Most people know Guantánamo for two things: a song and a naval base. The song, Guantanamera, about a peasant girl from Guantánamo, became one of the most famous Cuban tunes in the world, with verses adapted from the poetry of José Martí. The base, leased to the United States since 1903 on the shores of Guantánamo Bay, is a separate, fenced enclave south of the city, and it is not a place you can visit. The city itself, in the far east of Cuba, is a sleepy provincial capital with a grid of low, colourful houses, a central square and a strong musical tradition. It is the birthplace of changüí, a rustic ancestor of son, played with tres guitar, bongos and marímbula.
The province is the most mountainous and least visited in Cuba. To the north, the mountains of Yateras and the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, a UNESCO site, protect some of the richest rainforests in the Caribbean, with endemic species of plants, frogs and birds. To the west, toward Santiago, the slopes of the Sierra Maestra hold the ruins of French coffee plantations established by refugees from Haiti in the nineteenth century, also listed by UNESCO, and the Gran Piedra, a huge rock on a mountain top, offers views over the sea.
Riding in eastern Cuba is an adventure. The roads are often potholed, with horse carts, cyclists, trucks crammed with people and livestock to dodge, and signposting is poor. The most spectacular road is La Farola, which crosses the mountains from the south coast to Baracoa, with hairpins, steep climbs and views of the forest and the sea. Fuel can be hard to find, with shortages and long queues at stations, so plan carefully and carry extra. The heat is intense, and the rainy season from May to October brings heavy storms and the risk of hurricanes.
Guantánamo, with over two hundred and seventy thousand inhabitants, has basic services, including fuel when available, shops and casas particulares, private guesthouses. Try local dishes such as congrí, rice with black beans, roast pork, and fried plantains. In Baracoa, the cuisine is different, with coconut, cocoa and dishes like cucurucho, a sweet made from coconut, honey and fruit, wrapped in palm leaves.