The Sierra Maestra

The Sierra Maestra runs along Cuba's southeastern coast and holds the highest ground on the island, rising to Pico Turquino at 1,974 metres, and it is a completely different Cuba from the beaches and colonial squares: steep, wet, forested mountains where cloud sits in the valleys and the birdlife is exceptional. The classic trek climbs from Santo Domingo through Alto del Naranjo and along a ridge of dripping cloud forest hung with epiphytes to the summit, where a bust marks the top and, on a rare clear morning, the view runs down to the Caribbean on one side and across the island on the other. It can be done as a hard two-day out-and-back or as a three-day traverse finishing at Las Cuevas on the coast, sleeping in basic mountain shelters. Guides are compulsory and the walking is genuinely steep.

What you actually see

• Pico Turquino - the summit, the highest point in Cuba.
• The cloud forest - dripping ridge forest of tree ferns and epiphytes.
• The birdlife - Cuban trogon, tody and other endemics along the trail.
• The traverse to the coast - the three-day route finishing at the Caribbean.

When to go

November to April is the drier season and the best time to have any chance of a clear summit; the mountain is often in cloud whatever the month. The trek must be arranged with the national park, and permits and guides are organised at Santo Domingo or through agencies in Bayamo and Santiago.

Honest expectations

It is steep, muddy and much harder than the modest altitude suggests, with long climbs on slippery ground and basic shelters rather than huts with facilities. Guides are compulsory and arrangements can be bureaucratic, sometimes requiring a day's notice. Cloud hides the summit view more often than not. Access roads to Santo Domingo are rough and transport is unreliable.

Nearby

Bayamo and Santiago de Cuba are the regional bases; the Caribbean coast road runs below the range.