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Cuba

Havana p58 #_ & & p198 Villa Clara Valle de Viñales & Mayabeque p254 Ciego de Pinar del Río p144 Ávila p173 p235 Trinidad & p301 Sancti Camagüey Spíritus p316 Las (Special Municipality) p275 Tunas p335 Holguín p158 p346 Granma Guantánamo p371 Santiago p429 de p392

Brendan Sainsbury, Carolyn McCarthy PLAN YOUR TRIP ON THE ROAD

Welcome to Cuba...... 6 ...... 58 Getting Around...... 123 Cuba Map...... 8 Outer Havana ...... 124 Downtown Havana. . . . . 62 Cuba’s Top 21 ...... 10 Playa & Sights...... 62 Marianao...... 124 Need to Know...... 20 Festivals & Events . . . . . 86 Regla & First Time Cuba ...... 22 Tours...... 86 ...... 135 What’s New...... 24 Courses...... 87 Parque Lenin & Around...... 136 If You Like…...... 25 Sleeping...... 88 . . . . . 139 Month by Month...... 28 Eating...... 98 Drinking & Itineraries ...... 32 Nightlife...... 108 ARTEMISA & Outdoor Activities. . . . . 40 Entertainment ...... 113 MAYABEQUE Travel with Children. . . . 49 Shopping...... 117 PROVINCES. . . . . 144 Information...... 120 Regions at a Glance. . . . 51 Artemisa Getting There & Away. . . . 121 Province...... 146 GLENPHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK © DAYOWL/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

TRINIDAD, P277 MAURIZIO DE MATTEI/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

HAVANA, P58 Contents

San Antonio ISLA DE LA JUVENTUD San Juan y de los Baños...... 146 (SPECIAL Martínez Artemisa ...... 147 MUNICIPALITY). . . 158 & San Luis...... 194 Soroa ...... 148 Península de Isla de la Guanahacabibes. . . . . 195 Las Terrazas ...... 151 Juventud ...... 160 Mayabeque ...... 160 Province...... 154 VARADERO & East of Playa Nueva Gerona...... 166 MATANZAS Area...... 154 South of PROVINCE...... 198 ...... 156 Nueva Gerona...... 167 Northern Surgidero The Southern Matanzas...... 199 de Batabanó...... 157 Military Zone...... 168 Varadero ...... 200 Cayo Largo Varadero to del Sur...... 168 Matanzas...... 214 Matanzas...... 215 VALLE DE VIÑALES Cárdenas...... 223 & PINAR DEL RÍO San Miguel PROVINCE...... 173 de los Baños & Around...... 225 Valle de Viñales . . . . . 176 Península Viñales...... 176 de Zapata...... 227 Parque Nacional Central Australia Viñales...... 183 & Around...... 227 The Northern Boca de Guamá. . . . . 227 Coast ...... 185 Gran Parque Cayo Jutías...... 185 Natural Puerto Montemar...... 228 ...... 186 Playa Larga...... 230 Cayo Levisa...... 186 Playa Girón...... 231 San Diego de Los Baños & Around...... 188 CIENFUEGOS San Diego de PROVINCE...... 235 Los Baños...... 188 Sierra de Güira...... 189 Cienfuegos ...... 236 Pinar del Around Río Area...... 189 Cienfuegos ...... 249 Pinar del Río...... 189 Rancho Luna...... 249

SANTA CLARA, P256 ON THE ROAD

El Nicho...... 250

Caribbean ZOLTAN VARGAPHOTOGRAPHER/SHUTTERSTOCK © Coast ...... 251

VILLA CLARA PROVINCE...... 254 Santa Clara...... 256 Embalse Hanabanilla...... 265 Remedios...... 266 Caibarién...... 270

Cayerías HAVANA, P58 del Norte...... 271

TRINIDAD &

SANCTI SPÍRITUS AWL IMAGES LTD/SHUTTERSTOCK © PROVINCE...... 275 Trinidad ...... 277 Playa Ancón & Around...... 288 ...... 289 ...... 290 Sancti Spíritus...... 293 Northern Sancti Spíritus...... 299

