During the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, Ernesto 'Che' Guevara transferred the headquarters of the Western Army to this vast and spectacular cave, 11km west of Parque la Güira and 16km north of Entronque de Herradura on the Carretera Central. The cave is set in a beautiful remote area among steep-sided vine-covered mogotes (limestone monoliths) and was declared a national monument in the 1980s.
Within the cavemouth, a small outdoor museum exhibits Che's roughshod artifacts including his bed and the table where he played chess (while the rest of the world stood at the brink of nuclear Armageddon). Three other caves called El Espejo, El Salvador and Cueva Oscura are further up the hillside. This area is brilliant birdwatching turf: birding tours can be arranged at San Diego de los Baños' Hotel Mirador, or you can ask staff at the cave entrance. There's a good campismo (cheap, rustic accommodations; Cuban guests only) outside the cave with a bar-restaurant open to all-comers. You'll need your own wheels to get here.
