Boat trips on the Río Canímar, 8km east of Matanzas, are a truly magical experience. Gnarly mangroves dip their jungle-like branches into the ebbing water and a warm haze caresses the regal palm trees as your boat slides silently 12km upstream from an insalubrious start beneath the Vía Blanca bridge.
Cubatur in Varadero offers this wonderful excursion with lunch, horseback riding, fishing and snorkeling for CUC$25, or you can chance it by showing up at the landing below the bridge on the east side.
Alternatively, most Varadero hotels have tour agencies offering this trip (look for the Río Canímar 'Back to Nature' tour).
Rowboats (CUC$2 per hour) are also available for rent from the riverside Bar Cubamar, almost under the Via Blanca bridge, though not to Cubans (on the pretext that they might use them to emigrate).
