Guantánamo Province 21 / POP 511,000
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%Guantánamo Province 21 / POP 511,000
Includes Why Go? Guantánamo...... 431 A fantasy land of crinkled mountains and exuberant foli- South Coast . . . . . 435 age, the Cuban Guantánamo remains a galaxy away from Punta de Maisí . . . . 436 modern America in ambience. That doesn’t stop most Boca de Yumurí . . . . 436 people associating it with the United States Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, which continues in operation, though Baracoa...... 437 downsized. Off the base, the region’s isolated valleys and Northwest of wild coastal microclimates (arid in the south, lush in the Baracoa...... 444 north) are Cuba at its most mysterious and esoteric. Herein Parque Nacional lie primitive musical subgenres, little-known Afro-Cuban Alejandro de religious rites, and echoes of an indigenous Taíno culture Humboldt...... 445 supposedly wiped out by the Spanish centuries ago – or so you thought. Though brutally battered by Hurricane Matthew in Oc- tober, 2016, Baracoa and its rural surroundings remain Best Places to Eat the regional highlight, closely followed by the vibrant en- ¨¨Restaurante Las Terrazas demism of the semivirgin Parque Nacional Alejandro de Casa Nilson (p443) Humboldt. Further west, the city of Guantánamo, perenni- ¨¨El Buen Sabor (p443) ally bypassed by most travelers, represents the Cuba rarely tasted by tourists. ¨¨Sabor Melián (p433) ¨¨Restaurante La Punta (p443) When to Go ¨¨Baracoa’s biggest festival, the Semana de la Cultura Baracoesa, takes place in late March/early April with an Best Places to eruption of music, dance and cultural activities. Sleep ¨¨Non-touristy Guantánamo lights a fire in mid-December for ¨¨Villa Maguana (p445) the sultry Festival Nacional de Changüí, the ancestor of the ¨¨Casa Colonial Ykira modern salsa. Mahiquez (p440) ¨¨Hurricanes and bad storms mar the months of September ¨¨La Casona (p440) and October, making this period the best time to avoid Baracoa. ¨¨Guantánamo’s climate varies hugely, but it’s dependent more on geography than the seasons, meaning mountain passes and lush parks stay wetter than the dry coastal areas.
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river mouth to the jaws of a a of jaws the to mouth river Guantánamo 431 (p ) ) the ultra-scenic lighthouse lighthouse ultra-scenic the homespun artistry of these these of artistry homespun most diverse national park in in park national diverse most 6
La Farola La 436 (p Cycling ) ) Getting an eyeful of the the of eyeful an Getting ) 435 (p Boating upstream from the the from upstream Boating flat-topped mountain. flat-topped 3 world’s smallest frog in the the in frog smallest world’s
Zoológico de Piedras de Zoológico Boca de Yumurí de Boca
436 (p ) ) 4 7 ) Searching for the the for Searching ) 445 (p the city the . summit Baracoa’s mysterious mysterious Baracoa’s summit
forgotten city forgotten . . Baracoa Alejandro de Humboldt de Alejandro
the exotic culinary delights of of delights culinary exotic the Ascending tropical jungle to to jungle tropical Ascending
Parque Nacional Nacional Parque Baracoa El Yunque El
) Sampling Sampling ) 442 (p ) ) 444 (p genres belonging to this this to belonging genres road from Cajobabo to to Cajobabo from road 1 2 5 Guantánamo Province Highlights Province Guantánamo
Province Highlights
Guantánamo Province 430