Cuba

On the outskirts of the sleepy little beach town of Baracoa, in semi-tropical eastern Cuba, there is a chocolate factory. The local delicacy, somewhat bizarrely called Peter's, is produced there - as all the guidebooks will inform you. What most of them don't say is that this factory was inaugurated by none other than 'El Che' himself during his time as Minster of Industry (1961). There's a great photo opportunity outside where a large billboard advertises the fact. Most taxi drivers will want to hurry you past with only a cursory glance but it is possible to arrange an impromptu tour - given the right relationship between dollars and palms! In town there's a wonderful, shabby café that only serves chocolate, either in slabs with a knife and fork or as a rather glutinous hot or cold drink. My companion thought it was salty, I thought it was great - one thing's for sure, it's not Cadburys!

Baracoa pulsates at night with the sound of drums and serious partying floats over the tin roofs and palm trees. There are places to go dancing all over town - just head for the main plaza as a starting point where you'll find La Casa de la Trova - if that doesn't get you going just keep on walking. The cinema - also in the main triangle - is a fascinating experience for a quiet afternoon, low-budget kung fu movies dubbed into Spanish shown on a battered old TV in the foyer.

Relaxing by the pool of El Castillo hotel overlooking the bay and the tabletop mountain El Yunque is certainly another late-afternoon pleasure. In fact, if your dollars stretch that far, spend a few days in staying at El Castillo. Just be careful while you're sitting on the thick stone walls of the fort soaking up the rays, sipping a mojito and watching lizards, that you don't fall off - it's a long way down onto that avocado tree at the foot of the cliff! Another interesting hotel in town is La Rusa - an ochre building on the rather drab, prefabricated Malecón. Alternatively, Baracoa has a wealth of casas particulares (one really good one we stayed in was Ykira Mahiquez).

Though not the only way, perhaps the best way to explore the eastern end of the island is by car or motorbike. You can hire your preferred transport from the ubiquitous Havanautos based at the airfield. Given the state of the roads we encountered, a 4WD is definitely a good option, albeit more expensive. A twenty-minute drive west from Baracoa is Villa Maguana - a splendid little motel-type affair with its own white sand beach literally on the doorstep and local lads who will offer to cook you a variety of seafood for $4 per head. You can even snorkel out to the reef with them, if you want to watch your supper being caught! The lagoon is brilliant but don't expect much in the way of marine life, I spent three days snorkelling without seeing much of interest beyond a few small barracuda and a strangely shaped purple and white crab!

Going east along the coast is highly recommendable. The driving is pretty tough - the dirt tracks are more pothole than road! There are few places to get petrol and few places to stop for food. One exception is a fruit juice stand about 10km outside Baracoa itself. You can buy a limited range of sweet, delicious fruit drinks, as well as tiny red bananas that taste of apples. Further on, expect a warm reception at Boca de Yumurí where the limestone gorge is definitely worth a visit, especially during the rainy season. Unfortunately the village itself has been really spoiled by irresponsible tourism. The degree of 'pestering' there has become quite OTT - for example, coconuts were dropped onto the car to force us to stop.

The brightly coloured snails called polimitas are for sale everywhere - most guidebooks are quite strict in pointing out not to accept these but they are pushed into your hand constantly. A far, far better village to stop off at is Bariguá, which overlooks a small lagoon ringed by palm trees. The tiny, little Jose Martí plaza there is simply brilliant. Continuing down the coast the verdant mountains gradually drop away and one finally ends up at the most easterly point of the island - the arid, cactus-riddled countryside round Maisí. The view from the top of the lighthouse here is spectacular whether the day is clear - when you can see Haiti on the horizon - or stormy when you can watch the natural show from the top! If you really enjoy being in the back of beyond, negotiate to stay in the village and you'll be pretty much as off the beaten track as you can get.

Getting to Baracoa:
While the journey over La Farola - the highest road in Cuba - is not exactly alpine, it is a great experience - make sure your camera is to hand and that you have a few single dollar bills if you like real coffee beans for your grinder. For the quickest journey, take Víazul from Santiago de Cuba via Guantánamo. Their convoy of minibuses leaves at 6am ($14 single approx.), so you need to get up early! Alternatively, you can go in one of the Astro uses - a real must if you have the time and want to experience travel Cuban-style! One final option is to go round the back of the bus station in Santiago and negotiate a lift in one of the lorries or private cars - but this should only really be considered by serious travellers.

Working at Stanfords, I took seven guidebooks to compare! The Rough Guide to Cuba was by far the best for practical purposes. If you want a basic road map for pre-departure planning, the Cuba Nelles map is by far the best.

Author: Matt Godfrey
Date: 1 May 2001