Baracoa

Baracoa, Cuba's oldest town founded by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in 1511, sits beneath El Yunque—a distinctive flat-topped mountain visible from the sea that served as a landmark for early navigators. Isolated behind the Sierra de Purial until a coastal highway was completed in 1964, Baracoa developed its own culinary traditions based on coconut, cacao, and plantain distinct from the rest of Cuba. The area receives significantly more rainfall than western Cuba, sustaining lush vegetation and rivers suitable for kayaking.