Cienfuegos, Cuba: A tricycle ride, carnival vibes, and waterfalls

 I was passing through Cienfuegos en route to other parts of Cuba, and what ensued was a two-night stay, a tricycle ride, a carnival, and waterfalls adventure in this beautiful south coast city.

                 

Since this was a very short stay, I decided against any organized tour. I just walked around town, talked to the locals, and generally got a sense of the everyday Cuban life.

My first stop was Jose Marti Parque which is a memorial park with impressive colonial buildings along the corners of the park.

Museo de las Artes Palacio Ferrer

Catedral de la Purísima Concepción. I didn’t go inside, but it was pretty impressive from the outside.

Met this amazing artiste while perusing through art galleries close to Parque Jose Martí. We spoke for almost an hour and he dropped lots of jewels about Cuba. He is a talented artist, and he painted the paintings behind us in the photo.

August is the hottest month in Cuba, and here you see locals buying cold drinks on a hot day.

 

I made a new friend. His name is Rielle, and he is a host at a restaurant on Paseo del Prado, the main street in Cienfuegos. He is learning to speak English so he can become a tour guide.

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Vibrant cars and buildings are always a sight to behold

The weather was ridiculously hot, so I retreated to my Air BnB, and came back out when the heat had subsided for a stroll along the Malecon.

Malecón de Cienfuegos

After a stint along the Malecon and enjoying the ocean’s breeze, I hopped on a tricycle taxi to take me to Punta Gorda. Punta Gorda is a historical neighborhoods that houses grand hotels, restaurants, and fancy homes.

The tricycle taxi driver was kind enough to make stops at certain historical sights.

 Palacio de Valle was one of the first stops. It is a historical building with Moorish architecture. It  has a restaurant and terrace bar that is said to have an amazing panoramic view of the bay. I did not know it was free to enter, so I missed all the amazing interior it had to offer. 

It was carnival week in Cienfuegos, so I got to catch some of the carnival vibes. This was nostalgic as it reminded me of the West Indies carnival that I participatedin back home (Nigeria) when I was younger.

The sunsets in Cuba are unmatched!

I wrapped up the day with a beautiful sunset, a seaside view, and a caprissima drink.

The next morning, I was off to Trinidad De Cuba. However, I opted to stop at El Nicho waterfalls on my way to Trinidad. El Nicho is a series of waterfalls, and I was very excited to visit as I had never been to a waterfall before.

Enjoying a dip in one of the waterfall streams.

The water was deliciously cold! Just what I needed in the August heat.

I took colectivo taxi from Cienfuego to Trinidad De Cuba with these lovely ladies from Spain. We did the waterfall and hike together, and of course, we had to take a selfie…snap!

Finally made it to the top of the mountains.

Isn’t it wild to think that just last year we were traveling without any cares, and we were out and about without masks?! Here is hoping 2021 is a better year with new adventures.

Happy New Year, guys!