Artemisa & Mayabeque Provinces

Artemisa & Mayabeque Provinces Highlights

History

Artemisa Province

San Antonio de los Banos

Artemisa

Soroa

Las Terrazas

Mayabeque Province

Playa Jibacoa Area

Jaruco

Surgidero de Batabano

Artemisa & Mayabeque Provinces

%47 (48 in Las Terrazas & Soroa) / Pop 885,545

Why Go?

Leap-frogged by almost all international visitors, Cuba’s two smallest provinces, created by dividing Havana Province in half in 2010, are the preserve of more everyday concerns – like growing half of the crops that feed the nation, for example. But in among the patchwork of citrus and pineapple fields lie a smattering of small towns that will satisfy the curious and the brave.

The most interesting corner is Las Terrazas and Soroa, Cuba’s most successful ecoproject and an increasingly important nexus for trekking and birdwatching. East of Havana, Jibacoa’s beaches are the domain of a trickle of Varadero-avoiding tourists who guard their secret tightly. Wander elsewhere and you’ll be in mainly Cuban company (or none at all) contemplating sugar-plantation ruins, weird one-of-a-kind museums, and improbably riotous festivals. For a kaleidoscope of the whole region take the ridiculously slow Hershey train through the nation’s proverbial backyard and admire the view.

When to Go

AThe provinces’ attractions vary considerably climate-wise. Because of their unique geographical situation, Soroa and Las Terrazas have a microclimate: more rain and minimum monthly temperatures 2°C to 3°C colder than Havana.

AThe big parties around here are December for the carnival-esque frivolity of Bejucal's Las Charangas and April for the International Humor Festival in San Antonio de los Baños.

ADecember through April is best for the beaches at Playa Jibacoa.

Best Places to Eat

A El Romero

A Casa del Campesino

A San Miguel

A Don Oliva

Best Places to Sleep

A Maité Delgado

A Castillo de las Nubes

A Hotel Moka

A Memories Jibacoa Beach

Artemisa & Mayabeque Provinces Highlights

1 Antiguo Cafetal Angerona Roaming the abandoned ruins of a once-mighty coffee plantation.

2 Las Terrazas Going green at Cuba’s primary ecovillage, where the slopes have been replanted with trees, orchids, painters and poets.

3 Soroa Hiking in the so-called rainbow of Cuba amid giant ferns and diminutive orchids.

4 Museo del Humor Seeing the funny side of San Antonio de los Baños.

5 Hershey Electric Railway Escaping the tourist trails on the still-functioning electric railway of an erstwhile chocolate czar.

6 Playa Jibacoa Bagging a beach retreat where you can snorkel direct from the shore.

7 Parque Escaleras de Jaruco Feasting with a view and weekending Havana folk amid the heights of Mayabeque.

History

Havana was originally founded on the site of modern-day Surgidero de Batabanó in 1515 but rapidly relocated; the region’s role in shaping Cuba was to become an almost exclusively agricultural one, with coffee and sugar the key crops. Western Artemisa was the center of the country’s short-lived coffee boom from 1820 until 1840, when sugar took over as the main industry. Large numbers of slaves were recruited to work on the plantations during the second half of the 19th century, when Cuba became the center of the Caribbean slave trade; as such, the area became a focus for the events leading up to the abolition of slavery in the 1880s.

The success of the sugar industry swept over into the 20th century: sweets mogul Milton S Hershey turned to Mayabeque as a dependable source for providing sugar for his milk chocolate in 1914. This lucrative industry would later suffer under Fidel Castro, once the Americans and then the Russians ceased to buy Cuba’s sugar at over-the-odds prices. The region was hard-hit economically, and this deprivation was perhaps best epitomized by the 1980 Mariel Boatlift, when a port on the coast west of Havana became the stage for a Castro-sanctioned (and Jimmy Carter–endorsed) mass exodus of Cubans to Florida.

A major step against the area’s downturn was taken in 1968. Neglected land in western Artemisa Province, around the very coffee plantations that had once sustained it, was reforested and transformed into a pioneering ecovillage – now one of the region’s economic mainstays through the tourism it has generated.

Artemisa Province

In many ways a giant vegetable patch for Havana, Artemisa Province’s fertile delights include the ecovillage of Las Terrazas and the outdoor action on offer among the scenic forested slopes of the Sierra del Rosario mountain range. Then there are myriad mystery-clad coffee-plantation ruins and the ever-inventive town of San Antonio de los Baños, which has spawned an internationally renowned film school as well as some of Cuba’s top artists. On the north coast, good beaches and great back roads entice the adventurous.

San Antonio de los Baños

Pop 35,980

Full of surprises, artsy San Antonio de los Baños, 35km southwest of central Havana, is Cuba on the flip side, a hard-working municipal town where the local college churns out wannabe cinematographers and the museums are more about laughs than crafts.

Founded in 1986 with the help of Nobel Prize–winning Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez, San Antonio’s Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV invites film students from around the world to partake in its excellent on-site facilities, including an Olympic-sized swimming pool for practicing underwater shooting techniques. Meanwhile, in the center of town, an unusual humor museum makes a ha-ha-happy break from the usual stuffed animal/revolutionary artefact double act.

San Antonio is also the birthplace of nueva trova music giant Silvio Rodríguez, born here in 1946. Rodríguez went on to write the musical soundtrack to the Cuban Revolution almost single-handed. His best-known songs include 'Ojalá,' 'La Maza' and 'El Necio.'

1Sights

San Antonio de los Baños has several attractive squares, the most resplendent of which is the square at the intersection of Calles 66 and 41, overseen by a stately church ( GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Calles 66 & 41).

Museo del HumorMUSEUM

( GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Calle 60 & Av 45; CUC$2; h10am-6pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun)

Unique in Cuba is this fun selection of cartoons, caricatures and other entertaining ephemera. Among the drawings exhibited in a neoclassical colonial house are saucy cartoons, satirical scribblings and the first known Cuban caricature, dating from 1848. Visit in April for extra laughs at the International Humor Festival (entries remain on display for several weeks during this period).

The museum houses the work of Cuba’s foremost caricaturist, Carlos Julio Villar Alemán, a member of Uneac (Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba) and one-time judge at the festival.

