CubaPLUS Magazine

Just where the stream called Juan González ends up reaching its final destination, in its course through the wild lands of Guamá, in the Sierra Maestra, Santiago de Cuba, a beautiful waterfall was formed naturally and to the delight of walkers, which took the same name of the watercourse.

This is how the Juan González Waterfall, an idyllic and spiritually exhilarating place, was added to the privileged list of the most fascinating places in Cuba. It is completely located in the reception and drainage basin of the aforementioned stream that flows in the vicinity of the Nima-Nima River, whose murmur also brightens the life of anyone who wishes to enjoy beauty and peace in an environment of enviable greenery.

It has a maximum elevation of 7 meters above ground level, which makes it one of the longest falls or waterfalls in an area rich in streams and limpid mountain springs. Its water current has an almost continuous course, although due to the lack of power of the flow of its Nima-Nima tributary, it is sometimes reduced. Although it is not seen in times of severe drought, it faithfully reappears with its jumping grace when the spring and summer rains arrive to the delight of locals and hikers.

Then the passage of the stream between hills and valleys seems like music and the jump is enchanting in the midst of the vegetation. Both the stream and the Juan González Waterfall are a valuable part of the hydrological basin projects that support the supply of energy and supply the nearby rural communities of the town of Calentón Blanco in the rural municipality of Guamá, famous for its history and magnificent landscape.

It is part of the magnificent natural ecosystem that is the Turquino National Park, which, together with the great Desembarco del Granma National Park, makes up the majestic Sierra Maestra, the tallest mountain range in Cuba, located in the southeast of the country, facing the Caribbean Sea. A good part of Cuba's rich biodiversity, both in flora and fauna, is preserved in the forested massifs, in its solitary and beautiful beaches, where the thrill of beautiful colorful birds and the flight of birds of prey like hawks is the most noticeable.

In those parts, the walker always has the impression of traveling through a world that has just been created, so the visit to the Juan González Waterfall, who by the way did not give us news of who he was, will never be an unconsequential walk. It will be unforgettable.