October 11

The jewel of Soroa is undoubtedly the orchid garden, established back in 1943, featuring more than 700 different species. The adjoining beautifully landscaped botanical garden is also well worth a visit.
Next, we head up to the Mirador de Venus (also known as Mirador Loma del Mogote), located at an elevation of 375 meters, which can also be reached on horseback. At the El Salto restaurant, you can rent horses for about 5 CUC. Unfortunately, only one horse is available today, so Dany rides while Thomas walks the roughly 2 km. The path is steep, unpaved, and the guide practically races up the mountain. The final stretch consists of 158 steps. Once at the top, you are rewarded with a magnificent view of the entire landscape.
Back at the hotel, we take a dip in the pool before packing up and heading to our next destination, the Vinales Valley. But first, a coffee stop at the Snack-bar Castillo (just past the Hotel Villas Soroa near the orchid garden, steeply uphill). The views from here are spectacular, and there is a pool high up in the mountains. Also beautiful is the Castillo de las Nubes, also known as the Cloud Castle, which is currently being renovated.

Back on the highway, about 50 km before Pinar del Rio, we are stopped under a bridge (40 km/h zone) by what appears to be a police checkpoint and a security guard. They check our papers and ask if we could give a supposed technician from a tobacco plantation a ride so he can get help to repair a bus that has allegedly broken down. The friendly man speaks excellent English and at first seems perfectly legitimate. Out of "gratitude," he invites us to a cigar and coffee at the said remote plantation. We can also take a tour — all free of charge in return for the ride. When we arrive, we are warmly received, offered rum and coffee, and promptly meet another German couple who "coincidentally" has the exact same story. That the whole thing has the hallmarks of an organized scam becomes clear to us the very next day when yet another couple tells us the same story.

Unlike the other German couple, we did not buy any cigars and were therefore given a very unfriendly send-off. Given the number of men we encountered there, we were glad to get away unscathed. Our planned visit to Pinar del Rio and its tobacco factory was shelved for now. We would have sooner run over the wildly waving men standing in the middle of the next highway intersection than stop again.

We drive straight to the hotel, go for another swim in the pool, and call it a night at the safety of the hotel. We had no appetite for more scammers today.  Our hotel in the Vinales Valley is the Horizontes Los Jazmines Viñales (Carretera De Viñales Km 25, booked half-board through Logitravel). It impresses with an excellent location overlooking the entire valley, though unfortunately the food leaves something to be desired. Our recommendation: book bed and breakfast and eat out. In Vinales itself there are plenty of Casa Particulares.