GIBARA

Gibara (pop. 20,000), 28 kilometers north of Holguín, is a dusty, time-encrusted fishing port that overlooks the Bahía de Gibara. It was a major sugar-trading port in colonial days, when it was known as Villa Blanca and colloquially as La Perla del Oriente (Pearl of the Orient). It has no shortage of intriguing colonial structures, though only remnants remain of the original 18th-century city walls. It has a delightful mood, made more so by its seafront promenade, the Malecón, that fronts the Atlantic shoreline and boasts a patinated statue of Camilo Cienfuegos.

The streets rise steeply south and west of the main plaza. If you follow Independencia west, uphill past charming little Plaza Colón, then turn right at Calle Cabada, you’ll reach the paltry ruins of Fuerte del Cuartelón, a 30-minute hike. Go for the fabulous view.

You can hire a boat to Playa Blanca, a beach on the east side of the bay (CUC5 round-trip); or drive the 15 kilometers northwest to Playa Caletones.

Rising over the flatlands southeast of Gibara is a flat-topped mountain, the Silla de Gibara (Saddle of Gibara), considered to be the hill described by Christopher Columbus in his journal when he first landed in Cuba with his three caravels from Hispaniola on October 28, 1492. The landing site and its extensive hinterland is protected within Parque Natural Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus National Park), a somewhat amorphous area that at last visit extended from Bahía de Gibara eastward to Bahía de Bariay, and will eventually extend from Gibara to Baracoa, in Guantánamo Province.

back to top

Parque Calixto García

The pretty main plaza is framed by African oaks (robles africanos) and is pinned by a Monumento a Los Libertadores de la Patria (Liberators of the Fatherland), commemorating those who fought in the Wars of Independence. Here, too, is the recently restored Iglesia de San Fulgencio church, with Byzantine-style cupolas, dating from 1850.

The excellent Museo de Historia Natural (Luz Caballero #23, no tel.; Tues.–Sat. 9 a.m.–noon and 1–5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–noon; entrance CUC1, cameras CUC1, videos CUC5) displays a broad-ranging miscellany of stuffed animals and other exhibits on a natural history theme.

The Museo de Arte Decorativo (Independencia #19, tel. 024/34687; Tues.–Sat. 9 a.m.–noon and 1–5 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.–noon; entrance CUC2, cameras CUC1, videos CUC5), in a restored neoclassical mansion 50 meters southwest of the square, boasts a modest collection of period furniture and paintings upstairs.

back to top

Entertainment

The open-air Centro Cultural El Colonial (Peralta, esq. Sartorio; CUC2) has live music Tuesday–Sunday nights.