While on a recent trip to Havana, we opted to escape the city for a day and explore a magical, lush part of the countryside, Viñales. A 2.5-hour drive to the North-west tip of the country lies a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for its breathtaking valley and tobacco farms. If natural beauty, history, culture (and cigars) are your thing, you should plan a trip here!! And if you do make it to this beautiful corner of the globe, here are 5 things not to miss:
1. Travel to Viñales in a 1950s private car
When our oh so hilarious taxi driver arrived to pick us up at 7am even offering to share his coffee with us, we had no idea what a treat we were in for. Hopping back nearly 70 years in time in his sweet vintage American ride, we laughed till our bellies ached, and sang popular Cuban tunes (with stereo pumped to maximum volume) to our hearts content as we took in the Cuban countryside passing lush palms standing tall with pride! It was undoubtedly worth a few extra dollars to avoid the large commercialized buses and travel to Viñales in style! We even got to detour to our driver’s family home, where his family prepared us Cuban sandwiches and fresh coffee.
2. Gawk at the beauty of Viñales at the Lookout point next to the Los Jazmines Hotel
We met our English-speaking guide at the iconic lookout point in the Viñales Valley, immediately upon which my jaw dropped (not at our guide, but at the stunning green landscape scattered with bright red immortelle trees, and rolling karst limestone domes called mogotes). We were lucky to arrive just in time to have the lookout all to ourselves, but not for long before the large tourist buses arrived; go early!
3. Rain or shine, take a horse ride through the lush Viñales Valley
With our guide and driver, we set off for the world’s most quaint horse ranch I ever did see, and I was so pleased to see the horses were well cared for. After acquainting ourselves with our new four-legged friends, we set off on a leisurely ride through the valley. It was such a memorable experience crossing little wooden tobacco huts, fruit and tobacco fields, and soaking up the unparalleled scenery (until it started to belt it down with torrential rain!!!)
4. Farm to table Lunch at Finca Agroecologica El Paraiso
By the time our horse-riding adventure came to an end, we were all very excited for lunch, which happened to be at an organic farm, producing majority of what it served out of the cutest wooden farmhouse with delightful views (understatement!). Everything was delicious; from the “anti-stress” cocktail (served with a bottle of rum – no joke), to the family style feast consisting of the freshest yuca fries, vegetable soup, grilled chicken and pork, rice and beans and an abundance of the freshest vegetables hand-picked that very day. It was a spread fit for queens and kings, and we were all quite happy we didn’t have to get back on a horse post-lunch, especially after a cocktail or two!
5. Visit a family owned tobacco farm
It’s no surprise that the fertile land and favourable climate with ample rain (experienced firsthand) make for the perfect tobacco growing conditions. While I am not a huge fan of cigar smoking, this experience blew me away (pardon the pun). Visiting a tobacco leaf sorting facility and learning about the process from start to finish gave me an entirely new appreciation for the labour required. But then came the trip highlight; arriving at the family owned farm. A chariot (or something of the sort) awaited to transport us to the farm (muddy conditions not suitable for the car). Underneath the thatch roofed hut, the cigar connoisseur educated us on the best leaves to use on the tobacco plant, how to strip the middle vein from the leaf, and taught us to roll their prized organic cigars. After which, we smoked them using their family tradition of dipping the ends in honey, all whilst the bar tender stayed busy preparing us delicious fresh fruit cocktails. Upon our departure, we made a pitstop to the curing barn where the leaves are hung to dry, before heading back to our Havana-bound car, with cigars and honey in hand, and ear to ear smiles on our faces!
It was the perfect day, and our only regret is that we didn’t have a few extra days to spend in Viñales, with its warm people, rich culture, and breathtaking scenery. We will be back..
