Allgemein EN – Page 9 – Kat´s Truth about Travelling

Viewpoint close to Trinidad

The Cerro de la Vigía is located just outside Trinidad and offers a truly pretty view of the landscape around Trinidad. The path to the Cerro and the climb up are not difficult and relatively easy to do by foot. It takes about half an hour from the centre. So it's basically like a short hike. When I ‘climbed’ the Cerro de la Vigía with my travel buddy, we met some nice Cubans at the top who taught us Salsa Cubana. There was also a free cloud and rain show which made the scenery even more special – thankfully not above our heads :D – and we saw a small Cuban tourist train crawling through the countryside. And in the background Cuban salsa music. 😊 Go or not? I had a great time up there and the view is really nice, so YES! :D 😊

Viewpoint of Trinidad

To avoid confusion: The Viewpoint at the Museo Nacional de la Lucha Contra Bandidos basically is THE viewpoint in Trinidad. There is another one further out (see post), but this one is the most famous one in Trinidad itself. It offers a truly beautiful view of Trinidad, its rooftops and the centre. And since it is located right in the centre, there are many other attractions nearby. Go or not? Since the viewpoint is one of the highlights in Trinidad, definitely yes 😊

Trinidad

Trinidad is a truly beautiful and, to be honest, quite touristy city in Cuba. That doesn't mean though that I don't like Trinidad (I'm not usually a fan of tourist hotspots). It has a really beautiful centre and a wonderful viewpoint over the rooftops of Trinidad, a few really beautiful churches, cathedrals and buildings, and also a few very Cuban small-town streets. Outside the centre, Trinidad is also beautiful, just not as polished. Trinidad is also pretty quiet outside the centre, which is the complete opposite of the centre - especially around the main cathedral. Apart from the usual attractions, Trinidad has something truly unique. There is a club in a cave in Trinidad. No joke. It's really good. We went inside and... Whether you like Cuban Reggaeton and Salsa Cubana or not, this is something no one should miss. :D Apart from that, a little warning: Trinidad is expensive. Or at least that's how I felt. In Playa Larga, Cienfuegos, Vinales, Havana and even Santa Clara, I always found fairly cheap places to eat. In Trinidad, you have to search a little harder. They do exist, but we had to ask twice as many times as elsewhere. Go or not? Trinidad is really beautiful. So yes. However, I found the discrepancy between the tourist area and the real Trinidad very noticeable. A bit like the difference between Casco Viejo and the rest of Havana. Except that Havana is huge and Trinidad is much smaller. Still definitely worth seeing and really beautiful! 😊

Waterfall El Nicho

El Nicho is a large, impressive waterfall surrounded by beautiful nature between Cienfuegos and Trinidad. As we were heading from Cienfuegos to Trinidad anyways, we asked around until we found someone who was driving several tourists from Cienfuegos to El Nicho and then on to Trinidad. The waterfall is closer to Trinidad, but the return trip (from and to Trinidad) apparently is not the usual route. Therefore from Cienfuegos. Once there, you hike through a fairly large area and pass by a lake, various waterfalls, walk over bridges and along stone-paved paths. The natural surroundings at El Nicho are really beautiful, the place itself is very peaceful and, despite of the amount of people, it’s not too touristy. The main waterfall is a big, pompous thing that barely fit on my camera. Because in the middle of nature you can't always take a few steps back to get everything perfectly on frame. A little further up there were a few smaller waterfalls and at the end we were rewarded with a truly beautiful view. 😊 Go or not? Definitely go. The Nicho is really beautiful and to my mind one of the most remarkable natural sights I saw during my time in Cuba. I honestly didn't expect much, but was pleasantly surprised.

Punta Gorda – Cienfuegos

There is a park located directly on the waterfront with a kind of viewing platform in the form of a pavilion in Cienfuegos. The whole thing is called Punta Gorda. Towards the end of our time in Cienfuegos, my Cuba Travelbuddy and I went to Punta Gorda in the afternoon to have a look around and then watch the sun disappear into the water. The park Punta Gorda is basically like any other park with a playground for children. It is very family-friendly, has good vibes and a relaxed but lively atmosphere. The pavilion is what you make of it. It can be a viewpoint, a cosy spot for couples or a place for young people to listen to music and hang out. When my travel buddy and I went to the pavilion, we met a group of young Cubans who eyed us curiously. Since she is Spanish and I speak Spanish, we got into a conversation and ended up watching the sun set together with them at the pavilion, talking about everything under the sun. Go or not? I really liked the atmosphere and the place itself is pretty, peaceful and really relaxed. And the Cubans were really very nice. In general Cubans are very warm, friendly and open people. It's easy get into a conversation with them if you're open to it.

