Baracoa

About this place

Baracoa is a city in Guantánamo Province near the eastern tip of Cuba, the country's oldest Spanish settlement and its first capital, which earned it the name First City. It sits on the Bay of Honey, surrounded by a wide range of forested mountains. That setting leaves it isolated, giving it a character apart from the rest of Cuba. Christopher Columbus called here on 27 November 1492 on his first voyage, and the governor Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar founded the settlement on 15 August 1511. The name is thought to come from Taíno, meaning «the presence of the sea». It stayed cut off for a long time, reached only by a single mountain road built in the 1960s. The streets have wooden single-storey houses with front porches and columns painted blue, pink and yellow, and bicycle taxis pass on the wet roads. On the waterfront you see the calm bay with dark green hills behind, and at the edge of town stands an old fort with cannon. The flat-topped mountain of El Yunque is said to have been a landmark for Columbus's sailors. It is about 144 km from Santiago's cathedral in a straight line, and the mountain road is long and winding, so check its state and fuel supplies before setting out. Ask where you stay about water and power. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Cuba because of fuel, power and water shortages, so read the current advice before you plan. It also says electricity and water remain severely affected in the east after Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.