← Culture & towns
El Cercado, the potters’ village
A whole village where women shape pottery by hand, without a wheel, as they have for centuries.
- Best time
- Morning
- Area
- North coast
- Duration
- 1–2 h
In El Cercado pottery passes from mother to daughter and is worked without a wheel: the piece is built by hand from coils of clay, exactly as it was before the Spanish arrived. Houses have the workshop at the front and you can walk in and watch. Out come water jars, griddles, and the múcuras that keep water cold without a fridge.
- Crafts
- History
North coast
AdventureSurfing at Parguito
The island’s most consistent wave, and where everyone here learned to surf.
- At sunrise
- 2–4h
- Moderate
- Surf
- Sunrise
AdventureAbseiling the sea cliffs
Dropping down a rock wall with the Caribbean breaking thirty metres below.
- Morning
- 3–5h
- Demanding
- Abseiling
- Uncrowded
Hiking & natureCerro Guayamurí
Matasiete’s quieter brother, with a better view north.
- At sunrise
- 3–5h
- Moderate
- Hiking
- Viewpoint