Finding the genuine Cuba in Viñales

close your eyes as well as photo a vibrant shade of green. now lay that palette over rolling hills as well as sprinkle them with small wooden houses as well as huge palm as well as Bougainvillea trees. now pierce with the emerald floor lots of large limestone karsts. hear pure silence interrupted only by the creaking wheel of an ox-drawn carriage as well as the occasional whinny of a equine in the distance.

Welcome to Viñales. A location in Western Cuba that, in spite of an enhancing number of visitors each year, stays stubbornly raw as well as authentic. This is where we headed to after 4 nights in Havana as well as the stark contrast between the busy funding as well as the tranquil farmlands had us energized for travel when again.

We were greeted at the bus station by Mileidi, the head of the hold household at our Casa specific which we pre-booked with HostelsClub.com. Casa Particulars in Cuba are like homestays as well as they are one of the very best parts of travelling the country. We were thrilled to inspect into our second house away from home!

The Casa

Casa Boris & Mileidi had two quaint rooms, one somewhat larger as well as brighter than the other, however both were extremely clean as well as comfortable. Our space had two double beds, A/C, a fan as well as a personal bathroom.

Casa Boris & Mileidi
Between the two guest spaces was a massive, open-air typical area ideal for reading or enjoying a meal. There were 3 dining areas, a fridge as well as a beautiful rooftop terrace that had astonishing views over the small town of Viñales as well as the surrounding farmlands as well as mountains.

About Viñales

Viñales is in the Pinar del Río province of far western Cuba. It’s finest known for the farming of Cuba’s famous, all-natural tobacco which is utilized to create the world’s many sought after cigars. however tobacco isn’t the area’s only agriculture. The farms likewise create loads of fruit, vegetables as well as coffee, in addition to big amounts of cattle as well as livestock.

For years visitors have been drawn to this peaceful oasis by the vision of sitting on a patio in a rocking chair as well as smoking a cigar while looking out at farmland as well as enjoying views of huge limestone karsts that practically always seem to be within arm’s φθάνω. This is exactly how numerous of the locals spend their afternoons, as well as it was the chance to sit together with them as well as experience their way of life that drawn in Dariece as well as I to this region.

Our Visit

We have to admit that we were keen to delight in some relaxation in Viñales, however we had huge plans for our short 4 night stay. We rented a 50cc moped to ensure that we might have a bit bit of additional flexibility as well as get away from the crowds as well as into the more rural areas of the Pinar Del Rio Province.

NOTE: You can lease a moped for $25 / day or $20 / day if you lease for three days. The rental shop is on the primary road. We can’t keep in mind the name, however it’s somewhere around here. You truly can’t miss it when you’re walking around (the extremely small) Viñales town. You can likewise ask the owner of your casa as well as they can point you in the direction.

We went to a lovely close-by beach called Cayo Jutias which is frequented by tourists as well as day-tripping locals who are all drawn to the powdery white sand, remove aqua-marine waters as well as fantastic coral reefs. We likewise took the bike out to see the St.Thomas cave which was outstanding as well as extremely recommended, however aside from a few hours on the sand, me going for a dive as well as us checking out the cave, we were mainly submerged in the farmlands of “real Cuba”.

The highlight of our trip to Viñales, as well as most likely the highlight of our three as well as a half week trip with Cuba, was our second day of independently hiking into the farms around the tiny village.

As soon as we left the small hamlet and rode for 10 minutes outside of town, all we could see was farmland as well as jagged cliffs sprawling outside towards the horizon. The peaceful hum of motorcycles as well as village life disappeared behind us as well as we were left with pure, uninterrupted silence. The amazing thing about Viñales was that there seemed to be no fences or personal property, no restricted areas or closed doors. So long as we weren’t trampling any type of crops, we could walk with any type of farm in any type of direction.

We took two long hikes while we were in Viñales. On our second day in the area, we spent about 5 hours hiking around the Valle de Viñales, which lays just a few kilometers north ofπόλη. We parked the bike as well as slowly walked up towards a view point, which provided us a amazing point of view of the surrounding area as well as showed us just exactly how numerous farms there were. We then hiked around the valley floor, stopping in at one specific house to smoke a cigar as well as chat (with restricted Spanish) to a regional farming family. They provided us our very first taste of Mamey, Cuba’s national fruit. I liked the sweet, date-like flavour however Dariece was put off by the strange fleshy texture.

