The Escambray Mountains, home to Topes de Collantes Nature Reserve Park, sit roughly 45 minutes from the colonial town of Trinidad in central Cuba. Farmers here grow some of the world’s best coffee, fetching over $45 per pound in countries like Japan and China.
A morning in Topes starts with a locally hosted hike to one of the mountain range’s many stunning waterfalls. If you pack a swimsuit, you can even have your own “Fantasy Island” moment while taking a dip in the pool beneath the falls.
Next, a modest farmer named Valentin and his wonderful family invite you to learn more about life and coffee in the Escambray. Their coffee and kindheartedness are reason enough to stop, but walking through their hummingbird-filled gardens takes it over the top.
In addition, Valentin’s family offers lunch to our guests. Lunch is an excellent opportunity to sample the bounty that one family produces in the nutrient-rich soil of this area. While visiting recently, an Inbound Cuba team member counted over 15 varieties of fruit trees throughout the property.
After lunch, there is also a chance to visit an unexpected art gallery in Topes containing many works that the Castros regime seized when they took power in the late 1950s.
A day in Topes de Collantes offers Inbound Cuba guests a rare chance to learn about a very rural part of Cuba, connect with the natural beauty of the region, and meet talented farmers and their welcoming families.
