On the broken road from Santiago de Cuba to Pilón

After a hurricane in 2012, the road between Santiago de Cuba and Pilón in southeastern Cuba—especially near Pilón—is still difficult to drive on—a wild and challenging adventure, with collapsed bridges and various rough patches to navigate. Since our next destination was the Sierra Maestra mountains and we had enough time, we dared to take this route, a contrast between courage and caution.

A long drive with breaks

The roughly 140 km took us eight hours in the end. We had hoped to cover the distance all the way to Santo Domingo in the Sierra Maestra in one go, but to be safe, we stayed overnight in Pilón—a decision that felt good after the concentrated driving, raw and relieving. Along the way, stunning views of Cuba’s coast and some beaches invited stops with a cold cerveza, a spectacle of nature and relaxation.