If you’re making the journey to Havana, Cuba, you absolutely must visit the nearby national park of Viñales. Only 2.5 hours drive from Cuba’s capital, it was our favourite part of Cuba.
Viñales is known for its beautiful valleys and also for producing Cuba’s best tobacco. The valley closest to town is called Valle del Silencio. We organised a walking tour for just the two of us and it cost 15 CUC each for approx. 4 hours. The tour included soaking in the views of the valley as well as a visit to a family run tobacco farm where we were able to understand the cigar making process (includes a complementary cigar!). Purchasing 10 cigars will set you back 30 CUC.
We also visited a family who produce rum from guava, and coffee. Because Viñales is a national park, the entire cigar, rum or coffee making process must be performed by hand, without the use of chemicals or advanced machinery.
Another options is to visit the valley by horse for 25 CUC per person. We avoided this as not only is it more expensive but it’s not particularly safe or convenient if you have bulky camera equipment or enjoy frequent stops for photos.
If you do choose a walking tour we suggest leaving at 8am as it’s extremely hot in the afternoons. If you don’t want to pay for a tour you can reach the valley yourself with a bit of assistance from Google Maps, your eyeballs and the locals.
Whilst you can organise day trips to Viñales from Havana, we recommend staying at least 2 nights. A five-hour return car trip is not only exhausting, but leaves little time to enjoy the town. Lazy late afternoons drinking rum and enjoying the view on your rooftop terrace is something not to be missed.
Where to stay
Air B&B is the best way to find a place to stay in Viñales. It’s worth trying to find a place with a view of the valley, if you’re happy to walk the 5 minutes into town.
How to get there
You can reach Viñales by taxi, collectivo or bus. We chose to go with a collectivo (shared car), which our host organised for us the day prior. We had two other tourists in the car with us, and our 4 bags managed to fit in the boot mostly because the other two were travelling light. It takes 2.5 hours and the cost per person is between 15-20CUC. A taxi will set you back at least 90CUC. Be prepared for the absence of safety standards in a collectivo; our driver was speeding non-stop in a manual car with a non-functional speedometer whilst frequently texting on his phone and driving on the wrong side of the road (and my seatbelt was absent!)
The Viazul bus costs 12 CUC and takes 3.5 hours, although you also need to factor in that it’s not a door to door service like a collectivo or taxi. We decided to avoid the bus after reading stories about people lining up for hours just to purchase a ticket. There is an online booking system but there are also reports of people’s online purchases not being honoured on the day. The Viazul office in Viñales was on the main street and there wasn’t a line when we walked past. Buses to Havana depart from Viñales at 8am and 2pm.
Getting around
Like visiting anywhere in Cuba, internet is scarce so it’s best to download an offline Google map of Viñales onto your phone before reaching Cuba (and mark any places of interest).