CIEGO DE ÁVILA PROVINCE...... 301 Ciego de Ávila...... 303 Morón...... 306 Around Morón...... 309 Florencia...... 310 Cayo Coco...... 311 Cayo Guillermo...... 314

CAYO COCO, P311 Contents

UNDERSTAND

CAMAGÜEY Gran Parque Cuba Today...... 448 PROVINCE...... 316 Nacional ...... 381 History...... 450 Camagüey...... 318 Manzanillo...... 384 Food & Drink...... 464 ...... 330 ...... 387 Cuban Sierra del Parque Nacional Way of Life...... 468 Chorrillo...... 330 Desembarco Literature & Cayo Sabinal...... 330 del Granma...... 388 the Arts...... 474 Playa Santa Marea del Architecture ...... 479 Portillo...... 390 Lucía...... 331 Music & Dance...... 487 Playa los Cocos . . . . . 333 Landscape SANTIAGO & Wildlife...... 493 DE CUBA PROVINCE...... 335 PROVINCE...... 392 Las Tunas...... 336 . . . . . 394 Puerto Padre...... 341 Siboney ...... 419 SURVIVAL Punta La Gran GUIDE Covarrubias...... 342 Piedra...... 420 Playas la Parque . . . . . 421 Herradura, El Cobre...... 424 Directory A–Z...... 502 la Llanita & El Saltón...... 425 Transportation ...... 513 las Bocas...... 342 Chivirico Language...... 522 & Around...... 425 Glossary...... 527 HOLGUÍN Pico Turquino PROVINCE...... 346 Area ...... 427 Holguín...... 347 Gibara...... 357 GUANTÁNAMO Playa Pesquero PROVINCE...... 429 SPECIAL FEATURES & Around...... 360 Guantánamo...... 431 Guardalavaca ...... 363 Outdoor activities South Coast ...... 435 guide...... 40 Banes...... 366 Punta de Maisí...... 436 Sierra del Cristal . . . . . 368 3D illustrated walking Boca de Yumurí . . . . . 436 tour of Habana Vieja . . . 70 Cayo Saetía...... 369 Baracoa...... 437 Cuban food & drink Northwest feature...... 464 of Baracoa...... 444 GRANMA Cuban architecture PROVINCE...... 371 Parque Nacional feature...... 479 Alejandro ...... 373 de Humboldt...... 445 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 32 DANM12/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Plan Your Trip Itineraries

S T R A I T S O F F L O R I D A

HAVANA É #_ É Santa Viñales •# Clara•#

•# É Cienfuegos É •# Trinidad Camagüey •# É

Baracoa Bayamo •# É •# É •# Santiago C A R I B B E A N S E A de Cuba

18 DAYS The Classic Itinerary

here to get to grips with the main neigh- It’s your first time in Cuba and you want borhoods of Habana Vieja, Centro Habana to see as many eye-opening sights and Vedado. as possible countrywide. Even better, Head west next to the bucolic bliss of you don’t mind a bit of road travel. Viñales for a couple of days of hiking, This itinerary ferries you between the caving and relaxing on a rocking chair on rival cities of Havana and Santiago, a sun-kissed colonial porch. Daily buses bagging most of the nation’s historical connect Viñales with French-flavored highlights on the way. Víazul buses link Cienfuegos, an architectural monument all of the following destinations. to 19th-century neoclassicism. After a night of Gallic style and Cuban music, Fall in love with classic Cuba in Havana, travel a couple of hours down the road to with its museums, forts, theaters and colonial Trinidad, with more museums rum. Three days is the bare minimum per head than anywhere else in Cuba. The 33 PLAN YOUR TRIP TRIP YOUR PLAN It i nerar i es

