Las Terrazas, Pinar del Rio Province, Cuba

Pinar Del Rio

Cuba’s westernmost province is a tapestry of lush green vegetation, provincial villages, traditional farms and tobacco curing shacks.

Vinales Valley is the region’s main draw for its tobacco cultivation and outstanding scenery. The limestone terrain is strewn with large cave complexes that can be visited and in the case of flooded Cueva del Indio, travelled through by boat.

The village of Vinales with its one main sun-drenched street, a small church, wooden colonnades and central plaza is a great spot for some rural dining and entertainment in the evenings.

Soroa Orchid Garden, Cuba
Soroa Orchid Garden, Cuba

A little more about Pinar del Rio

Las Terrazas is an interesting experiment in tourism and sustainable development. A community has been set up within the UNESCO designated Sierra del Rosario Biosphere to maintain the park and support the Moka Ecolodge. It’s a great centre for hiking and exploring with naturalist guides. You can also visit (and eat good hearty country cuisine) a farmstead adjacent to the ruins of a 19th century French coffee plantation. Don’t miss the orchid gardens just down the road at Soroa.

Cueva de los Portales, Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Pinar del Rio, Cuba

The city of Pinar del Rio is certainly worth a stop in order to visit its fascinating cigar factory, where you will be introduced to the ‘leaf to humidor’ process and appreciate the terrific skill required to hand roll cigars. Workers are still read to from state newspapers and periodicals while they work. A less well known highlight of the city is a visit to a local distillery to see how Guayabita (little guava) is created, a typical liquor of the province that dates back to Spanish colonial times.

Cayo Levisa, Cuba
Cayo Levisa, Cuba

For those seeking diving and snorkelling opportunities, Maria La Gorda on the western tip of Cuba, offers some of the finest reefs in Cuba and Latin America. This is one of the best-preserved underwater ecosystems in the region with more than 50 diving spots reached from your base on a white, palm fringed beach. It’s also one of Cuba’s most remote communities. An alternative is the tiny Cayo Levisa off the coast north of Vinales Valley that is accessed by a hotel ferry. Mangroves line the south, white sand the north and there are a handful of simple bungalows and a restaurant. Enforced relaxation with a little snorkelling and diving!

Vinales Valley, Cuba
Vinales Valley, Cuba

Our Specialists 'Must Do'

Without a doubt – walk or horse ride through the Vinales Valley. The scenery is reminiscent of southern China where wide flat valley floors are contained by steep cliffs and dotted with limestone turrets or mounds called mogotes. 70% of Cuba’s tobacco crop is grown here and it’s possible to visit farmsteads and the leaf drying houses. A couple of valley-side hotels offer tremendous views and are perfect places to settle on your balcony at dawn or dusk when the landscape really begins to ‘show off’.

Experiences

What do you really love doing? We curate your itinerary especially for you.

Vinales Valley, Cuba
Pinar Del Rio

Observe the Sunrise over Vinales

Take a moment to enjoy sunrise and sunset over the stunning limestone valley complex of Vinales.

Suggested Holiday Idea

The Soroa Botanical Garden in Vinales
Pinar Del Rio

Visit Soroa Gardens

Visit these gardens that contain one of the largest collection of orchids in the world.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Snorkellers, Cuba, Cayo Coco, Cuba
Pinar Del Rio

Visit Maria la Gorda

Dive, snorkel and relax at Maria la Gorda or Cayo Levisa.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Tabacco plantation in Vinales
Pinar Del Rio

Horse Riding Adventure

Horse ride past waterfalls, old coffee plantations and across rolling hills in Las Terrazas.

Suggested Holiday Idea

Meet our experts

A passion for travel runs right through every one of our experts - meaning they're always ready with first-hand insight about their specialist countries.

Rachael Tallents

Adventure, discovery and my curiosity for people and the natural world is what drives my love of travelling.  I am grateful for my parents’ desire to explore, and from an early age my eyes were open to diverse landscapes, cultures, and underwater worlds.

For the last 16 years, I have worked for a leading luxury tour operator designing incredible journeys for discerning clients and travelled to some magical places. I am excited to have joined Steppes Travel, and to be working for a company with such strong ethical and sustainable values.

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John Faithfull

Since 1999, John has returned multiple times to explore this fascinating Caribbean island that charms and challenges in equal measure. Attracting visitors with a heady mix of music, cigars and revolution, there is a dynamic new generation of artists, entrepreneurs and thinkers waiting to be discovered beneath the surface.

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