Granma
Top-Attractions
- Visit to the Parque de Céspedes in Bayamo - where the history of the Cuban nation began.
- Trekking through the revolutionary past of Cuba in the Sierra Maestra National Park with the highest mountains in Cuba
- In the footsteps of Fidel Castro and exploring caves in the National Park "Desembarque del Granma"
- Dive into the colorful reefs of Marea del Portillo in the south of the province of Granma
Photo gallery
The province of Granma, in eastern Cuba, is one of the least developed tourist regions in the country, but that is the place where the heart of the Cuban nation first began to beat.
Here began in 1868 the first Independence War against the Spaniards.
Many buildings, museums and monuments in the capital Bayamo tell about the main characters of this struggle.
Seventy years later, Fidel Castro and his men landed in Granma to fight Batista's initially hopelessly superior forces.
It is possible to follow practically the entire journey of the revolutionaries from the landing point on the west coast to the Comandancia de la Plata in the Sierra Maestra, enjoying the still untamed nature of Granma.
The province is full of historic places. From the Spanish colonization, through the two independence wars to the Cuban revolution of Fidel Castro, Granma offers its visitors many original locations of the most important milestones of Cuban's history.
Granma stands for outdoor holidays. Nature lovers and hikers will fall in love with the two huge national parks.
In the southwest, the Parque del Desembarque del Granma is located and in the eastern part rise the majestic mountains of the Sierra Maestra.
Archaeologically interested visitors can see the traces of the first inhabitants of the region in various caves and also bird watchers will find great spots.
In the very south you have the Marea del Portillo beach - Here you can enjoy a few days rest and relaxation on a beach holiday with diving and fishing.
Bayamo - Capital City
Bayamo was founded in 1513 as the second Spanish city in Cuba. Their wealth was based on livestock and the numerous sugar plantations in the surroundings.
Although the great fire of 1869 destroyed many colonial buildings, some important historical sites can still be visited today.
The main tourist attractions of Bayamo can be found in the historic center.
In the city park, the Parque Cespedes, in 1868 Cuba's independence was proclaimed for the first time. Next to the monument of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, the founder of the independence movement, stands the bust of Perucho Figueredo, the composer of the National Anthem.
A few meters away is the birthplace of Cespedes, now a museum. Also in the provincial museum (Museo Provincial) and in the main church (Iglesia Parroquial Mayor de San Salvador) there are relics from the era of the Independence War to see.
Although Bayamo has some historical significance, there are few tourists in town. So you can walk undisturbed in the footsteps of the history of the Cuban nation.
In the surroundings of the city, the botanical garden Jardín Botánico de Cupaynicu with its huge variety of plants is worth a visit.
Anglers are recommended the Laguna de Leonero in the north of Bayamo. Excursions there can be arranged with the Ecotur agency.
Sights in Granma
National park "Gran Parque Nacional Sierra Maestra"
The Sierra Maestra is the most famous and highest mountain range in Cuba.
The highest mountain Pico Turquino with its 1972 m is located in the province of Santiago de Cuba, but you can go for it from the north and start in Granma.
To do so, travel to Bartolome Maso and from there drive 25 km south to Santo Domingo, where the route begins.
Nearby you have the famous Comandancia La Plata. This so important place lies in the midst of the tropical, inaccessible nature of the Sierra Maestra and served as the headquarters for the rebels of Fidel Castro from 1956 to 1958 fighting Batista.
The surrounding villages of Santo Domingo and Alto de Naranjo have changed little since the revolutionary years and give an authentic impression of the simple and hard life in the mountains.
A visit to the Sierra Maestra combines the experience of the highest mountains of the island and its lush tropical nature with the grandiose history of the Cuban Revolution.
National Park "Desembarque del Granma"
This national park in the southwest of Granma. The fauna and flora here includes countless endemic plants and a diverse wildlife.
The Desembarque del Granma National Park takes its name from the place where, in 1956, the legendary Granma boat landed with 82 revolutionaries aboard, including Fidel Castro and Che Guevara.
They had bought the boat in Mexico from an American who named it after his grandmother.
Now the name Granma is synonymous with the victory of the revolution in Cuba.
In the Las Coloradas Museum on the beach with the same name, you can get an idea of the events and see a replica of the boat.
The archaeological path El Guafe, which begins a few kilometers south of Las Coloradas, leads through large caves, which served the indigenous people of Cuba for religious rites about 1000 years ago.
Together with the beautiful nature here and the proximity to the Cape Cabo Cruz with its old lighthouse, the route is a recommendable sight.
Manzanillo
Manzanillo is the second largest city in the province and is located on the Gulf of Guacanayabo on the west coast of Granma. The place stands out for its exotic architecture reminiscent of Moorish buildings in Spain.
The most famous building is the La Glorieta pavillon in the central Parque Cespedes.
In the first years after its founding in 1784, the port city served as a base for pirates and smugglers.
While the Cuban Revolution Manzanillo gained strategic importance as a supply base for the fighters in the Sierra Maestra.
Manzanillo is known for its amazing street festivals and the original organs, which you will see everywhere.
A few kilometers south of the city you find the remains of the former sugar plantation La Demajagua.
Here the landowner Manuel de Cespedes freed his slaves in 1868 and provoked the first Revolutionary War.
A historic place that is an attractive destination.
Beaches in Granma Province
Marea del Portillo
Marea del Portillo is known for its superb diving. It’s a grey sandy beach bordered by coconut and palm trees with excellent views to the surrounding Sierra Maestra Mountains. This beach is just over 100 kilometers from the next airport in Manzanillo.
Dive enthusiasts can expect to see a colorful array of fish - everything from gnarly Morenas and Baracudas to those weird looking Trumpet fish.
Wreck diving here is very popular. The historic Cristóbal Colón ship lies beneath the surface here. This was one of the ships belonging to Spanish Admiral Cervera's fleet, who in 1898 lost a sea battle against the American fleet.
There are over 17 top class dive sites in Marea del Portillo. You can dive the coral reef here at just 10 meters or drop to 35 meters.
If you’re not into diving, you can also go horse riding in Marea del Portillo or deep-sea-fishing.
Popular destinations in the surroundings are the waterfalls at Cilantro, the Las Yaguas Rivers.
Discovery tours through a tropical nature. The most ambitious route leads to the peaks of the Sierra Maestra.
In Bayamo, you have the cradle of the Cuban nation and the beaches on the wild south coast can serve as a relaxing ending to a journey through this remote region of Cuba.
- Playa Las Coloradas
- Marea del Portillo
- Bayamo
- Pilon
- Manzanillo
- Bayamo (BYM), Manzanillo (MZO)
- Bayamo
- Bayamo
- Bayamo
- Manzanillo
- Yara
- Bartolomé Masó
- Club Amigo Marea del Portillo
- Hotel Sierra Maestra Bayamo
- Bayamo: Central Park in the city center