Argentina, Cuba and Bolivia create a 'Che Trail' for Tourists

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Argentina, Cuba and Bolivia today announced plans for a touristic trail that will follow the route of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara through the three countries.

"We aren't looking to commodify him — he's not a product that's for sale," said Diego Conca, coordinator for Argentina's portion of the Che trail. "His journey transformed him, and we think that following this route can also be transformative for tourists."

Many a traveler to Cuba arrives and/or departs toting a T-shirt emblazoned with the world-renowned image of Che, the iconic revolutionary worshipped (or vilified) the world over. That doesn’t necessarily indicate a fondness for Che or the Communist Cuba he helped build. Still, thousands of visitors flock every year to pay homage to the revolution and, particularly, to Che.

Whether you're a latter-day revolutionary, history buff or are merely curious, following the footsteps of Che (and Fidel Castro) from medical student and youthful zealot to eventual power in the revolutionary Cuba government makes for a fascinating historical journey.

The international 'Caminos del Che' trail, which begins in Argentina, will include sites where Che was born, fought and died. In Argentina, sites include his birthplace of Rosario, his family's mate tea plantation in Misiones, and places where the young doctor rode his motorcycle on a journey (made famous by Che's book 'Motorcycle Diaries' and the eponymous movie by Walter Salles) that would lead to him becoming a leftist revolutionary and, eventually, Fidel's number one sidekick in the Cuban revolution.

The Cuban portion includes a gamut of places associated with the much-misunderstood revolutionary. I describe a perfect '¡Viva la Revolución!' tour of Cuba in Moon Handbooks Cuba.

The tourist route winds down in Bolivia, in the jungle around Higuera , the town where he was killed in 1967 in a failed mission to foment an uprising in Bolivia; and Valle Grande, where he was buried with six other revolutionaries. (In 1997 the bodies were exhumed and taken to Santa Clara, Cuba, where Che slumbers in a mausoleum beneath the Monumento Ernesto Che Guevara).

Several tour companies offer 'solidarity tours' to Cuba to make a pilgrimage along the revolutionary trail. Most are designed to show you the positive side of the Revolution. Don't expect to learn about the down-sides of this charismatic personality.

A must-see movie that provides a foretaste of Che's life is Steven Soderbergh's seminal and controversial (it's considered overly praiseworthy of Che) two-part Che.

For further information about travel in Cuba, buy Moon Cuba.

For further information on Havana, buy Moon Spotlight Havana.

Disclosure: I occasionally accept free or discounted travel when it coincides with my editorial goals. However, my opinion is never for sale. The opinions you see in Cuba & Costa Rica Journal are my unbiased reflection of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Copyright © Christopher P. Baker