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Viñales
| Viñales,
80 ks west of Soroa, is one of Cuba's great beauty spots, deservedly
popular with tourists but still unspoiled. Viñales is a lush
valley, famed for its picturesque tobacco farms called vegas. |
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From
the level valley floor erupt mogotes — giant humped
formations faced with pitted limestone cliffs and capped with greenery.
The effect is stunning, and Viñales is a photographer's paradise.
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| The center
of Viñales village is marked by a pleasant square with a small, old
church and a casa cultura. There is an abundance of accommodation
in or near town -- several good hotels and scores of casas particulares,
making Viñales a great base for a cycling holiday. |
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One of
our favorite day rides from Viñales goes to La Resbalosa (The
Slippery Place), a lovely swimming hole that is not mentioned in guidebooks
but is well-known to local residents. |
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| The terrain
on this ride is level to gently rolling, with no extreme hills. The
scenery is stunning, and it gets better the farther you go. You ride
alongside towering mogotes, with tiny farmsteads at their base.
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Another
great spot near Viñales is Valle Ancon. A short but hilly ride
takes you to this quiet, scenic valley, not unlike the Viñales
valley itself, but smaller and untouched by tourism. There is a coffee
plantation in the valley, with workers' housing and a collection of
schools that serve the local populace and also take boarding students
from the surrounding countryside. |
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| We enjoyed
an overnight loop from Viñales to Cayo Jutias, on the north
shore near Santa Lucia. This island, now connected to the mainland
by a causeway, offers accommodation only in rental tents pitched right
on the modest beach. |
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Another
exciting and challenging overnight ride from Viñales takes
you to Cueva de los Portales, a dramatic hideaway that was Che Guevera's
command post during the Bay of Pigs invasion and the missile crisis.
Hidden deep in the Sierra del Rosario, this is no ordinary cave. A
river flows right through the wall of mountains. It is a beautiful
spot as well as a historic landmark of interest to revolution buffs.
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| This
ride continues through the Parque Nacional La Guira to San Diego de
Los Baños. The park contains some rough countryside but is
not quite as impressive as this gateway entrance. The Hotel Mirador
in San Diego de Los Baños, just a few kilometers farther, is
a pleasant and inexpensive place to spend the night. |
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Riding
back toward Pinar del Rio City on the Carretera Central is easier,
but still scenic. Then you can turn north and return to Viñales,
or continue to the west. |
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