A few times monthly music and ballet are also staged here.

Galería Provincial Eduardo AbelaGALLERY

( GOOGLE MAP ; Calle 58 No 3708, cnr Calle 37; hnoon-8pm Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm Sat, 8am-noon Sun)F

This bold and groundbreaking art gallery is anything but provincial. The first room focuses on painting while others showcase poignant black-and-white photography. The gallery is named after city son Eduardo Abela, a Cuban artist perhaps most famous for creating El Bobo (The Fool), a cartoon character who poked fun at the Gerardo Machado dictatorship of the 1920s and '30s.

4Sleeping & Eating

San Antonio's main shopping strip is Av 41, and there are numerous places to snack on peso treats along this street. Full-blown restaurants are thinner on the ground, but there's at least one goodie.

Hotel Las YagrumasHOTEL$$

( GOOGLE MAP ; %47-38-44-60; Calle 40 y Final Autopista; s/d from CUC$38/52; pas)

A hotel of untapped potential, Las Yagrumas, 3km north of San Antonio de los Baños, overlooks the picturesque but polluted Río Ariguanabo. Its 120 rooms with balcony and terrace (some river facing) are popular with peso-paying Cubans as opposed to foreign tourists, but many fixtures are falling apart. Sports facilities are better; there's table tennis and a gigantic pool (nonguests pay CUC$6).

Boat trips take off on the nearby river. A motor boat will take you on an 8km spin for CUC$3, while rowing boats go for CUC$1 an hour.

Don OlivaCUBAN$

( GOOGLE MAP ; %47-38-23-70; Calle 62 No 3512, btwn Calles 33 & 35; mains CUC$3-5; hnoon-11pm Tue-Sun)

Quite possibly the cheapest lobster in Cuba is served on Don Oliva's secluded covered patio; the price comes in at around CUC$5, and it's not bad either. Not surprisingly this is a refreshingly untouristed private restaurant with prices displayed in moneda nacional. Opt for the seafood.

6Drinking & Nightlife

Taberna del Tío CabreraCLUB

( GOOGLE MAP ; Calle 56 No 3910, btwn Calles 39 & 41; h2-5pm Mon-Fri, 2pm-1am Sat & Sun)

An attractive garden nightclub that puts on occasional comedy shows organized in conjunction with the Museo del Humor. The clientele is a mix of townies, folk from surrounding villages and film-school students.

8Getting There & Away

Hard to get to without a car, San Antonio is supposedly connected to Havana’s Estación 19 de Noviembre (CUC$1.50, one hour, four trains a day), but check well ahead. Otherwise, a taxi should cost CUC$35 one-way from central Havana (45 minutes).

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

NORTH COAST BEACHES

The coastline along the north of Artemisa is occasionally visited for its little-used back road from Havana through to Bahía Honda and on to Pinar del Río Province (mostly by cyclists). The monstrous, and highly polluted, main settlement here, Mariel, is best known for the 125,000 Cubans who left for Florida in the 1980 Mariel Boatlift. But east of Mariel are a couple of decent (and unpolluted) beaches. Playa Salado is a largely deserted beach with some 15 dive sites lying offshore, mostly accessed via excursion groups from Havana. Playa Baracoa, a few kilometers further east, is more developed. Big dudes near the shoreline lean on old American cars sipping beer while fishers throw lines from the rocky shore. A couple of basic beach shacks sell food, but there are no notable accommodations in the area.

Artemisa

Pop 57,160

Becoming the capital of Artemisa Province in 2010 didn't exactly transform Artemisa into a tourist mecca: this farming town’s days of affluence and appeal lie firmly embedded in the past. Having once attracted notables such as Ernest Hemingway and the Cuban poet Nicolás Guillén, and having grown wealthy on the back of 19th-century sugar and coffee booms, Artemisa's importance declined when the bottom fell out of the sugar and coffee industries. It’s known today as the Villa Roja (Red Town) for the famous fertility of its soil, which still yields a rich annual harvest of tobacco, bananas and sugarcane.

Artemisa has no accommodations for tourists: Soroa is the nearest option. As if in compensation, it has one of provincial Cuba's nicest bulevares (pedestrianized shopping streets) recently given an injection of government money.

1Sights

oAntiguo Cafetal AngeronaHISTORIC SITE

( GOOGLE MAP ; hdawn-dusk)F

The Antiguo Cafetal Angerona, 5km west of Artemisa on the road to the Autopista Habana–Pinar del Río (A4), was one of Cuba’s earliest cafetales (coffee farms). Erected between 1813 and 1820 by Cornelio Sauchay, Angerona once employed 450 slaves tending 750,000 coffee plants. Behind the ruined mansion lie the slave barracks, an old watchtower from which the slaves were monitored, and multiple storage cellars. Receiving few visitors, it's a great place to take creative photos as you quietly contemplate Cuba's past.

The quiet, atmospheric walls and arches surrounded by sugarcane and gnarly trees have the feel of a latter-day Roman ruin. Look for the stone-pillared gateway and sign on the right after you leave Artemisa.

The estate is mentioned in novels by Cirilo Villaverde and Alejo Carpentier, and James A Michener devotes several pages to it in Six Days in Havana.

Mausoleo a los Mártires de ArtemisaMAUSOLEUM

( GOOGLE MAP ; %47-36-32-76; Av 28 de Enero; h9am-5pm Tue-Sun)F

Revolution buffs may want to doff a cap to the Mausoleo a los Mártires de Artemisa. Of the 119 revolutionaries who accompanied Fidel Castro in the 1953 assault on the Moncada Barracks, 28 were from Artemisa or this region. Fourteen of the men buried below the cube-shaped bronze mausoleum died in the assault or were killed soon after by Batista’s troops. The other Moncada veterans buried here died later in the Sierra Maestra. A small subterranean museum contains combatants' photos and personal effects.

5Eating & Drinking

Because it receives practically zero tourists, Artemisa's private restaurants are cheap and orientated primarily toward Cubans. Notwithstanding, there are a couple of good ones.

Los NardisCUBAN$

( GOOGLE MAP ; cnr Calle 49 & Calle 42; mains CUC$3-6; hnoon-midnight Tue-Sun)

Unsignposted thus hard-to-find private restaurant a block from the main drag (Av 28 de Enero) that serves unadorned Cuban dishes featuring mucho rice and beans.

