This is a quick overview of our self guided hike in Vinales National Park. It was a day hike north of town (walking distance). This post provides logistical details and facts as well as links to a videos. This is a self-guided hiking experience on a shoestring (think tiny budget).
Viñales National Park is next to the sleepy cowboy town of Viñales. It is an easy bus ride from Havana and is a new popular tourist destination. The town is expanding at a rapid pace. Although this means that most existing houses on the one main road are simply adding more rooms.
Difficulty Level:
Note that a retired couple can earn an entire month’s pension in a single night of rent, so the incentive is high. The town also has a few shops (selling whatever they get) and there is a cluster of stores at the gas station east of the town center. There is also a very good Italian restaurant in town. The park is walking distance from the town. It’s borders are pretty much undefined so we went out to the Prehistoric Rock Painting dirt road and then headed towards the mountains, following farming dirt tracks and trails. We also asked locals who all just pointed at the mountains as directions.
Vinales Valley
Viñales Valley is a karstic depression in Cuba. The valley has an area of 132 km2 (51 sq mi) and is located in the Sierra de los Órganos mountains (part of Guaniguanico range), just north of Viñales in the Pinar del Río Province. Tobacco and other crops are grown in the valley, mostly by traditional agriculture techniques. There are many caves dotting the area (Cueva del Indio & Cueva de José Miguel).
The limestone cliffs rise like islands from the bottom of the valley. They are called mogotes. They can be 300m tall. They remind me of Halong Bay in Vietnam.
Viñales is a major tourist destination offering mainly hiking, rock climbing and horse riding.
Venales on a budget:
Total Cost Range of this Activity is: $
Expect to spend the following per day: Room $25 (double occupancy & breakfast included), $5 lunch, $10 dinner, $10 drinks & misc ($50/day). Plus transportation and other package tourist items. This is the minimum and requires some bargaining and discipline.
It cost us nothing to walk to the mountains. We paid 2 CUC for a wagon ride back to town. There is a fee if you wanted to get up close to the prehistoric rock painting. Note that this is not prehistoric paintings. It is a modern painting of prehistoric times. We took photos from the road for free.
The 3minuteAdventures Video
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Travel Log
Cuba – December 14, 2016 – January January 11, 2017 (28 days)
Vinales 12/18 – 12/21- 3 nights
See How to visit Cuba on a Budget for details.
Photos
Photos
Other Info
Visitors Guide To Vinales National Park
Our Cuba Route
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Accommodation
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Transportation
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On a budget
See How to visit Cuba on a Budget for details.
Communications
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Our Adventures
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