Off of the Beaten Path in Vinales, Cuba
Discovering unique destinations like Vinales, Cuba often requires a bit of extra effort to get there. While Havana is a quick one-hour flight from Miami, Vinales is situated roughly a 2.5 to 3-hour drive from the Havana airport. I highly recommend staying a few days in this valley, declared a national monument of Cuba, to truly immerse yourself in its charm. Here is a great itinerary packed full of adventure and diverse experiences, perfect for maximizing your time while sticking to a reasonable travel budget.
A burning question for many Americans is — can you visit Cuba? The short answer is yes! With careful planning and adherence to specific United States government guidelines, it’s entirely possible for Americans to explore this captivating country. Learn more about navigating the requirements and regulations in my article: Americans Can Travel to Cuba Following Some Simple Rules.
These are my honest opinions and recommendations — I do not receive any compensation or discounts during our travel. This story may include affiliate links for which I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please click the links to support my blog.
How did I plan this itinerary?
Full credit for planning and booking this trip goes to Alexis at Riding Vinales. After online research and reading great reviews, I knew I wanted to book Alexis’ horseback riding tour. Since their website included links for lodging and activities, I inquired about booking those separately or through Riding Vinales. Alexis responded with a comprehensive itinerary, including tours, transportation, and lodging, all neatly packaged with pricing details. The option of ziplining was also offered, but given our amazing experiences on ziplines in Costa Rica and Guatemala, we opted to skip it.
Accommodations
Alexis arranged our lodging at Villa El Habano, nestled just on the outskirts of town — it was a gem! The villa’s six rooms offer a tranquil setting with a touch of seclusion, yet it’s just a quick walk to the local restaurants. Our simple three-person room had all the essentials we needed, including air conditioning, hot water, and a safe. The hosts were incredibly kind, helpful, and always had a smile. Additionally, Villa Habano can provide breakfast or dinner at a reasonable price if you are interested.
We checked exchange rates at a couple of places before arriving, and our hosts had a better or equal rate. We were surprised to find that using Cuban pesos instead of US dollars at restaurants was always a little less expensive.
Packing tips
Americans need to bring cash
This trip requires careful planning to determine how much cash to bring.
You can learn more about why in my article: Americans Can Travel to Cuba Following Some Simple Rules.
If you booked your lodging, tours, and accommodations ahead of time you already know how much cash to bring to pay for those. In addition, for three people and four days in Vinales, we exchanged $100 + $100 + $50 for food and tips. I also hid $150 USD in case of emergency. I budgeted about $300 more than that — Vinales was very affordable for us. Of course any trip expenses will depend on your tastes, needs, and wants.
Vinales Itinerary
Day 1 | Tour Havana
Schedule your flight to land early enough so you can check out the capitol city of Havana before heading westward to Vinales. To do this, I had to get creative with flights; we flew from Chicago to Miami and spent the night at a hotel near the Miami Airport.
We prearranged to have our driver drop us off to explore Havana on our own. We walked around for over an hour and saw a lot of the city + I bought some street art. We would have gotten more out of the experience with a guided tour, but I have a feeling we will be back some day.
It doesn’t look that far on a map, but it took over 2.5 hours to drive from Havanna to Vinales, Cuba due to the road conditions.
Day 2 | Five-hour horseback riding tour with Riding Vinales
This was a fantastic day in paradise! There are many horseback riding companies in the area, but look no further than Riding Vinales. Their communication during planning was excellent — in fact Alexi organized our entire vacation including tours, transfers, and accommodations. Enjoy the beauty of the valley with stops along the way to learn about the local farming, swim in a cave, tour a family-run tobacco farm, and enjoy a local meal. Fitz Bits Tip: Do not wear your favorite white t-shirt as it will get stained from the red mud!
Day 3 | Spend the day at the beach
It’s a long 1.5-2 hour drive each way due to the potholed roads, but it’s worth the effort to go to Cayo Jutias. The beach is absolutely beautiful, and I can’t imagine visiting an island without touching the water. Have a good breakfast because there is no place to get snacks, which is pretty much the norm in Cuba. There is a very casual open-air restaurant with fresh catch-of-the-day and a beautiful view of the ocean.
What to do? Walk for about an hour each way to find the starfish. You can also hire a boat from the beach, but we enjoyed the walk, which sometimes required walking through water to get around trees. You can bring a snorkel and mask, but the water is so clear that you can easily see these sea creatures. Then, relax in the beach chairs available to rent for a dollar or two.
Fitz Bits Tip: Bring a dry bag and pack some snacks from home.
Day 4 | Hike to see the sunrise and then explore on bike
It is an early 5 AM wake-up for an invigorating hike to catch the sunrise over this dramatic landscape. Truly magical. Your tour can include breakfast or not, but we enjoyed the experience.
You now have the full day ahead, so I suggest that you rent bikes and explore the area some more. We biked to a cave to the north with a quick tour, then headed back through town and biked south to see the Mural de la Prehistoria. Both have a fee of a dollar or two. We also splurged on a fantastic farm-to-table experience. The last stop was a bit of an uphill climb to the overlooks at the Los Jazmines Hotel and National Park building. It was a nice ending to complement our sunrise experience.
Other great places to discover while in Vinales, Cuba
It’s so much fun to see what’s around the corner or get lost when exploring a new area. While in town, find the local sports fields and once you do, continue down the dirt road to enjoy the views at the Los Senderos Restaurant. Look across the road for turkeys in the trees! Be careful about timing because there are no street lights.
Wander around town to find a restaurant with a view, such as Mogote Cafe.
Visited in November 2023
