What It Is

Laguna la Yerba is one of dozens of coastal lagoons scattered across the municipality of Sandino, where Pinar del Río's southern plain sinks to sea level and the land turns into a patchwork of standing water, marsh, and mangrove. Its GeoNames ID is 3533700, classified simply as a lake at 22°11′ N, 83°46′ W, with an elevation of five metres.↗↗

The lagoon sits between the locality of Guayacanal to the north and the coast to the south, roughly two kilometres from Bahía del Cayuelo. To the east lies Delta el Carchero, a low sandy island formation, and to the west another lagoon, Laguna Los Pérez. This chain of shallow water bodies extends for kilometres along the Gulf of Batabanó's northern shore.↗↗

The Wetland Context

Sandino municipality holds what researchers describe as the largest lagoon-marsh zone in all of Cuba — the great wetland of the Guanahacabibes Isthmus. These lagoons are connected by underground and seasonal surface flows to the Cuyaguateje River, which originates in the Sierra de los Órganos mountains and fans out into a coastal delta before reaching the Gulf. Laguna la Yerba sits within this hydrological family.↗↗

The wetlands of this sector are scientifically precious: they harbour Girardinus cubensis, a tiny viviparous fish found nowhere else on Earth, categorised as Endangered. Researchers documented its presence in only a handful of lagoons in the southern part of this isthmus. The same waters face threats from drought, desertification, and invasive species like largemouth bass and African catfish that compete with or prey upon the native fauna.↗

Why Visit the Area

Laguna la Yerba itself has no visitor infrastructure, and no formal trail, viewing platform, or access road is documented. But the broader landscape it belongs to — the southern coast of Pinar del Río and the Guanahacabibes Peninsula — is one of Cuba's least-visited and most wild regions. The peninsula is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, one of only six in Cuba, with nesting beaches for green, loggerhead, and hawksbill sea turtles, and some of the island's best shorebird habitat.↗

For birdwatchers and nature travellers who make it to Sandino, the lagoons and mangrove channels offer a genuinely undeveloped Cuban wetland experience — a landscape of open water, reeds, and red mangrove edges where endemic and migratory species alike feed and rest. The fishing village of Playa La Salina, nearby, provides the most local point of reference on this roadless-looking coast.↗↗

Getting There and Practical Notes

The lagoon lies about 39 km west-southwest of the town of San Francisco (a settlement in central Pinar del Río province). Access from the provincial capital involves long drives on rural roads through Sandino toward the coast. The nearest named settlement is the small locality of Guayacanal, roughly 3.5 km to the north.↗↗

This stretch of the Gulf of Batabanó coast is flat, hot, and humid, with standing water year-round. Mosquitoes can be dense. The dry season (November through April) is the most practical window to visit, when trails and tracks are passable and water levels concentrate fish and birds in the shallows. During hurricane season (June–November), flooding and impassable roads are a real concern.↗

There is no signage, entrance fee, or official guidance at Laguna la Yerba. Visitors should treat the area as unmanaged wilderness and arrange transport and local knowledge in Sandino before attempting to reach the coast between the lagoons.