Viñales village is located in the beautiful Parque Nacional de Viñales in the Pinar del Rio province and is a prime stopping off point for most travelers on the beaten tourist trail.
This rustic little town has become important mainly due to its quite spectacular and unusual karst scenery which dominates the local landscape. Giant limestone mogotes rise out of the ground, drawing hikers, climbers and geologists alike to the area. The limestone also means that caves are a common feature in this area, the most visited being Cueva del Indio. Tobacco fields abound in the lower ground, with farmers in the fields harvesting the crops using equipment and methods as they have for decades. The tobacco is then dried out in unusual thatched farming buildings.

A visit to the town itself is like a step back in time, with a very slow pace of life and the tobacco industry and tourism making up a good portion of the economy. Horses and carts and stray dogs are as common as the old fashioned pre 1960s American cars. The town is characterised by colorful one-story houses in blue, green, yellow, pink and other pastel shades.

In Viñales, you will find something of the real Cuba and experience Cuban life face-to-face. It is easy to orientate yourself in this tiny town. Most of the town is on a grid system. There aren’t a vast array of traveler services here, but you can find an Etecsa office, offering Internet services, a couple of banks on the main strip and a pharmacy close to the plaza. There is also a post office. Tour companies line the main street where the Viazul bus drops you and you will find touts here, keen to sell you horse riding and hiking trips using private guides.

The town offers activities sufficient for a stay of a couple of days. You can find good hiking and climbing opportunities that take in the splendid local scenery close up. There are also a variety of different things to see and do, not limited to a bus trip around the valley that can drop you off to visit to the Cueva del Indio, the Mural de Prehistoria and at a number of viewing points to get good shots of the mogotes. There is also a stop at a tobacco farm, for those with an interest in this industry. If you have time, there’s also the Museo Municipal and the Jardin Botanico, not spectacular sights in and of themselves, but worth a stop if you have the time.

Accommodation in this area is mainly in Casa Particulares, of which there are reported to be somewhere in the region of 400. This becomes apparent when you get off your bus and the owners are mobbing you to get you to stay the night at their place. In addition there are a few high-end hotels, with great views over the unusual landforms of the area.

Restaurants are limited in number and in value. Most people eat in their Casas or hotels, simply because the food is often cheaper and much better there. This is particularly true of the Casas.