Cuban Wildlife: A Jungle Expedition!

Ever since I was little I've been obsessed with wildlife; binge watching David Attenborough, going on woodland walks with my butterfly net or filling the boot of my dad's car with seaweed and shells. For years I was convinced I was going to be "an explorer" or failing that a biologist who would be lucky enough to go on field work around the world searching for strange animals and plants... but then life happened. I grew up and went to uni to study History and Spanish, two subjects I am incredibly passionate about and wouldn't have changed for the world, and the little naturalist part of me just got quieter and quieter fading into the background as exams, friendships, year abroads and job hunting took over.

This summer though something happened that re-awakened my inner wildlife lover in all her over-excited, jumping up and down, slightly nerdy, wonderfully happy glory. We went to Cuba. CUBA!!! A real caribbean island just crawling with crocodiles, bugs, frogs, birds and butterflies and surrounded by warm seas full to bursting with tropical fish. It was a childhood dream come true. After a lovely couple of days in Viñales we moved on down the coast to an area known as Playa Larga where we got up early one morning to bump down the road in a rickety old car and begin our Cuban jungle expedition!

There had been a storm the night before and clouds of mosquitoes were billowing through the trees in the sunlight. I had taken no chances and was drenched in repellent and wearing trousers tucked into socks and long sleeves...all to no avail as we'd find out later. We had been chatting to our guide for literally less than 10 minutes when he brought out a small gadget that played bird calls into the air and one of my favourite creatures of the whole trip appeared. The tiny Cuban Tody, (pictured above and below) also known as "fluffy butt" for a while as we forgot his real name, flitted around on his thorny branch then disappeared into the forest.

While we walked slowly through the trees we came across some beehives being attacked by crabs. Crabs are EVERYWHERE in Cuba; they dig burrows and live almost like rabbits along roadsides and in muddy banks.

 

 

Cicadas were whirring from the branches above us and we also spotted a strange corridor of mud running up a tree trunk to end in a football sized termite's nest.

After a short while we reached a hole in the ground between 2 great rocks and followed our guide down a ladder tacked together from bits of dead wood to stand in a real life bat cave.

An incredibly clear underground lake filled one corner of the cave while the air was filled with the squeaking and shuffling of hundreds of Cuban fruit bats that flew around our heads and clung to the ceiling in the pitch dark.

 

The flash from my camera lit up the cave walls and our guide spotted a baby Cuban Screech Owl crouching on a ledge:

I felt a bit sorry for him actually... his poor nocturnal eyes being blinded by the bright light! As we scrambled back up out of the cave our guide casually pointed out the body of a huge python that he explained had its head inside the cave stretched out in the dark with its mouth open to catch unwary bats.

Over the next hour or so we saw hermit crabs, countless lizards, woodpeckers, chocolate orchids and turtles.

Jungle expeditions are not quite as glamorous as I'd imagined when I was little...mosquitoes and stifling heat lead to some sweaty not so comfy situations...(we had not been swimming before this photo...)

 

 

 

 

We came upon a swampy area criss crossed with wooden walk ways and our guide suddenly pointed excitedly into the tree tops and hopped up onto a root for a better look. He had seen a "colibrí" or hummingbird; two of them sitting on a twig and preening each other, something you don't see everyday he explained. I can't describe to you how much I wanted to see a hummingbird! While the others carried on walking I was really reluctant to leave in case they reappeared and just as I was about to go I spotted a tiny flash of shining green amongst the leaves.

 

 

I only managed a few shots before he whizzed away but I was so happy that I finally saw one! Later in the market in Trinidad I bought a little wooden colibrí to hang in my window at home. We made our way back to the waiting taxi and were met with a lovely sight; Cuba's national bird the Cuban Trogon was peering down at us.

 

 

This trip was one of the highlights of the whole holiday for me; my childhood dream of exploring a tropical jungle came true! We headed back to our casa for a rest in our gloriously air conditioned room where we compared mosquito bites (the little whiny blood sucking bastards!) and later headed out onto the verandah to watch the sunset and sip mojitos.

 



 

Two Weeks in Cuba: Horseriding in Viñales!

After our first three nights in Havana I was keen to set off again and arrive at our next destination: Viñales. This sleepy little town consists of a single road lined with colourful houses that trails off into the green mountains, or mogotes, that this part of Cuba is famous for. Horses clop along pulling carts of onions, chickens scratch in the rust-red dust and cowboys in wide brimmed hats call to each other across the fields. Compared to the heaving Havana, life here was positively in slow motion with nothing to do but wake up in the morning to the glorious sunrise, swig a glass of ice cold guava juice, don your cowboy hat and set off for a day of horseriding in Viñales!

The view from the terrace of our lovely casa particular:

We were picked up bright and early and dropped off a little way into the mountains where we met our guide Andres and our horses for the day. Mulatto, Caramelo and Chocolate were our transport for the rest of the trip and were great. Mulatto did get a bit hungry so kept sneaking bites of foliage as we trotted along and also seemed to have a bit of a superiority complex needing to be leading us at all times...actually Mulatto was a bit of a handful...but a lovely horse nonetheless.



The views of the mountains with the lush fields and bright orange earth were gorgeous and at times it was like being on the set of jurassic park.



We passed through fields of maize and sugar cane while bananas, guava, mango, avocado, coffee beans and a kind of purple sweet potato called patata americana or malaca grew alongside the path. Arriving at a small thatched hut Andres lead us inside to meet the tobacco farmers who showed us how they harvest the tobacco, prepare it and roll it into cigars.

Next stop was a cave full of squawking chickens and rock formations that the enthusiastic guide was certain looked like "an elephant! a crocodile and the queens head!"



Although we set off as early as possible to avoid the midday heat, after 3 hours we were ready for a rest and a cool off. The horses were lead into the shade of a large tree and we ran down to the edge of a mountain lake for a swim in the still water.

Tiny yellow water lilies bobbed around our heads and trails of silver bubbles gave away the shoals of little fish that nibbled at our toes. Once out of the water and dried off we came across this little lizard who was hopping all over us trying to catch the flies attracted by the horses and mud on our shoes.

 

 

Ready to go we swung back up into the saddle heading for the next stop on our journey; a coffee plantation nearby.

 

 

As Andres showed us into the plantation another man hailed him and, smiling, passed a tiny puppy into his tanned weatherbeaten arms. We were shown how the coffee is ground and stored ready for shipment.

We drank rum and lemon cocktails and danced salsa under the shade of a large thatched hut in the centre of the plantation.

After the fun was over the horses started the last leg of the journey back to our casa. On the way we came across some of the locals in their bright vintage cars.
 

That night, aching but happy after our long day, we sat in rocking chairs on the terrace while ghostly green glow bugs floated between the trees and shooting stars zipped overhead. The only sounds were the crickets, the howling of the occasional dog and the soft snorting of the horses in the field opposite. I decided I really quite liked Viñales.

 

 

If you too fancy a day pretending to be a cowboy surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in Cuba it couldn't be easier to organise. Just mention it to the owner of your casa once you arrive and they'll be sure to call and arrange it for you whenever you like. Have you been to Cuba? What was your favourite moment from your trip? Comment below!