Hike in the Sierra Maestra to the Commandancia de la Plata

Day 13 of my Cuba tour: Today, we're heading steeply uphill from Santiago de Cuba into the Sierra Maestra mountains. After a short night filled with lots of rum and music at Casa de la Musica in the lively Santiago de Cuba, not everyone is feeling great for breakfast.

The eyes are small, and dark circles are hidden behind sunglasses. Departure for the Sierra Maestra mountains is at 9 AM. The journey is pleasant, and the roads are surprisingly good-until the last 24 km to our accommodation.

I've never seen anything so steep (where we build switchbacks to get into the mountains, they take the direct route here). The bus driver drives slowly and uses first gear downhill to avoid overheating the brakes. It's not exactly safe. Guardrails? They're sometimes present, and when they are, there are often large gaps where a vehicle has already gone off the edge. The cliff that opens to the right is deep. Very deep.

But eventually, we arrive safely, and everyone is relieved. Right after arriving in Santa Domingo, a tiny mountain village in the Sierra Maestra, we settle into our bungalows right by the Rio Yara. It's a remote and idyllic location. Time seems to have stood still here. Everything is transported by mules or makeshift large "skateboards" down the hill. Food is-like always-rationed, and there's not always everything available.

We walk back along the river for a bit of road where locals promise us a "Beautiful Waterfall" for swimming. Well...the waterfall isn't really there. It's time to relax. We go to bed early; tomorrow, the hike starts quite early.

Another personal highlight is on the agenda today: We're hiking to the Commandancia de la Plata, the former rebel hideout of Fidel Castro and his followers.

Breakfast is at 7:30 AM to return before the midday heat. Since the jeeps aren't here by 8 AM yet, we walk the few hundred meters uphill to the entrance of the park administration of the Parque Nacional Turquino.

At 9 AM, at least one jeep arrives to take us in stages up to the starting point of the hike at Alto de Naranjo. The 5 km and 750 vertical meters road is the steepest in Cuba; only jeeps can drive up here.

We reach the Casa de Medina first over a rocky and muddy path. Farmers who had sheltered the rebels still live here today. They even gifted Fidel his bed, which we will see later. From here, we must pay 5 CUC per photo. After another 3 km of hiking, we finally reach the entrance of the Commandancia de la Plata, and only here do we realize (logically) that the huts are totally hidden and spaced out, some 1-2 km apart.

The last stretch is truly arduous. At the entrance stands the hut where the hospital was initially located with Che as the doctor (he tried himself as a dentist here). Then, there's the kitchen house and the press house. At the very end, well-camouflaged, is Fidel's hut. Everything is still inside: bed, shelves, chairs, and even a refrigerator. We take a look at his outhouse too.

We have to backtrack a bit to reach Radio Rebelde, the highest point (another 20 minutes uphill). We pass a house with the generator and the "laid" power cables. You can tell that most tourists don't want to go further up. Not even a footpath is available, and it gets even steeper and more slippery. We stop to enjoy some oranges from a tree. So delicious. Then we make our way back to the rest of the group. The hike in the footsteps of Che and Fidel was really worthwhile.

On the way back, we first have sandwiches and drink a Bucanero as a reward.

Travel tips for Cuba, such as entry requirements, safety, travel guides, tourist cards for Cuba, Cuban currency, and other travel information

Tip: Best travel guide for Cuba

All travel reports on the Cuba tour

My recommendation: Withdraw money for free with the DKB VISA card for your Cuba trip

You can find a packing list for Cuba here: Packing list for Cuba trip

How to Find Cheap Flights to Cuba

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