After a short ferry ride we arrived at Castillo-CEN town, then a 2 min walk got us to the Jagua Castle Fortress. The fort is small but very well preserved with great views of the harbour entrance to Cienfuegos.
Ferry Ride
It’s only a few more k’s drive from Playa Rancho Luna Beach and you arrive at the car park for the ferry which will take you over to the fort. There is a small house there where a man said we should park the car for $2 CUC, we backed up a little and just parked under a tree for free.
The walk down to the ferry seems like youre going the wrong way with such a rough little road. A bus load of people pulled up at the same time so we just followed them. It was only a 5 min wait for the ferry, although that was a bit of luck. I think they go every hour, but there was another boat there too, it was hard to tell.
For a 5min ferry ride it was quite expensive at $1 CUC each one way. The ferry in Havana to the fort took twice as long and only cost 25 cents for the both of us! Not much you can do about it though. Of course the locals only pay a fraction of what we pay.
The Fortress
After a 2 min walk up a slight hill youll get to the entrance to the fort. It’s pretty impressive with a real draw bridge. The cost of an unguided tour will sting you $5 CUC each, locals pay only $5 CUP (about 25 cents). Itll only take you about 15mins to look around the whole place as it’s pretty small.
Considering it was built way back in 1745 it’s in really good nick. There is a museum inside, unfortuately all in Spanish though, but worth a look at all the bits and pieces.
Take a walk to the roof top for great views of the harbour entrance.
Our Opinion
Not sure if we would bother catching the ferry directly from Cienfuegos as its a 50 min ride, just to see this fort. However if youre in a taxi or have your own car it’s well worth the time to visit.
Photos of Jugua Castle Fortress
