Viñales and its valleys are the green heart of Cuba. The island has many fantastic nature to offer both above and below the waves but the spectacular views of the mogotes are not to be missed. It is also a hive of outdoor activities like hiking, biking, horseback riding, spelunking and many other fun filled adventures. In this post I’ll tell you how I experienced the Valle de Viñales. For more inspiration and a full Cuba itinerary click here!

Monday 15th: Vista Resaca

The Wakeup Call

I have no idea why I woke up when I did. No alarms had gone off, but some weird instinct got me out of my very deep sleep. I wanted to turn around and get some more sleep, but Aileen (from the hostel) came to wake me up, telling me the colectivo was already waiting for me.

Barely awake and very much still under the influence of whatever I had poured down my throat the night before, I scrambled and stuffed everything in my backpack. The driver grabbed it the second I walked out of the room. When Aileen asked me to pay my tab, I realized, in a brief moment of panic, that my money was not in my money belt. I ran downstairs to check if it was in my backpack but, halfway down, I felt it in the pocket of my shorts. Relieved I paid and thank Aileen for taking such good care of me. My tardy wakeup call unfortunately meant skipping breakfast.

The Colectivo

The colectivo was a classic Pontiac and a beauty at that. We picked up 4 more people on the way out of the city, making the grand total 9 people. It was not exactly spacious but doable. We drove out of the city and down the highway, while my hangover started to manifest as extreme thirst. Naturally my hasty departure had not permitted me to buy water. I was thus very relieved when we made a stop in a tiny tobacco plantation.

I ignored most of the guys explanation, focusing entirely on my mango juice, which tasted like heaven. I got another piña one before we left and surprisingly received a free cigar. After crawling back in the car (now with a huge bottle of water), we drove the last bit into Viñales. Along the way I had spotted very promising landscapes already.

The Town

Since I hadn’t reserved any Casa, the driver dropped me of at a friend’s one. She was all booked, but her aunt still had a room. Lucía came over and showed me my room complete with bathroom and 2 beds. Obviously oversized for me myself and I, but I wasn’t going to complain for 10 CUCs a night. Her son would apparently come and cook me breakfast in the morning. I agreed on a full one bright and early, having 0 intentions on going out again that night.

I had unfortunately exhausted my first stash of cash. So, after dropping all my stuff, I headed into town to find the bank. After successfully resupplying with my visa card, I decided I needed a drink to celebrate the fact I actually made it here. I enjoyed a delicious mojito frappe at 3J’s. Afterwards I went to stand in line at Etecsa to stock up on Wifi codes. Still thirsty and not yet feeling like hiking I had another mango daiquiri at the same place as before.

The View

I walked back down the main road to my room and had to read the Lonely Planet’s chapter on Viñales twice before it sunk in. I decided to hike up to Balcón del Valle to relax there for a while. Hiking up the hill I sweated out more than the 2 liter of water I had absorbed before. The result was totally worth the effort however. I ordered some drinks and a delicious ridiculously big and cheap meal.

While enjoying all of this, I kept staring into the valley below. The sun had almost disappeared behind the hills. I quickly hiked to the west side to snap a pic. Satisfied, I hiked back down enjoying the colourful clouds. It was dark by the time I got down. I was not too tired yet however, so went into the centre for a last michelada before going back to my room. I did some reading and fell asleep very soundly in my air-conditioned room.

Tuesday 16th: Bus y Bici

The Bike

I woke up kind of dazed after an interrupted (damn roosters) but good night. Grateful for the little water I had left and decided not to ration it so badly next time. I even had to use the blanket in the morning since the air conditioner did not want to listen to me anymore and was firmly stuck on 18 degrees. After washing my face, I went outside and breakfast had been very elaborately served on the porch.

I tried to eat as much as I could. I felt like I would need the energy later. Thank god I did. I was barely done, or a friend of José’s came over with his bike, which would be mine for 10 CUC/day. It was a very good-looking mountain bike and after testing and adjusting the saddle I paid the guy.

The Ride

I packed my little backpack with the essentials and hopped on the bike. After considering my many options, I decided to do a tour in the Viñales Valley itself. I headed west out of town towards the Prehistoric Mural. The views were breathtaking and biking through the huge mogotes was impressive. I reached the mural but was rather underwhelmed. I headed further into the valley following random paths. Only after a while I realized I had to actually remember how to get back. I reached a point where progressing deeper into the valley would not get me any different views. Luckily, I fairly easily recognized the way back.

