Part 3 – Cuba Harley Tour to Las Terrazas – Havana
After spending a lovely evening at the hotel bar in Vinales, we start the next morning to drive to the next UNESCO nature reserve.
On the plan is Las Terrazas, which has been declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO and is located between Vinales and Havana. Our Harleys are parked in front of the mangrove forest and are already waiting for us.
We take the country road to Las Terrazas
We have a good two hours to drive to our first stage destination today, it's only 120 kilometers to Las Terrazas, but it goes up and down, small mountains, forests and a lot of country roads.
We have the full street nature program ahead of us, we are excited about what is to come.
There can be a surprise waiting around every bend
In Cuba you always have to expect that a tractor or ox cart will appear around the next bend, that's what makes things so unusual, here everything is used until it has literally dissolved. Seen from this point of view, they are at the forefront ecologically, even if some vehicles are not even visible in front of you because of all the exhaust fumes.
The Cubans have come to terms with the sanctions
The Cubans don't throw away much; there is a certain cycle on the island; what is eaten here is something they produce themselves or catch in the sea. It can happen that the sugar runs out. They don't have a choice; the people are most likely to feel the sanctions.
We are traveling in the mountains and Ernesto knows a gas station somewhere in the jungle. The route is a bit adventurous, but so far no problem. These urban forests are densely grown, it's a beautiful environment to drive in.
At the beginning of March we have the best biker weather!
The weather is great for us, we are on the road at the beginning of March, no rain so far and temperatures of over 20 degrees, which can be endured well on the Harley.
We reached the gas station, we always refuel for 10 cuc (Cuban tourist currency | 1 cuc = approx. 1 euro), the timing works very well and the consumption is limited anyway.
A restaurant hidden in the forest
Our next destination is a restaurant somewhere in the forests of Las Terrazas. We are on the Central de Montana and after a few bends through the forest we reached the restaurant. You would never get here without a local.
I'm always skeptical about eating somewhere in the forest, but so far I've only had good food everywhere on the island, very fresh salads and everything that has to do with meat and fish was fresh.
Charcoal tablets are included as a precaution, but are not needed, just to be clear. Before we get tired, we move on to a former coffee plantation in Las Terrazas. It's pretty far up in the mountains,
We stop for a coffee in the jungle
While you can find a coffee on every corner, our next stop on the way to the plantation is at a coffee shop on the edge of the jungle. The Cubans like to drink espresso, you can get it in a variety of places, but an Americano is no problem either.
On the other hand, the coffee shop is also a small coffee museum, with old photos and equipment hanging on the walls, all of which have something to do with coffee. Totally comfortable, we really liked the atmosphere.
Cuba really slows us down
Now let's move on, the cool thing about Cuba is that the Cubans slow us down completely, that's pure stress relief. They simply stop for a coffee and with a nice cigar and espresso they take a break, talk, laugh and enjoy life.
We reach the Las Terrazas coffee plantation
After a few kilometers further up the mountain, we arrive at the coffee plantation. There is even a coffee shop with a restaurant here, but that doesn't concern us any further.
It is one of the oldest coffee plantations in Cuba, today it is no longer active, the former mansion is now a beautiful restaurant and there is a fantastic view over the nature reserve.
What you have to say is that the view of the valley wasn't always so beautiful, because the biosphere reserve is part of a reforestation project. During the colonial period, the forest was radically cut down to generate wood for shipbuilding and space for coffee plantations and sugar cane.
The French have left their mark
In the 18th century, the French invaded here with their coffee plants and had slaves work the plantations. However, this could not be carried out in Cuba to the extreme extent seen in other countries where the Europeans invaded.
Today the former plantation can still be visited and again has a great view of natural forests in the low mountain range of Sierra del Rosario .
We continue to Havana
The Cubans can also take a siesta. We didn't actually take a nap, but it was very relaxed. I could imagine that Cuba could be a very special experience for stressed managers who are driven by the Dax every day.
They are welcome to contact me if the Cuba experience is required.
Our next destination is Havana, where we will stay in a hotel on the Malecon, where we were already when the Cuba tour arrived.
Now we want to leave the Sierra del Rosario and drive along the country road towards the Cuban highway to take the direct route to Havana.
Street Bob is fun
I haven't been on the road so relaxed in a long time. The Street Bob really does a good job, it's not exactly the latest Harley, but it has character and a good sound, I like that and somehow fits into this whole scenario.
We leave the trace of our journey on the long, straight stretches of the motorway; we go straight ahead in a completely relaxed manner. To the left and right the sugar cane fields and everything else that is planted here, it is really a colorful garden of vegetables, tobacco and fruit trees.
We drive into the capital from the west. I am always surprised at how well the interaction of horse-drawn carriages, trucks, old cars and motorcycles works.
Here everyone is considerate of everyone, but of course you still have to be very careful, because a situation that is rather untypical for us can quickly arise if an ox suddenly runs across the street and, especially in the countryside, you have to pay particular attention to free-roaming chickens and horses.
We are back at the Malecon in Havana
We arrived at our hotel, after a day's journey of around 230 kilometers and everything we've experienced, we're in a good mood. In the evening we'll go out for something to eat together and end the evening with a few Cristal beers.
The cars are just too cool, we have organized this convertible for later, the next time we are back in Havana.
