TopFlight-Travel.com
  • Home
  • Warm
  • Cold
  • Budget
  • Luxury Travel
  • Unique
  • Festive
  • Food & Drink
  • Destinations
  • Travel Ideas
No Result
View All Result
TopFlight-Travel.com
  • Home
  • Warm
  • Cold
  • Budget
  • Luxury Travel
  • Unique
  • Festive
  • Food & Drink
  • Destinations
  • Travel Ideas
No Result
View All Result
TopFlight-Travel.com
No Result
View All Result
Home Destinations

Tips When Climbing in ViƱales, Cuba

Gemma Marks by Gemma Marks
ViƱales cuba

I went to Cuba in March 2018, and one of the stops had to be ViƱales.

Affiliate Disclaimer: Our blog posts may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we receive a modest commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions help us fund our team of travel writers, allowing us to continue providing you with the latest travel news, tips, and inspiration. Your support keeps this blog alive and thriving, and we appreciate it immensely. Thank you!

Cuba has a relatively new climbing scene. Most of the action happens in ViƱales, about 3 hours from Havana.

ViƱales Valley is the Unesco World Heritage site and is best known for limestone hills called mogotes.

The legality of climbing in Cuba used to be complicated and confusing. Officially, access to the mountains was only allowed with the state guides, but in reality, police didn’t cause too much trouble to the foreigners, but they could cause problems to the local climbers.

If the police were in the mountains, Raul Reyes, whose plantation is on the way to most of the climbing routes, would call the climbers with a tip-off and stay away that day. He is very respected by the local climbers.

These days, the state finally accepted climbing as a sport (small steps, but they even started thinking about indoor building places), and local climbers have been asked to help develop the sport further. So I guess climbing making it to the Olympics finally caused the change.

There is still a scarcity of bolts – so there is only that many routes there. If you want to help, there is info on the cubaclimbing website.

Getting from ViƱales to climbing places

Mogotes are just north of ViƱales to walk there in 10 to 15 minutes from the main street.

Look out for Raul Reyes Finca and take a turn there: to get to most of the climbing routes, you have to go through Raul’s tobacco plantation.

Raul also has a restaurant where you can eat, drink, relax in a hammock and meet fellow climbers if you want to find a climbing partner for a day. He is likely to come over and introduce himself to you. I guess he is still treating the climbers as those young kids in trouble he used to protect not so long time ago.

The rest of the walk to the climbing spots is pleasant and relatively short, with excellent views.

Scenic Landscape With Little House in Mountains, Cuba, Vinales Valley

Climbing in Ensenada de Raul

The mogotes rock is hard limestone. It’s pretty spiky, so that you will get a lot of micro-cuts and micro punctures. But it’s an excellent rock to climb on.

I had two days of climbing. We had eight climbers (and two instructors) on the first day, and the routes were relatively easy 4s and 5s in the Ensenada De Raul area. After that, we had six different routes to try: good warm-up and introduction to mogotes.

Don’t forget mosquito repellent!

We climbed three walls, first with two straightforward walls [grade 4], then Punta Repaso with three pleasant climbs (El Puso el Bolt, Ojos Carmelitas and El Repaso). To finish the day, we moved to another wall (Muralla Pitu), 2 minutes walk to the left, and climbed Mojaita).

And then, to finish the day off, we had beer and tacos back at Raul Reyes farm and went for dinner and churros to the town centre.

Climbing in Cueva Larga

The instructor and I were just on the second day, and we headed to the Cueva Larga. The routes there are between 6a and 7c, and there was a group of people working on some of the more challenging routes. 

The light in the cave changes often, and sometimes the same route feels much more challenging because you can’t see the holds (that is mostly true to the left wall, where the harder routes are).

One of the 6a routes (Chipojito) had pretty cool features, moving from one another side of an extensive secondary formation tufa, traverse in the middle of the route, a nice cave towards the top to have a rest and a tiny, tiny overhang-y bit. Nice mix. It’s called a ā€œsmall lizardā€ because when you work the first half of the route, you have to stretch your limbs to reach both sides of the tufa – it makes you look like a lizard. If you are petite, you may not be able to stretch that much, and then you have to work from one side of tufa to another – quite tricky.

I’ve found two videos of people climbing Chipojito – here and here.

One 5 or 6 level route ends up in the tunnel/cave you can walk to the other side of the mountain (you’ll shout ā€˜slack!’ lots). I can’t remember its name but someone there should be able to help you to find it.

The last route of the day was ā€œBititiā€ outside of the cave (5-minute walk to the left, Jagueyana crag), and it was a vicious slab in the upper part (my fingers skin was giving up by then as well) with sparse, one-finger pockets. It was super tiring for a slab, and I have never pushed from my legs so much in my life:)

How to get to ViƱales

You can get there by Viazul bus (that’s what I did), a Cubanacan bus or collectivo taxi.

Viazul buses depart from Havana at 9 am and 3:30 pm. You can book tickets online (at least a week before the travel). Don’t forget to print out the ticket and be at the station half an hour before – ignore the queue to the ticket office at the entrance to the station, go a couple of stair steps up to the waiting room and there you’ll have someone to exchange your printed voucher for a ticket.