San MiguelCUBAN$

( GOOGLE MAP ; Calle 45 No 4811, btwn Calle 48 & Calle 50; mains CUC$2-4; h10am-11pm)

Cute paladar (privately owned restaurant) serving unusual (for Artemisa) dishes including crab and bistec uruguayo (Uruguayan steak). Favored by locals.

Cafe CubitaCAFE

( GOOGLE MAP ; Búlevar, btwn Maceo & General Gómez; h10am-10pm Sun-Thu, 10am-midnight Fri & Sat)

This is one of the best outlets of Cuba's reinvigorated coffee chain, with comfortable seating, a comprehensive coffee menu and table service. Bonus: it does cheap (CUC$1 to CUC$2) toasted sandwiches on fresh Cuban bread. Practically everyone opts for the café helado (coffee ice-cream milk shake).

8Getting There & Away

The bus station is on the Carretera Central in the center of Artemisa (local buses only).

Artemisa train station ( GOOGLE MAP ; Av Héroes del Moncada) is four blocks east of the bus station. There are supposed to be two trains a day from Havana (CUC$2.20, two hours) at noon and midnight, but don’t bank on it.

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

BAHíA HONDA

The wild, whirling road north from Soroa along the coast to either Bahía Honda and the north of Pinar del Río Province (west) or Havana (east) is surprisingly low-key and bucolic. You’ll feel as if you’re 1000km from the busy capital here. Forested hills give way to rice paddies in the shaded river valleys as you breeze past a picturesque succession of thatched farmhouses, craning royal palms and machete-wielding guajiros (rural workers). It makes a tough but highly rewarding cycling route.

Bahía Honda itself is a small bustling town with a pretty church. Despite its relative proximity to Havana, you’ll feel strangely isolated here, particularly as the road deteriorates after Soroa.

Soroa

Pop 7200

Known appropriately as the 'rainbow of Cuba,' Soroa, a gorgeous natural area and tiny settlement 85km southwest of Havana, is the closest mountain resort to the capital. Located 8km north of Candelaria in the Sierra del Rosario, the easternmost and highest section of the Cordillera de Guaniguanico, the region's heavy rainfall (more than 1300mm annually) promotes the growth of tall trees and orchids. The area gets its name from Jean-Pierre Soroa, a Frenchman who owned a 19th-century coffee plantation in these hills. One of his descendants, Ignacio Soroa, created the park as a personal retreat in the 1920s, and only since the revolution has this luxuriant region been developed for tourism.

While it shares the same abundant flora as Las Terrazas, Soroa is generally quieter and receives less tourists. It's a great area to explore by bike.

1Sights

All Soroa’s sights are conveniently near Hotel & Villas Soroa, where you can organize horseback riding and a variety of hikes into the surrounding forest and a couple of local communities. Alternatively, ask at your casa particular. Other trails lead to a rock formation known as Labyrinth de la Sierra Derrumbada and an idyllic bathing pool, the Poza del Amor (Pond of Love). The hotel is the main information point for the area.

Finca ExcelenciaFARM

( GOOGLE MAP ; Carretera Soroa Km 11; hdawn-dusk)SF

Fitting right into the ecological rainbow of Soroa is this private farm that has recently opened its gates to curious travelers. Stroll through the diligently tilled sloping grounds and feast your eyes upon 140 varieties of fruit (blended into juices and smoothies) and over 300 types of orchids. Higher up sit two miradores (lookouts) that teeter over tremendous views painted with a hundred different shades of green. The quietly inspiring owner will happily show you round.

Orquideario SoroaGARDENS

( GOOGLE MAP ; Carretera Soroa Km 9; CUC$3; h8:30am-4:30pm)

Tumbling down a landscaped hillside garden next door to Hotel & Villas Soroa is a labor of love built by Spanish lawyer Tomás Felipe Camacho, in memory of his wife and daughter in the late 1940s. Camacho traveled round the world to amass his collection of 700 orchid species (the largest in Cuba), including many endemic plants. Though he died in the 1960s, the Orquideario, connected to the University of Pinar del Río, lives on with guided tours in Spanish or English.

Salto del Arco IrisWATERFALL

( GOOGLE MAP ; Carretera Soroa Km 8; CUC$3; h9am-6pm)

This is a 22m waterfall on the Arroyo Manantiales. The entrance to the park encompassing it is to the right just before the Hotel & Villas Soroa. A path corkscrews to two viewpoints above and below the falls, at their most impressive in the May-to-October rainy season and at other times a trickle. You can swim here.

2Activities

This part of the Sierra del Rosario is one of the best birdwatching sites in western Cuba after the Ciénaga de Zapata. You don’t have to venture far from Hotel & Villas Soroa to see species such as the tocororo or Cuban trogon and the entertaining Cuban tody. Guided tours, arranged through the hotel, are from between CUC$6 and CUC$8 per hour.

You can arrange and pay for the hikes at Hotel & Villas Soroa or at most local casas particulares.

oMirador Loma El MogoteHIKING

( GOOGLE MAP ; Carretera Soroa Km 8)

Starting at the Baños Romanos, take the signposted well-trodden path 2km uphill to the Mirador, a rocky crag with an incredible sweeping panorama of all Soroa and the coastal flats beyond. Hungry turkey vultures circle below you.

El BrujitoHIKING

( GOOGLE MAP ; per person CUC$15)

This hike goes to the tiny village of El Brujito, still inhabited by the descendants of slaves who once worked on a former French-run coffee plantation. It's the area's longest walk at around 15km. You'll need around seven hours to complete it with a guide.

Ruinas de los Cafetales FrancesesHIKING

( GOOGLE MAP ; per person CUC$12)

Adjacent to Las Terrazas, Soroa also sits within the region's former coffee-growing area and the ruins of several French coffee farms – La Independencia, La Esperanza and La Merced – can be seen during this four-hour hike that pitches northeast from the Villa Soroa.

La RositaHIKING

( GOOGLE MAP ; per person CUC$12)S

For some great birdwatching, head out on this, one of the more adventurous trails in Soroa, to the former ecovillage of La Rosita (itself sadly destroyed by a recent hurricane), perched in the hills beyond the Hotel & Villas Soroa. Nevertheless, this is one of the all-too-rare, hands-on opportunities to experience rural life as Cubans do – without the ‘acting up’ to tourists. It's around 8km long.

