Viel Lorenzo

Once upon a time in 1492, when Christopher Columbus voyaged to the edges of Cuba, the first thing he saw on the horizon were two rock formations protruding above the green jungle. One of them, the smaller, but more fierce and with a double top, he called Los Tetas de Theresa (Theresa’s Boobs). The second one was the majestic hill of Los Portales. Because of its historical significance, Los Tetas the Theresa is under national protection and is close to climbers. Los Portales, on the other hand, is a sport climbers' paradise with high-quality lines on overhung limestone with pristine nature away from busy touristy spots. The crag was discovered by local climbers from Holguín years before the development of the first routes. In February 2024, Los Portales crag became the base of a sport climbing development course organized by Ola Przybysz (supported by Global Climbing Initiative, Climbing Factory, ClimbX, Reason, Wroclaw Mountaineering Club and supported by individual donations) during which, ten international and local climbers came together and developed first 13 lines. The climbing potential of Los Portales and surrounding hills is huge and future development is very welcomed.

GPS location: 21.00414, -75.924871 (21°00′14.9″N 75°55′29.54″W)

The crag is located two kilometers away from the edges of Bariay village and around 8km from the town of Rafael Freyre. 35 km away from the crag is the province capital-- Holguín with an International airport.

To get to the Los Portales crag from Holguín we need to take a local transport heading to Guardalavaca and get off at the crossroad heading to Rafael Freyre (21.022709, -75.987307). There are busses as well as shared taxis that can take you there from Holguin. After getting off at the crossroads, try to get a random transport heading to Bariay. Most likely you can find a horse carriage or a truck heading in that direction. Sometimes you may find yourself on a slow but pleasant ride on a cow carriage. The normal price for this distance is around 50-100 CUP. After you arrive at the Bariay village, you will see the Los Portales crag on the horizon. From there you need to walk around 2-3km to get to the wall.

There are many Casa de Renta and hostels in the town of Rafael Freyre. Also, you may consider staying at the Campamento at the Playa Blanca which is an inexpensive option (around 4 USD for a room) but the travel will be longer.

There is an option of staying at a local farmers' house (Francisco and Dayi) at the second last house in the Bariay (second closest to the crag). This option could be your most authentic and pleasant experience of Cuba as Francisco and his family are the most amazing and loving people on this planet. As of February 2024, this option was tricky for foreigners because the farm is not an official hostel and does not provide a registration.

You may have to contact the local immigration office in Rafael Freyre to get permission to stay at the farm.

The Los Portales Crag welcomes sport climbing route developers with a couple of conditions:

a) Bolting with material other than titanium is not allowed.

b) Contact local developers before bolting any lines.

c) Do not bolt in protected areas (contact the local developers for more information)

d) Do not modify the natural structures of the rock as it is not necessary nor create artificial holds

e) Before modifying any previously made route, consult it with the local developers

f) Don't scratch, paint, or write on the walls

g) Do not leave any trash in the climbing areas