Plaza de la Revolution & Museo y Monumento Memorial de Ernesto Che Guevara
October 15
We start the day exploring Santa Clara, a university city and the ultimate pilgrimage site for all Che Guevara fans, as this is where the Revolutionary War of Santa Clara took place.
Our first stop is the Che Guevara monument on the Plaza de la Revolution — an unmissable 6-meter-tall bronze statue. Of course, the ubiquitous slogan is here too: "Hasta la victoria siempre — until everlasting victory." Adjacent to and beneath the monument lies Che's final resting place, along with those of several rebels and his German companion Haydee — Tamara Bunke, in the Museo y Monumento Memorial de Ernesto Che Guevara. All the revolutionaries are depicted as reliefs (note: photography and talking are prohibited here, though for once there is no admission fee). They were all killed during the Bolivian guerrilla campaign in 1967. In another room you can find photographs and personal items from the lives of Che and Tamara Bunke. The exhibition showcases many pictures from the rebel's entire life and is truly highly recommended and fascinating.
Tren Blindado in Santa Clara
Next we visit the Tren Blindado, an armored train where four of its 22 armored wagons now house a museum. The train holds great historical significance: loaded with weapons and ammunition for the army, it was ambushed and looted by the rebels. This allowed the Revolutionary War to be decided early in the Battle of Santa Clara — just 2 days after this battle, the dictator fled the country!
We don't explore the city of Santa Clara itself, as time is once again slipping away. However, around Parque Vidal there are apparently some beautiful colonial buildings, including the restored Teatro Caridad dating from 1885.
Remedios
Now we continue to our next stopover: Remedios — a town of historic charm and a colonial gem, with many restored buildings around the central Plaza Parque Marti (including the Hotel Mascotte, where Cuban liberation fighters and the Americans met in 1899). It is truly worth seeing. Remedios is also the only town with two Catholic churches and one of the oldest settlements in Cuba. In contrast to the hectic bustle of many Cuban cities, this place radiates tranquility. At the plaza we enjoy a leisurely coffee and get the best exchange rate so far at the nearby currency exchange.
Cayo Santa Maria, Parque Nacional Caguanes, Los Chivos Cave & Cayos de Piedra
Also worth seeing is Cayo Santa Maria, a 13 km long island accessible via 46 bridges. However, we skip it due to time constraints, as the round trip takes too long and we still need to reach Cayo Coco today.
What we unfortunately also have to miss is the Parque Nacional Caguanes near Yaguajay, one of Cuba's best-protected national parks. It encompasses the 313 sq km "Buenavista UNESCO Biosphere Reserve", which also falls under the RAMSAR Convention that protects significant wetlands worldwide. The core area is Caguanes National Park, consisting of the Caguanes Peninsula, the Guayabera swamps, and 10 small islands also known as Cayos de Piedra. The terrain of karst rock, reaching up to 25 meters high, contains 79 caves with archaeological sites (mostly rock paintings by indigenous peoples). The fauna and flora include manatees, over 100 bird species including flamingos and pelicans, a butterfly colony estimated at up to 100,000 specimens, and the largest colony of fishing bats. According to Lonely Planet, a simple visitor center and eco-station can be found on the coast north of Yaguajay. From here you can take an excursion to the Humboldt and Los Chivos Cave as well as a boat trip around the Cayos de Piedra.
Cayo Coco
Via a 17 km long causeway across the sea and through mangroves, we reach our hotel on Cayo Coco after a quick stop for a Coco Loco (coconut with rum) at a bar right by the road. Our hotel is the Sol Cayo Coco — for once an all-inclusive resort, since the island offers no other type of accommodation. We booked the hotel through dertour.
We plan to spend the next 4 days on Cayo Coco relaxing extensively. Finally arriving on Cayo Coco, we are greeted by the quintessential Caribbean feeling. Cayo Coco is considered one of the most beautiful islands, home to a vast variety of bird species, and for now still far removed from the mass tourism of Varadero. However, many new hotel complexes are currently under construction — tourism is making its mark!
Continue in the Cuba travel guide: Beach day on Cayo Coco
