Viñales valley, a good hundred miles West of Havana, offers some of the most beautiful scenery in Cuba.

Viñales valley - mogotes

The area is famous for its “mogotes”, steep-sided hills bringing attractive drama to the often flat Cuban horizons.

Viñales valley - mogotes

An agricultural (and touristic !) area …

Tobacco plantation, Viñales valley - Cuba

  … it has remained essentially untouched by mechanization …

Tobacco plantation, Viñales valley - Cuba

… and work in the fields is particularly tough.

Tobacco plantation, Viñales valley - Cuba

Tobbaco is Viñales’ main produce.

Tobacco plantation, Viñales valley - Cuba

Farmers are both rugged and eager to help tourists discover the realities of their lives (trying to sell a few cigars along the way doesn’t hurt 😉)

Tobacco farmer in Viñales valley - Cuba
Tobacco farmer in Viñales valley - Cuba

 

The Viñales village is essentially one main street focused on the tourism business …

Viñales village - Cuba

… but overall life remains quite traditional.
Transportation still often relies on muscle power …

Viñales village - Cuba

… and even when it is mechanized, we are far from our Western luxury.

The center of the village is marked by the church and its square …

Viñales village - Cuba

… where both locals and tourists congregate to try to connect to the government controlled WiFi Internet infrastructure, like in most Cuban city centers.

Incidentally, in Cuba, umbrellas are mostly used to protect oneself from the sun (at least in the dry season…)

Street scene in Viñales village - Cuba

Even here, the hairdresser is a Barca fan!

Open air barber in Viñales village - Cuba

The coast North of Viñales is pretty. Cayo Levisa island in particular, about 30 minutes away from the coast by boat, is a good example of Caribbean paradise.

Cayo Levisa island - Cuba

It hasn’t been spoiled by constructions or trade. The only people who try to sell something are these two, offering fresh coconut!

Walk a couple hundred feet from the “busy” area (above), and you’ve basically got the beach to yourself… 

Cayo Levisa island - Cuba

You liked reading this article? Please share it! Thank you! – and comments are always welcome.
And if you liked it, you will probably also enjoy my other articles on Cuba:

Stay tuned, more to come!
Didier.