Las Terrazas

The hills of the Sierra del Rosario west of Havana had been stripped bare by charcoal burning and logging when, in 1968, a project began to terrace and replant them, and the workers who did it were housed in a small settlement built around a lake. Half a century later the forest has come back, the area is a UNESCO biosphere reserve and the village of Las Terrazas is an unusual thing in Cuba: a functioning eco-community with artists' studios, a hotel built into the hillside, and trails leading out into genuinely recovered woodland. Walks lead to the ruins of nineteenth-century French coffee plantations swallowed by trees, to river pools at San Juan where people swim, and to birdwatching in forest that holds the tiny bee hummingbird among many endemics. A long zipline runs across the valley above the lake.

What you actually see

• The coffee plantation ruins - Buenavista and other estates being reclaimed by forest.
• The San Juan river pools - natural bathing pools on the forest river.
• Birdwatching - endemic species including the tiny bee hummingbird.
• The zipline - the run across the valley above the lake and village.

When to go

November to April is drier and cooler for walking; the summer is hot and humid with afternoon rain. Early morning is best for birds. It works as a day trip from Havana but an overnight lets you walk before the day-trippers arrive.

Honest expectations

It is a managed community rather than a wilderness, and the visitor charges and organised activities give it a slightly packaged feel. Trails are short and mostly guided rather than a network you can roam freely. Accommodation is limited to one hotel and a handful of homestays. It is on the road to Viñales, so most people stop for a few hours en route rather than staying.

Nearby

Soroa's orchid garden and waterfall are close; Viñales is a couple of hours west.