Baracoa


Baracoa, Cuba
Photo by: Esteban Desousa, Creative Commons

Surrounded by the Sierra del Purial mountain range, Baracoa is an isolated city located on the Bay of Honey. Baracoa is a part of Guantanamo Province at the far eastern end of Cuba. Founded by Diego Velazquez de Cuellar, this city was the first capital of Cuba.

Baracoa has a lot of tourist attractions. Fuerte Matachin is a museum built in 1802; the structure itself serving as part of the highlight. There are also a lot of hotels in Baracoa, one of which is the Hotel El Castillo. Other popular hotels are the Hotel Porto Santo, Hostal La Habanera, and Hotel La Rusa.

Music is a part of this remote town. Tourists usually visit Flan de Queso. But a more traditional musical venue would be the Casa de la Flana. Just a few meters away, a lot of waterfalls can already be seen in the river Toa. Also located in this town is Caribbean’s highest waterfall, Salto Fino. Guantanamo’s national park Alejandro de Humboldt is situated 20 kilometers north.

Reaching Baracoa is not as hard as most people think. Although it is located at the far end of Cuba, it can be reached by bus from Santiago de Cuba or by plane from Havana. The Gustavor Rizo is the region’s airport which usually operates domestic flights. Tourists may fly the Cubana de Aviacion in order to reach this area for a very reasonable price!

Baracoa is home of the native and unique dishes. The popular dishes in this town are Cucurucho and Bacan which are both cooked with native ingredients.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *