| Known as the first Cuban village, Baracoa is | | | | square kilometers. The population is circa 82 |
| a magical city full of color and adventure, | | | | thousand inhabitants in which most of them |
| the first town in the island, famous for | | | | live in the urban area and the rest is rural. |
| being an indispensable place for visiting. | | | | |
| | | | This area is located in the Sagua-Baracoa |
| It's now known by tourists from all over the | | | | mountainous system, famous by the density of |
| world that this eastern and remote city has | | | | its foliage. In the country there are only |
| plenty attractive charms for those who love | | | | two areas where vegetation has remained |
| ecotourism holidays. | | | | practically untouched: In the center of the |
| | | | island (Sierra del Escambray)and in the |
| Its complete name is Nuestra Señora de la | | | | Baracoa area. |
| Asunción de Baracoa and it's a place with | | | | |
| urban constructions located in a small space | | | | The main rivers, especial to be navigated |
| surrounded by abrupt coasts, woods, mountains | | | | with tourist ships, are Miel, Duaba, |
| and rivers. | | | | Yumurà and Toa, the last one the most |
| | | | copious in the country, composed by several |
| The Taino aborigines (descendants of the | | | | cascades one of them 17 meters high called |
| Araucanians) were the main inhabitants of | | | | "El saltadero", a very special one for |
| this region when the admiral Christopher | | | | rafting. |
| Columbus arrived in 1492. It was the trip | | | | |
| where he discovered America and landed twice | | | | Towards the east side, the mouth of the river |
| by that area. | | | | Yumurà is the remarkable part with a wide |
| | | | canyon the makes the landscape very quite and |
| It's said that the word Baracoa is an | | | | with fishermen settlements around it, places |
| aborigine term meaning "existence of the | | | | where you can spend a wonderful afternoon. |
| sea"; it was a reference, made by its | | | | |
| original inhabitants, to the marine ambiance | | | | Although the path conducting to the city |
| that surrounds the place, in contrast with | | | | doesn't belong to Baracoa, but to ImÃas, a |
| the mountains and the rivers of the zone. | | | | place close to it, it's a very peculiar road |
| | | | that goes through the mountains called La |
| Baracoa is located in Guantánamo, the most | | | | Farola. |
| eastern Cuban province -around one thousand | | | | |
| km to the east side of the capital- and was | | | | The construction of this asphalted road was |
| founded by the Governor Diego Velázquez on | | | | finished in 1965 and the most interesting |
| August 15, 1511, becoming the first capital | | | | point of the trip is Altos de Cotilla, more |
| and diocese in the island. | | | | than 600 m over the sea level, a real feast |
| | | | for those on a trip around Cuba. |
| Afterwards the city lost this condition and | | | | |
| the capital was transferred to Santiago de | | | | The main natural resource is the Yunque of |
| Cuba first and then to Havana due to | | | | Baracoa, a flatted mountain -with 575 m high- |
| requirements of the Spanish colonization. | | | | just like a blacksmith's work that is very |
| | | | well seen from the small village. |
| It's a very colorful place that covers 921.2 | | | | |