Vinales is said to be Fidel Castro's favorite place in Cuba. It also is one of the only places where Cubans seem happy. The mountains are beautiful, the farmers grow the best tobacco in the world, and tourists—who come every day by the busload—are allowed to mingle with the Cubans and spread money in a nice even sugar-coating.
Cuba was once covered by limestone ("karst"). Much of this limestone has eroded away, leaving mountains with steep sides and rounded, jungly tops. The mountains are called <i>mogotes</i>, which means "haystacks." Many <i>mogotes</i> have caves. Several caves are developed for tourists to visit.
The red farmland and unique microclimate produce the best cigars in the world. Some tobacco farms are set up for tourist tours.
Start at a tourist office or your hotel or <i>casa particular</i>. Point out something in the guidebook you'd like to see or do, and offer to pay someone to take you there. Or offer to pay for a Spanish lesson or a salsa lesson. Hire a local guide for a few hours and you'll make a friend, and he or she will introduce you to his or her family, and they'll invite you to do more stuff, and you won't be bored the rest of your visit.
But be aware of what's illegal to pay for. You can't pay someone to drive you somewhere, unless it's a licensed taxi. You can't pay for lodging, unless it's a licensed <i>casa particulares</i> (bed&breakfast).
'''Viazul''' [http://www.viazul.com/] runs buses twice a day from Havana and Pinar del Rio.
The main street, Calle Salvador Cisneros, was named after Salvador Cisneros Betancourt, who was a leader in the war of independence (1868-1878) and later was President of Cuba from 1895 to 1897.
In the central plaza, the Casa de la Cultura puts on events every day (or night), including music, fashion shows, and children's events.
Also on the central plaza is an art gallery and the church. On Saturday mornings there's a farmer's market at the plaza.
Perhaps the worst tourist attraction in Cuba is the Mural de la Prehistoria. In 1961 Fidel Castro visited a beautiful valley a few kilometers west of Vinales. He commissioned that the cliff should be painted with snails, dinosaurs, and a family of cavepersons, in garish colors!
There's a restaurant, bar, and gift shop. To be fair, the guidebook says that the food in the restaurant is excellent and the live music is good. Also there's horseback riding. So consider visiting the mural and doing something other than looking at the mural.
The national park building (near the Hotel Los Jazmines) has maps and exhibits showing fourteen excursions (see the photos below). The main hike everyone does circles behind the mogotes closest to the town. You can hire horses for this. You may be able to hire a hiking guides at the Museo Municipal Adela Azcuy (Calle Salvador Cisneros #115).
'''Cocosolo-Palmarito'''<br> Time: 5 hours<br> Difficulty: Low<br> Length: 8 km<br> Start: Hotel La Ermita<br> End: Mural de la Prehistoria y Campismo Dos Hermanas<br>
'''Cueva del Cable (Cave of the Cable)''' <br> Time: 2 hours 30 minutes<br> Difficulty: Medium<br> Length: 10 km<br> Start: Rancho San Vicente<br> End: Hoya de Jutia<br>
'''San Vicente-Ancon'''<br> Time: 3 hours 30 minutes<br> Difficulty: Low<br> Length: 5 km<br> Start: Hotel Rancho San Vicente<br> End: Ancon<br>
'''Maravillas de Vinales (Wonders of Vinales)'''<br> Time: 5 hours<br> Difficulty: Low<br> Length: 6 km<br> Start: 2 km from Moncada<br> End: 1.5 km from Moncada<br>
'''El Pinar y Su Encanto (The Pine and His Charm)'''<br> Time: 4 hours<br> Difficulty: Medium<br> Length: 2.8 km<br> Start: Hotel Rancho San Vicente<br> End: Hotel Rancho San Vicente<br>
'''Entre Valles y Montanas (Between Valleys and Mountains)'''<br> Time: 5-6 hours<br> Difficulty: Low-Medium<br> Length: 10.8 km<br> Start: Hotel La Ermita<br> End: Hotel La Ermita<br>
'''Tradiciones Campesinas (Traditional Countryside)'''<br> Time: 7 hours<br> Difficulty: Low-Medium<br> Length: 7 km<br> Start: Intersection of the road Capon and the Vinales-Puerto highway<br> End: Comunidad Republica de Chile<br>
'''Del Infierno al Paraiso (From Hell to Paradise)'''<br> Time: 6-7 hours<br> Difficulty: Very high<br> Length: 8.6 km<br> Start: Resolladero rio El Novillo<br> End: Mural de la Prehistoria<br>
'''Tradiciones de Vinales (Traditional Vinales)'''<br> Time: 2-3 hours<br> Difficulty: Low<br> Length: 5.7 km<br> Start: Hotel Los Jazmines<br> End: Hotel Los Jazmines<br>
'''Los Paisajes en al Valle (The Landscapes in the Valley)'''<br> Time: 4 hours<br> Difficulty: Low<br> Length: 7.6 km<br> Start: Intersection of the Vinales road and the La Ermita Hotel<br> End: Intersection of the Vinales road and the La Ermita Hotels<br>
'''En el Corazon del Valle (In the Heart of the Valley)'''<br> Time: 4 hours<br> Difficulty: Low<br> Length: 11 km<br> Start: Vinales Museum<br> End: Farm House in Vinales<br>
'''Del Mirador al Valle (The View of the Valley)'''<br> Time: 3 hours<br> Difficulty: Low<br> Length: 4 km<br> Start: Hotel Los Jazmines<br> End: The town of Vinales<br>
'''De la Mano del Guajiro (Of the Hand of the Peasant)'''<br> Time: 3 hours<br> Difficulty: Low<br> Length: 4 km<br> Start: Viewpoint at Sitio del Infierno<br> End: Primary School El Sitio<br>
The restaurant at the Patio Centro Cultural Polo Montanez (on the central plaza) is good. There's a restaurant where the locals eat on the street heading north, towards the Cuevas del Indio. It's a typical Cuban restaurant, serving pizza and spaghetti, with remarkably slow service. There's a little store selling snacks and ice cream on the main street, across from the plaza.
Vinales has three tourist hotels: Hotel Las Jazmines, Hotel La Ermita, and Rancho Horizontes San Vicente. Each is rated three stars. Expect to pay about 50-70 CUC per night, plus meals. The hotels are each located a few kilometers outside of town, which is not conducive to nightlife (Rancho Horizontes San Vicente is within walking distance of El Palenque).
If you're hoping to socialize with Cubans, not elderly Canadians, stay in town at a <i>casa particulares</i> (licensed bed & breakfast). Every other house in Vinales is a <i>casa particulares</i> and homeowners are adding rooms as fast as they can scrounge up concrete blocks. Expect to pay 25 CUC per night (based on double occupancy), plus meals, which will be better than the hotel food.
In March, 2008, Vinales didn't allow Cubans to sleep with tourists. Your Cuban girlfriend/boyfriend will have to do a lot of talking to find a casa that will break the rules.
Cayo Jutias is the closest beach to Vinales, 60 km on mountain roads. There are two roadsbefore you leave Vinales ask which road is better. In 2008 the road via Minas de Matahambre was good, and the road via the Banos de San Vicente was bad.
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