The Road to Vinales
A pre-dawn alarm call as we want to get out on the road as early as possible to head off west to the Vinales valley where we hope to get a room in the Hotel Los Jasmines. The early start allows us a fantastic view of sunrise over the suburbs of Havana, and it isn’t too long before the Turkey Vultures are airborne from their resting place upon the top of the monolithic Russian embassy.
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Sunrise over Havana |
One piece of advice is to obtain a road map; we found the only place that sold maps of any quality was the coffee bar shop in the lobby bar of the hotel Inglaterra in parque central.
We had hired a Hyundai Sonata car from Transtur at the Neptuno-Triton who were very fair in explaining the terms of the hiring agreement. We set off through the suburbs of Buena Vista the now famous home of the former music club thanks to the film made by singer song-writer Ry Cooder, Here the traffic is as heavy as it gets, with cyclists and numerous dogs being the major hazards. We also have to contend with no sign posting and a road layout that bears no relation to the map we are following. After some nifty manoeuvring we find the Autopista and suddenly we are on a vast expanse of open concrete and there is not a car to be seen for miles. Out of the suburbs and we get into the countryside proper, this is what we have come to experience more so than the city life of Havana, and before long we are speeding along through palm lined fields of tobacco and sugar cane, with the Sierra de Rosario starting to loom on the right-hand side.
An enjoyable drive takes us as far as the city of Pinar Del Rio where we head uphill towards Los Jasmines, the scenery here is fantastic with lush green fields and wooded slopes being the norm.
We reach the hotel which is at the south of the valley and enquire about the possibility of obtaining a triple room, we are charged $73 dollars for a triple room of dubious quality but accept that this is the only room on offer and we have travelled quite a distance. Once we step out onto the terrace that overlooks the valley we know we have made the right choice as the view we are greeted with I personally have yet to witness anything quite so staggering, With the valley floor dropping away below you and the towering limestone mogotes in the near distance adding a pre-historic feel to the area.
Our afternoon took us to visit the Mural de Prehistoria, this being a mural painted onto one of the mogotes commissioned by Castro in the 60′s that many see as a shameless way to attract the tourist dollar to this area. After our visit we decide to see whether there are any tracks to have a walk and for myself to get some first serious birding of the trip started.
Our second night in the Vinales valley was spent at a Casa Particular as a tour group was booked into Los Jasmines and we were told that there was no room available. This seems to be a common occurrence when discussing this with other visitors.
We moved to a casa particular called Magnolias situated directly opposite the Cuevo del Indio, an impressive cave system that features an underground boat trip through the system before taking you back out into an area where locals sell very reasonably priced souvenirs.
The home cooked food of salads, chicken, pork, rice and beans with yucca and a dessert of homemade chocolate mousse was fantastic. One piece of advice here is not to do the standard British thing of refusing dessert as it caused some offence to our host and it took some explaining that desserts certainly in our case are a rare treat, plus refusal would mean missing out on some good food.
As all hotel accommodation in the valley is booked we head off to the diving resort of Maria La Gorda on the Guanahacabibes peninsula (an area we were all wanting to visit, but had not been expecting to get to), we decided to make the most of this opportunity.
Driving through Pinar Del Rio, we re-fuelled at the gas station and gave a lift to a hitchhiker. If you feel that you are able to and feel safe doing this, then we recommend that offering lifts can be an interesting way to chat and meet Cubans and to get a feel of the country, as well as being invaluable in getting directions around tight city streets where the signposting is non-existent.
We re-fuel again at Isabel del Rubio as this is the last gas station before the peninsula, a mere 100km away, so we have enough fuel to return here on the way back. We also find that the service station here has sandwiches and soft drinks so we make the most of this and stock up on provisions. The road becomes more and more potholed and as we approach the coast we pass through fields of tobacco that are crawling with masses of Cattle egrets who, along with turkey vultures, appear to be omnipresent throughout our travels.
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A great view |
We finally arrive at the coast and the view over the sea with a 20m wide stretch of fine, almost white sand is one that conjures up images of paradise that advertising agencies use daily. One of the first things that strike us is the sheer number of dragonflies, as the air is full of them. The result of mangrove swamp and a prime coastal location, this is one of the few wilderness areas in Cuba, there are rumours that this area may well be under the threat from the ever increasing need for Cuba to earn foreign currency from tourism.
Facilities are functional in some rooms here but the place is the preserve of divers and is not made for the standard package tourist (whoever they may be?) We find the place captivating as this is a break from the hustle of Havana and the tour bus mayhem around Vinales.
We settle for a snorkelling session and a few Cristals before heading off for a buffet supper, at $15 this is a little overpriced but we feel that it is worth it to be in such a magical location.
