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| Baracoa Beach in Cuba |
BARACOA HOLIDAYS IN CUBA
Baracoa, oldest colonial city in
the Americas. Long isolated from the rest of Cuba by the mountains surrounding it Baracoa still resists the frenzy of many touristic towns. Although you'd never know that if arriving by bus. The throng of card waving
casa particular boosters at the bus depot can be un-nerving. However we soon found ourselves enamoured of the little town with its quiet hum of
bicycle wheels, lush palm forests and friendly inhabitants.
Playa Maguana is a very nice
beach, situated in the direction of Moa, about 20km away from the city of Baracoa. This beach is for all Baracoa visitors a must. You can go there easily by bicycle. Other posiblitie would be a
taxi. I don't recomend to catch a particular one, because there are frequently police stops and when you go by a particular taxi you will be playing with your time at the beach (I'd like to say that you maybe don't will get to the beach because of the drivers fear...). So catch a oficial taxi. This will cost about 25 CUC both ways. Every hour the driver need to stay you have to pay some 3 CUC more. So I recomend, if you don't like the idea of the bicycle (or a scooter - you can rent them in Baracoa for about 20 CUC a day) to meet with some other people so the taxi don't will cost a fortune. An other posibility: Go there by truck. The trucks in the direction of Moa stop near the beach. But maybe you will spend more time waiting at the border of the road than at the beach...
Río Yumurí. This river ist located between Baracoa and
Maisí. It's a quiet place in the middle of the nice nature. You can walk a little bit, have a swim and so one. But be also prepared for some people which want's to sell you coconuts, meals and so on - if you cought the little ship for getting a little bit out of the village they will get fewer.
To get there you can catch also a truck, a taxi or a bicycle - but atention, there are some hills to cross, it's not so terrible easy to go there by his own power... If you go by truck you need to start early and have to go back to Baracoa not later than 17:00, because afterwards there are hardly any trucks. When you go by an oficial taxi I also suggest to meet with other people because the journey isn't very cheap
Río Toa. A big river, about 10km away from Baracoa in the direction of Moa. You can also have a swim in the river and enjoy the nature. There you normally also can easily contact with people, for exemple with farmers of with women washing in the river. I recomend to go by bicycle, the road is in a good condition.
Playa Duaba. A beach near Baracoa, you get there easily by bicycle. If you go to the camping "
El Yunque" - you can go by bike, but the road is in very bad condition - you will find marvellous places for having a bath in the river.
Finally, I just recomend to rent for at least one day a bicycle (about 3 CUC a day) for discover the villages, the countryside around Baracoa.
Also don't miss to climb the stairs to the Hotel Castillo or to the restaurant Ranchón, you will enjoy a nice view.
At night the local Rumbos is a meeting point for turists and also for
Cubans. Every night there's a band playing tradidtional cuban music (son). I also suggest a visit in the "Casa de la Trova". There are also playing each day local traditional groups. They play in the morning and and at 21:00. In the morning you don't pay entry, but at the night tourists have to pay 1 CUC, Cubanos pay 1 Peso. "La Terraza" is an other place to go at night. It's a open-air discothèque at the roof from which you also enjoy a nice view over the (sleeping) Baracoa. They also organise some shows. As a tourist you pay an entry fee of 1 CUC, Cubans pay 10 Pesos.
CUBANPESOS
