The road that leads southwest from Sancti Spíritus to Trinidad rises and dips along the foothills of the Alturas de Banao, whose sheer, barren crags remind me of the Scottish highlands.

From the village of Banao, 20 kilometers west of Sancti Spíritus, you can follow the valley of the Río Banao seven kilometers into the foothills, where a pristine 3,050-hectare swath is protected in the Reserva Ecológica Lomas de Banao (Banao Heights Ecological Reserve, tel. 041/39-9205, CUC4 entrance), also known as El Naranjal.

The ecosystems include semideciduous forest, tropical moist forest, and cloud forest. The region is rich in flora, with more than 700 flowering plants (more than 100 are endemic), including over 60 orchid species. Banao is a paradise for bird-watchers.

The visitor center, elevation 1,620 meters, offers horseback riding (CUC5) and hikes (from CUC3) to caves and waterfalls. EcoTur (tel. 041/54-7419 or 07/641-0306, www.ecoturcuba.co.cu) offers one- to three-day ecotours. Drop-in visitors pay CUC4 entry (CUC8 with lunch).

During the war to oust Batista, Che Guevara established his headquarters—Comandancia del Guerrillero Heróico—near the community of Gavilanes, in the heart of the mountains and reached by a dirt trail; the turnoff from the Trinidad road is at the hamlet of Las Brisas, five kilometers east of Banao. It’s a stiff hike (about 10 kilometers) from the trailhead, near Campismo Planta Cantú. There’s an obelisk at the comandancia.>/span>