Viñales, Cuba

Viñales was probably my favorite part of our trip to Cuba. This mountainous town in the western region of the island is a welcomed change of pace from Havana. Their economy thrives off of tobacco, fruits, coffee and tourism.

We rented a room at Casa la Aurora through Air BnB. The house was in a quaint residential neighborhood, amidst a row of colorfully painted houses. Our host Aurora welcomed us warmly. As was customary, she took down our passport info and led us to our room adjacent to the house. She gave us a few ground rules, which included not bringing any “boys” over (lol) and showed us to the lovely porch where we’d be eating breakfast for the next few days.

After the introduction, my best friend and I wasted no time in exploring and taking pictures. We ended up at a mediocre Trip Advisor rated restaurant that I can’t even remember the name of (don’t be fooled!) and headed home for an early night’s sleep.

In the morning, we woke up to a breakfast prepared lovingly by Aurora and then headed to the meeting place for the $10 horseback riding excursion we booked through Air BnB Experiences. This was extra adventurous of me given that I’ve never been on a horse and have been afraid of them since I was little. But when in Cuba….! My horse was a sassy young fellow, aptly name “Tequila”. It was meant to be!

The day was amazing. Our group of 4 trotted through the hills of Viñales, stopping for a guava rum tasting and a lesson on cigar rolling. We spent the entire day exploring the hillside on our horses and it was grand. Highly recommend!