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.  
 
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.
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.  
  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.
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.  
  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.
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.  
  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.
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.  
  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.