The elderly say that if you sit at the edge of the Guanahacabibes Ridge when the evening closes in, you can hear the whisper of the sun as it touches the sea. They also say you must be very quiet to hear that sound. Complete silence can do the trick because nothing else disturbs the absolute calmness of the place. Every now and then, you can capture the hiss of a grasshopper that points its feelers above corals, or perhaps the traipsing pace of a hawk-billed turtle looking for a space in the sand to hatch its eggs. Over there, where the island of Cuba begins, there’s complete peace.

The legend of the sun that drowns in the sea goes a long way back to the times of Cuba’s first islanders. The Guanahatabeyes –their dregs are still being traced by archeologists- dwelt in this part of the island nation. They stretched out their domains to other parts of the country, especially the territory that now comprises western Cuba.

It’s been a long time since this portion of Cuba was named “Guaniguanico Point,” “the Country of the Guanahatabeyes,” “Leeward,” “Vueltabajo,” or “Vuelta Abajo.” The history of the Pinar del Rio province harks back to 1774, when the town of Guane was founded by Spanish conquistadors as the Government of the New Philippine.

However, it wasn’t until 1878 –following a long wandering around a number of different locations before colonizers agreed to unify the three jurisdictions- that the territory was eventually called Pinar del Rio.

Abutting Havana –the island nation’s capital- to the east, surrounded by the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the north, and the warm Caribbean Sea to both the south and the west –just a few miles away from the Yucatan Peninsula-Pinar, as its residents simply call it, packs 10,931 square kilometers worth of amazing natural, socio-cultural and economic values that singles out the territory. A mountain range runs through the whole province.

The rich endemic flora and wildlife, its medicinal waters, some of the country’s largest caves, breathtaking valleys dotted with round-top hills, the fertile region of Vuelta Abajo –home to the world’s finest tobacco- gorgeous waterfalls, and beaches teeming with coral reefs are simply astounding sights. In addition, the region is blessed with a huge assortment of renowned artists, scientists, patriots and public figures hailing from this neck of the woods. Picture-perfect towns and cities, two Biosphere Reserves and a World Cultural Landscape –both proclaimed by UNESCO- a couple of national parks, several national monuments, as well as a vast complement of cultural and heritage expressions, make up a melting pot of lights and colors too hard to beat elsewhere under the sun. It’s simply impossible to make a list of the many wonders Pinar del Rio has to offer. But if you happen to go there, there are some must-sees you ought to swing by.

Vuelta Abajo

Given the fertility of its soils, the Vuelta Abajo plains are the perfect kingdom for the growth of tobacco, especially in the plantations of San Juan y Martinez, San Luis, Pinar del Rio and Guane. Those lands account for nearly 80 percent of Cuba’s major Habano brands in the market today.

That’s the place where dry tobacco leaves are taken to cigar factories and workshops to conclude a masterpiece that begins in the furrows. Visitors are given the chance to take a firsthand look at the entire process. The island nation’s landmark cigar brands are all linked to tobacco leaves grown and harvested in Pinar del Rio: Partagas, Hoyos de Monterrey, Montecristi, Punch, Bolivar, Rafael Gonzalez, Por Larrañaga, all the way to such celebrated newcomer as Cohiba, now celebrating its

This place is home to the Dos Hermanas (Two Sisters) Valley, crowned by the Pita and Santero round-top hills and their Prehistory Mural. A little bit farther up the hills, you get to Los Acuaticos, a community that still clings to its own traditions and believes pure water off the spring is the only medicine they can possibly get. The picturesque town of Viñales –founded in 1879- boasts the Tobacco Grower’s House, a place where El Niño, a larger-than-life character, is always willing to jaw it up with visitors about the toilsome art of tobacco cultivation.

And if you like delving into the mysteries of the depths, the region is home to Cuba’s largest caves, like Palmarito, Sierra Guasasa and the Santo Tomas Grand Cavern, where you’ll also enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience of taking a swim in an underground river and a lake.

Las Terrazas

If you’re looking for pure nature at its best, then you’ll have to start your grand tour around Pinar from the easternmost tip of the Sierra del Rosario mountains range (World Biosphere Reserve). Las Terrazas community came into being in 1971 in an effort to build some sort of urban paradise that melts into the surrounding ecosystems.

Home to 19th-century’s French-owned coffee plantations, the notes of a piano are still overheard among the silent ruins of the Buenavista Coffee Farm. Chirping birds and roaring rivulets dominate the air at the Bayate River and San Juan Medicinal Baths.

And if you’re looking for a good rest, there’s nothing better in the vicinity than La Moka, a peculiar hotel woven in the middle of the trees. Don’t miss out on stopping at El Romero ecological restaurant, La Fonda de Mercedes, the Maria Café or El Cusco Bazaar, the studios of Jorge Suporte, Lester Campa and Ariel, and the Fernando Borrego Linares Museum, the real name of late Cuban crooner Polo Montañez, who cut his musical teeth in this house.

Soroa Nicknamed “Cuba’s Rainbow” for the light reflexes that glow off a lovely waterfall, this is the right place to be in touch with nature. The characteristics of its relieve, its rivers and flora keep this location under the constant influence of a mild, nice microclimate. The 27-square-kilometer area of forestcarpeted hills, valleys and watercourses is famous for its springs of medicinal waters that go as far back as the 19th century. The orchid breeding ground perched on the north hillside of the Fuerte Peak, in Rancho Pilila, is equally known worldwide. The place harbors 850 orchid species –ninety from Cuba- and a grand total of 10,000 different plants. The founder was Canary-born lawyer Tomas Felipe Camacho, a Spanish migrant who settled down in Cuba and made friends with American Nobel-winning writer Ernest Hemingway. Guanahacabibes and Maria La Gorda.

The Guanahacabibes Peninsula National Park –an aboriginal name that could be rendered in as the place where iguanas live- was a hideout sought after by pirates and corsairs. The place is jam-packed with all kinds of legends about vessels that sank off the shores and fabulous treasures buried in the sand.

Declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, the location features colorful sea bottoms brimming with abundant marine life and unique species. A beach crowned by high-valued natural scenery, like Maria La Gorda –located in the Corrientes Cove, just 14 kilometers from La Bajada- is home to one of the best and most coveted international scuba diving centers in Cuba and in the region.

The Colorados Archipelago

It’s up to the north and makes up a spectacular array of 160 keys and islets that runs for some 205 kilometers. The coral reef is a must-see, especially for those who’d love to watch a variety of coral species. There are superb beaches like Jutia, Ines de Soto, Levisa and Megano de Casiguas, among others.

The coral-laden sea bottoms harbor a multitude of marine life species, such as shellfish, mollusks, motley fish, dolphins and Her Majesty the lobster –nicknamed the Caribbean Queen. Levisa Key provides an excellent scuba diving site. This islet is 45 kilometers off the north coast of Palma Rubia and Viñales, 72 kilometers away from Las Terrazas and stands at a three-hour drive from Havana. In its vast territory, Pinar del Rio has all of the above.

From nature quietness to frolicking nights. The point is that after driving for a few miles to the setting sun, you can shut yourself off from reality and dive lock, stock and barrel into a genuine earthly paradise that’s waiting just for you. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and steal a long look at it yourself. I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you.

Rich endemic flora and wildlife, its medicinal waters, some of the country’s largest caves, breathtaking valleys dotted with round-top hills, the fertile region of Vuelta Abajo –home to the world’s finest tobacco- gorgeous waterfalls, and beaches teeming with coral reefs are simply astounding sights that make up a melting pot of lights and colors too hard to beat elsewhere under the sun.