Baños RomanosSWIMMING

( GOOGLE MAP ; Carretera Soroa Km 8; per hr CUC$5)

Roman they're not, but this stone bathhouse on the opposite side of the stream from the Salto del Arco Iris car park has a pool of cold sulfurous water. Ask at Hotel & Villas Soroa about the baths and massage treatments.

4Sleeping & Eating

Nearly every house along the road from Candelaria to Soroa rents rooms and, with the recent opening of the Castillo de las Nubes, there are now two hotels. Soroa makes an excellent alternative base for visiting Las Terrazas and, in its own way, is equally beautiful.

All the accommodation places in Soroa provide food, with the casas particulares offering the best nosh. Good job, too, as there aren't many stand-alone restaurants.

oMaité DelgadoCASA PARTICULAR$

( GOOGLE MAP ; %52-27-00-69; yeisondelg@nauta.cu; Carretera Soroa Km 7; r CUC$25-30; pa)

A bright family casa within easy walking distance of the Soroa sights, Maité's is a slice of rustic heaven with rocking chairs on the porch, a verdant garden and five funky rooms decked out in designer decor. Comfort in el campo (the countryside). English is spoken and dinner is prepared on request.

Don AgapitoCASA PARTICULAR$

( GOOGLE MAP ; %58-12-17-91; donagapitosoroa@nauta.cu; Carretera Soroa Km 8; r CUC$20-25; pa)

Two fantastic well-lit, super-clean rooms and some professional touches, including a personalized giant map of the province, make a stopover at this Soroa casa particular right next to the Orquideario a real pleasure. The food is equally marvelous. Check out the garden with its own plant-festooned mini-cave!

Hotel & Villas SoroaRESORT$$

( GOOGLE MAP ; %48-52-35-34; Carretera Soroa Km 9; s/d/tr incl breakfast CUC$59/88/115; paWs)

You can’t knock the setting of this place nestled in a narrow valley amid stately trees and verdant hills (though you might wonder about the juxtaposition of these scattered block-like cabins against such a breathtaking natural backdrop). Isolated and tranquil, there are 80 rooms in a spacious complex just shouting distance from the forest, along with an inviting pool, a small shop and an ordinary restaurant.

The hotel also has four-, six- and eight-person casas to rent (from CUC$60 to CUC$120). Elsewhere on the campus there's a disco and an office where you can arrange and pay for numerous activities, including hiking and birdwatching.

Castillo de las NubesBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$$

(Castle of the Clouds; GOOGLE MAP ; %48-52-35-34; s/d/ste CUC$150/175/250; paWs)

A romantic faux-European castle with a circular tower on a hilltop 1.5km up a rough road beyond the Orquideario Soroa, the Castillo de las Nubes was built by wealthy farmer Antonio Arturo Bustamante in 1940, but was quickly abandoned after the revolution. In 2016, it reopened as a six-room boutique hotel with a bar-restaurant, small pool and expansive Soroa views in every direction.

Restaurante el SaltoCUBAN$

( GOOGLE MAP ; Carretera Soroa Km 8; mains CUC$5-12; h9am-7pm; p)

This simple place next to the Baños Romanos is one of the few independent eating options outside Soroa's hotels and casas particulares. It serves basic Cuban food, high on bulk, if low on taste.

8Getting There & Away

The Havana–Viñales Víazul (www.viazul.com) bus stops in Las Terrazas, but not Soroa; you can cover the last 16km in a taxi for CUC$15 (15 minutes). If staying at a casa particular, ask about lifts. Transfer buses (not to be depended upon) sometimes pass through Soroa between Viñales and Havana. Inquire at Hotel & Villas Soroa, or at Infotur in Viñales or Havana.

The only other access to Soroa and the surrounding area is with your own wheels: car, bicycle or moped. The Servi-Cupet gas station ( GOOGLE MAP ) is on the Autopista at the turnoff to Candelaria, 8km below Soroa.

Las Terrazas

Pop 1200

The pioneering ecovillage of Las Terrazas dates back to a reforestation project in 1968. Today it’s a Unesco Biosphere Reserve, a burgeoning activity center (with a canopy tour) and the site of the earliest coffee plantations in Cuba. Not surprisingly, it attracts day-trippers from Havana by the busload.

Over-nighters can stay in the community’s sole hotel, the mold-breaking Hotel Moka, an upmarket ecoresort built between 1992 and 1994 by workers drawn from Las Terrazas to attract foreign tourists. Close by, in the picturesque whitewashed village that overlooks a small lake, there’s a vibrant art community with open studios, woodwork and pottery workshops. But the region’s biggest attraction is its verdant natural surroundings, which are ideal for hiking, relaxing and birdwatching.

BIRTH OF AN ECOPROJECT

Back in 1968, when the nascent environmental movement was a prickly protest group led by hippies with names like ‘Swampy,’ the forward-thinking Cubans – concerned about the ecological cost of island-wide deforestation – came up with an idea.

The plan involved taking a 50-sq-km tract of degraded land in Cuba’s western mountains that had once supported a network of French coffee farms and reforesting it on terraced, erosion-resistant slopes. In 1971, with the first phase of the plan completed, the workers on the project were tasked to create a reservoir, and on its shores construct a small settlement of white houses to provide much-needed housing for the area’s disparate inhabitants.

The result was Las Terrazas, Cuba’s first ecovillage, a thriving community of 1200 inhabitants whose self-supporting, sustainable settlement today includes a hotel, myriad artisan shops and a vegetarian restaurant, and uses small-scale organic farming techniques. The project was so successful that, in 1985, the land around Las Terrazas was incorporated into Cuba’s first Unesco Biosphere Reserve, the Sierra del Rosario.

In 1994, as the tourist industry was expanded to counteract the economic effects of the Special Period, Las Terrazas opened Hotel Moka, an environmentally congruous hotel designed by minister of tourism and green architect Osmani Cienfuegos, brother of the late revolutionary hero Camilo.

