Cuba Cross Over 2014 - Havana - Viñales | Tuesday, February 25 - 20km

Today we will make our way to the Viñales Valley. On our journey we will discover the tobacco plantations, fields of crops, and exclusive flora and fauna of unequalled beauty. Once arrived there we will prepare the bicycles for our first bicycle tour and to then continue our trip driving on narrow roads where we can admire the uniqueness of the surrounding landscape. After lunch and approximately 20 km tour, we will arrive at our hotel, which is located in a picturesque “Mogote” valley. Accommodation at the Hotel Rancho San Vincente. (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Trip Notes

 

Buffet breakfast again but I had just coffee, juice and a roll with butter. I had some success with the internet using a different computer and then checked out of the Hotel on to our bus loaded with bikes on one side, seats on the other.

We drove to Pinar del Rio and visited a cigar factory and then a rum factory followed by lunch at El Patenque. The first good meal - delicious barbecued chicken. We then took a short ride to Hotel Rancho San Vincente which will be home for 3 nights without internet!

 

 

 

 

I changed into bike gear and fitted my pedals on to a very strange bike which has one ring at the front and a “dual drive” system at the rear controlled by a sliding button between level downhill and uphill (which took me a while to work out) and by a twisting handlebar end similar to on motor bikes. Very unusual and took a bit of getting used to. In any event, we had a 20km circuit ride through nice tobacco countryside.

 

 

 

 

We got back to the hotel just after 6pm. Warmish shower and a rest was followed by dinner at 730. Very average… very salty beef.