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central america: cuba
heavy on its creaking hinges, and in I of the surf breaking on the outer reef.
jumped. Our wedge-shaped tail fins There were no jet skis, no catamarans
sliced the hot air of Cuba in May as I or Sunfish, or waterskiing. Nothing
slid around on the vinyl-covered bench but powdery sand and coral reef, and
seat while José shifted the gears with turquoise ocean stretching into the hazy
a pushbutton TorqueFlite selector. An beyond. I was seeing Cuba through the
ox-drawn cart trundled across our path eyes of a conquistador.
as we powered up the hill upon which Of course, Cuba does have plenty of
Trinidad, the crown jewel of Cuba’s watersports. More than three-quarters
colonial cities, is poised. We cruised of its 45,000 hotel rooms are in all-
through Trinidad in land-yacht luxury, inclusives concentrated in three beach
generating in me yet another sense of resorts: Varadero, Guardalavaca, and
twilight zone, mothball incongruity Cayo Coco. And the cities are blessed
echoing Trinidad’s even more ancient with hotels for every budget. Casas
mystique. particulares (private room rentals) take up
And I couldn’t get enough of the the slack while providing an opportunity
scenery. The bottle-green mountains to experience the real Cuba alongside the
and emerald valleys. The Royal palms Cubans themselves.
towering over chartreuse canefields. The Back in Havana, the Tropicana show
mogotes – sheer limestone knolls the size exploded in a kaleidoscopic finale.
of skyscrapers – looming over tobacco Afterwards, I hailed a Gran Car taxi and
fields where ox-drawn ploughs combed lit up a stogie to cement the mood as I
cinnamon soils into furrows. And the rumbled down the highway in a chrome-
sugar-fine sands shelving into bathtub- spangled ‘50s Cadillac to the rhythm of
warm waters of inviting turquoise and the rumba on the radio. n
jade.
Just when I thought Cuba’s sands Christopher P. Baker is the author of Mi Moto
couldn’t get any whiter or its seas a more Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro’s Cuba,
perfect combination of greens and blues, Moon Cuba and National Geographic Traveler’s
I arrived at Cayo Sabinal. The silence Cuba guidebooks, and Cuba Classics: A
was absolute, save for the muffled drone Celebration of Vintage American Automobiles.
book it! cuba
cuba is a really exciting place to visit at the moment,
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which is why we’re really keen to promote it...
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character and charm oozes from its every pore.
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£895, €1300, au$2285, nZ$2645,
us$1880, ca$2060, Zar15,215
Kumuka’s small group two-week
tour of Cuba offers the ideal
balance of the best the island has
to offer, virtually covering one end
of the island to the other using a
mix of transport and utilising 3-4 Star accommodation. Explore the historic
and revolutionary past of Havana. Visit Viniales, with its lush sugar loaf
hills and tobacco fields on its plains. Take an optional trip to the Tropicana
cabaret show in American 1950’s classic cars. Head to the music capital of
Cuba, Trinidad, and walk through the Unesco-listed colonial town. Snorkel
in the warm Caribbean at Ancon beach, on gorgeous Cayo Blanco. Knock
back a few mojitos or smoke a Cohiba cigar as you watch the
sun set over the Caribbean at Villa Don Lino’s. Visit the “soul”
of Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, with its strong African roots, and
its cultural mix of pagan and Christian beliefs. Move on to the
edge of Cuba, at Baracoa, and walk through coffee and cocoa
plantations at the Duaba farm, before taking a boat ride on
the Tao River. A flight from Santiago to Havana gets you back
where you started, only to wish you could do it all again!
CHECK OUT OUR LATIN AMERICA BROCHURE AT WWW.kumuka.com
call us today! uk 0800 092 9595 ire 1800 946 843 usa/can 1800 517 0867 soutH aFrica 011 881 5765 online WWW.kumuka.com
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