Tourism in Cuba

Pinar del Rio

The most western of the Cuban regions, is the tobacco zone par excellence of the island, besides to have countless natural beauties, among them the Colorados archipelago- a 200 km coral barrier-, numerous beautiful and little visited keys - as San Felipe and La Vigia-, and natural and artificial lakes, between which it excels the one of Cuyaguateje. The Guaniguanico mountain range occupies most of its territory. The province has two zones declared by the UNESCO as "Natural Reserve of the Biosphere", zones that shelter native animal and plant species: the Rosario mountain range and the peninsula of Guanahacabibes. It’s in this peninsula that is located the beach of Maria la Gorda, paradise for the diving lovers.

The Vuelta Abajo region is the greater tobacco producer of the world. In the municipalities of Consolación del Sur, San Juan and Martinez, Pinar del Rio and San Luis Guane are the highest quality tobacco leaves, destined to the export. The coffee production, introduced in the 19th century in Rosario mountain range by the French, fell in declivity by the expansion of the sugar cane production, much more lucrative. In the San Cristóbal, Candelaria, Bahía Honda y Viñales counties there is still an impressive landscape formed by some coffee plantations.

Now the province has become a paradise for the rural tourism lovers. Hiking, fishing, hunting and even speleology are the activities that can be practiced by the traveller. Are very famous the San Diego bath, in the locality of the same name, a thermal centre with a reputation that goes back to the 18th century. Without any doubt one of the symbols of Pinar del Río is the valley of Viñales, in the Organos mountain range, characterized by its relief filled with carstics formations.