find good ranchos in Florencia in Ciego de Ávila province, Hacienda La Vega in Cienfuegos province, Finca Mayabe in Holguín province and Rancho Toa near Baracoa.
La Guabina is a horse-breeding center near the city of Pinar del Río that offers both horse shows and horseback-riding adventures.
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BOATING & KAYAKING
Kayaking as a sport is pretty low-key in Cuba where it is treated more as a beach activity in the plusher resorts. Most of the tourist beaches will have náutica points that rent out simple kayaks, good for splashing around in but not a lot else. Boat rental is also available on many of the island’s lakes. Good options include the Laguna de la Leche and Laguna la Redonda, both in Ciego de Ávila province; Embalse Zaza in Sancti Spíritus province; and the Liberación de Florencia in Ciego de Ávila.
One of Cuba’s best rivers is the Río Canímar near Matanzas, where you can rent rowboats and head up this mini-Amazon with its jungle-covered banks.
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ROCK CLIMBING
The Viñales valley Click here has been described as having the best sport rock climbing in the Western hemisphere. There are more than 150 routes now open (at all levels of difficulty, with several rated as YDS Class 5.14) and the word is out among the international climbing crowd, who are creating their own scene in one of Cuba’s prettiest settings. Independent travelers will appreciate the free reign that climbers enjoy here.
Though you can climb here year-round, the heat can be oppressive, and locals stick to an October-to-April season, with December to January being the optimum months. For more information, visit the Cuba Climbing (www.cubaclimbing.com) website or head straight to Viñales.
It is important to note that though widely practiced – and normally without consequence – climbing in Viñales is still not technically legal. Though you’re unlikely to get arrested or even warned, take extreme care and do not under any circumstances do anything that infringes on the delicate Parque Nacional Viñales ecosystem.