Baracoa

Baracoa is located in Cuba's extreme eastern region, in front of a little bay that is semicircular in shape. The town is surrounded by a harsh, isolating ring of mountains that cut it off from the rest of the nation until the government built a road through the mountains to connect it to Guantanamo in the 1960s.

Christopher Columbus' landing in the region in December 1492 marked the region's first appearance on maps. Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, a Spanish conquistador who conquered Cuba, built the first Spanish settlement here in 1512. From 1518 to 1522, Baracoa served as the nation's capital.

This community takes great pride in offering pristine, undiscovered beaches in Cuba with breathtaking backdrops of chocolate, bananas, and coconuts growing in the countryside and being the main exports from Baracoa port. The region's most beautiful beach, Playa Maguana, is located about 20 kilometers northwest of the town. If you're feeling daring, hire a bike and ride over there.

• Location: Guantánamo