Up until this point, the trip had been a mix of surprises and small disappointments — rocky beaches, rationed towels, food that didn’t quite agree with me. But everything shifted the morning we finally got our hands on two mopeds and set out on a moped adventure in Cuba!

We woke before sunrise, arrived early enough to beat the quiet 7 a.m. race for supplies, and managed to claim two mopeds in excellent condition.

I didn’t know it while I drank my morning lime juice, but this moped adventure in Cuba would become one of the most surreal and unforgettable days of my life.

Riding Into an Empty World

We rolled out through the resort gates with no map, no plan, and no experience driving mopeds. The road unspooled ahead of us in long, empty curves. There was almost no traffic. No tourists. Only clusters of children in pristine school uniforms walking from small one-room homes. And cows — many, many very skinny cows.

It felt like we were drifting through someone else’s fever dream, quiet and cinematic.

Stone Giants: The First Stop on Our Moped Adventure in Cuba

The first shock came without warning: enormous sculptures rising from the hillside, lining the road like silent guardians.

We had unknowingly entered parque de las esculturas, an open-air corridor of massive stone and metal sculptures created by Cuban artists during cultural workshops in the late 1970s and early 80s, part of the artistic expansion of Baconao Park.

But we didn’t know any of that then.
There were no signs. No crowds. No explanation.

Just towering figures watching us pass, each one a stunning mystery.

Stone Dinosaurs in the Middle of Nowhere

A little farther along, the road opened into a clearing, and suddenly — dinosaurs.

Life-sized, weathered, and carved entirely from stone.

We had stumbled into parque la prehistoria, a prehistoric-themed outdoor installation that looked like it had been built for an audience that never showed up.

No fences.
No ticket booth.
No staff.
Just a field of silent creatures in the middle of the Cuban countryside.

It was eerie, surreal, and mesmerizing all at once.

A Theme Park Straight Out of a Thriller

Just when we thought the day couldn’t get stranger, we came across an empty amusement park — El Mundo de la Fantasía.

If the dinosaurs were surreal, this place was downright cinematic.

The rides were still.
The kiosks were closed.
The entire park felt like it was holding its breath.

We wandered for a few minutes, absorbing the uncanny quiet, until a man appeared in the distance, walking straight toward us.

Every Gen X kid raised on Friday the 13th knows exactly what happened next:

We ran.

Completely unnecessary.
Entirely dramatic.
Absolutely hilarious in hindsight.

But travel has a way of turning the ordinary into a scene that plays in your mind like a movie reel for decades.

The Unforgettable Dolphin Encounter on Our Moped Adventure in Cuba

We kept riding up the coast until the road sloped into the hills, leading us to something that looked like a tiny SeaWorld perched above the Caribbean: the Baconao Aquarium & Dolphinarium — one of the lesser-known dolphinarium Cuba experiences at the time.

Just like everything else that day, it was nearly empty.

Back then, swimming with dolphins was rare and expensive. In Florida, the waiting list stretched for years. Here? I could walk right in. A fraction of the cost, no lines, no crowd.

The “pool” was actually a deep, circular tube carved into volcanic rock. The water was dark and opaque — you couldn’t see a thing beneath the surface.

I slid in with another woman, both of us buzzing with excitement… until she suddenly screamed and bolted out of the water.

A dolphin had risen silently from below and wrapped its teeth around her arm — not attacking, just saying hello in a way only a dolphin thinks is polite.

Every instinct in me said, Follow her out.

Instead, I stayed.

And because she left, I ended up with more than 30 minutes alone with the dolphins — a private, unplanned, almost mythic encounter.

One nudged my stomach with its nose in a playful shake.
Another brushed my legs in slow loops I couldn’t see coming.

It was fearful, exhilarating bliss — and one of the most unforgettable moments of my life.

Baconao Park: Quick Facts for Curious Travelers

Location

All of these surreal stops — the stone giants, the dinosaurs, the empty theme park, and the dolphin encounter — are located within Baconao Park, a vast cultural and ecological district east of Santiago de Cuba.

Parque de las Esculturas (Sculpture Park)

• Created: 1979–1985
• Features: 100+ large-scale stone, metal, and concrete sculptures
• Artists: Cuban and international sculptors during cultural symposia
• Purpose: Blend art, landscape, and revolutionary-era creative expression
• Today (2026): Many sculptures remain and can still be visited, though maintenance is inconsistent.

Parque La Prehistoria (The Dinosaur Park)

• Created: 1980s
• Features: Dozens of life-size prehistoric animals carved from stone
• Built By: Local artisans using volcanic rock
• Purpose: An educational park celebrating science and imagination
• Today (2026): Open but weathered; described as quirky, fading, and fascinating for offbeat travelers.

El Mundo de la Fantasía (Fantasy World Amusement Park)

• Created: 1980s
• Purpose: One of Cuba’s efforts to build low-cost, family-friendly attractions
• 1989 Experience: Atmospheric, empty, eerily still
• Today (2026): Partially abandoned; structures remain, with nature slowly reclaiming the site.

Baconao Aquarium & Dolphinarium

• Created: 1980s
• Known For: Dolphin shows and volcanic-rock dolphin tubes
• 1989 Experience: Almost empty, unexpectedly intimate
• Today (2026): Sustained hurricane damage; no confirmed full reopening since 2018.

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

• Designation: 1987
• Coverage: 800 km² of protected coastal and mountain landscapes
• Includes: Sculpture parks, cultural sites, historic villages, and diverse habitats
• Why It Matters: Baconao reflects a unique blend of nature, Cuban history, and mid-century social planning.

Coming Up Next: The Bus Tour, the Giant Rock, and the Moment Cuba Opened My Eyes

The 4th installment picks up after our moped adventure in Cuba, on a day that blended beauty, danger, and perspective — including a climb up a towering rock with no guardrails and a glimpse into Cuban life that changed how I understood everything around me.

Read the Cuba 1989 Travel Series

A five-part memoir of a trip that changed everything.

Part 1 — Arriving in Cuba: The Other Side of the Island
Part 2 — The Resort That Wasn’t What We Expected
Part 3 — The Moped Adventure Through Baconao
Part 4 — The Giant Rock & the Moment Cuba Opened My Eyes
Part 5 — New Year’s Eve in Santiago & Cayo Granma