Havana (p58) casas particulares (homestays) resemble Laid-back Bayamo is where the revolu- historical monuments here, so stay three tion was ignited, and it has an equally nights. On the second day you can break sparky street festival should you be lucky from the history and choose between the enough to be there on a Saturday. Allow beach (Playa Ancón) or the natural world plenty of time for the cultural nexus of (Topes de Collantes). Santiago de Cuba, where seditious plans Santa Clara is a rite of passage for for rebellion have been routinely hatched. pilgrims visiting his mauso- The Cuartel Moncada, Cementerio Santa leum but also a great place for luxurious Ifigenia and Morro Castle will fill a busy private rooms and an upbeat nightlife. two days. Check out Club Mejunje and have a drink Save the best till last with a long, but in dive-bar La Marquesina. Further east, by no means arduous, journey over the Camagüey invites further investigation hills and far away to Baracoa for two with its maze of Catholic churches and days relaxing with the coconuts, chocolate giant tinajones (clay pots). and other tropical treats. 34 PLAN YOUR TRIP TRIP YOUR PLAN It i nerar i es

G U L F O F M E X I C O

HAVANA Varadero

#_ Matanzas •#

É •# Las É •# Cárdenas Terrazas •#

•# É San Miguel de los Baños

É Viñales •# É

Boca de Guamá •# É Ciénaga de •# É Zapata Ù#•# É •# Cienfuegos Playa Girón

C A R I B B E A N S E A 35 FELIXLIPOV/SHUTTERSTOCK © 1 WEEK Escape from Varadero

Varadero has some cheap packages and is a TRIP YOUR PLAN popular gateway into Cuba, but once you’ve pacified your partner/kids and had your fill of the beach, what else is there for a curious Cuban adventurer to do? Plenty. Víazul or Conectando buses link the following places.

Take a bus west, stopping off for lunch in It

Matanzas, where Cuban reality will hit you i nerar like a sharp slap to the face. Investigate the Museo Farmaceútico, take a peep inside the Teatro Sauto and buy a unique handmade book i es in Ediciones Vigía. For a slow approach to Ha- vana, get on the Hershey train and watch as the lush fields of glide by. Book a night in a fine colonial hotel in Havana and spend the next day admiring the copious sights of the old quarter, Habana Vieja. Essen- tial stops include the cathedral, the Museo de la Revolución and a stroll along the Malecón. The next day, head west to Las Terrazas, an eco-resort that seems a million miles from the clamorous capital (it’s actually only 55km). You can bathe and birdwatch at the same time in the Baños del San Juan and recuperate with a night in the Hotel Moka. An optional two- day extension of this itinerary lies further west in Viñales, a resplendent yet bucolic Unesco LISASTRACHAN /ALAMY © World Heritage Site where you can decamp to a casa particular, eat some of the best roast pork in Cuba (the world?), go for a hike and then slump into a rocking chair on a rustic colonial porch. Going back east, keep on the green theme in Boca de Guamá, a reconstructed Taíno vil- lage and crocodile farm with boat trips to and around a tranquil lake. Procure a night or two of accommodations at a homestay in Playa Girón, where you can either dive or plan wild- life forays into the Ciénaga de Zapata. A cou- ple of hours east lies the city of Cienfuegos, an elegant last stopover with fine boutique hotels and sunset cruises on the bay. On the leg back to Varadero you can uncover a dustier, time-warped Cuba in half-ruined San Miguel de los Baños back in , an erstwhile spa that harbors a grand abandoned hotel. Last stop before returning to Top: Beachfront hotel, Punta Gorda (p239) your Varadero sunbed is Cárdenas, home to Bottom: Eco-village, Las Terrazas (p151) three superb museums. 36 MATYASREHAK/SHUTTERSTOCK © 12 DAYS Around the Oriente

The Oriente is like another country; they do things differently here, or so they’ll tell you in Havana. This circuit allows you to bypass the Cuban capital and focus exclusively on the culturally rich, fiercely independent eastern region. With poor transport links, a hire car is useful here.

