Travel true. Be you!
Travel true. Be you!
I have a strange addiction to karst formations – actually, any notable rock formations will draw me in like a moth to a flame. I’ve therefore made pilgrimages to the obvious places like Ha Long Bay (Vietnam), Guilin (China), Krabi (Thailand), and Yehliu Geopark (Taiwan), just to name a few. When I found out that Cuba had one-of-a-kind, mushroom-like cave formations near Varadero at the Santa Catalina Cave, I couldn’t resist and incorporated it into my second Cuba trip.
The cave visit became one of the highlights of my trip. I wasn’t sure how to organise the visit, as I’m not a caving expert. So, I carefully chose my casa particular (via Airbnb) as close as possible and told the hosts upfront that I wanted to visit the cave. I asked if they could help me, as hosts had been very helpful in the past – they know who to ask, etc.
At first, they told me I could just go there, as the entrance isn’t locked – but I didn’t want to get lost in the middle of nowhere without proper gear or knowledge.
My host’s car was out of action, so I needed to take a taxi to the middle of nowhere, where my guide Esteban – a professional cave expert – was waiting next to the road with a motorbike for me.
We rode across the fields of a retired agave farm, then walked along a small trail where we saw harmless snakes and millipedes (although I wasn’t sure they were harmless, as they were quite big). After that, we continued across a rocky path that ended at the natural entrance to the Santa Catalina Cave. I was super excited!
Esteban gave me a helmet and a torch, and we went in. He spoke excellent English and explained details about the cave – how millennia of flooding and drying had shaped the spectacular and unique stalactite and stalagmite formations.
Santa Catalina Cave does not have any installed lighting (at least as of 2022), and there are no built structures – which, to me, made it all the more special. I’m not a fan of hyper-touristy caves where you’re herded through with the masses. This was the complete opposite.
I knew I was in good hands, and Esteban was incredibly kind and patient, helping me with different flashlights and torches so I could take pictures inside the cave.
I couldn’t have hoped for a better visit. I’ll be forever grateful to my hosts – and to Esteban, who made one of my dreams come true.
Strangely enough, the guided part was the cheapest part of the entire venture. The most expensive bit was the taxi ride to and from the casa particular. When I was in Cuba in 2022, petrol was already rationed, which may explain the cost.
