Captivating Cuba - Valley of Vinales

Following our two weeks exploring the east of Cuba and another brief sojourn in Havana we headed off to explore the east of the island. We had said farewell to five of the original group in Havana and were joined by two new travel companions for the last week of the trip.




We first stopped at Soroa a small town in the Sierra del Rosario where most of us huffed and puffed our way up a pretty steep climb to a great lookout (Laura being Laura chose to run up the hill!). We saw a few vultures playing in the thermals swooping around the top of the hill. Amazingly there was a guy at the top selling hand made souvenirs, cold drinks and fruit - not sure how he got it all up there!



We spent three nights in Vinales, a town of about 10,000 people surrounded by 'mogotes' pin cushion like hills and tobacco farms. One of the more peculiar sights we saw was after a great bike ride through the beautiful countryside only to come across a very crass mural on one of the mogotes.














Vinales was the perfect place to explore on both foot and by bike. We had a great local guide who took us on a wonderful tour of the national park and local farms.






We not only got to 'climb' over a mojote we also visited a few farms where it was certainly brought home how labour intensive farming is as we saw fields being ploughed, sweet potato being weeded and machinery being repaired. Few farmers have their own tractors, rather they borrowed them from the cooperative as they need them.









We learnt about the growing of tobacco as well as cigar making - I've always like the small of cigars but having given smoking one a go certainly don't get off on the taste!




Vinales was a very relaxing town full of bikes, horse and carts and american cars. We turned up for another salsa lesson which in fact was a photo shoot for something to do with Cuba tourism I'm not so sure we will make the brochure! I must say I did have fun having a few dancing salsa with some of the locals at the main bar in town and was most impressed that one of the bands actually had a bassoonist in it.





As is typical across Cuba there is a distinct lack of advertising rather any billboards have messages from the party - this one a quote from Che saying the most noble way to serve the party is to work!




Another magical night of the trip was spent at a farm just out of town where we not only got to pick vegetables straight from the garden for dinner but we also helped cook the dinner on an extremely inventive barbecue made from a 44 gallon drum. Some local musicians entertained us as we sipped on mojitos and watched the sunset over the Vinales valley.


“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe Harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”. Mark Twain

Location:Vinales, Cuba