Neither of us are smokers, but tobacco plays a major role in Cuba. Some even claim that the Cuban cigar is the best in the world 😉 Reason enough for us to take a day trip to the famous Valle de Viñales. At that time we had no idea that we would face the fear 🤣
Most tourists spend about 2-3 nights in Pinar del Río, that’s about a 2-hour drive from Havana. However, we were a bit under time pressure, as we only had 10 days available for our Cuba tour. That’s why we booked a day trip from Havana.
We were picked up after breakfast by a driver with a vintage car. As much as we enjoyed the classic car ride in Havana, for this long distance we would have preferred a better equipped taxi (air conditioning & better shock absorbers) 🙈 But well, we were in Cuba and everything is going a little bit different 🤣
After shaking for 2 hours, we arrived at the first point on our program. It was a lookout point at the Hotel Los Jazmines. From here you have a breathtaking view of the Viñales Valley 😍
After that we were chauffeured to the so-called “office” of our tour operator in Pinar del Río. In any case, we had expected something completely different 🙈 We were taken to a tiny private home of a Cuban family where we were mustered by curious children and an elderly woman from top to bottom and were brought into a spartan furnished living room. Nobody spoke a word of English and couldn’t answer our questions. With hand movements we were ordered to wait here. To be honest, Sven and I weren’t quite sure whether everything was going according to plan and I got more and more oppressive feelings. Even Sven gave me a little uncertain looks and began to secure his valuables with a firm grip 🙈 Finally a woman around 40 joined us and explained the rest of our tour in English … thank God – we would get out of here alive 🤣
We could decide whether we wanted to explore the Viñales Valley on foot or on horseback. Since we would sit around in the car for about 5 hours that day, we decided on the sportier variant. As it turned out, we were the big exception with this decision. We only met tourists on horses and not a single hiker. Our guide, who was supposed to accompany us on the hike, was probably not so happy about walking around at 35 degrees. He barely gave us a look and was regularly teased by his colleagues when someone came towards us – we almost felt sorry for him 🙈
Nevertheless, we enjoyed the beautiful landscape and a visit to a tobacco farm – honey, rum and coffee were also produced here … and of course tasted 😋
In the meantime we got really hungry. We hiked to a beautifully located restaurant (you can find it in the recommendations below). The food was very tasty, but different than expected. We just got a bit of everything on the table – but that’s not unusual in Cuba (especially in the Casas Particulares). However, the main reason to visit this restaurant should be for the view 😍
Finca Agroecologica El Paraiso
Before we went back to Havana on bumpy roads, we visited the Cueva del Indio – a karst cave in which indigenous people have lived. A walk followed by a short boat tour leads through the cave.
Cueva del Indio
On the way back to Havana we only made a short photo stop at a well-known rock painting “Mural de la Prehistoria”. The painter Leovigildo González Morillo realized his work of art at a height of 120 meters and a width of 160 meters, making it the largest on earth. The painting is in 12 scenes, the evolutionary history of Cuba. Since the colors lose by contact with the air their luminosity, the paintings must be refreshed regularly.
Take a look at our Valle de Viñales video 😍😍😍
Our personal opinion about the Vinales Valley:
- a wonderfully beautiful spot in Cuba
- very interesting for cigar lovers
- very original
Best travel time:
The winter months from November to March are considered the best time to travel to Cuba. During this time, pleasant temperatures between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius can be expected.
Hotel recommendation:
Hotel Los Jazmines
Restaurant recommendation:
Finca Agroecologica El Paraiso
More tips & recommendations:
Due to lack of time, we were only in the Vinales Valley for a few hours. The journey from Havana is rather tedious due to the poor road conditions. I would recommend everyone to stay there for at least one night (2-3 nights would be recommended).
Here we have booked our day trip to the Vinales Valley:
You can find more tips about Cuba (internet, means of transport, crime, …) in our Havana Blog.
