Cuba is becoming one of the finest outdoor adventure destinations. There are countless forested areas in Cuba ideal for hiking. Fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, caving, and climbing have all been discovered and are drawing world travelers.

Shortly after Fidel Castro, as the leader of the Cuban Revolution, seized control of the island, he said “the Revolution was the work of climbers and cavers”. Speaking of the fact that the revolutionaries used the caves and mountains as their bases and hiding spots, Castro found time to attempt to climb Pico Turquino, Cuba’s highest peak cresting at 6,561 feet.

Today’s Cuban climbers are students and workers who love rocks and crevices, making every moment precise. The Vinales Valley has a blend of high-quality rock, ease of access, and ambiance that may someday make Cuba the world’s most sought after climbing venue.  

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Baseball

Baseball is Cuba’s favorite sport, Fidel Castro himself at one time was a minor-league pitcher, and the island has a great history of baseball.

Baseball was pioneered on the island in the 1860’s by Cubans who studied in the United States, and by American sailors who ported in Cuba. It quickly penetrated the hearts of the Cuban people, who were fighting for their independence from Spain. Cubans began to fancy baseball to viewing bullfights ( which they were dutifully expected to attend as reverence to their Spanish rulers). For this reason, baseball became symbolic of freedom and social equality to Cubans.

In Cuba, baseball is widely supported by citizens and well thought-of as the island's national sport. It is free of business interests, played for sport and love of the game. Children especially are passionate about the game. Cuban streets, vacant lots, and countryside are filled with kids playing baseball without gloves, sometimes using dark little balls rolled up from cloth and sticks as bats. 

The story of baseball is the story of the Cuban people. For to understand baseball is to understand life. One who embraces baseball captures the hearts and minds of Cubans.  

The 2006/7 Cuban baseball season has come to a striking end with the Santiago Hornets winning over the Industiales, a flip side to last year's finals.

The rivalry between Santiago and Industriales has been completely absorbed in the interest of the nation. Industriales plays out of the nation's capital. Havana is the center of the island's political and economic life and considered the "land of opportunities". The Santiago team is famous for its musicians with a rebellious past, traditionally supported by Eastern emigrants in the capital and around the island.

Although the season has ended, the Cuban national team will play several warm-up games prior to the Rio de Janeiro Pan American Games in July.

In 2009, The International Baseball Federation began a ranking system that assigned points based on finishes in sanctioned events over the last four years, or in a period that includes two IBAF Baseball World Cups . . . Cuba is ranked No. 1 and the United States came in second. South Korea, who beat Cuba for the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is third. Besides taking home a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics, Cuba won the World Cup in 2005 and the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.

“The IBAF is long overdue for World Rankings,” IBAF president Harvey Schiller said. “The level of competition worldwide grows stronger every year, and we need to begin to recognize the federations that are fielding teams and performing well, whether it is in an intercontinental tournament or a World Cup.”

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Fishing

The island of Cuba has well over 3,000 miles of coastline and a vastness of clear blue waters swarming with fish. Three fish-filled bodies of water surround Cuba . . . the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean. Cuba’s world-class fishing can be enjoyed year round, and along with the experience comes an interesting amount of culture and history.

Hemingway used inspiration from his Cuba deep sea fishing adventures for help in writing his classic novel, “The Old Man and the Sea”, in which he immortalized the blue marlin fishery off Cuba's north coast. Some of the finest Cuban deep sea fishing trips can be enjoyed near the capital city of Havana. The northwest coast of the country is where the Gulf Stream passes, helping to create ideal fishing conditions. At Playas del Este, which is just minutes from Havana, you can find some great beaches, as well as some wonderful fishing facilities. Besides blue marlin, other deep sea species abundant are sailfish, wahoo, dolphin, swordfish, kingfish, bonito, shark, and tuna. Nearer to the shore, the coast is lined with reefs filled with grouper, snapper, and barracuda.

People are quite surprised when they learn that Cuba has over 1,000 lakes and is known as the last frontier for bass fishermen from around the world. Bass fishing in Cuba is a very well-liked sport, and today is almost all “catch and release.” The fishermen get the conquest feeling of the catch, and by releasing, the bass population flourishes.

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Let's go to the beach . . . Vamos a la playa

Where can we swim (scuba dive, fish, rent a boat)? . . . Donde podemos nadar (bucear, pescar, alquilar botes)?

I like to run (ride horseback, go bicycling) . . . Me gusta correr (montar a caballo, ir en bicicleta)