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Driving Cuba West to East:
Driving Cuba West to East:
To travel towards the Cuban capital and the rest of the country, that is, to the east of Cuba, and always by the coast, after leaving Cayo Levisa, one should take the highway that leads to Havana by the north littoral, the prettiest of them all where monotony is almost nonexistent as the route crosses many small picturesque towns. Just a little before reaching the town of Bahia Honda we are already in a coastal segment different from the route fragments left behind.
No longer will you find cays, mangroves and low coast lines, but, instead, high coast lines, where mangroves do not grow and cays are no longer present. It is the second segment of the north coast which extends almost to Varadero. The route till Havana City is entertaining and pleasant , alomng the north coast line and by the blue waters of the Florida Straight, which is always visible.
When asking a Cuban for addresses the word “oriente” should be used carefully. In Cuba by “Oriente” many only refer only to the 5 most eastern provinces in the Island: Las Tunas, Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo, those that, in the ancient Cuban political – administrative division formed the ancient province of “Oriente”. This is why in the common language it is best to ask for directions using the names of the provinces instead of the cardinal points.
In Havana City, you may stay at any of the multiple available Havana Hotels to visit any of the beach groups that surround the Capital. These are commonly known as the Playas del Oeste ( Beaches of the west ) and the Playas del Este ( Beches of the east) or the Havana north littoral beaches, in reference to its hosting city or province.
The first are commonly rocky and narrow beaches, deep and next to the new hotels in Havana. These are not continuous but are formed by segments interrupted by the coastal rocky groups. They are bordered by the urbanization. In some of them, a marine atmosphere is breathed and it is common to see small boats in the rivers that cross them. That is the case of Playa Jaimanitas and , a bit further down, the beach of Baracoa. Other like the Viriato and Marianao beaches , not very well known, are small mainly used by the neighbors of the close-by urbanizations. These are not very popular and basically visited only by very small groups.
Very different is the case of the Playas del Este or North Littoral beaches. These form a continuous sandy space, with mainly low depth waters and where the rivers that there connect can be easily crossed. Best example is probably the Boca Ciega River or Justiz River, which can be crossed shore to shore with under the knee waters which originate a by-the-coast lagoon system.
The beaches in the area receive different names and ar all crossed by small rivers. West to east you can find the Cojimar Becah, crossed by the River of the same name and that gives origin, just before reaching the coast, to a deep canyon to reach the sea due to fact that in the north coast are found the heights knows as the Habana – Matanzas heights.
Unfortunately, this river is somewhat contaminated although plans exist for its purification. In this site is located the small town that carries the same name of the river and its beach, Cojímar, famous after being immortalized by the north American writer Ernest Hemingway in his novel “The Old Man and the Sea”. Clearly a place to visit here is the museum of the Finca La Vijía, Hemingways farm house located just nearby in San Francisco de Paula.
Passing Cojímar, the route borders the shore, and can bee seen from the highway. The first beach you encounter is the Bacuranao Beach crossed by the river of the same name. As a curious detail, it should be mentioned that in both rivers small fortresses can be found which were built by the Spanish to protect the newly born City of Havana against the attacks of pirates and corsairs, like the attacks occurred in 1762 when the English, under the commands of naval Commanders Albemarle and Pocock when trhe City of Havana was occupied for a period of nine months
Next to Bacuranao is the beach called Playa Tarará with its small river forming a small entrance that resembles an estuary locally known as the Itabo. Next are the beaches of Santa María del Mar and Brisas del Mar, which are the best known of all. They are really one single and very large beach with two names.
These beaches are both protected to the south by the mentioned heights which obligues you take the highway of Via Blanca in order to be able to reach them. This highway communicates the City of Havana with the province of Matanzas, the “Athens of Cuba”, a city located by the Bay of its same name. The beaches can only be reached by four intersections from the Via Blanca. The fisrt is located by Playa Tarará, the second in Boca Ciega, the third by the Restauran Gato Verde on 462 nd street which descends to the sea in a step-like manner crossing a terrace system of marine origin, similar to the one found in G street in the Vedado District, where four of these formations are distinguished while reaching the Malecón Seawalk, and the fourth on 506 th street, at a point knows as “La Conchita”.
It is a really beautiful view if you stop at any of the high points of the mentioned elevations, especially at about 100 mt after passing 462 nd street, nest to the viewpoint knows as Bellomonte. This can be done at any time of day, although the best time is definitely in the early hours and the late afternoon when all can be clearly observed and exceptional conditions are available to view the beach, its wave trains, the different blue shades of the sea, vegetation and the construction sites of Guanabo and neighbor sites.
All these beaches, as in the rest of Cuba, are public. They communicate with each other easily from Tarará to Guanabo and it is common to see people begin the day at one extreme and end at the other. Almost 10 km are covered by these beautiful beaches. It is quite common to see groups of people and youngsters walking by the beach at any time of day.
There are several spots where you can obtain the necessary to enjoy of the sunny day. As to lodging, there are several cuba hotels from Tarará to Guanabo like Villa Tarará, Villa Armon;ia, Mirador del Mar Villa Los Pinos, Hotel Atlántico and Hotel Las Terrazas. The best know, but now under repair is the Hotel Arenal or Hotel Itabo built atop one of the lagoons formed by the River Boca Ciega or Itabo without altering its vegetation, something similar to what is found in La Moka, in the Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve.
But if you wish to stay in havan City, just a some 20 km away, numerous cuba hotels are available. The trip back by car is pleasant because the route by the sea actually offers different views when using the highway in either its two directions.
Continue East and other surprises will be found. >>> Coming soon!
About the Author
Dr. Martion Luis / Cuba vacations and Cuba Hotels website blogger and content collaborator at http://www.umbrellatravel.com
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Business Center Building Kohly III
Apartamento 71
Calle 34 entre 49 y 49A ,
Reparto Kohly, Playa
Ciudad de la Habana CP: 11300
Cuba
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