"EL PORTAL DE ARANJUEZ TRAIL (LAS TERRAZAS)" Tour

"EL PORTAL DE ARANJUEZ TRAIL (LAS TERRAZAS)" Tour

Walking along trails in the midst of lush evergreen forests, bordering rivers and waterfalls of crystal-clear water is the certainty that beautiful sites really exist and that human efforts to protect the natural environment persist. The Las Terrazas Community, located in the Province of Artemisa, is the ideal place for these tours, which is why we have designed a series of tours through various trails in this place for your enjoyment.

Area Values

The EL PORTAL DE ARANJUEZ Trail: Located in the Sierra del Rosario, the first Biosphere Reserve declared for Cuba in 1985, it has a variety of geological and plant formations and a wide diversity of natural, historical and cultural resources scattered throughout its territory. It is located in the easternmost part of the Guaniguanico Mountain Range, in the Sierra del Rosario, in the province of Artemisa, sub-district of Montañas de Guaniguanico. The area occupies part of the Los Palacios Basin, which is filled by Cenozoic sediments of marine alluvial origin, a product of the erosion of the mountains located to the north, and separated from the Sierra del Rosario structural-facial zone by the Pinar del Rio fault. It presents earthy, carbonate and carbonated rocks of 7 formations, ranging in age from the Mesozoic to the recent past. There are two main geomorphological domains: the low mountains and the medium wavy high plains.

The reserve presents a high variety of ecosystems and habitats, which condition its flora and fauna. The flora is made up of 889 plant organisms, grouped into 608 upper plants (trees, shrubs and herbaceous) and 281 lower plants (fungi, mosses and lichens), with 11% endemism, although there are areas that reach up to 34%; while the fauna presents very high endemism in particular groups, such as mollusks, which can reach 40%. Amphibians and reptiles exceed 80% endemism.

These endemics of the flora are mostly of national distribution, although 17 of them represent pine species, among which the male pine (Pinus caribaea), a forest species of multiple economic interest, stands out. The endemic and monotypic Phyllomelia (Rubiacea) genus of the pine forest has only been documented worldwide for Cajálbana and Sierra del Rosario. Eleven percent of the endemics are mainly shrubs. Sierra del Rosario has several plant formations: evergreen, semi-deciduous, pine, quabales, mogote complex and secondary vegetation.

Of the fauna, the most studied groups are amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Ninety species of mollusks belonging to 26 families have been reported in different localities of 2 forest ecosystems. In general, there are 16 species of amphibians, with 81.7% of endemism, grouped in one order and 4 families. So far 33 species of reptiles have been reported, of which 27 are endemic, with 81.8% endemism, grouped in 2 orders and one suborder, belonging to 10 families. There are 117 species of birds reported, in 17 orders and 30 families, 12 of which are endemic. Among the mammals, bats stand out with 11 species, and 2 native representatives of the order Rodentia.

Itinerary

• Welcome and brief explanation of the project at Cafetal Buenavista, a 19th-century French coffee plantation, one of the first to be partially restored in Cuba in the 1990s.
• The remains of what used to be barracks, warehouses, drying rooms, and mills or bakeries are shown.
• Exchange with the exuberant vegetation, varieties of ferns, wild orchids, and different species of endemic migratory birds depending on the season.
• Ascent to 300 meters above sea level. The interpretive trail takes approximately 3 hours.
• Walk to the “El Portal de Aranjuez” farm, where you can enjoy a picnic lunch while relaxing in the breeze, surrounded by greenery, take a boat ride, or simply cool off in the waters of Lake El Palmar.

Departures

This tour starts at Hotel Moka located in Las terraces, but it can be done from other destinations:

• Cayo Levisa
• Pinar del Río
• Soroa
• Viñales
• Havana
• Varadero

Details of the excursion

• The excursion is made in the company of a local guide.
• Difficulty Level: Medium
• Duration: 3 hrs
• Minimum Quantity: 2 Pax

Variants

You will be able to select the different variants:

• Collective or Private Tour
• Tour with or without Picnic: PICNIC: 1 Ham and/or Cheese Sandwich, 1 National Production Drinks, 1 Water and 1 Jam
• Tour departing from various destinations depending on the type of transport