Page 250 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Cuba

248  CUBA REGION B Y REGION

real (Campeophilus principalis)
and the cagua rero hawk
(Chondrohierax wilsonii), as well as
for the smallest amphibian in the
world, the Sminthillus limba tus,
less than 1 cm (0.4 inch) long, and
another very ancient species, the
almiquí (Solenodon cubanus), a
rare mammal similar to a rat.

s Río Toa
Road Map F4.
The valley fed by the Río Toa,
Cuba’s biggest river, has been
made into a nature reserve,
the Parque Natural Río Toa.
Still lacking in roads and
facilities, this park is part of a
The mountain of El Yunque, dominating the bay of Baracoa wide­ranging project to create
refuges and camping sites that
a El Yunque that looks like an island” in 1492. will not interfere with the local
In fact, he was referring to a ecosystems. Local farmers still
Guantánamo. Road Map F4.
n Ecotur, Calle Ciro Frías, similarly shaped rock at use an old­fashioned craft to
Baracoa, (21) 642 478. Bariay near Gibara travel upstream – the cayuca,
(see p218). a flat canoe of
A limestone formation, 575 m The slopes of Taíno origin.
(1,885 ft) high, covered with the mountain, From the river,
thick vegetation, El Yunque which has been visitors can admire
was a sacred site for the Taíno declared a Going up the Río Toa in a the majestic Pico
Indians for many centuries. biosphere reserve rowing boat Galán (974 m/
Later it became a natural by UNESCO, are 3,200 ft) and the
landmark for navigators about home to botanical rarities, great waterfalls that cascade
to land at the port of Baracoa. including two carnivorous plants into the river from steep cliffs.
The Spanish called it “El Yunque” and Podocarpus, one of the Enquire at Ecotur if you are
(the anvil) because of its oldest plant species in the world, interested in exploring the area.
unmistakable outline. The out­ as well as an endemic palm tree,
crop’s shape has led to local Coccothrinax yunquensis. Environs
misapprehension that this El Yunque is also the habitat Northwest of Baracoa, 21 km
was the rock that Columbus for some endangered species (12 miles) past the mouth of
described as “a square mountain of bird such as the carpintero the Río Toa, is Playa Maguana,

Playa Maguana, one of the unspoilt beaches near Baracoa
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and p275

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