Desembarco del Granma National Park

The park takes its name from the point on this coast where the yacht Granma came ashore in 1956, but the reason for its World Heritage inscription in 1999 is geological. The coast here is a series of marine terraces cut by the sea and then lifted, stacked one above another from below sea level up to around three hundred and sixty metres, and they are among the best-developed and least-disturbed examples of the formation in the world. Dry forest, cliffs, caves and blowholes cover them, and the endemic plant list is long.

What you actually see

• The terraces - a stepped sequence of uplifted marine platforms rising from the sea.
• El Guafe trail - an archaeological walk past pre-Columbian sites and a cave with a carved idol.
• The cliffs and blowholes - karst coast with caves, sinkholes and sea spouts.
• The dry forest - cactus and hardwood scrub with a high proportion of endemic plants.

When to go

November to April is the dry season, which is when the trails are best and the heat is manageable. Guides are compulsory and are arranged at the entrance. The coast here is exposed to hurricanes from August to October.

Honest expectations

It is remote: the roads in the far southwest of Granma are poor and the drive is long from anywhere. Guides are required and English is not always available. There is little infrastructure and almost no shade on the coastal trails.

Nearby

Niquero is the nearest town, and Manzanillo and Bayamo are north across the province.