Palacio del Valle – Cienfuegos

The Palacio del Valle is a kind of museum, hotel and viewpoint in one. There are guided tours, a truly beautiful viewpoint over Cienfuegos and the sea, and at the same time there is a fully furnished dining room downstairs and construction work going on upstairs. To be honest, I'm not sure how and for what purpose the Palacio del Valle is used, but I can't imagine that this building is just standing around looking pretty. Because yes, it really is very beautiful. In my opinion, it's the most beautiful building outside the central square in Cienfuegos. Go or not? A beautiful view and a great building in one? Of course 😉

Cienfuegos

Cienfuegos is a very charming medium-sized town next to the Bahía de Cienfuegos (a bay with a small opening to the open sea). The city centre of Cienfuegos is really small, but very beautiful and, above all, very peaceful and quiet. In the evenings though there is often something going on 😊 Cienfuegos also has a famous ice cream shop (Coppelia) where you can get fantastic and really cheap ice cream. And the path out onto the water at the harbour is also very beautiful and relaxing. Cienfuegos in general is a very nice, pretty and very quiet and relaxed city. It is definitely polished up for tourists in some ways, but the charm of Cienfuegos still shines through everywhere. Especially in the park, but more on that in another post :D Go or not? Cienfuegos isn't spectacular or a place where there's endless things to discover, but it has charm and is a very sweet and pretty stopover on the way further into the country. It's also where – outside of Havana – I found it easiest and best to get into conversations with Cubans.

Bahía de los Cochinos

The Bahía de Cochinos (in english Bay of Pigs) is a bay known for snorkelling and diving and is being best reached from Playa Larga. Therefore my Cuban travel buddy and I took the bus to one of the most famous snorkelling spots. I think the journey there I will remember forever, because I have never seen so many crabs at once in my life. The entire road to the bay was full of aggressive crabs covering the road and the sides of the street. And to be honest there were also crab carcasses, because it was simply impossible to drive down the road without killing a crab. Not to mention that the crabs actually wanted to take it on with the bus and literally stood in the way of the tyres. So the bus driver basically had no choice. When we arrived at the part of the Bahía de Cochinos where we had wanted to go, everything was also covered in crabs. Whether on the ground, on the walls, in holes, in the trees... Crabs everywhere. Really everywhere. And all defending their territory at the same time and not exactly shy. Nevertheless they didn't attack you directly, but rather just posed ostentatiously with their claws and rattled when you got closer to them. It was an absolutely crazy scene. I've never seen anything like this before. They were even inside while we were eating and on the walls by the tables... It was… basically a crab invasion. Regarding snorkelling... I'm not much of a snorkeller, so I can't really comment on that aspect. Nevertheless I was still blown away by the crabs... Go or not? To this day I still can't get over how many crabs there were everywhere. And that's despite the fact that the entire road leading to the bay was full of crab carcasses. Still there just never seemed to be fewer of them. I also saw crabs eating the flesh of other crabs that were already dead. It was... just absolutely crazy. The place and the scenery itself weren’t actually that beautiful or impressive to my mind, but the experience was still worth it. Simply because... there was just something fascinating about it.

Playa Larga

Playa Larga is a small town right on the coast and famous for its beautiful beaches and snorkelling trips in the Bay of Pigs (Spanish: Bahía de los Cochinos). The beach at Playa Larga itself is quite nice and has a volleyball net if you want to do a bit of sports. Otherwise Playa Larga is quite small and rather quiet. On a walk through the streets of Playa Larga, we discovered a small and very cute bay, a few restaurants and some locals. Otherwise, there really isn't much going on in Playa Larga. Go or not? I admit that Playa Larga was by far the most ‘unnecessary’ stop on my tour through Cuba. But then again, I'm not really a beach person, and snorkelling... I'm more of a diver (I got my diving licence in Ùtila). So I'd leave that up to you.

Cayo Jutias – Vinales

Light blue water, white sandy beaches and simply a little paradise. Cayo Jutias is a kind of natural phenomenon in the form of a narrow strip of land in the middle of the sea near Vinales. You can get there by taxi colectivo, which will also take you back at the end of the day. Relatively close to it you for example have to cross a road that is just a thin strip in the landscape and depending on the time of day can be quite flooded by the surrounding sea. Once there, you find yourself in a paradise of bright, branching trees, narrow paths through the undergrowth, white sandy beaches and clear blue water. And everywhere are coconuts, small crabs and little bays where you can chill out. It really is a rather unique place that is quite difficult to reach, but all the more beautiful and special for it 😊 Go or not? Even if you have to haggle a bit for a good price, the trip is well worth it. Cayo Jutias is simply a beautiful and paradisiacal spot that is very special and unique in every way.