Now established as Cuba’s most authentic ecoresort, Las Terrazas operates on guiding principles that include energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture, environmental education and a sense of harmony between buildings and landscape. Far from being degraded, the hills around Las Terrazas these days attract the country's most diverse and abundant birdlife.

1Sights

Cafetal BuenavistaHISTORIC SITE

( GOOGLE MAP )F

The most moving ruins in Las Terrazas are about 1.5km up the hill from the Puerta las Delicias eastern gate, and accessible by road. Cafetal Buenavista is Cuba’s oldest (now partially restored) coffee plantation, built in 1801 by French refugees from Haiti. Ruins of the quarters of some of the 126 slaves held by the French-Cuban owners here can be seen alongside the driers.

The attic of the master’s house (now a restaurant) was used to store the beans until they could be carried down to the port of Mariel by mule. There are decent views from here, best appreciated on the Sendero las Delicias hike which incorporates the cafetal.

The huge tajona (grindstone) out the back once extracted coffee beans from their shells. The beans were then sun-dried on huge platforms.

Casa-Museo Polo MontañezMUSEUM

( GOOGLE MAP ; h9am-5pm Mon-Fri)F

The former lakeside house of local guajiro musician Polo Montañez, regarded as one of Cuba’s finest-ever folk singers, is now a small museum containing various gold records and assorted memorabilia. It’s right in Las Terrazas village, overlooking the lake.

Polo’s most famous songs include ‘Guajiro Natural’ and ‘Un Montón de Estrellas’; they captured the heart of the nation between 2000 and 2002 with simple lyrics about love and nature. His stardom was short-lived, however: he died in a car accident in 2002.

San Pedro & Santa CatalinaHISTORIC SITE

( GOOGLE MAP )F

These 19th-century coffee-estate ruins are down a branch road at La Cañada del Infierno (Trail to Hell), midway between the Hotel Moka access road and the Soroa side entrance gate. A kilometer off the main road, just before the ruins of the San Pedro coffee estate, a bar overlooks a popular swimming spot. After this it’s another kilometer to Santa Catalina.

A trail leads on from here to Soroa.

Hacienda UniónHISTORIC SITE

( GOOGLE MAP )F

About 3.5km west of the Hotel Moka access road, the Hacienda Unión is another partially reconstructed coffee-estate ruin that features a country-style restaurant, a small flower garden known as the Jardín Unión and horseback riding (CUC$6 per hour).

La PlazaPLAZA

( GOOGLE MAP ; h9am-5pm)

In the middle of Las Terrazas village at the top of a large knoll, this mini-mall encompasses a cinema, a cafe, a library and a small ecomuseum that gives an overview of the community's short history. All are generally open throughout the day, or can become so if you ask at the Oficinas del Complejo.

Galería de Lester CampaGALLERY

( GOOGLE MAP ; hdaily, hours vary)F

Several well-known Cuban artists are based at Las Terrazas, including Lester Campa, whose work has been exhibited internationally. Pop into his lakeside studio-gallery, on the right-hand side a few houses after Casa-Museo Polo Montañez.

2Activities

The Sierra del Rosario has some of the best hikes in Cuba. However, they’re all guided, so you can’t officially do any of them on your own (nonexistent signposting deters all but the hardiest from trying). On the upside, most of the area’s guides are highly trained, which means you’ll emerge from the experience both fitter and wiser. There were four different hikes available at last visit, each costing CUC$19 per person. Book at the Oficinas del Complejo or Hotel Moka.

oSendero la SerafinaHIKING

( GOOGLE MAP ; per person CUC$19)

The easy 6.4km La Serafina loop starts and finishes near the Rancho Curujey. It’s a well-known paradise for birdwatchers (there are more than 70 species on show). Halfway through the walk you will pass the ruins of the Cafetal Santa Serafina, one of the first coffee farms in the Caribbean. Reserve three hours for this guided excursion.

Baños del San JuanSWIMMING

( GOOGLE MAP ; incl lunch CUC$15; h9am-7pm)

It’s hard to envisage more idyllic natural swimming pools than those situated 3km to the south of Hotel Moka down an undulating paved road. These baños (baths) are surrounded by naturally terraced rocks, where the clean, bracing waters cascade into a series of pools.

Riverside, there are a handful of open-air eating places, along with changing rooms, showers and overnight cabins ( GOOGLE MAP ; %48-57-86-00; cabin s/d CUC$15/25), though the spot still manages to retain a sense of rustic isolation.

El TabureteHIKING

( GOOGLE MAP ; per person CUC$19)

This 5.6km hike has the same start/finish point as El Contento, but follows a more direct route over the 452m Loma el Taburete where a poignant monument is dedicated to the 38 Cuban guerrillas who trained in these hills for Che Guevara’s ill-fated Bolivian adventure.

As with the El Contento hike, you'll have to walk 5km along a quiet road to get back to the start, or arrange a taxi (around CUC$3).

Book and pay at the Oficinas del Complejo or Hotel Moka.

El ContentoHIKING

( GOOGLE MAP ; per person CUC$19)

This 7.6km ramble takes you through the reserve’s foothills between the Campismo el Taburete (rustic accommodation for Cubans only) and the Baños del San Juan, taking in two coffee-estate ruins: San Ildelfonso and El Contento. You'll have to hike 5km along a quiet road to get back to the start or arrange a taxi (around CUC$3).

Sendero las DeliciasHIKING

( GOOGLE MAP ; per person CUC$19)

This 3km route runs from Rancho Curujey to the Cafetal Buenavista, incorporating some fantastic views and plenty of birdwatching opportunities. Book and pay at the Oficinas del Complejo or Hotel Moka.

TTours

Canopy TourZIPLINING

( GOOGLE MAP ; per person CUC$35)

Cuba’s original canopy tour has recently expanded from three to six ziplines that catapult you over Las Terrazas village and the Lago del San Juan like a turkey vulture in flight. The total ‘flying’ distance is 1600m. Professional instructors maintain high safety standards. To book the ziplining, get in touch with the Oficinas del Complejo near Rancho Curujey.

4Sleeping

The ecofriendly Hotel Moka is Las Terrazas' emblematic hotel. From here, you can also book five rustic cabins 3km away in Río San Juan (single/double CUC$15/25) or arrange tent camping (CUC$12). There are also three villas (single/double CUC$105/120) available for rent in the village.

