When Is the Best Time
Start early in the dry season (from November till April) and beginning of the rainy season until the end of June. Shoulder season May and June, showers may occur. July and August are the Cuban school holidays.
Best Months to Visit
Location and Tips
Deep into the Sierra Maestra mountains (near Bayamo), you can walk the trail to La Comandancia de la Plata's historical site. From Bayamo you'll need a car or a taxi to come to Santo Domingo. Here you'll need to pay your entrance fee of 27 CUC for the National Park and the guide. A jeep will take you up a very steep road to Alto de Naranjo. Then you'll start the hike to the headquarters of the hideaway of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. These quarters are hidden deep into the mountains and Fidel, and his mates started the revolution from here. You'll walk a trail through the forest, and you'll see many beautiful plants and see a lot of birds too. We had a guide called Jorge, and he has sounds of birds on his mobile phone to attract the birds. We saw the "National Bird", the Tocororo. And the beautiful coloured bird the "Carta Cuba" (Cuban tody). Many other birds as well, and beautiful trees, plants and flowers. The path to la comandancia is easy for the first part until the small farm. Here you can buy a cup of homegrown coffee. Just perfect! You'll also need to pay a camera fee at the farm if you want to take pictures beyond this point (5 cuc). The second part is steep to very steep. Once you come to an open grassy field, you are almost there. We liked the combination of seeing the wildlife, and to visit the historical place of the Casa de Fidel at la Commandancia. There is also a grave of an officer who was buried here. The whole trip (the walking part) will last 5 hours, going up and down. A small lunchbox is included in the price of the entrance fee.
These pictures are provided by my Dutch friend Lianne.
Anonymous" width="110" height="110">
