Valle de Viñales
Embellished by soaring pine trees and bulbous limestone cliffs that teeter like top-heavy haystacks above placid tobacco plantations, Parque Nacional Viñales is one of Cuba's most magnificent natural settings. Wedged spectacularly into the Sierra de los Órganos mountain range, this 11km-by-5km valley was recognized as a national monument in 1979, with Unesco World Heritage status following in 1999 for its dramatic steep-sided limestone outcrops (known as mogotes), coupled with the vernacular architecture of its traditional farms and villages.
Viñales offers opportunities for fine hiking, rock climbing and horseback trekking. On the accommodations front, it boasts first-class hotels and some of the best casas particulares (rooms in private homes) in Cuba. Despite drawing in day-trippers by the busload, the area's well-protected and spread-out natural attractions have somehow managed to escape the frenzied tourist circus of other less well-managed places, while the atmosphere in and around the town remains refreshingly hassle-free.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Valle de Viñales.
Village
Los AquáticosA 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…
Cave
Gran Caverna de Santo TomásWelcome 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…
Public Art
Mural de la PrehistoriaA 120m-long painting, 4km west of Viñales village on the side of Mogote Pita. Leovigildo González Morillo, a follower of Mexican artist Diego Rivera,…
Sculpture
Proyecto RaícesImmersed in the foothills of Viñales' mogotes (limestone monoliths) lies a bucolic manifestation of all that is best about this region given unique form…
Gardens
El Jardín Botanico de las Hermanas Caridad y Carmen MirandaJust 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…
Farm
Finca Agroecológica El OlivoGo directly to the source. Viñales' celebrated farm-to-table restaurant, Olivo, gets most of its ingredients from this farm in nearby Valle del Silencio…
Cave
Cueva del IndioIn 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…
Farm
Finca Raúl ReyesFinca 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…
Monument
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…
Cave
Cueva de San MiguelThis is a small cave at the jaws of the Valle de San Vicente, with the cave entrance serving as a bar/nightspot. Your entrance fee gets you into a gaping…
Farm
La Casa del VegueroTo learn about the local tobacco-growing process, stop by this tobacco plantation just outside Viñales on the road south to Pinar del Río and see a fully…
Museum
Museo MunicipalPositioned halfway down Cisneros, Viñales' pine-lined main street, the Museo Municipal occupies the former home of independence heroine Adela Azcuy (1861…
Gallery
Gallería de ArteA tiny art gallery next to the Casa de la Cultura in Viñales town center. Worth a stop on a rainy day!
Church
Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón de JesúsThis small cream-colored church anchors Viñales' equally diminutive main square.
Historic Building
Casa de la CulturaThe sturdy building with its noble arches on the main square is the Casa de la Cultura, one of the oldest structures in town. Dancing lessons are held…