There are a couple of casas particulares on the eastern approach road, a kilometer or so outside the park entrance gate.

Villa DuqueCASA PARTICULAR$

( GOOGLE MAP ; %53-22-14-31; Carretera a Cayajabos Km 2, Finca San Andrés; r incl breakfast CUC$25; pa)

Ecotourism doesn’t have to come at a cost. Those on a budget might wish to check out this farmhouse 2km before the eastern entrance of Las Terrazas, which has two spick-and-span rooms, a fridge full of beer, a wraparound balcony and breakfast included in the price. The fresh country smells come free of charge, too.

oHotel MokaRESORT$$$

( GOOGLE MAP ; %48-57-86-00; Las Terrazas; s/d/tr all-inclusice CUC$158/180/247; paWs)S

Cuba’s only real ecohotel might not qualify for the four stars it advertises, but who’s arguing? With its trickling fountains, blooming flower garden and resident tree growing through the lobby, Moka would be a catch in any country. The 26 bright, spacious rooms have fridges, satellite TV and bathtubs with a stupendous view (there are blinds for the shy).

Equipped with a bar, restaurant, shop, pool and tennis court, the hotel also acts as an information center for the reserve and can organize everything from hiking to fishing.

5Eating

Las Terrazas has a scattered collection of country-style restaurants, open to the elements and purveying simple comida criolla (Creole food). In the village itself there are some more esoteric offerings, including a bona fide vegetarian restaurant – a rarity in Cuba.

Casa del CampesinoCARIBBEAN$

( GOOGLE MAP ; Las Terrazas; mains CUC$5-8; h9am-9pm; p)

Of the ranchón-style restaurants dotted around, this one adjacent to the Hacienda Unión, about 3.5km west of the Hotel Moka access road, is a visitor favorite. The only proviso: you'd better like rice and beans.

El RomeroVEGETARIAN$

( GOOGLE MAP ; Las Terrazas; mains CUC$3-7; hnoon-9pm; v)S

One of Cuba's few full-blown ecorestaurants, El Romero specializes in vegetarian fare, uses solar energy, homegrown organic vegetables and herbs, and keeps its own bees. You’ll think you’ve woken up in San Francisco when you browse the menu replete with hummus, bean pancake, pumpkin and onion soup, and extra-virgin olive oil.

Rancho CurujeyCARIBBEAN$

( GOOGLE MAP ; Las Terrazas; snacks CUC$2-5; h9am-9pm; p)

This ranchón-style set-up offers beer and snacks under a small thatched canopy overlooking Lago Palmar. The Serafina and Las Delicias trailheads are here.

Fonda de MercedesCUBAN$$

( GOOGLE MAP ; Las Terrazas; mains CUC$6-8; h9am-9pm)S

On a terrace beside her home in an apartment block beneath Hotel Moka, Mercedes has been serving up vegetable soup and hearty home-cooked meat and fish dishes for years.

Casa de BotesSEAFOOD$$

( GOOGLE MAP ; Las Terrazas; mains CUC$5-9; h9am-10pm)

The community's fish specialist is suspended on stilts above Lago del San Juan where you can work up an appetite on a kayak first.

6Drinking & Nightlife

Patio de MaríaCAFE

( GOOGLE MAP ; Las Terrazas; h9am-10pm)S

Patio de María is a small, brightly painted coffee bar that might just qualify for the best brew in Cuba. The secret comes in the expert confection and the fact that the beans are grown about 20m away from your cup in front of the flowery terrace. Frappés are also available.

8Information

Las Terrazas is 20km northeast of Hotel & Villas Soroa and 13km west of the Havana–Pinar del Río Autopista at Cayajabos. There are toll gates at both entrances to the Biosphere Reserve (entry CUC$4 per person). The eastern toll gate, Puerta las Delicias ( GOOGLE MAP ), is a good source of information on the park, while the best place to get information and arrange excursions is at the Oficinas del Complejo ( GOOGLE MAP ; %48-57-85-55, 48-57-87-00; h8am-5pm), adjacent to Rancho Curujey, or at Hotel Moka, perched behind trees above the village. Both places act as nexus points for the reserve.

8Getting There & Away

Two Víazul (www.viazul.com) buses a day currently stop at the Rancho Curujey next door to Las Terrazas; one at 10am bound for Pinar del Río and Viñales (CUC$8, 2¼ hours), the other at 4pm heading to Havana (CUC$6, 1½ hours). Occasional transfer buses, which run when they have enough passengers, pass through bound for Havana or Viñales. Inquire at Hotel Moka or contact the Viñales office of Infotur.

Mayabeque Province

Tiny Mayabeque, now the country’s smallest province, is a productive little place, cultivating citrus fruit, tobacco, grapes for wine and the sugarcane for Havana Club rum, the main distillery of which is in Santa Cruz del Norte. Tourists, predominantly Cubans, come here principally for the sandy coast in the northeast, drawn by the good-value resorts that back onto beautiful beaches for a fraction of the price of a Varadero vacation. Inland amid the workaday agricultural atmosphere lie some luxuriant scenic treats: landscaped gardens, the picturesque protected area of Jaruco, Cuba’s most spectacular bridge, and the classic Cuban train journey transecting the lot.

OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

THE HERSHEY TRAIN

‘Cow on the line,’ drawls the bored-looking ticket seller. ‘Train shut for cleaning,’ reads a scruffy hand-scrawled notice. To habaneros, the catalog of daily transport delays is tediously familiar. While the name of the antique Hershey Electric Railway might suggest a sweet treat to most visitors, in Cuba it signifies a more bitter mix of bumpy journeys, hard seats and interminable waits.

Built in 1921 by US chocolate ‘czar’ Milton S Hershey (1857–1945), the electric-powered railway line was originally designed to link the American mogul’s humungous sugar mill in Mayabeque Province with stations in Matanzas and the capital. Running along a trailblazing rural route, it soon became a lifeline for isolated communities cut off from the provincial transport network.

In 1959 the Hershey factory was nationalized and renamed Central Camilo Cienfuegos after Cuba’s celebrated rebel commander. But the train continued to operate, clinging unofficially to its chocolate-inspired nickname. In the true tradition of the post-revolutionary ‘waste not, want not’ economy, it also clung to the same tracks, locomotives, carriages, signals and stations.

