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On the Trails of Viñales

TEXT AND PHOTOS: DENY EXTREMERA AND EXCELENCIAS ARCHIVE

THE ROADS AND TRAILS IN VIÑALES ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO THE NATURE-LOVING TRAVELER, CURIOUS AND RESPECTFUL OF THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE. THE CREATION OF A GEOPARK REINFORCES THE VOCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM, INCORPORATES THE CONCEPT OF GEODIVERSITY AND ATTRACTIVE GEOROUTES. UNDERSTANDING THE ORIGIN OF THE MOGOTES AND THEIR VEGETATION WILL DEEPEN THE EXPERIENCE

The main attraction of Viñales is its unique relief of conical faces or towers (the world famous mogotes), with similar formations only reported in China and Vietnam.

When arriving from the city of Pinar del Río, the traveler first encounters the Viñales Valley from the viewpoint of the Los Jazmines Hotel.

A Natural World Heritage Site since 1999, the valley is an iconic image, but only a part of this vast region, where the 150 km² Viñales National Park has been operating since 2000.

There are many sites with breathtaking views, such as La Ermita (a wide panoramic view of the town and the valley), the rustic and elevated viewpoint of the Raíces Project, on the Viñales-El Moncada road, or the area of Los Acuáticos if you take georoute 7 (The hidden face of the valley).

You can walk, ride or cycle along roads and trails in the area, very safe, full of landscapes for nature lovers and photography. There is always a café, a bar, a rustic and comfortable ranchón or the portal of a bohío among the mogotes

to stop and enjoy lunch or a snack and a refreshing drink.

The national park offers hikes and trails (2.6 to 12 km, 2 to 7 hours, low to high degrees of complexity, sturdy shoes and light clothing required) with specialized guides and itineraries that include forests, agro-ecological farms, abras and mogotes, natural viewpoints, fauna and flora observation, karst valleys, caves and rivers.

Canopy, speleotourism, sharing with farmers, navigating the subway section of the San Vicente River through the Cueva del Indio Cave, appreciating stalactites and stalagmites, columns and mantles, or birdwatching are other options in the region, internationally known for its climbing values.

VIÑALES GEOPARK

At the end of 2021, the first geopark in Cuba was created in Viñales. It covers 283.95 km² and includes the national park. Fifty-seven geosites (sites of geological

interest) have been identified there, including ten of international, 23 national, 18 regional and six local relevance.

The 10 proposed georoutes (duration 2.5-6.5 hours, low to medium-low complexity) go through valleys, sierras and abras, mogotes and caves, with interpretive stops. They allow us to appreciate rare geological formations, interior landscapes that we would not otherwise see, rock art and fossils, sinkholes, sinkholes, dolines and subway rivers.

One of the geosites of international relevance is west of the Viñales Valley, near the community of El Moncada: a rocky outcrop with the most complete record in Cuba (anomalous values of iridium; spherules, unique to asteroid bodies, and impacted quartz) of the impact of the great meteorite that 65 million years ago caused

The relief of Viñales was formed by the erosion of carbonate or limestone rocks and, at the same time, upward tectonic movements. To date, in the Sierra de los Órganos, part of whose territory the geopark occupies, more than 350 km of galleries in cave systems have been identified

You can walk, ride or cycle along roads and trails in the area, very safe, full of

landscapes

the extinction of the dinosaurs and 70% of the species on Earth.

In El Moncada you can access the Gran Caverna de Santo Tomás (46 km of galleries in seven mapped levels, both dry and with subway rivers), open to tourism in an itinerary through its level 6, the Cueva de las Avispas, with spacious rooms and mouths that allow you to contemplate the landscape of hummocks.

Another relevant cave system is NovilloPalmarito, where the river of the same name flows, with more than 50 km of mapped galleries, which can also be visited with specialized guides from the national park and the geopark.

The relief of Viñales was formed by the erosion of carbonate or limestone rocks and, at the same time, upward tectonic movements. To date, in the Sierra de los Órganos, part of whose territory the geopark occupies, more than 350 km of galleries in cave systems have been identified.

The geography of this nature destination includes the Guasasa, Chichones, Viñales, del Medio, Ancón, del Infierno, San Vicente, Tumbadero and Derrumbada mountain ranges; valleys such as Jutía, Viñales, Penitencia, Ancón, La Costanera, del Silencio and Palmarito, dozens of archeological sites and several fossiliferous deposits.

In the evening many go to cafes, bars and restaurants in town, after a day of life in nature, perhaps already thinking about the adventure they will undertake the next day.

Sumario

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2022-05-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://revistasexcelencias.pressreader.com/article/282943863837104

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