There is a good write up of travelling by Cubanacan and collectivo taxi on Nomadicbones blog (they also provide a link to Cubanacan buses info).

vIƱales, Cuba

Where to stay

Casa particular, is the best way to stay in Vinales (and in Cuba in general). It looks like every house in Vinales has turned into casa particular, so you won’t have a problem finding somewhere to stay. You can book before you go (Airbnb or many websites can provide you with a phone number or email).

There will also be a large group of ā€œjineterosā€ at the bus stop when you arrive: they will try to get you to pick their casa – they are very insisting and didn’t care when I said that I have already booked my casa. They only lost interest when I said I had already paid (little lie, but it worked wonders).

I have asked my climbing instructor if he could find something for me, and he did find a great place (charming hosts and the location was perfect: close to the central plaza but on the way to the mountains).

Local climbers

I had contacted one of the local climbers before I went to Cuba. Landry has been climbing in mogotes for 14 years, and he knows every single finger pocket there. He also bolts routes and maintains some of them. He and four other guys are the core group that works together on maintaining and promoting climbing in Vinales.

I didn’t have to worry about getting equipment to Cuba (he has ropes, harness, shoes etc.), so I just took my shoes and my harness with me (and some extra stuff I wanted to donate).



Book your next adventure


 
Tags: South America
Previous Post

10 Best Cheap Hotels in Amsterdam (For Tight Budgets)

Next Post

Cinque Terre, Italy Travel Guide

Related Posts

Watching parade is one of the top things to do in Modesto

11 Best Things to Do in Modesto, California

by Gemma Marks

Explore the best things to do in Modesto, California. Discover the top must-visit attractions and activities that showcase the essence...

Boat House Tiki Bar and Grill by the Bay in Cape Coral

13 Best Things to Do in Cape Coral, Florida

by Gemma Marks

Discover the top things to do in Cape Coral. From stunning beaches to outdoor adventures and cultural attractions, this guide...

Niagara Falls

Best Time to Visit Niagara Falls: An Ultimate Guide

by Gemma Marks

Discover the best time to visit Niagara Falls for optimal weather, fewer crowds, and amazing experiences. Learn more here.

Road sign to Toronto, Montreal, and other cities in Canada

Best Guide for Exploring Toronto to Montreal

by Gemma Marks

Uncover urban vibrancy and natural beauty by exploring Toronto to Montreal. Your comprehensive guide to must-see attractions, travel tips, and...

Tropical Key Largo Beaches

Your Guide to the 10 Best Key Largo Beaches

by Gemma Marks

Discover top five Key Largo beaches in our guide: sun-soaked shores, crystal-clear waters, endless relaxation and adventure.

Queen Street in the town Niagara on the Lake

6 Best Niagara on the Lake Hotels

by Gemma Marks

Explore top Niagara on the Lake hotels for an unforgettable luxury getaway. Get personalized recommendations & a comprehensive vacation guide.

Next Post
Cinque Terre, Italy

Cinque Terre, Italy Travel Guide

Things to do in Cologne

Inexpensive And Free Things to do in Cologne, Germany

Subscribe
Connect with
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect with
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Please login to comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Aerial View of Downtown Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor

17 Things to Do in Ann Arbor

by Gemma Arnold

Embark on a journey to discover 17 Things to Do in Ann Arbor and create lasting memories in this vibrant...

Read more
The downtown cityscape of Gainesville, Florida, USA, bathed in the evening's soft twilight

22 Delightful Things to Do in Gainesville

Green Bay, Northern Wisconsin on Lake Michigan

20 Exciting Things to Do in Green Bay

An aerial view of downtown Provo, Utah

19 Best Things to Do in Provo

An overhead perspective of a prominent public university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

18 Awesome Things to Do in Tuscaloosa

Aerial view of downtown Abilene Texas

19 Fun Things to Do in Abilene

Aerial view of Miami Beach, South Beach. Florida. Mia2you/Shutterstock

Best Hotels in Miami, Florida: Your Ultimate Guide for a Great Stay

View of Hampton Virginia downtown

12 Best Things to Do in Hampton, Virginia

  • About
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

Categories

  • Budget
  • City
  • Cold
  • Destinations
  • Festive
  • Food and Drink
  • Luxury
  • Travel Ideas
  • Unique
  • Warm

Tags

Africa Asia Australia bars Beach Brazil California Canada Caribbean Central America China clubs cruise Europe Food France fun Germany Greece hotels India Ireland Irish Italy Japan Mediterranean Mexico nature New Zealand Ontario romantic Scandinavia Singapore snow South America Spain Sweden Texas Thailand things to do Turkey UK US USA vacation

Recent News

Aerial View of Downtown Ann Arbor

17 Things to Do in Ann Arbor

The downtown cityscape of Gainesville, Florida, USA, bathed in the evening's soft twilight

22 Delightful Things to Do in Gainesville

Green Bay, Northern Wisconsin on Lake Michigan

20 Exciting Things to Do in Green Bay

An aerial view of downtown Provo, Utah

19 Best Things to Do in Provo

An overhead perspective of a prominent public university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

18 Awesome Things to Do in Tuscaloosa

  • About
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

Ā© 2023 topflight-travel.com

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Warm
  • Cold
  • Budget
  • Luxury Travel
  • Unique
  • Festive
  • Food & Drink
  • Destinations
  • Travel Ideas

Ā© 2023 topflight-travel.com

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
wpDiscuz
0
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x
| Reply