Visited February 2018. To get to Decembarco del Grama National Park we took a taxi from Santiago de Cuba and followed the costal road which sometimes did not look like a road – seemed pretty dangerous but our driver made it! After 4 hours and a half and some stops on the way, we reached the village of Las Coloradas where the park visitors centre is located. There are many accommodation options in Las Coloradas, but you may also go and find a place to sleep in Cabo Cruz, fishermen’s village at the southern tip of Cuba. We stayed in Las Coloradas for two nights. The first, lazy day – some hours on the beach and a visit to the small museum of Decembarco del Grama… It is located in the NP so visit it you must pay the entry fee to the park – good news is that you pay once (10 CUC) and you can stay in the park or visit the park as many days as you wish. Then the long walk along the coast towards south – this part is already inscribed on the list.

The second day we rented bicycles (just ask locals) to reach Cabo Cruz. It is around 13 km from where we stayed. First we stopped at the visitors centre to get some info about the park and its trails. An English-speaking lady who works as a ranger and a guide, showed us around and recommended what to do. Following her advice we started 8 km south with a trail called Sendero Arqueologico Natural el Guafe. The guide is compulsory and we had to pay few extra CUCs. But it is worth, ‘cos he pointed some most interesting features on the way: cavern with idolo del agua - Atabeira, the mother of all gods and waters, sculpted from stalagmite by pre-Columbian Indians, some other caverns (there are at least 15 cavers you can see) with pre-Columbian art and cult places, 500-yaer old cactus, some other important plants and different species of birds, hummingbirds included.

Then we reached the village of Cabo Cruz. When you there you have few options what to do. Of course you can stay on the beach, but in this case you won’t see much. The best way to see the marine terraces is to hire a boat, but you should do it very early in the morning; when we arrived around noon we were told that at this time of the day the sea is too dangerous. The best way to see the cliffs is just to walk along the coast – it is an enjoyable walk for 2 hours one way, but you should be very careful, because it is very easy to hurt yourself on the sharp stones surface. But the views are amazing! After the long walk I decided to see the coast from above and follow a path which starts at the entrance to the village and leads to the top of the cliff (photo).

And while in Cabo Cruz, it is good to try local fish in the only restaurant in the village. It is the cheapest fish you can have in Cuba.