Trinidad — Cuba

Cobbled stone streets, vibrant music, great food, nice beaches and waterfall hikes; Trinidad has it all.

📸 Follow us on Instagram

We took a shared mini bus from Viñales to Trinidad via a change in the outskirts of Havana. After locating an available Casa, which entails walking door to door asking if anyone has a room, we dropped our bags and met up with Katie and Virgil again for a night out on the town.

After a day of lying by the beach, we all decided to go for a Jungle Waterfall hike.

Left: Trinidad has old cobbled streets Right: Katie & Virgil by an elusive “yellow taxi cab” with working seat belts

We negotiated with a driver to take us out to the national park and wait for the return journey.

A truck stopped at security checkpoint outside Trinidad

Our driver gives us some directions at the top of the hill and we head down to the national park entrance.

Near the start of the hike we came across this really awesome wavey rock formation.

Apparently this is the “Cuban trogon”, the national bird of Cuba, lucky shot

We found the waterfall, but it was much colder at the bottom of the valley. Only Katie was brave enough to go for a dip.

Salto del Caburní waterfall in Topes de Collantes National Park

We thought that was all there was to see, but back up the path another 50 meters or so was an amazing view of the upper cascade.

What goes down must come back up.

Right: Virgil happy to be on “Terra Firma”

It seemed as though during the strong partnership between Cuba and Russia there was a lot of investment in building hotels and apartments in this area. Unfortunately it looks like they failed to “Capitalise” on their investment. What remains looks like something out of “I am Legend”.

Birth: The skeleton of an unfinished hotel becomes “Concrete Jungle”

Death: Cloudy with a chance of Revolution

Rebirth: A tree flourishes in the sun, growing atop the gravestone of a communist condominium

The little things can often give you an insight into a place.

Left: Cigarette brand “Popular” Right: A derelict park bench

Extras

Left: “The current generation carries the seed of our America on our shoulders” — José Martí

A joyride to the local beach

Left: Cheers Katie and Virgil Right: Rooftop sunset over Trinidad

Next Up

Rio de Janeiro — Brazil
From its colonial and tribal mixed roots, through modernisation and into becoming a sporting powerhouse; Rio de Janeiro is the heart of Brazil.