Jagua Castle — Attraction in Cienfuegos

If you're randomly in this little nook of Cuba, the Jagua castle is really cool. Very cheap tour and fascinating look into the history of the area. The guide spoke very little English, but spoke Spanish slowly and repeated herself until we understood the gist.

Getting here involved finding a ride at a hospital in nearby Cienfuegos (still not exactly sure how we managed that) and a 30+ minute drive to the odd Soviet-era hotel across the bay. Then we somehow managed our way onto a ferry that left us alone on a dirt road, and a super nice dude with a horse and carriage rolled up and gave us a ride in for about $1. I think you can take the ferry more directly, but we got off early to check out the nearby defunct Soviet power plant.

All in all, a fantastic little place with a fun jaunt into Cuban history. Nearby local restaurants are a great way to kill time until the...

I had a wonderful time exploring the castle, which is well preserved and worth the admission fee of 50 CUB. I took the ferry from the boot location near Hotel Pasacaballos, which was very convenient and frequent. The castle was just a short walk from the ferry terminal on the other side. I enjoyed wandering around the castle by myself, but you can also hire a guide if you want to learn more about the history. The visit took me about an hour, and I also loved taking photos of the charming...

A very well kept castle. Built to defend the bay of Cienfuegos from pirates and other undesirables. There is a little Soviet era history in the area too. It's worth a trip if you're in the Cienfuegos area for some time.

Take a taxi down to the opposite side of the inlet and take the ferry across. Also, not far away and well worth the trip is Luna beach. It is...