02
Valle de Viñales
2 days
We leave in the morning with a driver arranged by our casa particular. On the highway to Viñales we see only a few cars. We share the road with horsedrawn carriages and bicycles. The houses here are simple one story buildings with shutters and a patio. The trees are ripe with mangoes.
Our casa particular offers a couple of hikes. We choose a guided sunset hike to the Valle de Silencio. Our guide points out epiphytic plants, cashew apples and lets us taste mango chupeta. Some of the houses we pass were destroyed during the previous hurricane season and never repaired.
On the farm we drink a Cuban mojito with the best honey I have ever tasted, collected from a wild bee’s nest by the farmer. The chickens roost in a bush when the sun goes down.
On the next day we hike to Los Acuáticos. Neat rural houses are nestled next to the mogotes. The red earth is ploughed by oxen. A kind dog accompanies us to the viewpoint from Los Acuáticos. This village was founded in 1943 by Antonia Izquierdo and her followers who believed in the healing powers of the local water. The isolated peasant community still follows the customs and beliefs.
For our final day in rural Cuba we want to experience the idyllic beaches. We set off to Cayo Jutías with a taxi driver that we arranged the day before. Two hours later we arrive on the island. There is a state-owned restaurant and some sun loungers for hire. We share the beach with just a handful of other tourists. As we walk along the mangroves and turquoise waters we come across a man looking for customers. He and his mates have caught lobsters and are grilling them on the beach a little further on. The smell and sight of the spontaneously set up barbecue wins us over. No lobster will ever surpass this.