Make your base in Santiago de Cuba, city of revolutionaries, culture and folklórico dance troupes. There’s tons to do here pertaining to history (Morro Castle), music (Cuba’s original Casa de la Trova) and religion (Basílica de Nues- tra Señora del Cobre). On the second day, reserve time to explore east into the Parque Bacanao and the ruined coffee farms around Gran Piedra. Regular buses travel east into the moun- tains of Guantánamo Province. Pass a night in Guantánamo to suss out the changüí music before climbing the spectacular road La Farola into Baracoa, where three days will bag you the highlights – beach time at Playa Maguana, a sortie into the Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt and a day absorbing the psychedelic rhythms of the town itself. Heading north via Moa is a tough jaunt, with taxis or rental cars required to get you to Cayo

Saetía, an isolated key with an on-site hotel IANNELLIST/ALAMY © where lonesome beaches embellish a former hunting reserve. Pinares del Mayarí sits in the pine-clad mountains of the Sierra Crystal amid huge water- falls and rare flora. Hiking married with some rural relaxation seal the deal at the region’s epon- ymous hotel. If you have half a day to spare, con- sider a side trip to Museo Conjunto Histórico de Birán to see the surprisingly affluent farming community that spawned . Take a day off in hassle-free Bayamo with its smattering of small-town museums before tack- ling Manzanillo, where Saturday night in the main square can get feisty. More-adventurous transport options will lead you down to Niquero and within striking distance of the largely deserted Parque Nacional Desembarco del Granma, famous for uplifted marine ter- races and aboriginal remains. Linger in one of Marea del Portillo’s low-key resorts before attempting the spectacular but potholed coast Top: Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca del Morro (p402), Santiago de Cuba road back to Santiago. Bottom: Casa Natal de Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (p373), Bayamo 37 PLAN YOUR TRIP Itineraries a o c a r a B

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a e r m u G e q s r e a D P 38 Cuba: Off the Beaten Track

FLORIDA (USA) GULF OF MEXICO JOBO ROSADO RESERVE PLAN YOUR TRIP TRIP YOUR PLAN This little-explored reserve in northern Sancti Spíritus Province is SAN MIGUEL DE LOS accessible from the town of BAÑOS Yaguajay. There are paths and guided treks led by Ecotur among Come to this somnolent town to see rivers, semi-deciduous forest and the magnificent ruins of an unusual karst topography. (p299)

OFF OFF abandoned hotel and bathhouse, and climb a steep hill marked by the Straits

T H E stations of the cross. (p225) of Florida B EATEN HAVANA #_ Matanzas •# Sagua la Grande TRA Artemisa •# Güines•# •# •# San Miguel •#Colón de los Baños CK Santa Clara Pínar del Rio •# •#

Golfo de •#Cienfuegos Bahía de Batabanó Cortés Bahía de Cochinos Ù# () Playa las Isla de la Trinidad •# Tumbas Juventud

CARIBBEAN SEA

CAYMAN ISLANDS PLAYA LAS TUMBAS (UK) Cuba's most isolated and beautiful #_ GEORGE TOWN beach is set at the Isla Grande's western tip encased in the Parque THE SOUTHERN ISLA Nacional Península de Guanahaca- Cave paintings, wild monkeys, bibes and a Unesco Biosphere deserted beaches and vast swamps Reserve. (p195) characterize the southern half of La Isla de la Juventud, which is both a military zone and a national park. (p158) 39 # 0 200 km e 0 100 miles

THE BAHAMAS

ATLANTIC TRIP YOUR PLAN OCEAN

GIBARA BEACH-BAGGING SIERRA DEL CHORRILLO Starting in colorful, off-the-radar Reconnoiter Camagüey Province’s Gibara, things only get more wild as surprise swath of serene upland with you voyage via boat or bumpy track

a stay in a sumptuous old hacienda, a to desolate beaches with names such OFF THE BEATEN TRACK ride on one of Cuba’s finest steeds as Playa Blanca or Playa Caletones, and an excursion to find rare birds or where there are also cave systems to rarer-yet petrified trees. (p330) explore. (p357)

•#Caibarien

•# Mayajigua #÷ •# Morón Jobo Rosado •# Reserve •#Ciego de Ávila Sancti Spíritus •# Nuevitas

•#Camagüey Playa Golfo de ÙBlanca Ana María Gibara •# # Las Tunas •# •#Holguín Moa Santa Cruz del Sur•# •# Golfo de 44 Baracoa Guacanayabo •# •# Manzanillo •# Bayamo Guantánamo •# 444 •# Santiago 44 de Cuba

