La Comandancia hike, Cuba
LA COMANDANCIA DE LA PLATA HIKE
This is one of the most iconic hiking trails in Cuba. A slice of living history, La Comandancia de la Plata was Fidel Castro’s secret HQ in the heart of the Sierra Maestra mountains. The hiking route is inside the Turquino national park, where the highest peak in Cuba is to be found, but this particular trail is at a lower level taking you through a virgin tropical forest landscape. Access from the gateway of the national park to the trail head is by jeep up the steepest road in Cuba. The concrete road was built in the sixties and has a couple of hair raising bends on the way up to Alto de Naranjo where the road ends.
For several years in the lead up to the triumph of the Cuban revolution in 1959, Fidel and his followers staged a systematic campaign to overthrow the Batista government, with hard fought battles in this rural locality. For several months they were based in the Sierra Maestra mountains in the southeastern part of Cuba where they had already gained strong popular support from local people. Daily broadcasts on Radio Rebelde (Revolutionary Radio) declared that Fidel was alive and well and that the revolution was gaining in strength. Nowadays you can hike up the steepest section of the trail to visit where the Radio Rebelde equipment was stored, see the rustic house where the broadcasters lived for weeks at a time and look down into the deep hole where a tall antenna was placed for daily broadcasting and then taken down to be hidden from view.
Our local guide Ebert was not only knowledgeable, spoke good English and had a good sense of humour, but also skipped along the trail like a young mountain goat. He told us that only local people are trained and employed as guides in this national park because they know the trails and the mountains extremely well and are physically used to the often steep climbs. He was a keen birdwatcher and helped us to see birds high up in the trees, in addition to his impressive knowledge of the local flora and fauna. An added bonus was that Ebert played us original version revolutionary songs (on his phone) that four brothers from the community had recorded in the fifties to lend support to the campaign.
The trail is 3km each way along a well laid out forest path with some short stiff climbs. There are wooden steps and handrails where the slope is steeper and plenty of shade due to the thick tree canopy. We stopped after the first hour to have a briefing from our guide in a small open air rest area. Large posters of Fidel looked over us as if to make sure we were listening whilst Ebert told us more about the revolutionary activities in the Sierra Maestra. We then continued for a further hour or so until we reached La Comandancia de la Plata itself. We visited the various wooden buildings well hidden in the thick virgin forest, including Fidel’s house with its 7 escape routes strategically placed on all sides of the house with a trapdoor in the floor leading to a deep gully. Other buildings included the former infirmary, the food store and the command centre where you can now look at the hand drawn maps and letters from the period. It took us 5 hours in total from start to finish including time to eat our picnic lunches and chat with our guide.
It was a fascinating day, with stunning views over the Sierra Maestra mountains and an opportunity to learn more about this key period in Cuban history. Accommodation at the national park gates was at the impressive Villa Santo Domingo, a rustic hotel with wooden cabins dotted alongside a small river. All rooms are spacious with ensuite bathrooms, air conditioning, a fridge, tv and a balcony overlooking the forest. Just a ten minute walk from the hotel there is a natural swimming pool in the river which was a very welcome spot to cool off in the late afternoon after our hike. Meals at the hotel were excellent, using fresh local produce. Each morning we had a large plateful of delicious sliced mango along with fresh pineapple and guava chunks. There are a few local private restaurants, known as paladares, where you can book dinner before you go on the hike, but breakfast is always at the hotel.
Walking poles are a good idea. If you do not have any with you, your guide will give you wooden branches which are available to anyone at the start of the trail.
Plenty of water is essential as it is hot and humid. Best months for this hike are November – April, but it is feasible at anytime of the year as long as it has not been too wet. Villa Santo Domingo is a 90 minute drive from the historic city of Bayamo and a four hour drive west of Santiago de Cuba.
Included in the cost of La Comandancia hike are return transfers from Santiago de Cuba to Villa Santo Domingo hotel; 2 nights shared room accommodation in Villa Santo Domingo hotel; 2 breakfasts and 2 evening meals; a picnic lunch on the day of the hike; lunch and a short guided walk in Bayamo on day 3; English speaking specialist park guide on the day of the hike; park entry fees. For full details, click on the following link to our website: La Comandancia hike
