Looking out over the Mogotes of Vinales Valley
Mogotes
Vinales is a small valley in Pinar del Rio province. It was once covered with limestone karsts, but these have since eroded away leaving small hillocks known as Mogotes, or haystacks, for their distinctive shape.
The enclosed valley has the ideal soil and weather conditions for growing crops, the most popular of which is tobacco farming. This may explain why Fidel Castro named Vinales as his favourite place in Cuba.
Growing pineapples in Vinales
Mural de la Prehistoria in Vinales
Mural de la Prehistoria
The Prehistoric Mural is a huge painting on a cliff face near Vinales. It was painted by Leovigildo González Morillo, a student of Diego Rivera (whose work we saw so much of in Mexico City).
It’s not possible to get too close without paying, and from a distance the details are too small to make out much of a narrative, but it seems to shows the progression of local animal life from snails to humans.
The 120m wide mural was recently repainted in more primary colours than the original, but it still isn’t worth the 4km ride out to see it if you’re on a bicycle.
Caves del Indio in Vinales – Inside and Out
Cueva del Indio
Caving is popular in the area, with many caverns available for proper climbing and spelunking. We visited the tourist friendly ‘Indigenous Caves’ which have a well-made if rather narrow path to follow, ending in a looping boat ride.
Unfortunately the lighting is a bit dim, so it’s near impossible to see the apparently very interesting rock formations that lay within.
Quiet street in Vinales
Vinales
Despite some less than glowing tourist hotspots, Vinales is a great place to visit – just don’t worry too much about seeing the sights. The real fun is the welcoming people, taking in both the home cooking and the tiny restaurants, and the night-life. Most evenings there is music at one of the local dance halls, plus the occasional party in a cave.
Vinales has a few tour companies, lots of shops and what we found to be the most friendly of all the casa particulares we stayed at. They can all direct you to high points to get a great view down over the mogotes and it’ll be easy to see why it’s now been given UNESCO World Heritage status as a unique landscape.
Panoramic view of the Mogotes
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You’ve done it again, another set of beautiful photos.
Favorite for this post is: dio in Vinales – Inside and Out