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The province of Pinar del Rio has the deserved reputation
of being the most beautiful in Cuba, it is also the region
where the country's, and arguably the world's, finest
tobacco is grown.
One of the characteristics that makes
Pinar del Rio different of the rest of the Cuba is the
preponderance of fertile valleys, called hoyos, and the
mogotes which much are essentially flat-topped buttes made
of limestone and peppered by caverns and subterranean
rivers.
Along the coast there are excellent yacht
anchorages, clear waters,spectacular corals and great
expanses of empty white-sand beaches.
Also scenes of oxen tilling red-earth
fields and cowboy peasants, called guajiros, on horseback,
are commonplace.
Pinar del Rio City:
The area has a good reputation for the
production of high-quality ceramics and woven work and it is
famous his Neoclassical buildings. Although there is a fair
amount of traffic and activity on the streets, the city
gives the impression of being geographically isolated as
well as a little behind the times.
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Among the main places to visit are the Provincial Museum of the
History of Pinar del Rio, Museum of Natural Sciences, Tobacco Museum
and Calle Jose Marti.
Vinales:
It is famed for its mogotes, large limestone
formations which date back to the Jurassic period, is one of the
most beautiful spots in Cuba.
This villagey town is surprisingly spruce, with a
fetching arcaded main street and lovely rustic scenes down the back
lanes, the tranquility of the place and the friendliness of the
local people are as seductive as the scenery, there are walks to do,
horses to hire and tobacco farms and caves to visit.
Soroa:
The big attractions of this town are the nearby
botanical gardens which contain an excellent orchidarium, home to
more than 700 different types of orchild. The surrounding
countryside is lush, hilly and very pleasant to wander around.
For those into birdwatching, there are several
viewing stations dotted around, for photographers, the area can
affords a good opportunity for fauna and flora shots.
San Juan y Martinez:
Amid fields of big green leaves ripening in the
sun and plantations covered incanvas sheets for the all-important
cigar-wrapper leaves stand gorgeous wooden barns called casas del
tabaco. Here leaves are hung on poles with a needle and thread to
turn from green to brown.
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