While a long way from Orient Express–style luxury, an excursion on today’s Hershey train is a captivating journey back in time to the days when cars were for rich people and sugar was king. For outsiders, this is Cuba as the Cubans see it. It’s a microcosm of rural life with all its daily frustrations, conversations, foibles and – occasionally – fun.

The train seemingly stops at every house, hut, horse stable and hillock between Havana and Matanzas (CUC$2.80, four hours). Getting off is something of a toss-up. Beach bums can disembark at Guanabo (CUC$0.75, 1¼ hours) and wander 2km north for a taste of Havana’s rustic eastern resorts. History buffs can get off at Central Camilo Cienfuegos (CUC$1.40, two hours) and stroll around the old Hershey sugar-mill ruins. You can also alight at Jibacoa (CUC$1.65, 2½ hours) for Playa Jibacoa's tucked-away beach paradise and at indeterminate stops through the beautiful Valle de Yumurí. ¡Buen viaje!

Playa Jibacoa Area

Playa Jibacoa is the Varadero that never was, or the Varadero yet to come – depending on your hunch. For the time being it’s a mainly Cuban getaway, with a coastal branch road from the main Vía Blanca highway winding by two small all-inclusive resorts, a hotel-standard campismo (cheap rustic accommodation) and several other shoreline sleeping options thrown in for good measure. Punctuated by a series of small but splendid beaches and blessed with good snorkeling accessible direct from the shore, Jibacoa is backed by a lofty limestone terrace overlooking the ocean. The terrace offers excellent views and some short DIY hikes.

The Vía Blanca, running between Havana and Matanzas, is the main transport artery in the area, although few buses make scheduled stops here, making Playa Jibacoa a more challenging pit stop than it should be. Just inland are picturesque farming communities and tiny time-warped hamlets linked by the Hershey Electric Railway.

1Sights

Puente de BacunayaguaBRIDGE

( GOOGLE MAP )

Marking the border between Havana and Matanzas Provinces, this is Cuba’s longest (314m) and highest (103m) bridge. Begun in 1957 and finally opened by Fidel Castro in September 1959, it carries the busy Vía Blanca across a densely wooded canyon that separates the Valle de Yumurí from the sea. There's a snack bar and observation deck (8am to 10pm) on the Havana side of the bridge, where you can sink some drinks in front of one of Cuba’s most awe-inspiring views.

You'll be looking out over hundreds of royal palm trees standing like ghostly sentries on the sheering valley slopes and, in the distance, dark, bulbous hills and splashes of blue ocean.

The snack bar and observation deck are a favorite stopping-off point for tour buses and taxis, and aside from hiring a car, these are your only means of visiting.

Central Camilo CienfuegosLANDMARK

( GOOGLE MAP )

Standing disused on a hilltop like a huge rusting iron skeleton, this former sugar mill, 5km south of Santa Cruz del Norte, was one of Cuba’s largest and a testimony to the country’s previous production clout. Opened in 1916, it once belonged to the Philadelphia-based Hershey Chocolate Company, which used the sugar to sweeten its world-famous chocolate. The Hershey Electric Railway used to transport produce and workers between Havana, Matanzas and the small town that grew up around the mill.

While the train still runs three times a day (and stops in the Jibacoa town center), the mill was closed in July 2002.

Jardines de HersheyGARDENS

( GOOGLE MAP )

These overgrown gardens, formerly owned by the famous American chocolate tycoon Milton Hershey who ran the nearby sugar mill, are charmingly wild these days, with attractive paths, abundant green foliage and a beautiful river, plus a couple of thatched-roof restaurants. It’s a serene spot for lunch and a stroll. The gardens are approximately 1km north of Camilo Cienfuegos train station on the Hershey train line. From Playa Jibacoa, it’s a pleasantly walkable 4km south of Santa Cruz del Norte.

2Activities

Playa Jibacoa is the only resort area in northern Cuba where you can snorkel and dive directly from the shore. You can borrow snorkeling gear for free if you're staying in Memories Jibacoa Beach and swim off from the beach. The resort also has a dive center offering immersions from CUC$25.

There is good snorkeling from the beach facing Campismo los Cocos; heading westward along the coast you’ll find unpopulated pockets where you can don a mask or relax under a palm.

The Finca Campesina Rancho Gaviota ( GOOGLE MAP ; %47-61-47-02; incl meal CUC$8; h10am-5pm) is an activities center, 12km inland from Puerto Escondido via the pretty, palm-sprinkled Valle de Yumurí, which is usually incorporated in day trips from Matanzas and Varadero. The hilltop ranch overlooks a reservoir and offers horseback riding, kayaking and cycling, plus a massive feast of local Cuban fare. Huts showcase various elements of Cuban agriculture, such as coffee and sugarcane – with tastings.

For self-drivers getting to the ranchón, take the inland road for 2km to Arcos de Canasí and turn left at the fork for another 10km to the signpost.

4Sleeping

Casas particulares are coming to Playa Jibacoa; they line the Matanzas end of the coast road after the last of the hotels. Look out for the blue-and-white Arrendador Divisa stickers.

Campismo los CocosCAMPISMO$

( GOOGLE MAP ; %47-29-52-31; www.campismopopular.cu; s/d CUC$30/45; pas)

The newest and nicest of Cubamar’s 80 or more campismo sites, Los Cocos has facilities to match a midrange hotel and a beachside setting that emulates the big shots in Varadero. Ninety self-contained cabins are clustered around a pool set in the crook of the province’s low, steplike cliffs.

Facilities include a small library, a medical post, an à la carte restaurant, a games room, rooms for travelers with disabilities and walking trails (up to a lookout on the limestone terrace backing the site). The downsides: poor maintenance since the 2006 opening and blaring music around the pool.

