5 Best Sights in Eastern Cuba, Cuba

If you have an interest in all things revolutionary, a visit to the Moncada Barracks is a must, because here's where it all started. On July 26, 1953, Castro and 100 men attempted to storm this former army barracks. It was carnival time in Santiago; the streets were full of revelers, and Castro had hoped that security would be lax. Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed, and the rebels were either killed or captured. Castro, who fled to the mountains, was eventually caught, tried, and imprisoned on the Isla de la Juventud off Western Cuba's southern coast. Although unsuccessful, the attack ignited the sparks of Castro's Revolution. He wrote his famous speech "La historia me absolverá" ("History will absolve me"), which was smuggled out of prison, printed, and distributed throughout the island. Although luck had not been on his side in 1953, it certainly was in 1955, when Batista granted many political prisoners their freedom. Castro left for the United States, where he began soliciting support for his 26th of July Movement (named in honor of the ill-fated barracks attack) to rid Cuba of Batista's regime. From there, he took his cause to Mexico. In 1956, just a year after being released from prison, Castro made his historic journey from Mexico to Cuba aboard the Granma.

Today the former stronghold of Batista's troops contains a grammar school and the Museo de 26 de Julio. The bullet holes surrounding the doorway to the museum are re-creations of those left after the original attack, which were quickly patched over by Batista's men. The exhibits here tell, in Spanish only, the entire story of the attack and the events that followed. They're among the nation's most comprehensive ones on revolutionary history. Take the guided tour (it's customary to tip docents CUC$1).

The Spanish fortress known as El Morro, south of Santiago, was constructed between 1638 and 1700 and was designed by Giovanni Antonelli, the Italian architect and engineer responsible for fortresses bearing the same name in both Havana and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Dominating a bluff at the entrance to the Bahía de Santiago de Cuba, El Morro was built to ward off pirates (and rebuilt after a 1662 attack by the English pirate Henry Morgan). Inside you'll find a museum with exhibits on, appropriately enough, pirates. Signage is in Spanish only, but English-speaking guides can lead you around. (Tip them, of course.) There are wonderful views from interior rooms, which have wooden floors and stone walls, as well as from various terraces. From the lowest terrace, the view of the fortress itself, formed from the sheer face of the bluff, is powerful. The way into the structure takes you down and then back up a 207-step staircase; a drawbridge over a moat leads to the entrance. You'll find little shade here; sunscreen and a brimmed hat are musts. Midday gets unbearably hot.

Visit early in the morning or late afternoon if your schedule permits.

An impressive flag-lowering, cannon-firing ceremony winds up the day, and that makes a good case for a late-afternoon visit.

Baracoa's third fortress, Fuerte de la Punta, was built in 1803 on a spit of land over the entrance to the bay. The fortress now contains the Restaurante La Punta.

Made famous by Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, San Juan Hill marks the sight of the decisive July 1, 1898 battle in the Spanish-American War. (The conflict is known here as the Guerra hispano-cubano-norteamericana, or Spanish-Cuban-American War.) Today it's a park, in the Reparto San Juan neighborhood, covered by monuments left by U.S. and Cuban militaries, dedicated to the battle fought here during the Spanish-American War. It's a lovely spot, with amusements for small children in the Parque de Diversiones—identifiable by its large Ferris wheel—at the base of the hill.

It's a steep 5-km (3-mile) ascent from Santo Domingo village to the Alto del Naranjo—a parking lot with beautiful views—which marks the entrance to the park. If you haven't hired a guide in Santo Domingo, you can do so at the visitor center here.

The Comandancia de la Plata, the headquarters of the Revolution, is just 3 km (2 miles) west of the entrance to the park. A relaxing, one-hour walk on a clearly marked trail along a ridge brings you to a remote forest clearing. Here you'll find Castro's command post, hospital, and residence—built with an escape route into an adjacent creek. This is the perfect trek if you have limited time: you can get a taste of the region in the morning and return to the lowlands by early afternoon.

If you’re feeling truly intrepid, the summit of Pico Turquino, Cuba's highest peak at 1,974 meters (6,476 feet), beckons, some 13 km (8 miles) from the Comandancia de la Plata. A journey here involves a night of camping, typically at a tent camp at the mountain's base. Cooks are sometimes available, but you have to bring your own food. Showers and fog alternate with sun and daytime heat, and humidity alternates with chilly windy nights, so in addition to good hiking boots, you need clothing that you can layer and a lightweight rain jacket.