Viñales is a small town and municipality in the north-central Pinar del Rio Province of Cuba. The town consists mostly of one-story wooden houses with porches. The municipality is dominated by low mountain ranges of the Cordillera de Guaniguanico such as Sierra de los Órganos. North of the town is the Vinales Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The drive from Havana takes roughly 3 hours, when you factor in time to stop along the way. The highway system is mostly a 4 lane divided highway until you get to Pinar Del Rio.
The journey then becomes a slower experience, where you can see vast tobacco fields, cave filled mountains and backpackers walked along the side of the road. The people are curious here. They watch all the cars driving by and occasionally wave.
The region is known for tobacco growing, cigars, mountain climbing, and produce sales. The food there was tasty. This is worth the trip if you have the time. Not so much if there’s a chance of heavy rain.
