Parque Natural Duaba and El Yunque

At the mouth of the Río Duaba, five kilometers west of Baracoa, is Playa Duaba, a long black-sand beach where the mulatto general Antonio Maceo and 22 compatriots landed in April 1895 to fight the War of Independence. Immediately beyond is the site where he fought his first battle. He is honored by a roadside bust.

You can turn inland here and follow a dirt road one kilometer to Finca Duaba (no tel.), a fruit farm with a thatched restaurant serving criollo meals beneath the palms. Guided tours are offered (CUC1), as are boat trips to the rivermouth (CUC2). Reservations should be made through Gaviota (tel. 021/45165), in the Hotel Castillo, in Baracoa; it offers an excursion with lunch for CUC12.

The park also enfolds El Yunque (“the anvil”), the spectacular table-top mountain (575 meters) that dominates the landscape west of Baracoa and seems to float above the surrounding hills. This sheer-sided giant—the remains of a mighty plateau that once extended across the entire area—was hallowed by the Taíno Indians. Mists flow down from the summit in the dawn hours, and it glows like hot coals at dusk, when the setting sun pours over the red rocky walls like molten lava. Waterfalls pour from its summit, washing away soil and mineral nutrients. The soils are thin, and the oases of orchids, lichen, mosses, and forest seem to survive on water and air alone.

You can hike (four hours round-trip; CUC15 from the campismo or CUC20 from Baracoa, with compulsory guide) to the summit via Sendero El Yunque from Campismo El Yunque; to get there, take the turn off for Finca Duaba, then keep left at the Y fork (the campismo is to the left; Finca Duaba is to the right). Sendero El Jutiero from the campismo leads to cascades (CUC8 from the campismo or CUC12 from Baracoa, with compulsory guide); you can hike or take a Jeep. You can also arrange excursions and guides at the park office four kilometers beyond Finca Duaba; at the Flora y Fuana office in Baracoa; or with Gaviotatours.