The Guamuhaya mountain range, also known as Sierra del Escambray, is located in the center of Cuba.
In the part of this geography that corresponds to the province of Cienfuegos is "El Nicho". A space that constitutes a natural reserve with several endemic species and exuberant beauty. It has a very popular tourist trail called the "Kingdom of the waters" that runs along the river bed up the mountain and which we had the pleasure of visiting some time ago.
These places can be reached by several access routes. We decided to go from the Hanabanilla Hotel, located on the shore of the largest intramontane lake in Cuba and bearing the same name.
We arrived in the afternoon, after a long bus ride from Havana. The first sight of the lake was impressive. An immense mass of water stretching towards the horizon and interrupted by mountains.
We rested for the night and the next day we woke up ready to leave early. Hanabanilla looks beautiful in the light of the rising sun. Some gray clouds threatened to overshadow the day. But as the sun rose they dissipated.
The boat ride lasts only 30 minutes. At 2 km from the hotel there is a rustic pier and from there on we continue on foot to the beginning of the trail.After walking a long way uphill, we arrived at our destinati.
Several crystal-clear pools and waterfalls adorn the path.They have peculiar names, The Lovers, The Crystal one and...I don't remember, but it doesn't matter, it was great too 😁. The water was ice cold. For some foreigners it was delicious. But those of us Cubans who were there did not dare to take a dip. We only got our legs wet.🥶😆
The trail was pretty easy, even though we were climbing the mountain the whole time. Only some wooden bridges over the river and the occasional steeper section made it a bit difficult.
At about 400 meters above sea level we arrived at the "Mirador de Hanababilla". Not very creative with the names around here.🤭
The view was spectacular, you could see the lake in the distance, right where we disembarked. We were a little more than 3 km away and a few meters high.
It is one of those places that remain forever in the memory. I recommend a visit without a doubt.💚
The images and text are my own. I used DeepL for their translation because Spanish is my native language.