"VALLEY OF THE INGENIOS" Tour

"VALLEY OF THE INGENIOS" Tour (Valley of the Sugar Mills)

THE VALLEY OF THE INGENIOS:

Valle de los Ingenios – The sugar heart of Cuba. Just a few kilometers from the colonial city of Trinidad lies the majestic Valle de los Ingenios, an impressive 253 km² historical and natural complex declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. This valley not only dazzles with its green, mountainous landscapes but also preserves the living memory of Cuba's golden age of sugar. During the 19th century, the valley was considered the most important sugar emporium in the country, reaching astonishing production levels: more than 640,000 arrobas of sugar per year. At its peak, it housed around 11,700 African slaves, whose forced labor boosted the landowners' wealth and left an indelible mark on the region's social and cultural history.

Visitors who tour the valley are immersed in a journey into the past. Among sugarcane fields, plains, and old haciendas, the remains of 73 industrial archaeological sites are still preserved, including colonial houses, boiler houses, purge houses, distilleries, warehouses, watchtowers, wells, dams, and cisterns. Each structure reveals how the complex sugar production system worked, which not only transformed Cuba's economy but also its landscape and society. Today, the Valle de los Ingenios (Sugar Mill Valley) is much more than an architectural testament: it is a space where history, culture, and nature converge. Its restored haciendas, such as Manaca Iznaga, with its emblematic watchtower, offer an immersive experience that allows one to understand both the grandeur of the era and the human sacrifice that underpinned it.

Visiting this valley is like stepping into one of the most significant pages of Cuban history, a place where colonial splendor and historical memory meet in a setting of unforgettable landscapes.

• Pick up at the hostal or hotel where the clients are staying.
• Includes collective transfer with air conditioning and guide (Spanish and English, French), children are welcome.
• Visit to the viewpoint of the Valle de los Ingenios, in the outskirts of the city of Trinidad (optional service with extra charge of the Canopy tour), with 5 stations that cross from one side to another the Valle de los Ingenios), where customers make spectacular photos of a unique landscape of this fertile land of Trinidad.
• The second stop is at the spectacular Hacienda "Buena Vista". The Ingenio Buena Vista belongs to the period of the late eighteenth century and the beginning of the first decade of the nineteenth century. After a deep capital restoration, the house-hacienda Buena Vista, is one of the oldest mansions preserved in the Valle de los Ingenios and exhibits its original splendor.
• The trip continues to Hacienda Manaca Iznaga, an old sugar estate located about 15 km from the city of Trinidad, in the extensive Valle de los Ingenios. Today it is a hacienda converted into a restaurant with a tower of more than 40 meters high from where you can see the Caribbean Sea and all the green fields of sugar cane that lie in the Valle de los Ingenios. This bell tower allowed the permanent observation of the work in the fields of the sugar plantations, avoiding the possibility of escape of the slaves. The bells located in the highest part of the tower marked the beginning and end of the workday. They were also used to warn in case of fire on the land around the hacienda.
• Finally, we will visit the San Isidro de los Destiladeros sugar mill, a historic site that has survived to the present day. In addition to the dwelling house and a unique bell tower, there are several remains of the other components of the sugar mill and it is considered one of the sites of greatest archaeological value in the valley. At this site, visitors can observe mural paintings from the colonial era, rescued by specialists from the Trinidad City Conservator's Office.
• At the end of the tour, clients will be transferred back to their lodging (Hostal or Hotel).

Services included in the tour:

• Pick up by the tour guide at the hostal or hotel where the client is accommodated.
• Transfer service to and from the Valle de los Ingenios.
• Entrance to Hacienda Buena Vista, Hacienda Manaca Iznaga, Ingenio San Isidro de los Destiladeros.

Services not included in the tour:

• Extra meals and drinks.
• Visits and entrances not described in the program.
• Tips.