Sandino: Nature at the Visitor Centre

The Guanahacabibes National Park Visitor Centre is located in La Bajada, Sandino. Its offerings include hiking, birdwatching and contemplative diving. This brings together different interests in nature: walking, observing birds and a contemplative underwater perspective. For trip planning, this provides a specific local focus without combining the three activities into a single experience.

The wider destination of Pinar Del Río

The wider destination of Pinar Del Río includes other nature and cultural themes. On the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, visitors can hike the Del Bosque al Mar and Cueva las Perlas trails, as well as take an excursion to Cabo de San Antonio. These are three named ways to explore the peninsula on foot; check the current access to the trails locally. Guanahacabibes has been a UNESCO-recognised Biosphere Reserve since 1987. The peninsula encompasses Guanahacabibes National Park, which includes the Cabo Corrientes and El Veral nature reserves, established in 1963. In the wider destination of Pinar Del Río, Guanahacabibes with its protected areas and the karst landscape of the Viñales Valley with its cultural landscape offer distinct focal points.

Karst Landscape and Cultural Heritage in the Viñales Valley

Another landscape in the wider destination of Pinar Del Río is the Viñales Valley. Viñales is considered the karst capital and has more than 300 caves. The Great Cave of Santo Tomás is part of the Viñales cave system and is considered the largest cave in Cuba and the second-largest in Latin America. Viñales National Park was declared Cuba’s first Geopark because of its remarkable geological heritage and unique ecosystem within the island’s geography. This brings together the karst landscape and caves with a designation whose stated reasons relate specifically to geological heritage and the ecosystem. Viñales is home to 960 plant species, including 305 endemic species.

The cultural landscape of the Viñales Valley is also a focal point in its own right. It preserves traditional farming methods, particularly tobacco cultivation, as well as the regionally characteristic architecture of farms and villages. Cultural traditions also include crafts and music. Agriculture and architecture offer two distinct insights into the cultural landscape’s inherited characteristics: its cultivation methods and the built design of farms and villages. The valley is also home to the Mural of Prehistory and the Archaeological Museum at Camping Dos Hermanas; both are visitor attractions.

The Tobacco Route in Pinar Del Río passes through centuries-old tobacco culture, from cultivation and processing to the production of Cuban cigars. As a visitor experience, it therefore has a different focus from the hiking trails and cultural attractions mentioned in the Viñales Valley. Check the route’s current availability before travelling.

Discover more destinations: María La Gorda

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