Vinales Valley travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

If you want to see a valley so magnificent that it gets you thinking about what the Garden of Eden might have looked like, travel to Cuba. Richly, fertile, with endless tobacco, sugarcane, and coffee plantations, the western province of Pinar del Rio is a blessed with a lush greenness, beautiful rivers, and natural springs. The pretty village of Vinales is nestled into the breathtaking Sierra de los Organos mountains, and the Vinales Valley is UNESCO-protected. Photo by: rikun1401

A glance from the road down to the town will tell you why: nothing can prepare you for your first view of the mogotes -tree-covered limestone knolls, molded by underground rivers, rising dramatically out of green landscape. Photo by: Paddockmuir

The beautiful countryside can be explored on foot, bike, or horse. The sleepy village of Vinales itself is a classic small Cuban country town, with a strip of colonial-style bungalows painted in various pastel shades overlooked by pines. Most of the houses are good deal smarter and the owners more house proud than the average Cuban campesino. This is the best place to sample rural Cuban hospitality, too: the people are friendly, sweet, courteous, and helpful. The valley is an outstanding example of natural beauty. Photo by: bno20