The drive to Baracoa is pretty scenic, and goes through a variety of landscapes. It is the first time that we witness pretty arid conditions and a change in vegetation to suit. In is here that we pass the entrance to the infamous Guantanamo Naval Base- the American base/prison. It has been here since 1901.
Once we start climbing up through the hills though the weather changes, it starts to rain and we have another change in vegetation due to an increase in rainfall. It is much greener and there are many palm trees dotted in the forests. The winding road gets us to Baracoa- the first Spanish settlement on the island in 1511, and furthest from Havana at over 1,000km!
It is a small town, but what it lacks in population it makes up for in noise! We had 3 nights here and none of them were filled with sleep!
On the first day we went on a trip to some cacao plantations, learned about chocolate making and processing coconuts. We also had a short boat trip up the river, a swim in the river and then lunch on the beach with a swim in the sea. So it was a relaxing day of sightseeing on the eastern most part of the island. It was also not a day spent in the city.
The second full day we could do a 4 hour hike, but with bad roads to get to the national park and my previous experience in Colombia of hiking in such heat I decided to give it a skip and catch up on reading, blog writing and washing.
