How unfair that they are known as Havana cigars all over the world when they should be really called Pinar del Río cigars, since it is in the province of Pinar del Río where the finest tobacco in the world is grown. The most coveted cigars are made from it. The colonization of Cuba started by the East. That is why the Western part was kept untouched longer and still has a virgin nature with an indigenous flora and fauna in most of the area.

To know Cuba in depth, it is convenient to follow a highway that crosses the country. This is a leading line to go deeper into its interior reality. When you leave Havana, you will be immersed in a landscape of sugar cane fields and Royal palm trees. Driving on a quiet highway, we will march towards the West to the old region of Vuelta Abajo. We will pass Soroa "the rainbow of Cuba", located within Sierra del Rosario, which has been declared Reserve of the Biosphere by UNESCO. Further up, the highway continues through the plateau called "Alluvial Plateau of Pinar del Río". The soil contains clay and is covered by original vegetation where the palmas barrigonas (big-bellied palms) stand out. The crops vary and the first tobacco plantations and the first drying houses appear.

Pinar del Río City Shortly, we will be in Pinar del Río, capital of the province with the same name. The first thing we find is the Hotel Pinar del Río. It is a building with air-conditioned rooms and bungalows. All tourists are taken to see the Francisco Donatien Cigar Factory, on 157 Maceo Street. Its brand name is VEGUEROS. Other well known brandnames are Cohiba, Partagás, etc., and 24 other brands among the most distinguished ones in the world. A total of 350 people work manufacturing this product. It is completely hand-made. A 70% of the labor is women producing between 12,000 and 15,000 cigars a day (each worker makes 100 to 150 cigars daily). The typical liqueur is Guayabita del Pinar. The "guayabitas" are little fruits a bit bigger than a bean that grow wild in the surroundings. They are used to aromatize the alcoholic beverage manufactured in two varieties: sweet and dry. The taste is similar to cognac. Bailen Beach is the beach closest to Pinar at 20 km. Just before Bailen, to the right, you will see a sign indicating the Cocodrilera Sabanalamar (Sabanalamar's Crocodile Center). It is a facility for the ecological breeding of crocodiles. Whoever dares to do it, the wardens can teach them how to grab them so they won't bite. You may then take a picture that will prove you were in an exotic country with a crocodile in your hands. There is an interesting hotel on the road to the beach. It is a house from the 19th century called Sabanalamar, which has been restored and dedicated to a type of ecological tourism. From this place you may go for a horse ride or a walk, go fishing or tour the Tobacco Route. Another place in the countryside is "La Guabina". It has four air-conditioned rooms. It is located at a detour of km 9 of Luis Lazo road. Pure blood horses are bred in the vicinity in an area of soft hills, full of forests. You may fish, ride horses, and hike. Both hotels belong to Alcona, an ecological tourist chain. Pedro Luis Hernández masterfully manages them.

Sites for Leisure The most animated site for leisure in Pinar is "Rumayor" cabaret and restaurant. It is on Viñales Road, Km. 1. The restaurant has capacity for 115 people. The Afro-Cuban decoration and a cuisine with moderate prices make it quite interesting. There is a group of three musicians singing at dinnertime. The cabaret under the stars opens Tuesday through Sunday, just like the famous Tropicana in Havana. The vegetation is used for the stage setting. The show is being taken good care of. They are currently presenting "Sabor Tropical" (Tropical Taste) with well-known artists such as Ana Fernández, Daniuska Molano or Iliana Castillo, with artistic direction and choreography of Francisco Álvarez "Pachi". The show is nice but the ambiance is interesting too because the public is purely Cuban. Café Pinar, on Velez Cabiedes road, is another busy place after 10:00 p.m. at night when a small show starts. A new luxury restaurant has been placed in an adjacent room with a menu of seafood and fresh fish.

Viñales Valley The name Pinar del Río comes from the many Pine Forests in the area and because Guamá River crosses the city. Back to the road, we will enter into the mountains with frequent curves. The road is well paved and it was recently paved and restored. We will find a landscape that has been photographed hundreds of times and it has been seen in lots of posters but it is much more impressive to see it with your own eyes. It was Fidel Castro who, impressed with the wonderful natural scenery he could see from this hill during his visit on August 59, decided to build the first hotel in the site. It would be called Los Jazmines. The following year, the hotel was already built in a style that resembles a colonial mansion, with a pool and a look-out located in one of the most privileged sites of Cuba. The population of Viñales, seen from Los Jazmines, is part of the landscape. This small town was founded in 1789. Anchored in time, there are provisions to preserve the 18th century colonial ambiance in the village. The most ancient and beautiful house in town is the House of Don Tomás. It was built in 1822. It has been transformed into a magnificent restaurant. The special plate is a delicious stew called "Delicias de Don Tomás". It is made with rice cooked in a clay pot with lobster, fish, pork, chicken and sausage.

Among the Hills We will continue to the end of the town towards the Viñales Caves, starting a tour by the Sierra de los Órganos, along the beautiful valleys locked within the hills. We will cross Puerta de Ancón, communicating the valleys of Viñales and Guasasa. At the beginning of this last valley, to the left, we will find the "Palenque de los Cimarrones". It happens that as in other many hills, there is a natural cave that crosses the hill from end to end. The first entrance hole is so big that a bar has been put inside with a show area. The show starts every night at 10:00 p.m. On the other side, there is a restaurant decorated with an African style. The special is Pinar-style roasted pork. The whole area has been given a cultural-ecological turn. The visitor is told the story of the runaway slaves. The tour starts at a sugar mill from the 19th century (sugar cane press), then they are taken through the conditioned natural cave and finally, there is a show on the runaway slaves' culture. All this in a remarkable ecological ambiance. Further on we find the valley of the "Ruiseñor" (Nightingale), a destination of numerous tourist buses who go visiting the Indian Cave. The first 250 m of the illuminated cave are toured by foot and the remaining 300 m, on a boat. Back to Viñales we will find another version of the Dos Hermanas Valley (Two Sisters) where we will see the famous Prehistorical Mural. Using the vertical walls of the hill, the Cuban artist Leovigildo González painted a big mural 120 m wide and 80 m high during the 60s. The geological and evolutionary history of the Sierra de los Órganos is represented on the mural. These are limestone hills dating back from the Jurassic and the erosion has rounded them. Sierra de los Órganos has the biggest caves in the island. Of all the caves, the cave of Santo Tomás is the longest of Cuba and the third of Latin America. It is 45 km long with seven different levels. It is located in Moncada Community.

Cayo Jutía If we keep driving to Minas de Matahambre, passing this town, we will arrive to Cayo Jutía, a beautiful beach of white sands and clear waters in a thousand shades of blue. The island is so close to the land that a road has been built into the sea. Mountain range ends in Guane. From this point, we will go back to Pinar touring the tobacco region of Vuelta Abajo, passing the main town, San Juan y Martínez. Most of the fertile soils in Pinar are used to cultivate tobacco. According to the season, you will see the farmers carrying out different activities: in August, land preparation; in October or November, plantation; in February, harvesting, between March and April, fermentation and drying of the leaves. Pinar del Río is located on the East side of the country with lots of attractions for visitors and is one of the most interesting destinations to be discovered.