Why this ride
From Guantánamo it runs 373 km to Guantánamo; allow about 7 h 42 of riding. It goes by way of La Gran Piedra, Dos Palmas Contramaestre and back through La Gran Piedra. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Guantánamo and Dos Palmas Contramaestre
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 373 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 42
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Guantánamo
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.
Read the complete Guantanamo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Guantánamo is where the day begins. Next is La Gran Piedra.
2. La Gran Piedra
La Gran Piedra means simply the Great Stone, and that is exactly what waits at the top: an enormous boulder sitting on the crest of the Sierra de la Gran Piedra, over twelve hundred metres above sea level and roughly twenty kilometres east of Santiago de Cuba. You climb several hundred stone steps from the road to reach it, and a metal ladder takes you onto the rock itself. On a clear morning the view runs over forested ridges to the Caribbean on one side and inland across the Sierra Maestra on the other, and people say that on the clearest nights you can see the lights of Jamaica and Haiti.
Read the complete La Gran Piedra write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
La Gran Piedra comes up about 114 km into the recorded legs. Next is Dos Palmas Contramaestre.
3. Dos Palmas Contramaestre
Eastern Cuba has a very different feel from Havana, and the country between Santiago and Palma Soriano shows why. This is the foothill country of the Sierra Maestra, the mountain range where the revolution began in the 1950s, and the land is a mix of cane fields, mango and royal palm, small farms and steep green ridges to the south. Dos Palmas is the name of a locality here, close to El Cobre, home of the great copper-domed basilica where the Virgin of Charity is venerated, and Palma Soriano, the main town of the valley.
Read the complete Dos Palmas Contramaestre write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 187 km into the recorded legs you reach Dos Palmas Contramaestre. Next is back through La Gran Piedra.
4. back through La Gran Piedra
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete La Gran Piedra write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through La Gran Piedra, late in the day. Next is Guantanamo.
5. Guantánamo
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Guantanamo write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Guantanamo. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Guantánamo to La Gran Piedra
Guantánamo → La Gran Piedra is 114 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
La Gran Piedra to Dos Palmas Contramaestre
La Gran Piedra → Dos Palmas Contramaestre is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Dos Palmas Contramaestre to back through La Gran Piedra
Dos Palmas Contramaestre → back through La Gran Piedra is 72 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through La Gran Piedra to Guantanamo
back through La Gran Piedra → Guantanamo is 114 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.