Yaguaramas (if you continue straight for Covadonga, you'll regret it - this dirt road is a Swiss cheese of giant wallows and The village of Playa Girón has casas particulares and there's a modest villa hotel at Playa Larga, but the hotel and restaurant at Playa Girón are currently being used exclusively for Operación Milagros (providing free medical treatment .
to impoverished Latin Americans). The paved road turns inland at Girón. You'll pass rustic villages eking a subsistence
Camagüey to Santiago de Cuba
Camaguey 2 nights
The drive to Sancti Spíritus is a scenic stunner. Pass by Sancti Spíritus town and follow the Carretera Central eastbound. Stop for a traditional country lunch at Finca Oasis (12 miles east of Ciego de Ávila) and arrive in Camagüey in mid-afternoon. The "City of Plazas" is well-named. Plaza San Juan de Díos is the place to be at sunset. Next day you can explore the other key plazas. Camagüey is a large city. Take your time strolling, being sure not to miss Plaza del Carmen, with its life-like figures of actual locals going about their business. The best hotel in town (and a bargain) is the Hotel Colón, a restored colonial gem with Camagüey's only impressive restaurant. If Ballet Camagüey is performing at Teatro Principal, don't miss it!
From Viñales, follow the main highway
south to Pinar del Río, where Avenida Martí (the main east-west street) becomes the Autopista. The journey to Havana takes approximately two hours. Unfortunately, the freeway system is poorly conceived and linking with the Autopista that leads east from the city is like trying to find one's way through the Minotaur's maze (more so, trying to bypass the freeway system by cutting across Havana province, where you are sure to waste several hours getting lost)! The easiest option is to take the Pinar del Río-Havana autopista to its end, then turn east for the Circunvalación; follow the Circunvalación east to the Autopista Nacional.
It's a two-hour, lonesome drive to Jagüey Grande, where there's a rest stop, gas station, and simple café. Turn right here. The ruler-straight road (one lane in each direction) shoots south to Playa Larga. It is lined its entire length with sedge and wetlands and with memorials to Cubans who died in the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. The only services are at Boca de Guamá, with a small gas station, an excellent restaurant, and the crocodile farm. The village of Playa Larga, at the head of Bahía Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) has simple casas particulares plus the main office and ranger station for the Parque Nacional Zapata. From here, the badly eroded coast road hugs the shore, passing a few simple beach restaurants. In springtime, the route is made hazardous by legions of crabs crossing the road - snapping claws and razor-sharp shards of crushed shells cause many a puncture!
from charcoal burning. The road is badly deteriorated.. At Bermejas, turn right for
potholes. Beyond Yaguaramas, you'll link with Highway 3-1-2. Turn east for Cienfuegos, another hour-plus drive via Rodas.
