After our first three nights in Havana I was keen to set off again and arrive at our next destination: Viñales. This sleepy little town consists of a single road lined with colourful houses that trails off into the green mountains, or
mogotes, that this part of Cuba is famous for. Horses clop along pulling carts of onions, chickens scratch in the rust-red dust and cowboys in wide brimmed hats call to each other across the fields. Compared to the heaving Havana, life here was positively in slow motion with nothing to do but wake up in the morning to the glorious sunrise, swig a glass of ice cold guava juice, don your cowboy hat and set off for a day of horseriding in Viñales!
The view from the terrace of our lovely casa particular:
We were picked up bright and early and dropped off a little way into the mountains where we met our guide Andres and our horses for the day. Mulatto, Caramelo and Chocolate were our transport for the rest of the trip and were great. Mulatto did get a bit hungry so kept sneaking bites of foliage as we trotted along and also seemed to have a bit of a superiority complex needing to be leading us at all times...actually Mulatto was a bit of a handful...but a lovely horse nonetheless.
The views of the mountains with the lush fields and bright orange earth were gorgeous and at times it was like being on the set of jurassic park.
We passed through fields of maize and sugar cane while bananas, guava, mango, avocado, coffee beans and a kind of purple sweet potato called patata americana or malaca grew alongside the path. Arriving at a small thatched hut Andres lead us inside to meet the tobacco farmers who showed us how they harvest the tobacco, prepare it and roll it into cigars.
Next stop was a cave full of squawking chickens and rock formations that the enthusiastic guide was certain looked like "an elephant! a crocodile and the queens head!"
Although we set off as early as possible to avoid the midday heat, after 3 hours we were ready for a rest and a cool off. The horses were lead into the shade of a large tree and we ran down to the edge of a mountain lake for a swim in the still water.
Tiny yellow water lilies bobbed around our heads and trails of silver bubbles gave away the shoals of little fish that nibbled at our toes. Once out of the water and dried off we came across this little lizard who was hopping all over us trying to catch the flies attracted by the horses and mud on our shoes.
Ready to go we swung back up into the saddle heading for the next stop on our journey; a coffee plantation nearby.
As Andres showed us into the plantation another man hailed him and, smiling, passed a tiny puppy into his tanned weatherbeaten arms. We were shown how the coffee is ground and stored ready for shipment.
We drank rum and lemon cocktails and danced salsa under the shade of a large thatched hut in the centre of the plantation.
After the fun was over the horses started the last leg of the journey back to our casa. On the way we came across some of the locals in their bright vintage cars.
That night, aching but happy after our long day, we sat in rocking chairs on the terrace while ghostly green glow bugs floated between the trees and shooting stars zipped overhead. The only sounds were the crickets, the howling of the occasional dog and the soft snorting of the horses in the field opposite. I decided I really quite liked Viñales.
If you too fancy a day pretending to be a cowboy surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in Cuba it couldn't be easier to organise. Just mention it to the owner of your casa once you arrive and they'll be sure to call and arrange it for you whenever you like. Have you been to Cuba? What was your favourite moment from your trip? Comment below!
