Viñales

Time is running out to share all of the info I was hoping to share…only four sleeps as I tell my grandkids! Just a few more blog entries before we depart….

Viñales is a beautiful and lush valley in Pinar del Río province of Cuba, with a population of around 10,000. It’s about 26 kilometers north of the city of Pinar del Río, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This article also covers the town by the same name.

Viñales is said to be Fidel Castro’s favorite place in Cuba. 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.

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.

Mural de la Prehistoria

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 Viñales. He commissioned that the cliff should be painted with snails, dinosaurs, and a family of cave persons, in garish colors! If time is short, I think we can skip this attraction…LOL

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.