Parque Natural Duaba and El Yunque

At the mouth of the Río Duaba, five kilometers west of Baracoa [1], is Playa Duaba, a black-sand beach where 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., daily 8 a.m.–7 p.m.), a fruit farm with a restaurant serving criollo meals. Guided tours are offered (CUC1), as are boat trips to the rivermouth (CUC2). EcoTur offers excursions from Baracoa (CUC12).

Parque Natural Duaba enfolds El Yunque (“the anvil”), the spectacular table-top mountain (575 meters) that dominates the landscape west of Baracoa [1]. This sheer-sided giant—the remains of a mighty plateau that once extended across the entire area—was hallowed according 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 to the summit (four hours round-trip, CUC13 from Campismo El Yunque, CUC15–182 from Baracoa, with compulsory guide). From the coast highway, take the signed turnoff 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.