MALECÓN

The Malecón was recently largely restored following the damage caused by Hurricane Irma, which hit the city in 2017, without causing any human casualties. Even if this Malecón is not comparable in size with the one in Havana, it offers a beautiful setting and stroll. There is nothing more pleasant than to walk around and discover Baracoa, its bays and the beautiful mountainous foothills surrounding the city. During your walk, don't miss to take a picture in front of the big statue of Christopher Columbus which is not far from a big cross; it is at this place that he would have disembarked in Baracoa and planted a cross (the original cross, the Santa de la Parra exposed in the basilica of Baracoa). Right in front of this statue, you will see a beautiful colored mural inspired by the style of the Indians who populated the region at the time of Columbus' arrival and which tells of his landing in Baracoa. On your way, note the La Rusa Hotel, which hosted Fidel Castro and Che during the guerrilla war and after the Revolution. Coming from downtown, it leads straight to Miel Beach. Another curiosity of the Malecón of Baracoa is the Fuerte La Punta. Erected at the northern end of the Malecón on the shores of the Bay of Baracoa, the "Fort of the Point" was once a complement to Fort Matachín and was perfectly integrated into the defensive ensemble of the city and the port. It has since been converted into a cabaret-restaurant. A pleasant walk in one of the most emblematic places of Baracoa.