Of all the places I visited in Cuba, I would recommend Viñales and its surrounding area the most. The variety of activities you can undertake and the typically Cuban sights you can see make this UNESCO heritage listed landscape great for people with a range of different interests.
Las Terrazas
Most people will be travelling from Havana to Viñales, so I’m going to start with Las Terrazas. This is an ecovillage on the road to the valley, which is now a UNESCO biosphere reserve and it’s home to many activities. Las Terrazas is closer to Havana than to Viñales valley, but it’s a perfect stop along the way. You could also opt to stay in the area if you would want to undertake more activities. There are vibrant art communities here, but also adventurous canopy tours and natural surroundings which are perfect for hiking and birdwatching.
Buena Vista Coffee Plantation
If you’re more interested in culture, you can find the oldest coffee plantation in Cuba here. This plantation was built in 1801 by French refugees from Haiti. The ruins of the quarters of the slaves are still intact, and so is a huge grindstone where they once extracted coffee beans from their shells.
The coffee plantation offers beautiful views across the landscape, and don’t forget to keep your eyes to the sky to see the vultures flying around.
Practical Info
Particularities: None
Entrance fee: Free
Opening times: All the time
Baños de San Juan
After taking in all that culture, it’s time to dive into the natural pools of Baños de San Juan. These pools are surrounded by naturally terraced rocks, which make for great baths. Be aware, because even though the water is clear, it’s also incredibly cold and it takes some getting used to. The park was really quiet on the day I visited, so my group stayed near the restaurant/clothing rooms but you can enter the water at any place in the park so if it’s busy you could always head somewhere else.
Practical Info
Particularities: There are changing rooms with showers.
Entrance fee: Free
Opening times: Monday to Sunday 9am to 7pm
Country-Style Lunch
Las Terrazas is a great place to have a country-style lunch with a selection of Creole food. Just let them bring the lunch to your table and enjoy. I had lunch at El Rincon de mis Ancias and absolutely loved it. The people were friendly, and so were there assortment of animals I could cuddle while eating, including a wayward chicken.
Soroa
The next logical stop on the mini road trip would be the town of Soroa. This town is known as the ‘rainbow of Cuba’.
Orquideario Soroa
That’s why Soroa is a great place to visit the Orquideario. This park contains 700 orchid species from all over the world. The person who amassed all these flowers as a love letter to his wife and daughter has passed away, but the orchid farm is still taken care of and there are regular tours in English or Spanish.
In August of the same year I had seen my fair share of orchids near Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia, even though I wasn’t listening that intently as before I liked photographing the different flowers in the park.
Practical Info
Particularities: Guided tours
Entrance fee: 3 CUC
Opening times: Monday to Sunday 8:30am to 4:30pm
Pinar del Río
My hotel was located in Pinar del Río. Don’t do what we did and just book your accomodation in Viñales, if that’s possible. We had to take the tour bus every time we wanted to go out for a meal, because the nicest places are a bit further from the town. That’s not easy to do when travelling solo. That having been said, there are quite a few sights worth checking out in Pinar even if you are only passing through.
Fábrica de Tabacos Francisco Donatien
If you’re interested in seeing people at work, then this is a great place to visit. It does feel a bit voyeuristic when you walk through the tiny hallway where men and women are selecting, rolling and licking away at cigars leaves, but it does offer a good insight into the activities of a cigar factory.
Practical Info
Particularities: No photos allowed
Entrance fee: 5 CUC
Opening times: Monday to Friday 9am to 1:30pm
Fábrica de Bebidas Casa Garay
Let’s start calling Pinár the city of interesting factories, because I can recommend not one but two factories in the city. However, I have to admit that I like the product of this one better than the previous one. In Casa Garay, they found a way to create a sweet and a dry version of guava brandy. The 15 minute tour shows you the area where the machines are and where the fruit is stored. Then you are quickly whisked into the adjacent shop where the magic happens. Obviously I couldn’t resist and I bought a bottle of the city’s liquor, Guayabita del Pinar.
Practical Info
Particularities: A lightning quick tour
Entrance fee: 1 CUC
Opening times: Monday to Friday 9am to 3:30pm and Saturday 9am to 12:30pm
Viñales Valley
I’m definitely leaving the best for last this time. This post has covered many things to see and do around Viñales, but now it’s time to focus our attention on the valley itself. In the midst of all the possible activities you can undertake in Viñales lies a quaint little town, where people are chilling on porches and doors are always open. This is not Havana with its music and mojitos, this is tranquility brought to life. I only enjoyed the town for a full ten minutes while standing in a torrential downpour, but I could tell it would have been nice to stay there longer.
Viewing Points
For a great view over the valley I can recommend two places. You could either visit the viewing platform near Hotel Los Jazmines, which is also a great place if you need a toilet break, if you want to visit souvenir shops or if you are in need of refreshments. There’s also a bull you can ride, but please… don’t.
It’s better to just enjoy the view than to harm the animals.
The second great viewing point also has delicious food. I’m talking about restaurant Balcón del Valle, which has three wooden decks that hang over the tobacco fields and mogotes (limestone monoliths). This is a perfect spot to enjoy the sunset, while sipping a mojito or cuba libre of course.
Hiking Viñales Valley
Now that you have seen it from afar, it’s time to finally dive into the valley. One of the best ways to explore the area is on a guided walk. We lucked out and our guide was the extravagant and flirty Manolo. He quickly singled out two ladies from the group who he decided to stay close to during the tour. Every opportunity he had, he either smeared make up from plants on them or decorated them with flowers.
There are many different hikes you can make in the valley by yourself, even without a guide the valley really has to be experienced!
There are quite a few cave systems which I’m sad we missed. According to the Lonely Planet they are quite impressive, and as you might have noticed I might not like tiny caves, but I do like big caves with high ceilings.
Don’t forget to visit one of the many tobacco farms. If you’re allowed to peek inside you can see the leaves drying, and if you’re lucky the farmer will explain the drying and rolling process as well. If you’re super lucky, you might even walk out with a cigar in your mouth – even if it’s only for a photo.
Horseback Riding
Apart from hiking, you can go cycling, swimming and climbing in the valley but I decided to go horseback riding.
I can highly recommend doing this, because I don’t think any of the other activities beat riding through the fields on a horse.
I rarely go horseback riding on my travels, but all times I did it was a worthwhile experience. The time in Santa Elena, Costa Rica was special due to the hilly landscape and the fact that my friend and I went riding with a father and son. The time after that in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa I went racing along the beach.
This time could have been so much easier, because the landscape was completely flat. Yet, our guide decided to walk beside us which meant the horses would not be following him, which meant… My horse would just do whatever it wanted to do.
I never knew if my horse was going the right direction because I would always be racing ahead. It would often choose deep puddles (I’m talking shin-deep) instead of the road and it would only walk through the shrubbery.
It was kind of funny, in a slapstick way, until my horse made a run for it and nothing I did could turn it around. Neither could the man who stopped me by the side of the road. The guide just stood there patiently waiting for me to guide the horse back to the group myself. Ah well, it was an experience and a very beautiful one at that.
Conclusion
I’m most people who plan a trip to Cuba have planned a visit to the Viñales Valley. I hope my post helped to make clear that there is much more to do and see in the area than just the valley itself. I stayed here three days and I could have easily stayed longer. What’s that saying? The more you travel, the longer your bucketlist becomes
Did I convince you to visit the Viñales Valley and its surroundings in Cuba?