Villa JibacoaRESORT$$

( GOOGLE MAP ; %47-29-52-05; www.gran-caribe.com; Vía Blanca Km 60; s/d all-inclusive CUC$120/150; pais)

This small, well-landscaped resort has great snorkeling and large spick-and-span rooms in cute concrete bungalows. Posh it isn't. Instead it's marketed as a three-star and is popular with repeat-visit package tourists from Canada.

oMemories Jibacoa BeachRESORT$$$

( GOOGLE MAP ; %47-29-51-22; www.memoriesresorts.com; r all-inclusive from CUC$175; paiWs)

Who knew? One of Cuba’s best all-inclusive resorts isn’t in Varadero (or any other resort strip for the matter), but in the more tranquil confines of Jibacoa. The secret? This 250-room resort doesn’t try too hard. The trickling fountains, 24-hour pool and narrow but idyllic beach are elegantly unpretentious.

Then there’s the joy of the surf and turf surroundings – snorkeling from the shore (with gear lent free to guests), an on-site dive center (immersions from CUC$25), and trekking into the uplifted terraces just inland. Formerly SuperClub Breezes, the resort was last renovated in 2012. Coming from Matanzas, the turnoff is 13km west of the Puente de Bacunayagua.

8Getting There & Away

The best – some would say the only – way to get to Playa Jibacoa is on the Hershey Electric Railway from Casablanca train station in Havana to Jibacoa Pueblo ( GOOGLE MAP ) (CUC$1.65, 2½ hours). There’s no bus to the beach from the station and traffic is sporadic, so bank on hiking the last 5km – a not unpleasant walk if you don’t have too much gear.

Jaruco

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Jaruco, set back from the coast between Havana and Matanzas, is a good day trip for travelers with a car, moped or bike who want to give the beaches a body-swerve and instead sample quintessential rural Cuba.

Jaruco village is a wash of pastel-hued houses bunched along steeply pitching streets that wouldn’t look amiss in the Peruvian Andes. The Parque Escaleras de Jaruco ( GOOGLE MAP ), 6km west, is even more precipitous, with its jungle-like vegetation and unmarked, narrow and winding roads. The protected area, featuring forests, caves and strangely shaped limestone cliffs, is the main reason for visiting the region.

Habaneros come here for bucolic weekend breaks Thursday through Sunday, the park's only official opening days, but with a minor road bisecting the park between Tapaste (off the Autopista Nacional) and Jaruco, you can slip in any time. This forgotten oasis has outstanding miradores (viewpoints) over Mayabeque Province.

5Eating

A handful of Jaruco's restaurants open up from Thursday to Sunday and blare out cheesy music, which can disrupt the serenity.

El CriolloCUBAN$

( GOOGLE MAP ; mains CUC$3-6; h11:30am-5pm Thu-Sun)

The best of the handful of Parque Escaleras de Jaruco's restaurants is the pleasant ranchón-style El Criollo, where you’ll pay in pesos for various pork- and fish-focused offerings.

8Getting There & Away

It’s 32km to Jaruco from Guanabo in a southeasterly direction via Campo Florido, and you can make it a loop by returning through Santa Cruz del Norte, 18km northeast of Jaruco via Central Camilo Cienfuegos. A taxi from Havana costs CUC$35 one-way (40 minutes).

It's possible to get to Jaruco on a branch line of the Hershey Electric Railway, a slow and ponderous journey. Take the train to Camilo Cienfuegos (CUC$1.40, two hours) then change onto a train south to Jaruco station ( GOOGLE MAP ) (CUC$1, 30 minutes, eight trains a day).

WORTH A TRIP

LAS CHARANGAS DE BEJUCAL

The journeyman town of Bejucal, like many settlements in Mayabeque Province, is not exactly overflowing with interesting things to do – unless you time your visit to coincide with Las Charangas on December 24, which compete with Las Parrandas of Remedios and Santiago’s Carnival as Cuba’s most cacophonous and colorful festival.

As in Remedios, the town splits into two competing groups, the Ceiba de Plata (Silver Ceiba) and the Espina de Oro (Golden Thorn), who hit the streets laughing, dancing and singing among outrageously large, dazzling floats and the famous Bejucal tambores (drums). The climax comes with the building of 20m-high towers made of brightly lit artistic displays in the main plaza, to the accompaniment of the music of the traditional conga. The displays mix tradition with topical news stories referencing everything from Santería deities to global warming. Las Charangas dates back to the early 1800s when the parading groups were split between creoles and black slaves (the racial discriminations no longer exist), making it one of Cuba’s oldest festivals.

There's no real accommodation in town for travelers, but at 40km from Havana, Bejucal is in easy day-tripping reach. The only option for reaching Bejucal other than train is by taxi or private car (for around CUC$35 one-way, 40 minutes).

Surgidero de Batabanó

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Spanish colonizers founded the original settlement of Havana on the site of Surgidero de Batabanó on August 25, 1515, but quickly abandoned it in favor of the north coast. Looking around the decrepit town today, with its tumbledown clapboard houses and grubby beachless seafront, it’s not difficult to see why. The only reason you’re likely to end up in this fly-blown port is during the purgatorial bus-boat trip to the Isla de la Juventud. Should there be unforeseen delays, either staying within the port confines or cabbing it back to Havana, however depressing, are preferable to spending any time in the town itself.

Fidel Castro and the other Moncada prisoners disembarked here on May 15, 1955, after Fulgencio Batista granted them amnesty. They made a quick getaway.

5Eating

Surprise! The semi-abandoned afterthought of Surgidero de Batabanó has recently sprouted an OK restaurant.

Los Dos HermanosCUBAN$

( GOOGLE MAP ; Calle 68 No 521; mains CUC$2-5; hnoon-10pm)

In a cute clapboard house that was once an elegant hotel lies the best answer to any ferry delay. Dos Hermanos serves straight-up Cuban nosh quickly and without unnecessary ceremony. Dig in; your next decent meal (if you're heading to La Isla) could be a long way away.

8Getting There & Away

The ferry from Surgidero de Batabanó to the Isla de la Juventud is supposed to leave daily at 1pm with an additional sailing at 4pm on Friday and Sunday (two hours). It is highly advisable to buy your bus-boat combo ticket (CUC$50.20) in Havana (from the office at the main Astro bus station) rather than turning up and doing it here. More often than not convertible tickets are sold out to bus passengers.

For self-drivers, there’s a Servi-Cupet gas station ( GOOGLE MAP ; Calle 64 No 7110, btwn Avenidas 71 & 73) in Batabanó town. The next Servi-Cupet station east is in Güines.