Near the end of our hike we came across a major traveler attraction in the area, the Prehistoric Painting. In 1961 (curiously not prehistoric) an artist named Leovigildo González Morillo was influenced by Diego Rivera as well as chose to utilize a 120 meter broad limestone cliff as his canvas. He painted prehistoric animals as well as tried to catch the theory of evolution. however in our opinion, the rock painting looked incredibly out of location among the natural charm of the valley. however we were heading that method anyway, so we stopped by for a peek, fortunately we didn’t have to pay the entrance fee, as we just looked at it from afar.

Τέχνη?

Meeting Yasel

On our third day in Vinales, our concept was to pick one of the huge limestone mountain formations as well as walk around it to loop back to our starting point. The hike took us with tobacco plantations as well as cattle farms, past regional houses as well as over rich eco-friendly hills. At one specific farmhouse, we were invited in to see exactly how they dry as well as process their tobacco. We were lucky to satisfy one of the few farmers in the area who was fluent in English. His name was Yasel as well as he explained to us the entire process of production which his household has adhered to for generations.

His specific farm was well-known for creating a sweeter as well as smoother tasting cigar as well as he explained to us exactly how his dad as well as grandfather had come up with a blend of honey as well as lime juice that they spray on the leaves before drying them. He rapidly rolled up a felt marker sized cigar, skillfully sealing the ends as well as tightening the leaves inside before handing it to us proudly. He then provided us a previously rolled as well as pressed cigar to smoke.

We’re not smokers as well as really despise the taste of tobacco, however the crops around Viñales are grown without any pesticides or chemicals, as well as the wonderful recipe that our friend’s household had sprayed on the leaves provided it a candied scent that beared no resemblance to the cigarettes we discover at home.

“When in Rome” we thought, as well as we lit the end as our new good friend looked on in anticipation.

“Good ya?” he asked, excited.

The reality was, it was delicious and as we sat down as well as continued our conversation with the young farmer, it was difficult not to be swept up in the moment. right here we were, in rural Cuba, smoking an huge cigar inside a barn, under a canopy of drying tobacco leaves as well as speaking with a regional farmer about his life in a communist country, all to the noise of roosters crowing and pigs snorting εξω απο. This is what travel is all about.

A tobacco Canopy
We took a few pictures with Yasel and guaranteed that if we ever returned to Viñales, we would bring him a copy of the pictures. We shook hands as well as quote our new friend farewell before moving on, thrilled to see much more of the rich farms around us.

The rest of our hike brought us past a number of household houses as well as each one invited us in, thrilled to see foreigners enjoying the lovely countryside. We were provided a range of things, from fruit as well as vegetables, to guitar playing as well as equine rides, however one offer was typical to all homes. The cigar. After our very first one, we had to turn down the rest for worry of overdoing it.

We ultimately made our method back to the road as well as to our motorcycle. grins creased our faces as we were both touched by the generosity as well as generosity of the households we had met. This was only our very first week in Cuba, as well as already we had experiences that we would never forget. Viñales was whatever we had really hoped for as well as much more as well as we hope that we can someday return back to that small farmhouse with the chickens as well as the pigs, to ensure that we can provide Yasel this picture as well as delight in one more wonderful cigar with him.Για πολλά περισσότερα για την Κούβα, επιθεωρήστε:

Σχεδιασμός ενός ταξιδιού στην Κούβα: Καταχώρηση υποχρεώσεων πριν από το ταξίδι

Αντίο Γουατεμάλα, Γεια σου Κούβα! Το ταξίδι μας από τη λίμνη Atitlan στην Αβάνα

Αβάνα, Κούβα: Μπορεί να είναι αυτή η νέα προτιμώμενη πόλη μας;

Θα έχουμε ένα ενδιαφέρον βίντεο του Vinales για να σας δείξουμε σύντομα! Εν τω μεταξύ, πείτε μας τι πιστεύετε στην ύπαιθρο;

Ευχαριστούμε ιδιαίτερα τον Casa Boris y Mileidi για την κατοχή μας στο Viñales καθώς και στο HostelsClub.com για την οργάνωση όλων των διαμερισμάτων μας στην Κούβα.

Αρέσει? Κάντε το! ;

Αποποίηση ευθυνών: Οι κατσίκες στο δρόμο είναι συνεργάτης του Αμαζονίου, καθώς και μια θυγατρική για μερικούς άλλους λιανοπωλητές. Αυτό υποδηλώνει ότι κάνουμε προμήθειες εάν κάνετε κλικ στο σύνδεσμο στο ιστολόγιό μας καθώς και την αγορά από αυτούς τους λιανοπωλητές.