description

Two hours drive west of Havana in the province of Pinar del Rio is one of the most beautiful areas of Cuba, the Vinales Valley. The valley is famous for the large limestone outcrops, knows as mogotes, which date back to the Jurassic period and which today, covered over the years with lush vegetation, rise vertically from the valley floor. The region is also home to one of the most impressive cave nertworks in the Americas as well as Cuba's, and perhaps the world's, finest tobacco. The Vinales Valley is also a great place for walking, cycling and horseriding.

Beaches

Dotted along the coast to the north of Vinales are a number of deserted beaches. The only way to reach them is by hire car and even then it is almost impossible not to get lost due to a lack of signposting. If you are determined to spend a day by the beach it may be worthwhile asking your hotel to find someone to go with you and for them to arrange a picnic for you.

Excursions

The capital of the province of the same name, Pinar del Rio doesn't hold quite the charm of many other Cuban towns but is worth a visit nonetheless. Apart from the attraction of the Francisco Donatien cigar factory, the Casa Garay distillery produces the local firewater, a liqueur called Guayabita del Pinar. The town also has its share of once beautiful but now sadly crumbling buildings. Few people venture further west than the town of Pinar del Rio unless they are heading to the tobacco growing villages of Suan Juan y Martinez and San Luis, home to Cuba's very best tobacco. Closer to the Vinales are a series of caves that are open to visitors, the most impressive of which is Cueva del Indio.

Food

The quality of food at the 3 hotels in Vinales has never been great and many people find themselves eating in one of the palladars in the village.

Getting There

The Vinales Valley is just over 2 hours drive from Havana. We can arrange private transfers to and from Havana, Maria La Gorda, Las Terrazas, Cayo Levisa, Jibacoa, Cienfuegos & Trinidad. We are now also able to pre-book clients on the daily tourist bus services that connect Vinales with Havana and with Cienfuegos / Trinidad. However, the majority of our clients visiting Vinales still opt to hire a car.

Hotels

There are currently just the 3 hotels in Vinales, all owned by the same company and all of a very similar standard. The most popular is Los Jasmines which has the best views while L'Ermita is much closer to town. If both are full then the Rancho Vincente offers broadly similar standards but without the views. As an alternative to hotel accommodation, Vinales is an excellent destination in which to experience a casa particular (private home) which we can pre-book.