Endless contrasts are found in one of the most interesting parts of Cuba: green mountains, crystal-clear waters and genuine very affectionate people.

The western part of Cuba is occupied by the province of Pinar del Río, from the social and ecological standpoints, this is one of the most interesting parts of Cuba. Since it is not far from Havana and is served by a well-structured highway thus becomes an attractive destination to discover.

The Kings of the Road To ride along Cuba can be easily a delight, since once one has gone out the cities, there is almost no traffic. Setting out of Havana, toward west, we can drive along Pinar del Río highway. We can start by visiting the interior of the western side of Cuba. The itinerary is: Soroa, Sierra del Rosario and Cabañas , a town of the north coast. Very soon the landscape is full of banana plantations, lime trees, distant hills, cigar warehouses, rice scattered all over to be dried at the edge of the road and palm trees. We are going to set out to Sierra del Rosario area, its almost blue mountains are immediately distinguished from the highway. Cars are merely seen and buses occasionally. The feeling drivers experiment is that they are the kings of the road when a full highway is all theirs. This is the case for many kilometers, but stop thinking this way because Cuba is also the kingdom of bicycle riders who are used to go at their own will and in addition to this, there are people who are dispersed on the road to get on the trucks, stopping in the midst of the road.

Candelaria Some 70 km away from Havana, I simply turns left and I get closer to a small village by the name of Candelaria. It cannot be said that is special, but it does have that "je ne sais quoi" of all Cuban villages. This is the night of Santa Bárbara- Shangó for the Afro-Cuban religion- and in all the quarters of the towns and villages, rituals are held. I approach the site where the blacks celebrate their Shangó, at the door of a house, the percussion group is performing a hot rhythm, sung in Yoruba language by the public chorus forming the circle and right in the center the dancers get into a trance. Then I was informed that in another place, a tall statue of Santa Bárbara (the size of a person) is found in an altar and I went to see it. The house is in complete silent and the luxurious altar is decorated with tulles. Before the Saint, many fruits are offered, pastries and a big cake. At midnight a girl is dressed like the Saint, all in red. The sleepy girl is kneeling before the Saint, doing what her mother promised to Santa Bárbara.

Soroa: Flowers and Water I drive to the close highway and then set out on the right toward Soroa, a tourist complex located in the heights of Sierra del Rosario. The road goes along very inclined sides of the hill, almost touching the top of red flamboyant trees and snow trees, thus called because it is full of white flowers in this season of the year. The tropical woods become thickest as we are getting into a natural reserve of great ecological attractions, that is why the site has been declared Reserve of the Biosphere by UNESCO. Later I visit the largest Cuban orchid garden, the guides report that hundreds of orchid types and many other kinds of plants are found at Soroa orchid garden. An unfortunate and painful love of a father is hidden behind this overwhelming vegetation and the magnificence of the landscape. The founder of all that was a wealthy Spaniard who decided to build in 1943 an exotic garden in honor to her late daughter who loved orchids. For him, every flower symbolized a breath of life he would have liked to give to her late daughter. Going up the road is the El Castillo de las Nubes (Cloud Castle). It is located in an amazing stone construction from which a beautiful view is seen. The sight is extended to the north all over the hill covered by palm trees and to the south along the savanna that borders the sea. On the other side of the small road the fall is found. Visitors should walk along the woods, going up hundred steps until reaching the highest part of the fall, we can see the 21-m fall of Manantiales River. After ten minutes more one can go down where a natural pool has been formed fit for swimming and from there the view of the fall is much more spectacular. The only hotel of this area is named Villa Horizontes Soroa (Phone: 85-2122/2041) with 49 rooms arranged in bungalows around a pool and ten houses, they all gathered in the bright nature of the place.

Sierra del Rosario The narrow street gets more and more into the mountains where the green color overwhelm the eyes. No doubt that the queen of the landscape is the royal palm, a part of the Cuban coat-of-arms, the plant reaches over 20 m high. A little farther I see a sign that reads La Hacienda. This is a refurbished hut turned into a rustic restaurant. No telephone is available, but as the site depends on Moka Hotel, whose phone number is 33 5516, there is a possibility to reserve. The food is good and if coconut dessert was made, you are lucky. Las Terrazas is a small village situated six kilometers farther. All their inhabitants in different ways make a living on ecological tourism. Moka Hotel is the pride of the area, so perfectly well integrated to nature that its structure leaves holes due to the tall trees that keep on being developed among its walls: roofs from which trees tops are seen, windows through which a branch enters... The hotel is located at the top of the hill and at the background appears an idyllic valley with small rivers and lakes and ravines. Someone told me about a ravine that is so beautiful or by far more beautiful than Soroa fall, the name is Charco Azul which goes down small falls by steps until the last one forms a magnificent pool to swim. Again on the road towards the north, we set out to Cabañas.

Cabañas It has an interesting bag-shaped bay full of cays and a beautiful Caribbean beach. The bay has very wild areas with extensive mangroves. A small motor boat can be rented with a guide that may take us to little islands and will also make us tour around the mangroves. The beach is located at 8 km from town, the name is Herradura (Horseshoe) Beach, because of its shape, the mouth is protected by a coral reef. On this same route of the beach, at the exit of the town, the sugar mill is situated with its own railways to pick up the sugar cane from the wagons and transferred them to the mill. The locomotives are truly relics that are by themselves a railroad museum, machines that were made at the beginning of the century that are still running. Opposite the sugar mill, we can see a set of wooden houses, this was the slave quarters where still their descendants live in their ancestors’ houses and thanks to this, they are still standing. Kids realized that that I’m taking pictures of them and this made them follow me. I look like Hamelin flautist. I like they follow me they are funny and behave well.