Carmen Vernier Rodríguez Calle Martí #98 e/ 10 de Octubre y 24 de Febrero Baracoa Guantanamo Tel. ++53 (21) 64 25 31 Price: 15 CUC Note: A colonial style house in the heart of the small city of Baracoa. Carmen and her huspand are kindly people, the help you planing your excursions. Although the house is in the very centre it's a very quiet house. You can rent a room with your two beds (a big and a small one) with aircondition and there's also a bathroom with hot and cold water for your own. They can organise for you trips to the national park "Humbold", the director is a friend of them!

Baracoa was the first city founded by the Spanish conquerors. There are people which mention that Baracoa in all aspect is the end of Cuba. The attractions of the area of Baracoa is certainly the nature. You will find around Baracoa one of the nices vegetation from the whole island. There are a lot of palms, the region is very green. Finally this part of Cuba is in many aspect very dificult from the others. If you have the posibility to spend some days in Baracoa, don't hesitate!

Excursiones

• Playa Maguana is a very nice beach, situated in the direction of Moa, about 20km away from the city of Baracoa. This beach is for all Baracoa visitors a must. You can go there easily by bicycle. Other posiblitie would be a taxi. I don't recomend to catch a particular one, because there are frequently police stops and when you go by a particular taxi you will be playing with your time at the beach (I'd like to say that you maybe don't will get to the beach because of the drivers fear...). So catch a oficial taxi. This will cost about 25 CUC both ways. Every hour the driver need to stay you have to pay some 3 CUC more. So I recomend, if you don't like the idea of the bicycle (or a scooter - you can rent them in Baracoa for about 20 CUC a day) to meet with some other people so the taxi don't will cost a fortune. An other posibility: Go there by truck. The trucks in the direction of Moa stop near the beach. But maybe you will spend more time waiting at the border of the road than at the beach...

• Río Yumurí. This river ist located between Baracoa and Maisí. It's a quiet place in the middle of the nice nature. You can walk a little bit, have a swim and so one. But be also prepared for some people which want's to sell you coconuts, meals and so on - if you cought the little ship for getting a little bit out of the village they will get fewer.
  To get there you can catch also a truck, a taxi or a bicycle - but atention, there are some hills to cross, it's not so terrible easy to go there by his own power... If you go by truck you need to start early and have to go back to Baracoa not later than 17:00, because afterwards there are hardly any trucks. When you go by an oficial taxi I also suggest to meet with other people because the journey isn't very cheap

• Río Toa. A big river, about 10km away from Baracoa in the direction of Moa. You can also have a swim in the river and enjoy the nature. There you normally also can easily contact with people, for exemple with farmers of with women washing in the river. I recomend to go by bicycle, the road is in a good condition.

• Playa Duaba. A beach near Baracoa, you get there easily by bicycle. If you go to the camping "El Yunque" - you can go by bike, but the road is in very bad condition - you will find marvellous places for having a bath in the river.

• Finally, I just recomend to rent for at least one day a bicycle (about 3 CUC a day) for discover the villages, the countryside around Baracoa.

• Also don't miss to climb the stairs to the Hotel Castillo or to the restaurant Ranchón, you will enjoy a nice view.

• At night the local Rumbos is a meeting point for turists and also for Cubans. Every night there's a band playing tradidtional cuban music (son). I also suggest a visit in the "Casa de la Trova". There are also playing each day local traditional groups. They play in the morning and and at 21:00. In the morning you don't pay entry, but at the night tourists have to pay 1 CUC, Cubanos pay 1 Peso. "La Terraza" is an other place to go at night. It's a open-air discothèque at the roof from which you also enjoy a nice view over the (sleeping) Baracoa. They also organise some shows. As a tourist you pay an entry fee of 1 CUC, Cubans pay 10 Pesos.

• Every saturday there's a street party in Baracoa. The street will function as a discothèque. They're selling rum, pork-sandwiches and a lot more at the border of the street.

• If you like to visit some places of interest by an organised tour, for example the caves, the mountain "el Yunque" etc. you will find at the street "Martí" near Cubanas' office at library the management of the natural park "Humbold". They organise rather interesting tours. You can also book them at the hotel Castillo (cheaper booking direct in the library). Sometimes you're the only person at one of this trips!

How to go to Baracoa

• ASTRO
  - There's every second day a bus from Santiago de Cuba.
  - There exists also every second day a bus from Guantanámo. It's the bus which makes a connection to the train Habana-Guantánamo. It leaves at the train station of Guantánamo, train travellers have priority.
  - There's also a provincial bus from Guantánamo to Baracoa. But this bus hardly ever leave, one day because of a break-down, the other day because there's no petrol...
  - Every second day there's a direct bus from Habana. There are now new buses but the trip will nevertheless take 20 hours.
  - Once a week there's a direct bus from Camaguey.
• VIA AZUL offers every day a modern bus from Santiago de Cuba, with a stop in Guantánamo. Price: 15 CUC (one way). You have to buy the ticket the same day you will travel, normally there are enought tickets. Check the timetable for more information.
• CUBANA has three flights a week from Habana, Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. Sunday the airplane will make a stopover in Santiago de Cuba. Price: 120 CUC from Habana. From Santiago de Cuba about 25 CUC.
• AEROCARRIBEAN has one flight a week from Habana to Baracoa with a stopover in Varadero (at the moment every Sunday).
• AEROTAXI offers irregular flights from Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Maisí. You need to inform you at the local airport.
• Camiones. There are trucks from Moa and Guantanamo but because of the lack of petrol they don't operate very frequently. Nevertheless, there are at least three or four connections between these cities every day. Try to go as early as posible. You will wait a lot and you will not pay as a Cuban, you will treatened as a tourist - but only in belonging to the transportation fee, it's about 10 CUC for you, 10 Pesos for a Cuban. So, if you ask me, catch, for a travelling between Guantánamo and Baracoa Via Azul (it's cheaper, faster, there's a timetable, secure and so on... - and finally because it's not correct to treat tourists like this!)