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Day trips in Vinales

Here are some suggestions for day trips and excursions around Vinales

BEACHES AND RIVERSCayo Jutias –60km from Vinales is the beach resort of Cayo Jutias, a mangrove covered key with 3km of white sand and turquoise water. Relatively undiscovered. Water sport and snorkling equipment for rent and small restaurant serves hot meals. Bus and taxi transfers available to those without acar, bookable in town.

Cayo Levisa – 50km from Vinales, this island resort boasts the best beach in Pinar del Rio. There is a short boat ride toreach the island and there a hotel made up of beach cabins with accommodation for about 50 guests. There are day trips available with transfers and lunch provided. Water sport and snorkling equipment also available.

Bathing in rivers and caves – around Vinales there are a number of fresh waterrivers with natural swimming pools as well as natural pools in caves. Best known are the Cueva de Palmarito, Los

Resvalosos and La Jagua. Check with your casa particular for transfers.

Maria la Gorda beach resort – aninternacional dive centre with beachfacing accommodation in the form ofbungalows. Day trips available.( around 170km km from Vinales)

Sample prices:

Day trip to Cayo Jutias: 22 CUC fortransfer, entrance fee to beach andlunch available with travel agents.Departs 9am

Day trip to Cayo Levisa: Transfer by coach and boat to Cayo Levisa, 29 CUC to include lunch and 35 CUC for hot lunch. Departs at 8.30 to take boat at 10am from Palma Rubia.

No entrance fee to swimming in local rivers but you will have to pay your transport and the entrance fee to the Cueva del Palmarito is 2 CUC, payable to the farmer who owns the land.

VISITS TO CAVESGran Caverna de Santo Tomas – 17km from Vinales is Cuba’s largest cave system and the third largest of the Americas. 90 minute guided tours bookable in the tourist office in Vinales. Price is 10 CUC for guided tour.

Cueva de los Portales – this cave complex became Che Guevara’s headquartersof the Western Army during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. Set in a splendid location of mogotes and woodland, this national monument is a nice way to spend an afternoon. You can see where he slept, wrote and played chess! There is a campismo and restaurant and a guide will walk you through the caves. Also there is a natural pool for bathing.