Sights in Pinar Del Río Province
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Cueva de Los Portales
During the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara transferred the headquarters of the Western Army to this rather spectacular cave, 11km west of Parque La Güira and 16km north of Entronque de Herradura on the Carretera Central. The cave is set in a beautiful remote area among steep-sided vine-covered mogotes and was declared a national monument in the 1980s. A small outdoor museum contains a few of Che’s roughshod artifacts including his bed and the table where he played chess (while the rest of the world stood at the brink of nuclear Armageddon). Three other caves called El Espejo, El Salvador and Cueva Oscura are up on the hillside. This area is e…
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Rancho La Guabina
A former Spanish farm spread over 1000 hectares of pasture, forest and wetlands, Rancho La Guabina is a jack of all trades and a master of at least one. You can partake in horseback riding here, go boating on a lake, enjoy a scrumptious Cuban barbecue, or even see a cockfight. The highlight for most, though, is the fantastic horse shows. The Rancho is a long-standing horse-breeding center that raises fine Pinto Cubano and Apaloosa horses, and mini-rodeo-style shows run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am to noon and from 4pm to 6pm. Agencies in Viñales and Pinar del Río run excursions here starting at CUC$29, or you can arrive on your own. It’s a great place to enjo…
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Gran Caverna de Santo Tomás
El Moncada, a pioneering postrevolutionary workers’ settlement 14km west of Dos Hermanas and 1.5km off the road to Minas de Matahambre, is also the site of the Gran Caverna de Santo Tomás, Cuba’s largest cave system and the second-largest on the American continent. There are over 46km of galleries on eight levels, with a 1km section accessible to visitors. There’s no artificial lighting, but headlamps are provided for the 90-minute guided tour. Highlights include bats, stalagmites and stalactites, underground pools, interesting rock formations and a replica of an ancient native Indian mural. Specialists should contact the Escuela de Espeleología for more informati…
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Alejandro Robaina Tobacco Plantation
Tours are generally available from 10am to 5pm every day bar Sunday, but call ahead to check. The tobacco-growing season runs from October to February and this is obviously the best time to visit .To get to the Alejandro Robaina Tobacco Plantation take the Carretera Central southwest out of Pinar del Río for 18km, turn left onto another straight road and then left again (after approximately 4km) onto the rougher track that leads to the farm.
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Fábrica de Tabacos Francisco Donatien
You can observe people busily rolling cigars at the Fábrica de Tabacos Francisco Donatien. Until 1961 this building was a jail, but now it’s tobacco central on the tourist circuit. Smaller than the Partagás factory in Havana, you get a more intimate insight here, though the foibles are the same – robotic guides, rushed tours and the nagging notion that it’s all a bit voyeuristic.
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La Casa del Veguero
To learn about the local tobacco-growing process, stop by at La Casa del Veguero just outside Viñales on the road to Los Jazmines where you can see a fully operating secadero (drying house) in which tobacco leaves are cured from February to May. The staff gives brief explanations and you can buy loose cigars here at discount prices.
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El Jardín de Caridad
El Jardín de Caridad is a sprawling garden almost a century in the making. Cascades of orchids bloom alongside plastic doll heads, thickets of orange lilies grow in soft groves and turkeys run amok. Knock on the door of the Little Red Riding Hood cottage and one of the elderly owners will probably show you around.
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Catedral de San Rosendo
Pinar del Río’s understated Catedral de San Rosendo dates from 1883 and its pastel-yellow exterior seems to get a more regular paint job than the rest of the city’s buildings. As with most Cuban churches, the interior is often closed. Slip inside for a peek during the Sunday morning service.
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Estadio Capitán San Luis
From October to April, exciting baseball games happen at the Estadio Capitán San Luis, on the north side of town. Pinar del Río is one of the country’s best teams, often challenging the Havana-Santiago monopoly. Pop by in the evening to see the players going through a training session.
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Teatro José Jacinto Milanés
The wooden, 540-seat Teatro José Jacinto Milanés is a gorgeous venue dating from 1845 – making it one of Cuba’s oldest. It reopened in 2006 after a lengthy on-off renovation and, with its colorfully painted interiors and Spanish-style patio and cafe, is well worth a look.
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Fábrica de Bebidas Casa Garay
The Fábrica de Bebidas Casa Garay, erected in 1892, uses a secret recipe to distill sweet and dry versions of the famous Guayabita del Pinar guava brandy. Whistle-stop 15-minute multilingual factory tours are topped off by a taste of the brew in the sampling room.
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Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas Galería
On Plaza de la Independencia near Alameda and around the corner from the cigar factory is the Centro Provincial de Artes Plásticas Galería, Pinar’s best art gallery, which houses many local works.
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Museo Provincial de Historia
Museo Provincial de Historia collects the history of the province from pre-Columbian times to the present. Look for the Enrique Jorrín ephemera (Jorrín was the creator of the chachachá ).
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Museo de Ciencias Naturales Sandalio de Noda
A wild, neo-Gothic-meets-Moorish mansion built by local doctor and world traveler Francisco Guasch, this museum (called Palacio de Guasch by locals) has every- thing from a concrete T-Rex to a stuffed baby giraffe.
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Museo Municipal
The Museo Municipal occupies the former home of independence heroine Adela Azcuy (1861–1914) and tracks the local history. Four different hikes leave from here daily.
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Taller Provincial del Grabado
The Taller Provincial del Grabado, a large engraving workshop welcoming visitors, is adjacent.
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