La Gran Piedra’s Popularity Ramps Up among Cruise Passengers

The tour to La Gran Piedra has become the most sought-after choice for incoming agencies catering to foreign tourists arriving in the bay of Santiago de Cuba on cruise ships, a local website reports.

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Among the opportunities the most "Caribbean" Cuban city has to offer, visitors prefer to climb the 1,226-meter-high rock through hundreds of steps embedded in the mountainside before reaching the peak.

Newcomers then gaze at a 55-meter-long-by-25-meter-wide volcanic-origin rock that weighs approximately 75,000 tons, making it the world's heaviest solo rock, according to local scholars.

As a backup, there exists a 27-room motel that recently got a new lease on life, plus several private homes that also provide accommodation for tourists.

From this height, the view is breathtaking, overlooking a Natural Protected Landscape in the middle of the Biosphere Reserve called "Baconao", which is still recovering from the tremendous havoc played by hurricane Sandy about two years ago.

Nearby, visitors can also access the "La Isabelica" hacienda, the archaeological landscape of eastern Cuba’s coffee croplands, preserved in excellent condition and worthy of the status of World Heritage Site.

Its leading popularity is only threatened by the Castle of San Pedro de la Roca del Morro, located at the entrance of the seaside cove and visible from boats. In addition, this Renaissance-style fortress boasts high prestige, also supported by its induction as World Heritage Site back in 1997.