SANTA CRUZ DEL SUR BARACOA TO HOLGUÍN – Known mainly for disappearing off the THE BACK ROAD map completely after a 1932 Ever wondered what Cuba’s most hurricane, this end-of-the-road pristine and biodiverse protected fishing port, sporting fascinating area (Parque Nacional Alejandro de monuments and a lovely casa, could Humboldt) would look like were it kick-start a trip to the tranquil cayos juxtaposed with its ugliest industrial of the . sight (Moa)? Hit this rarely traversed, pothole-ravaged back road to find CARIBBEAN out. (p444) SEA ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 543

Map Legend

Sights Information Routes Beach Bank Tollway Bird Sanctuary Embassy/Consulate Freeway Buddhist Hospital/Medical Primary Castle/Palace Internet Secondary Christian Police Tertiary Confucian Post Office Lane Hindu Telephone Unsealed road Islamic Toilet Road under construction Jain Tourist Information Plaza/Mall Jewish Other Information Steps Monument Tunnel Museum/Gallery/Historic Building Geographic Pedestrian overpass Ruin Beach Walking Tour Shinto Gate Walking Tour detour Sikh Hut/Shelter Path/Walking Trail Taoist Lighthouse Winery/Vineyard Lookout Boundaries Zoo/Wildlife Sanctuary Mountain/Volcano International Other Sight Oasis State/Province Park Disputed Activities, Pass Regional/Suburb Courses & Tours Picnic Area Marine Park Bodysurfing Waterfall Cliff Diving Wall Canoeing/Kayaking Population Course/Tour Capital (National) Hydrography Sento Hot Baths/Onsen Capital (State/Province) River, Creek Skiing City/Large Town Intermittent River Snorkeling Town/Village Canal Surfing Water Swimming/Pool Transport Walking Airport Dry/Salt/Intermittent Lake Windsurfing Border crossing Reef Other Activity Bus Cable car/Funicular Areas Sleeping Cycling Airport/Runway Sleeping Ferry Camping Metro station Beach/Desert Monorail Cemetery (Christian) Eating Parking Eating Petrol station Cemetery (Other) Subway/Subte station Glacier Drinking & Nightlife Taxi Drinking & Nightlife Train station/Railway Mudflat Cafe Park/Forest Underground station Entertainment Other Transport Sight (Building) Entertainment Sportsground Shopping Note: Not all symbols displayed above Swamp/Mangrove Shopping appear on the maps in this book ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd

AOUR beat-up old STORY car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born. Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Franklin, London, Melbourne, Oakland, Dublin, Beijing and Delhi, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’. OUR WRITERS Brendan Sainsbury Havana, Artemisa & Mayabeque, Isla de la Juventud (Special Municipality), Valle de Viñales & Pinar del Río, Varadero & Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Villa Clara, Ciego de Ávila Originally from Hampshire, England, Brendan has been going to Cuba for more than 20 years as a travel guide and writer. He has explored every corner of the country from Cabo de San Antonio to Punta de Maisí using every known method of transportation from cycling to hitchhiking. Now based in Vancouver, Canada, Brendan has contributed to more than 50 Lonely Planet guides, including six editions of the one you are holding. He also wrote the latest Pocket guide to Havana. For more information visit https://auth.lonelyplanet.com/profiles/brendansainsbury

Carolyn McCarthy Trinidad & Sancti Spíritus, Camagüey, Las Tunas, Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo Carolyn specializes in travel, culture and adventure in the Americas. She has written for National Geographic, Outside, BBC Magazine, Boston Globe and other publications. A former Fulbright fellow and Banff Mountain Grant recipient, she has documented life in the most remote corners of Latin America. Carolyn gained her expertize by researching guide- books in diverse destinations. She has contributed to more than 30 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, including Colorado, USA, , Chile, Trekking in the Patagonian Andes, Panama, Peru and USA’s National Parks. For more information, visit www.carolynmccarthy.org or follow her Insta- gram travels at @masmerquen

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