Havana to Viñales Valley Day Trip

By Ieva Staveckaite

Having taken in all that Cuba’s capital has to offer, from its rich history to its diverse art scene, to its bottomless mojitos, it may be time for a tranquil getaway to the lush countryside!

Viñales National Park, found in Western Cuba within the Pinar del Rio region, is a 2 and a half-hour car journey from Havana- making it the perfect day trip. The area is made up of rolling green hills, mogotes (large limestone cliffs), colourful colonial houses as well as tobacco and coffee plantations- not to mention it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site!

While Viñales can be reached by a private taxi (costing around CUC$70 one-way) or by a taxi collectivo (typically CUC$15/20 per person), my family and I opted to book our day trip through the tour company Meeting Point Cuba and thus travelled to Viñales via bus. The tour itself cost CUC$67 per person and included lunch.

The most popular bus company in Cuba is Viazul, which has buses that depart from Havana to Viñales every morning at around 7:30 am. The journey typically takes 4 hours, with a 20-minute pit stop at a café, and the tour itself is jam-packed with activities. Leaving Viñales late in the afternoon, the bus returns to the city in the evening.

VIÑALES DAY TRIP DIARY:

Following the Viazul bus company schedule we departed Havana at 7:30 am, having met our tour group just outside Hotel Parque Central. The journey to Viñales took around 4 hours, throughout which our guide provided us with interesting information about each region/town/village we passed through. This included insight into the role each area and its population play within the country’s functioning- be it agricultural, educational or hospitality/tourism related.

Viñales itself is an agricultural town renowned for its tobacco plantations. It is here that Cuba’s world-famous cigars are grown and dried. As such it was only right to begin our tour learning about the process behind one of Cuba’s most iconic cultural symbols.

Having reached the tobacco plantation, we were first introduced to one of the farmers who live and work on the land, before being shown around the drying houses. Inside tobacco leaves at different stages of the drying (or curing) process hung from every inch of the ceiling, their colours ranging from vibrant green to deep brown. The purpose of this? The leaves in their freshly picked state are too wet to be rolled or ignited and thus must be left to age.

Following through the back exit of the drying house we reached the fields where the tobacco plants are typically grown. Using only the trimmings from the previous leaves as fertiliser, the tobacco is grown organically, pesticide-free. As we visited in early March, unfortunately the fields were empty, the tobacco having just been harvested.

After our tour of the grounds, we headed to the farm-house for our exclusive tutorial on the proper way to roll a Cuban cigar. We learnt which leaves are used for which popular brands of cigars and how using a particular leaf determines the intensity of flavour. Each cigar is hand-rolled and stuck together using honey. It is further left overnight to decrease humidity. Once truly dry, it is dressed using an external leaf from the centre of the plant and is only then ready to be smoked.

At this point in the tour we were offered the opportunity to taste test and purchase some of the farm’s cigars. I highly recommend holding back on buying cigars from Havana shops and instead purchasing some high-quality ones from their very source. It is also important to know that by law tobacco farmers must sell 90% of their tobacco to the government, leaving them with a mere 10% for their own personal use and for selling to tourists.

The farm also sold their own delicious honey, coffee beans and an exquisite rum specific to the region. In addition to our cigar rolling tutorial, we were also taken to the farm’s coffee plantation where we were educated on the process of growing coffee. Several samples of steaming coffee, which had been freshly-ground before our very eyes, were passed around for tasting. The local way to drink it is with a drop of runny honey (Café con Miel).

Leaving the tobacco plantation we headed to Palenque de los Cimarrones for a much needed lunch. Encircled by mogotes and blooming greenery, this restaurant is set against a serene backdrop. Under the shade of an open hut, we feasted on a lunch of fresh salad, rice, chicken and stewed beans. The property is additionally known for its intriguing history- runaway slaves used to hide in the nearby caves that visitors can now take a short walk through.

After lunch we continued our tour of Viñales at Cueva del Indio (The Indian Cave). In pre-colonial times, indigenous inhabitants of the area made a home for themselves inside the cave’s dark and damp walls. Today, it is one of the regions more popular attractions, drawing large crowds during peak times.

While a little touristy (you are initially greeted by a dancing “Indian” dressed in a loincloth), the cave itself is definitely worth the visit! The tour includes a short boat trip through the cave’s subterranean river, inhabited by blind crabs and see-through fish, out into a small lagoon with a tiny cascading waterfall. Other popular caves to tour in the region include Cueva de José Miguel and Cueva de Santo Tomás.

Our next stop was Mural de la Prehistoria- a 120m-long painting depicting the evolution of man on the side of Mogote Pita.

Quite bizarre but nevertheless fascinating, the painting is made up of a huge snail, sea monsters, dinosaurs and humans. It was the brainchild of Leovigildo González Morillo, a follower of Mexican painter and muralist Diego Rivera. The enormous, colourful mural took at total of 18 people 4 years to complete. Horses are additionally available here for a number of excursions, (they typically cost CUC$5 per hour), and my personal highlight: the bar which serves the creamiest, sweetest piña coladas I have ever tasted!

We ended our trip at the famous Hotel Los Jazmines Viewpoint from which we enjoyed panoramic views of the flat and flourishing valley surrounded by mountains. Hotel Los Jazmines truly encapsulates the tranquil haven that Viñales Valley is. If visiting independently and you wish to admire the scenic beauty for a while longer, the hotel offers day passes to its outside pool area.

Rich in natural beauty and far, far away from Havana’s bustling streets, Viñales Valley is the perfect place to recharge while exploring a different side to Cuba.