Viñales Valley

Viñales Valley
Photo by Els Slots.

Viñales Valley is a living cultural landscape where traditional agriculture is practiced.

The karst landscape holds fertile soil and a favourable climate, and farming started here in the 17th century. It got a boost in the 1860s because of the rise in tobacco cultivation, which still is the main crop. Tobacco production still is done via traditional, non-mechanical methods.

Community Perspective: it’s a rural area in a visually interesting setting. There are tobacco farms open to tourists where you can watch the process of growing this product.

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Els Slots

The Netherlands - 03-Jan-12 -

Viñales Valley by Els Slots

In hindsight, this was the area of Cuba that I liked best. Especially its natural surroundings. Surely I had seen a karst landscape or two before, and the size of this is no match for China's Yangshuo/Guilin, but "diving" into this valley by road is a spectacular sight. Its little hills, tobacco plants and colourful flowers do add an extra touch to the standard Cuban landscape of banana plants and royal palms.

Another thing that sets Vinales apart is that it is such a small town, just pottering around a bit far from the rest of the action of Cuba. It's a totally relaxed place. The town's inhabitants seem to have completely surrendered themselves to tourism. About 80% of the houses are in use as Casas Particulares. The rest sell drinks, food, or souvenirs. Large touring cars travel on and off through the town's main street, delivering more tourists (including day-trippers from Havana or even the beach resorts).

To see the valley's main sights, I joined a bike tour. Although the valley is only 12km long, I found it quite a tough ride. Cuban-made mountain bikes aren't the most comfortable in the world. And those nasty mogotes! Annoying little hills always involve a steep climb. On the way back we also had the wind against us. So I am not ashamed to say that I walked a fair bit of the last 5 km.

Part of the tour was the obligatory visit to a tobacco farm. I had not seen tobacco fields before and found it interesting to hear about the delicate and time-consuming process that involves tobacco growing. The other sights in the valley aren't much, though from a distance the quite tacky Mural de la Prehistoria is not bad at all.


Kieran Donoghue

UK -

Accorfding to UNESCO, Vinales is on the list because "traditional methods of agriculture (notably tobacco growing) have survived unchanged there for several centuries. The region also preserves a rich vernacular tradition in its architecture, its crafts, and its music." Unfortunately these are the kinds of qualities that are not always easily discernible to the passing tourist as I was in 2001 when I visited. It is set in a Karst landscape that was visually intersting - but that was before I visited Halong bay and the Gulin/Yangshuo area of China. My friends and I had a pleasant stop there at a local homestay, where we had the best food we ate in Cuba (not much competition though I'm afraid). If you have a particular interest in

Cuban culture, tobacco growing, or are passing that way anyway, Vinales town is worth a stopover, but I wouldn't plan a holiday around it.


Site Info

Full Name
Viñales Valley
Unesco ID
840
Country
Cuba
Inscribed
1999
Type
Cultural
Criteria
4
Categories
Cultural Landscape - Continuing Human activity - Agriculture
Link
By ID

Site History

1999 Inscribed

1997 Rejected

Bureau -Doesn't meet Natural criteria, lacks boundaries + protection. (But consider a "Cultural Landscape"?)

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The site has 1 locations

Viñales Valley

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Ecology
Geography
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World Heritage Process

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AC Aalberty Aidan Coohill Alberto Rodriguez Gutierrez Alessandro Votta Alexander Barabanov Alfons and Riki Verstraeten Ali Zingstra AmandaMcCadams Andrea & Uwe Zimmermann Anjimo Anna Wludarska Anne Brockenshire Anonymous15788 Antonio J. Askyndr Atila Ege Bauchat Bdella Bob Parda Bram de Bruin Brigitte Huber Bruno_Pires Carlos Caminando Carstenhansen Cb Cec Cgrannem Cheryl Christian Wagner Claire Bradshaw Clem C Comensal Craig Harder Ctravel Czesioszpachelka Daniela Hohmann Davied Deffra Dimitrios Polychronopoulos Drinkteatravel ELVAN YURDUSEN Eanna81 Els Slots Erdem Engin Tavlayan Eternalarrival Eva Kisgyorgy FGKJR1492X Fan Yibo Femke Roos Fernweh Filip Murlak Flitterfever G.L. Ingraham Geert Luiken George Gdanski GeorgeIng61 Gernot Gi Gisella Handballrama Hanming Harald T. Homadism Howard Howard Brayer Iain Jackson If-pilot Ingrid Inigo Cia Irena Klementov Isabel Aguirre Ivan Rucek Izzet Ege Jacob Otten Janklak Jaroslav Klement Jason and Corrinna Jballard650 Jean Lecaillon Jens Jgera Joaofg Jon Eshuijs Jonas Kremer Jonathan Zimmermann Jonathanfr Jos Schmitz Joshuakirbens Joyce van Soest João Aender Jsalda Judit Dalla Karin Heyl Keqi La caperucita roja Lara Adler Lidiane Lizzy Lucio Gorla Ludvan Lukasz Palczewski MH Maciej Gowin Malgorzata Kopczynska Maltishah100 Marcel staron Marcobrey Marta Lempert Martin Funkhauser Martin Lind (Switzerland) Martina Rúčková Marvin B. Maryaton Mateusz Melinda Baumann MiIm Michael Ayers Michael anak Kenyalang Michal Kozok Michiel Dekker Mikal Ahmet Mikko Misswanderlust Monica66 Morodhi NataliaS Neil McPaul Nihal Ege Palka25 Pascal Cauliez Patrik Paul RYKEN ProZac34 Randi Thomsen Reisedachs Riccardo Quaranta Roel Sterken Roger Ourset Roman Bruehwiler Roman Raab SHIHE HUANG Sabrina Liebehentschel SaoDies Sazanami SeehooInterglobal Shaka_schulz Sharon M. Bressen Shep894 Shkedy_uri Slava Socon Sofia SJM Stanislaw Warwas StaziG Svein Elias Szucs Tamas Tamara Ratz Tangopium The Salmons Thomas van der Walt Tjagmax Tkinou Tony Hunt Triath Truls Brekke Uwebart Vanjavod Vlad Lesnikov Walter Weecheng Werner Huber Wolfgang Hlousa WolfgangHl Xavier b Yorch Zizmondka Zoë Sheng