Why You'll Love Vinales

As it turns out, unlike Camila Cabela, my heart is actually in Vinales.. Oh na na

Yes, Vinales was definitely our favourite place in Cuba. We loved everything about it. We stayed 4 nights and could have happily stayed longer. If you love long walks, cheap food and mojitos and lazy afternoons with spectacular views- Vinales is the place for you. 

We stayed at Crepusculo (booked on airbnb). It was one of the highlights of our trip. Crepedculo is located directly across from the Visitor Centre at the top of the hill on the main road heading into town. They have 2 rooms in a small building that is not attached to the  main house. Sitting on our balcony, sipping neat rum and looking out at the spectacular views was nothing short of fantastic. 

Wowzahs! That view!

On our first day we used the ‘hop on, hop off’ bus in attempts to get down into the valley. There is almost no information for this bus, and although the stops are all labeled on the map, the driver doesn't necessarily stop at them all unless you ask. But for 5 CUC pp, it's a great deal to get around the valley. (There is a map posted outside the Infotur on the main street). 

Lower your expectations and go along for the adventure! If you have Vinales and the surrounding area downloaded on google maps before you go, it will make your life so much easier. We hopped on the bus at the Visitor Centre around 920am and asked to be dropped off at ‘Dos Hermanos’ campsite. This stop is just before the Mural de la Prehistoria. From Dos Hermanos we followed the dirt road to the left around the mogote and past gorgeous scenery. (This mogote is called Mogote Dos Hermanas on google maps).   There is a small restaurant with sweeping views down the valley that would be a wonderful break stop, if we hadn't just started walking. We looped around, continuing left, on the dirt path back to the main road.

We took many pictures.  Every moment another beautiful scene seemed to unfold before our eyes. We were hoping to catch a passing bus back to Dos Hermanos again, so we could loop around the second mogote on the right. We had no such luck, and ended up walking back up the main road and turned down the smaller street to Dos Hermanos. It wasn't exactly what we planned but it was so beautiful that it didn't bother us at all. Back at Dos Hermanos we took a path leading right and followed it all the way around the second mogote. (This mogote is called El Mogote del Valle on google maps).

There are dirt paths that are easy to follow and, even if they dont look like it on the map, lead all the way around the mogotes. We followed the second pathway back into town for lunch and to give our legs a rest. It was a long, but very worthwhile morning with incredible scenery in every direction. After lunch we hopped back on the bus and headed north towards the caves. Again, the views were spectacular and from the valley floor behind the major mogotes, we got to see the landscape from a different angle. We got dropped off at the furthest one (Cueva del Indio) and walked back down the main road to the second cave (San Miguel).  Had we realized that we’d be waiting another 1.5 hours for the bus to come back to Cueva San Miguel we probably would have explored a bit more. But sitting on a boulder in the shade with such a spectacular view wasn't so bad either.

Eventually the bus came back around and brought us back to town. We definitely got around on our 5CUC ticket! You can also use a bike to get around. You can bike all the way around Mogote Dos Hermanas and on all the roads (which aren’t busy). It would be a nice way to see all the scenery faster than walking and would be a bit cooler! The roads are quite flat. The path around El Mogote del Valle would be difficult biking because sometimes the path is narrow, uneven and horse trodden. 

On our second day we decided to start walking without a destination on the dirt paths through the tobacco fields east of town. As expected, it was beautiful. We came upon Finca Coco Solo (Finca Agroecologica Coco Solo in google maps). We were looking for a snack (read: mojito) so we wandered in. Finca Solo Coco turned out to be a fascinating farm, growing both tobacco and vegetables. We were warmly welcomed and were offered a free private English tour of the tobacco plantation! Conveniently, visiting a tobacco farm was on our list for Vinales! We learned about the government controls, growing the plants, drying the leaves, rolling the cigars- and then smoking cigars! Obviously, with a free tour, the Finca owners are hoping you also buy cigars from them. Buying cigars was also on our Vinales to-do list, and we were happy to! 

Kristen and Luiz (the founder of Finca Solo Coco)

As if we needed anything more to love about Vinales- they had the cheapest food and mojitos in all of Cuba! We found good meals for 1.5-3 CUC  and mojitos for  1CUC at a restaurant called Pepos a little further down the main road! There were also (very strong) .90 CUC mojitos at a nameless blue bar, that, if in Canada, would definitely be a Legion.  Really, we couldn't ask for more! After long days of hiking we spent late afternoons enjoying mojitos and people watching from the restaurants’ patio. Heaven!

Speaking of food, it's worth the effort to make the trek up to El Balcon for a drink and a snack. The views are absolutely stunning. We had an afternoon mojito and some fried plantains on one of the perfectly situated tables, and we were the only ones there! For the location, the prices are surprisingly reasonable. 

Where to Stay: Crepusculo (airbnb)

Just a few notes on Casa Crepusculo. Firstly, we loved it and you should probably book it right now. Its not right in thw town but if you are flexible and enjoy walking, or are willing to spend a few extra CUC on a taxi down into town, there is no better place to stay. Crepusculo is right off the main road across from the Visitor Centre. If coming on the Viazul bus ask to get dropped off at Los Jazmines or, better yet- at the Visitor Centre as the bus from Havana passes right by! You will see the sign just off the main roa that has Crepusculo painted on it. Its a little confusing only because, from the road it doesn't look the same as it does on airbnb. However, walk to the sign and past it. Go in between a couple houses that were under construction (at the time we visited). When you see a short chain linked fence with a gate- thats where you’re headed. You’ll recognize it from the pictures by this point!

The view from our balcony at Casa Crepusculo

There are multiple ways to walk down into town from Crepesculo.  You can take the main road down. Better yet, you can hike down through farms and take in some beautiful scenery. There is a red dirt path just to the left of the visitor centre (which is across the street) The path is not marked  but it's easy to follow if you keep heading in the direction of town. Since you have google maps downloaded (right?) you can check that you’re going in the right direction to ease your mind. 

As for getting back up (and down, I suppose) take a shared taxi! We always asked to be dropped at the visitor centre, since everyone knows where that is! From town, walk to the end of the main road where it starts heading up the hill and out of town. Stand on the corner and hail passing cars. They’ll stop if they’re in taxi mode. This seems to be a pretty common way for locals to get around, so it doesn't take long for someone to pull over.  You can grab a shared taxi back up the hill to Crepesculo for anywhere between 1- 2.5 CUC pp,  depending on your negotiating skills. It's very convenient!

Learning all about the art of rolling cigars

Really, and this is being picky, better signage and a couple hammocks are the only things that could improve Crepusculo. They will arrange tours if you want, cook you breakfast (5CUC) and dinner and organize your collectivo onwards to the next town (ie.Playa Giron 45CUC). Darnell speaks English and is very helpful. They have a beautifully landscaped space, with plants growing everywhere in a creative variety of containers. They have different sitting areas so you can take another million pictures of the spectacular view,  from a slightly different angle! They even have a tortoise!

All this to say- go to Vinales!