The very first solo Trip- Cuba: Vinales

Hello Children of the Sun,


I could have stayed in Havanna forever but I wanted to see more of the Island. My plan to take a flight to Santiago the Cuba was a total fiasco. How stupid I felt when I found out contrary to Thailand where you could buy a cheap Inland flight on your mobile phone, things didn't work at all like that in Cuba. First, you only get WiFi at Special Hotspots,mostly around big Hotels, Restaurants or Parcs. In order to access these Hotspots you need a Card (1hour-1,5CUC) you get officially from ETECSA,the cuban  telecommunication Office- Patience is the Keyword here or on the "black market" for twice the price. So with no available flight I decided to change my itinary. I opted for Vinales,because most people I  met praised the landscape, the nature and the activities you could do there. Getting to Valle Vinales from Havanna is easy, you can book a Taxi collectivo at your casa or Hotel for only 20CUC directly to your new casa in Vinales.

Vinales is a  really small city and full of tourists.  You can practically do everything form the main street, so the first thing I did as soon as I got threre was walk through the city.Casas are always available.If you like hiking, Biking and horseback riding, then Vinales is the place to be. The region around Vinales is mostly protected national parc, so ist amazing if you like exploring and discovering nature.There is a numerous amount of agencies offering different tours at different Prices, so take your time and Chose wisely.

I booked a horseback riding tour for 20 CUCS. Depending on where and when you book the tour,you could either be on your own or in a group of interesting funny people- I was in the later(another gift from the Gods)The tour consisted of a 5 hour trip around the Vinales Valley with a stop at a tobacco plantation where you could learn about the production of Cigars. You definitely need to try the nicotinfree organic Cigars. You could also buy some Souvenirs at the plantations for a really cheap Price.The next stop was a "coffee plantation"- I've been to coffee plantations before and that was definitely not a coffee plantation, but what do Tourist really know? (just saying!).We got to learn about the production of Rum and guess what... you get to try the Rum! Here I had the best Sugarcane Juice in my whole life. Maybe it was the Rum or maybe I was just happy to get of a horse after 4 hours of riding through the Valley.

The last stop was at lake where you could go for a swim or just relax. Other tours offer a visit to a cave with underground lakes/Indian caves. Ask your tourguide about this before starting the tour.
I met with my newly found friend for dinner afterwards. I was amazed how the main street changed. You have amazing restaurants you can eat at for relatively affordable Prices. The Cocktails, the Pina coladas in particular are amazing!

Another great surprise was the Centro culturo Polo Montanez. Entrance Fee: incredible 1CUC. The live Music and the live Shows are amazing. Plus the Cocktails are really cheap and tasty. If you have enough Cocktails,you can join the locals dancing or just watch until you get confident enough to join.