The Cauto flows for 371 km (231 mi) from the Sierra Maestra to the west and north-west, and enters the Caribbean Sea north of Manzanillo.

A 2013 study led by multiple Cuban academic institutions determined that the river could be 'classified as unpolluted to moderately polluted'.

[2] It flows through the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Holguin, and Granma.

Rice, sugarcane, tobacco, and cattle are the primary agricultural beneficiaries along its course.

Media related to Río Cauto (river) at Wikimedia Commons