“HORSEBACK RIDING IN VIÑALES”

“Horseback Riding in Viñales”

Welcome to the Viñales Valley, a National Monument since 1979, the first cultural landscape recognized by UNESCO in the entire American region, declared a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1999 and a National Park in 2001.

The countryside in Viñales is beautiful. If you don't walk in it, it's like not having felt like being in Viñales. How could you explore it or discover the beautiful things inside it? The best and most popular way is a horseback excursion. Its soil can be very wet and muddy at times, and it can be difficult to ride. On horseback you will feel like a cowboy among the meadows and animals and its red soil. You will be able to appreciate the tobacco plantations and the mogotes of Viñales.

One of the best ways to discover the amazing landscapes of Viñales is by horseback riding. If you are afraid of horses, you can continue the tour on foot. The excursion takes you through the paradisiacal sites of Viñales where you will enjoy the mogotes, natural pools inside the cave, observe the cultivation of tobacco as well as the typical Cuban cuisine.

Program of the excursion (according to the number of hours planned by the client).

• Departure point. Orestes House. Villa la Rueda
• Prehistoric Mural
• Viñales National Park.
• Tobacco farm
• Cave of the pools
• Viewpoint with panoramic view
• Return. Vegas

Place of departure

The place of departure is in Villa La Rueda (Mr. Orestes Rivera's house) on the road to Cuajaní. There you will find all the horses ready for the ride together with the guide of the excursion. The clients can select the horse of their choice and ride it before departure to familiarize themselves with it. If a client is afraid of horses, he/she can do the excursion on foot.

2- The Prehistoric Mural

The first place of the excursion is the Mural of Prehistory. It is a mural, painted on the slope of a mogote by peasants who lived in the area, directed by the painter Leovigildo Gonzalez, an artist influenced by the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. 80 meters high and 120 meters wide, the mural painting is divided into three plots to represent the evolution of life on earth. In the first are the ammonites, next are the dinosaurs and ends with the figure of man, always in a group of three to represent this evolution. In this mural work in Viñales no brushes were used but small brushes and the vegetation layer of the mogote was not affected.

3 - Tobacco farm

At the tobacco farm, visitors will observe the tobacco plantations and will be taken on a tour of the house where the tobacco is dried (tobacco curing house). A guide or vineyard farmer will explain the procedure used to dry the leaves of the tobacco plant. On the other hand, you can visit the house of a “guajiro viñalero”, sit down and smoke a Havana cigar (the one you smoke is given to you as a gift). You can also buy the tobacco bundles, rolled in the yagua of the royal palm (Cuba's national symbol) as a natural means of conservation.

Also, a farmer, a small coffee grower, explains to visitors the process of cultivation and production of coffee: they are introduced to the fields of the plant and explained the method of harvesting, drying, sorting and roasting of the grain.

4- Cave of the pools

This is one of the most popular places on the excursion: the cave of the pools. In this place the temperature is cool, visitors, always accompanied by a guide who illuminates the way into the cave, will contemplate the fascinating stalagmites and stalactites as well as other geological formations that abound in the cave and that are very frequent in Viñales. The walk through the cave will take you, 250 meters inside, to the natural pools where you can bathe and feel the cold water, typical of the caves.

5- Viewpoint with panoramic view

The viewpoint with panoramic view is of typical construction: wood and guano, where visitors can stop the horseback ride and sit to contemplate and photograph beautiful landscapes of Viñales, known this area as the heart of the valley. At the viewpoint, typical Cuban cuisine cooked with charcoal and firewood is offered.

6- Return. Vegas

On the way back from the horseback ride, you can observe the paradisiacal landscapes of vegas and vineyard mogotes as well as the houses of the peasants. The ride along the paths and trails of the mountains will make this excursion one of the best ways to discover Viñales.

About your guide: Bruniesky Arteaga

Bruniesky Arteaga is a young person and lives in the town of Viñales with his family. He has always lived in Viñales and has been working with tourists for more than 15 years. His kindness and friendliness, gives him pleasure every day to meet new friends from different countries.