María la Gorda

Named for a voluptuous young woman who was allegedly captured by pirates and returned to this westernmost Cuban point only to set up a brothel, María la Gorda is on the Bahía de Corrientes, two and a half to three hours from Pinar del Río over difficult road. The small, quiet beaches and clear water make the trip worthwhile, as does the chance to encounter boar, deer, crocodiles, wildcats—though you're more likely to see Cuba's ubiquitous land-crab population headed for the seashore to lay eggs.