Mark Read
Pinar del Río Province
Tobacco is still king on Cuba's western fingertip, a rolling canvas of rust-red oxen-furrowed fields, thatched tobacco-drying houses and sombrero-clad guajiros (country folk).
The crucible of this emerald land is the Valle de Viñales, a Unesco World Heritage Site framed by a backdrop of distinctive mogotes (limestone monoliths) that nigh-on beseech you to get hiking. Playing a tuneful second fiddle is the Península de Guanahacabibes, an uninhabited wilderness chock-a-block with fertile ecosystems that abut a swath of 50-plus offshore dive sites.
People primarily come here to be close to nature, basing themselves in the serene hassle-free village of Viñales. From here, huge cave complexes call for torch-lit exploration, tobacco plantations offer expert fact-finding tours, beaches invite lazy contemplation, and every horizon seems to be filled with a host of quintessential 'come to the Cuban countryside' images. So follow the fragrant aroma of tobacco and come.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Pinar del Río Province.
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Los Aquáticos
A kilometer beyond the turnoff to Dos Hermanas and the Mural de la Prehistoria, a dirt road twists up to the mountain community of Los Aquáticos, founded in 1943 by followers of visionary Antoñica Izquierdo, who discovered the healing power of water when the campesinos (farmers) of this area had no access to conventional medicine. They colonized the mountain slopes and two families still live there. It's accessible only by horse or on foot. Most of Viñales' casas particulares (private homestays) can organize tours. You can also go it alone. Although no signs mark the path, there are plenty of homesteads en route where you can ask the way. From the main road follow a dirt road for approximately 400m before branching left and heading cross-country. You should be able to pick out a blue house halfway up the mountain ahead of you. This is your goal. Once there, you can admire the view, procure grown-on-site coffee and chat to the amiable owners about the water cure. After your visit, you can make a loop by returning via Campismo Dos Hermanas and the Mural de la Prehistoria cliff paintings; it's a wonderfully scenic route (the complete Los Aquáticos–Dos Hermanas circuit totals 6km from the main highway).
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Gran Caverna de Santo Tomás
Welcome to 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 indigenous mural. Wear suitable shoes and be aware that the cave requires some steep climbs and scrambling over slippery rocks. Most people visit the cave on an organized trip from Viñales (CUC$28).
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Mural de la Prehistoria
A 120m-long painting, 4km west of Viñales village on the side of Mogote Pita. Leovigildo González Morillo, a follower of Mexican artist Diego Rivera, designed it in 1961 (the idea was hatched by Celia Sánchez, Alicia Alonso and Antonio Núñez Jiménez). On a cliff at the foot of the 617m-high Sierra de Viñales, the highest portion of the Sierra de los Órganos, this massive mural took 18 people four years to complete. The huge snail, dinosaurs, sea monsters and humans on the cliff symbolize the theory of evolution and are either impressively psychedelic or monumentally horrific, depending on your viewpoint. You don't really have to get up close to appreciate the artwork, but the admission fee is waived if you take the overpriced, CUC$15 lunch at the on-site restaurant. Horses are usually available here (CUC$5 per hour) for various excursions.
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Proyecto Raíces
Immersed in the foothills of Viñales' mogotes (limestone monoliths) lies a bucolic manifestation of all that is best about this region given unique form by local sculptor Noel Díaz Galart. The disparate ‘complex’ named Raíces (roots) over which Galart presides contains several miradores (lookouts), a rustic restaurant suspended above a lake, and numerous serpentine paths dotted with the sculptor’s wooden carvings, many of them exhibiting supernatural elements. It’s a great place to unwind, stroll and admire the view. From the miradores, see if you can spot Martí Yacente, an outline on the mountaintops that is said to resemble the profile of a supine José Martí.
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El Jardín Botanico de las Hermanas Caridad y Carmen Miranda
Just opposite the Servi-Cupet gas station as Cisneros swings north out of town, you'll spot an outlandish, vine-choked gate beckoning you in. This is the entrance to a sprawling garden, work on which began in 1918. 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 a guide will emerge to show you around. A small on-site cafe serves refreshing fruit juices.
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Finca Agroecológica El Olivo
Go directly to the source. Viñales' celebrated farm-to-table restaurant, Olivo, gets most of its ingredients from this farm in nearby Valle del Silencio. Run by the same family as the restaurant, the farm uses goats to make cheese, has a lake stocked with fresh fish (including tilapia), and copious fields and gardens swaying with well-nurtured crops. You’re welcome to turn up for tours.
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Cueva del Indio
In a pretty nook 5.5km north of Viñales village, this cave is very popular with tourists. An ancient indigenous dwelling, the cave was rediscovered in 1920. After a short 200m walk, you're transferred to a motor boat to ply the final 400m along an underground river. The cave is electrically lit and the experience underwhelming. Exit through the gift shop. Good for kids.
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Finca Raúl Reyes
Finca Raúl Reyes, 1km north of the town center, is a tobacco plantation where you can enjoy fruit, coffee, puros (cigars) and a dose of throat-warming rum. From here, you can also hike up to Cueva de la Vaca, a cave that carves a tunnel through the mogotes (limestone monoliths); there are unforgettable valley vistas from the cave mouth.
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El Memorial 'Los Malagones'
Los Malagones, from the community of El Moncada, was the first rural militia in Cuba. It comprised 12 men who rooted out a counterrevolutionary band from the nearby mountains in 1959. A mausoleum and memorial fountain inaugurated in 1999 contains niches dedicated to the 12 militiamen (all but one are now dead). It is crowned by a stone re-creation of their leader, Leandro Rodríguez Malagón, copied from a famous photo by Raúl Corrales. The water features are designed to replicate (with unerring accuracy) the sound of machine-gun fire. A tiny museum is on-site.