Canyoning in Topes de Collantes

Canyoning, an adventure modality of outdoor sport which find in Topes de Collantes Great Park an ideal place for its practice, in passages which follow the predominantly vertical channel of numerous rivers, and steep mountain landscapes with varied and complicate obstacles.

The Caburni, Vegas Grandes, Cabagan, Hanabanilla and Macagua rivers, all in the Great Park, are perfect scenarios featuring natural cascades. The canyons' different degrees of difficulty allow visitor with no previous experience, who need only knoe how to swim and recive a brief initiation before the excursion, to participate, always with the company of an experienced guide.

As complement while canyoning practices will be able to enjoy besides the exuberant vegetation and unique flora and fauna propitiated by the microclimate of the region.

Canyoning in Caburni River

Transportation to the trailhead is done with a converted and open russian military truck (6x6). Follows a downhill hike for 30 to 45 minutes to reach to the upstream access to the canyon. Participants have to expect to walk in narrow and sloping trails, carrrying a backpack with personnal equipment and some rope.

The trails are snaking in a nice forest with magnificent sierra scenery. The canyon descent lasts 4 to 6 hours, depending on the group¹s pace. Since the streams have a good horizontal development between the cascades, progression will involve walking in the streambed and occasionnal swimming. Toboggans and jumps can be proposed to pass a vertical obstacle.

Rappelling on rope is a fun part of the excursion and is generally easy, even on 40 m drops. Very often, calcite deposits creates steep slopes for rappelling and are carved by waterfalls in many shapes.

Canyoning in Grandes River

The Vegas Grades river maintains a quite stable flow, but in summer it can be quite dangerous to be the rain season in Cuba. The only place that requires of a lot of rope is the Vegas Grandes Jump with but of 100 meters high, for it will be necessary sensible several (3 or 4 of 40 mts.) because it is not a completely vertical fall, the longest rapel is of 50 mts.

To the locus in quo begins it consents for a mountain highway that almost happens but of a kilometer of the place. Then it is necessary to not walk for sheer mountains covered with vegetation very difficult of walking. The descent is carried out in approximately 5 hours. The escape roads are possible to all the long of the canyon, but it is a classic tropical forest with abundant vegetation. In the part that something is made difficult it is before and during the biggest jump (Vegas Grandes Jump).

In the beginning it is quite narrow, then there is a fall of but of very technical 100 meters and at the moment it is not equipped. Under the cascade there is a great puddle with a cave, then there are several falls without a lot of difficulty, one of them is equipped with two spits. In short this river has so much for beginners, like for experienced.