Its been a dream come true to be in Cuba so visiting different areas had to be done, so Vinales was on the list. My mother and I booked with Cuba Tur to tour Vinales for the day on the 31st of December. The trip was lovely, informative and eye-opening with the tour company.
Cuba Tur can be booked through any hotel in Havana. They have been doing tours all over Cuba for nearly 50 years but you can actually book everything through them from accommodation, events, cruises and more. On the day we found them we book to see Vinales, New Years dinner and another location in Cuba. They were helpful and really easy to book with.
The trip to Vinales consisted of an early morning rise, which was me with one eye open at 4 am in the morning. Not the prettiest look in the morning but it had to be done. The tour company picked us up from NH Capri La Habana which was not far from where we stayed. We started the journey after they picked up the rest of the customers from other hotels through the city. The eye-catching greenery from Havana to Vinales was worth waking up before sunrise for.
The first stop on the route was to see the Vinales Valley. They took us to the highest peak where all tour buses were able to stop for a short period of time. The view was captivating with the view of the green valley and mountains.
After a good 15 minute stretch and taking 100 photos around the area, we head to the tobacco plantations. We were introduced the owner and given a demonstration of how the cigar is made. The facts we learned about the industry was shocking especially with 90% of the tobacco is sold to the government and 10% is for the family. CLICK HERE to see a full video of the experience.
At about 1 pm we were taken to Restaurant Mural de la Prehistoria, to see The Mural de la Prehistoria which was designed by Leorigild Gonzalez Morillo, who was the master of Neo-Caveman Artistry.
We ate traditional Cuban food and drinks overlooking the mural. There was wonderful Cuban music played by a local band. It was definitely a place worth visiting.
The last destination was to see Cueva Del Indio at Parque Nacional Vinales where we were able to take a boat for some of the tour. This cave 400 m long cave was rediscovered in 1920.
The overall experience of the tour of Vinales was wonderful and a bargain for everything that I got to see. In total it was 10 hours from Havana to Vinales and back with this tour. Our guide was wonderful through the tour, she was helpful and spoke in English and Spanish.
To see more on video of the tour CLICK HERE.
A bit more on Havana CLICK HERE
We would love to visit Cuba! It seems like a region so rich in culture and heritage…plus the food sounds amazing!
I’ve always wanted to visit Cuba to see the historic architecture. Thanks for sharing!