Back on the main road I made my way back to the centre. I deciding that 18km to the Santo Tomás cave on the bike was too much in this heat. So I decided to head for the Cueva del Indio. However, when trying to do so through the hiking paths I quickly realized this would be an impossible feat with the bike. The mud was simply too deep and I almost constantly got stuck. I started to return only to almost fall when the bike refused to actually move despite my peddling. After intermittent success the thing refused altogether. The coupling between the chain and the wheel seemed to have given up. I had to hike back up to town and glide down the hill back to my casa.

The Bus

I left the bike there and made for the bus stop, with no bike I decided I might as well go to Santo Tomás. After asking some local people how to get there and a friendly guy assured me the bus would leave me at 1 min walking from the entrance. I realized I needed to change my shoes and by the time I got back to the bus stop my informant had left. I hopped on the next crowded ‘bus’ and asked a random dude if he could tell me where to get off. He indicated that it was just ahead which took me by surprise, since I thought it was further away. Suspicious, I confirmed with the bus driver and he nodded yes. So, I got off.

The Walk

Big mistake. When I walked to what most seemed like where I needed to go, it appeared to be a zip line thing. The owner informed me the cave was 12 kms further down the road. I got slightly pissed at myself and the people that misguided me but nothing to do about it. I decided to start walking and try to stop whoever came past.

Three problems quickly became apparent after 15 min walking. First, there were barely any cars or anything coming down the road. Second, even if they did, they did not stop. Third, it was 30 degrees and the sun was burning hard. I held my head up and kept walking while the sweat dripped down from about every inch of skin. I walked and I walked with no cars passing. Eventually, judging by the mile markers, I think I ended up walking about 5 km in this heat. Additionally, I started to hangrily realize I had skipped lunch.

A friendly old Cuban, with whom I chatted for a bit and complained to about my predicament, cheered me up a bit. Not too long after the talk, a huge truck finally stopped. The two old drivers agreed immediately to drop me of at the exit off the main road leading to the cave. The two old dudes did not bother with small talk. I listened to them shouting to each other over the enormous noise, which emanated from the century old truck making its way down the shitty road at ridiculously high speed.

The Cave

When I got dropped of the exact same bus I had taken before stopped and took me the last stretch into Moncada. I realized that during my mishap, the thing had gone back and forth to Viñales. At the entrance of the cave, I chatted a bit with the reception lady while waiting for the guide to show up. Meanwhile I was joined by a French couple from Marseille and two American girls.

The cave was not necessarily overwhelming in rock formations but the sheer size of it was definitely impressive. I was so overheated my skin actually damped in the colder cave air. The hike through the cave was entertaining, also because the young guide kept making sexual remarks about the girls in his party to me. Back down I asked the Frenchie’s if I could share their taxi back, gladly paying 5 CUC for the comfort after my overly sunny hike.

The Plan

Back in town I started to think about a plan for the next day, there appeared to be no direct way to Playa Girón, where I intended to go diving. I decided to go to Cienfuegos. Partly because, after the rural vibe of Viñales, I missed the lively city vibe of Havana. I bumped into a taxi dude and after a short talk we agreed on 25 (10 cheaper than the bus, which seemed impossible to book) to get to Cienfuegos. Content with the laid plans, I had a cheap but tasty pork dinner and a mojito before heading back home.

On the way back I heard someone say my name. It took me way too long to realize I was looking at the two Australians that had been in the colectivo with me. I asked if they would go to the Centro Cultural but they didn’t know yet.

The Night

After some cooling of at home I was ready to head out. I went straight for 3J’s for one of their specials. Craving social contact again, I asked to join the fun looking group at the table next to me. I got to know the Parisian Arnaud and his girlfriend, Joyce and Tessa from Amsterdam and Nicolás from Germany. They forced me to eat the last tapas to become part of the group. After another drink only Joyce and Nicolas joined me to the Centro Cultural next to the church. One CUC got us through the doors. The place was already very much alive with dance and singing acts.

After two more mojitos the moment I had been waiting for arrived. A full-blown live salsa band gave the best of itself while both locals and tourists did same on the dancefloor. I was happy to just watch while I third wheeled Nicolas and Joyce. A bit past 12 and my 5^th mojito I was getting slightly drunk. I went home before the blackout, which meant before they unleashed the reggaeton. I passed out instantly in bed but luckily not before setting my alarm to painful 7 o’clock.