Cuba Eastern End-to-End Road Trip

Oriente, Cuba · Cuba

Easy10 daysNorth America~£1,150 est.

Save ✓ I did this

Overview

Eastern Cuba is the island before the brochures: from Santiago — hot, musical, more Caribbean than Havana — the road runs beneath the Sierra Maestra, where Castro's guerrillas hid and Cuba's highest peak, Pico Turquino (1,974 m), can be added as a strenuous guided two-day climb. Then comes La Farola, the viaduct road hung across the mountains to Baracoa: 50 km of hairpins through palm forest on a coast that was, until the 1960s, reachable only by sea. Baracoa itself — Cuba's first city, founded in 1511 — sits under the flat-topped bulk of El Yunque among cacao farms, and everything smells of chocolate and rain. Drive it in a hired car with offline maps and patience: fuel stations are sparse east of Santiago, potholes are serious, and data coverage is minimal. Casas particulares — family guesthouses — are both the accommodation and the best meals, and cash euros matter because ATMs are unreliable. November to April is the dry season; around £1,150 for ten days including car hire. Detour to Playa Maguana for the beach, and climb El Yunque for the view back over the bay.