Guide to Vinales, Cuba

With Vinales being our last stop in Cuba it seemed we had saved the best till last. If you are anything like me and love being surrounded by greenery and imposing landscapes, then you really will adore Vinales.

We arrived in Vinales after a pretty tedious journey all the way from Trinidad. It is completely doable but prepare to be on the road for well over 8 hours and you will have to switch vehicles just before reaching Havana. When we finally made it to our guesthouse, we were greeted with fresh mango juice and the most incredible sunset from our roof terrace. If you can, I would highly recommend trying to stay somewhere with impeccable views. It made our stay in Vinales incredible and I would give anything to wake up to a view like that every morning! 

After settling into our homestay we decided to have a little wander to get the lay of the land. We ended up walking through tobacco farms, just as the sky was turning pink and lighting up the impressive limestone cliffs in the most magical way.

We then wandered back past our homestay and headed towards the main strip which is lined with restaurants. We had some pretty mediocre meals whilst in Vinales, but we were used to this after 5 nights in Cuba already. It is important not to expect much from the cuisine here as it really is quite basic! Plus, after such a long day we were willing to eat anything we could get our hands on. 

 The next morning, we woke up feeling refreshed and ready to head out and explore this place we had already fallen in love with. We began our day with an early breakfast on our roof terrace, overlooking horses in the lush fields below. We then decided to get moving before the sun got too strong. 

As we were at the end of a 2 month trip, we were trying to be as frugal as possible so we decided to opt out of doing a guided walking tour or a horse-back ride. Instead, we took exploration into our own hands by using MapsMe and following the footpaths on there. This meant that we could walk at our own pace and that it was completely free. We also made a quick stop at El Campesino restaurant before heading into the fields, as I had seen online that it had beautiful views. We stayed for some mango juice and took a few snaps of the view. The picture above is taken from the field in front of the restaurant! 

For our walk we decided to head towards the lake, which had amazing views and a couple of horse  riding schools. I cannot find this lake on Google Maps but like I said, if you use MapsMe you should be able to see it and use the footpaths to get there. If not, you can always ask a walking guide about it and if you do a horse riding tour you will probably be taken here. Our self guided tour took us right through tobacco farms and little farming settlements, as well as providing many a photo opportunity with 360 views of the cliffs.

We arrived back from our hike just in time to have some cuban sandwiches at our homestay and a well deserved ice cold drink. After unwinding a little, we decided we wanted to go and see the infamous view from the Hotel Jazmine. 

We hopped in a taxi and were taken up to the view point. Our driver let us enjoy the view for 30 minutes and then took us home. Luckily, you don't actually have to go into the hotel as the viewpoint is located next door. The view up here is truly breathtaking and if you come to Vinales you simply cannot miss it. Plus, there is a bar selling cheap beers and cocktails so we sat and shared a beer overlooking one of the most magnificent views I have ever seen.

The next morning we bid farewell to this gem of a place as we headed to Havana for one more night before flying off home. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and have fallen in love with Vinales as much as I did. 

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Much love,
Lizzie xx

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