Cuba is a long and skinny country, and if you travel to the western end of it you will find a town called Vinales.

But while the town itself is worth visiting you will find much more to take your breath away when you visit the Vinales Valley. The fact that this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site should give you some idea of how important the area is – as well as how delightful it is to visit.

If you want an active holiday in Cuba you will love staying near this valley. This is because hordes of rock climbers, walkers and hikers descend on it every year to take in the surroundings and explore what the valley has to offer. It might just be time to buy your first pair of hiking boots, because when you start exploring Vinales Valley you won’t want to stop.

The valley itself is bordered by many different caves that are worth taking a look at. You should definitely make a point of finding Cueva del Indio, chiefly because this is the cave through which a river runs. The river, the San Vicente River, makes this particular cave rather unusual.

As you explore the valley you would be forgiven for thinking you had gone back in time on occasion. The bottom of the valley is prime land for growing tobacco, and the people who grow and harvest it still use many of the same techniques that were used many years ago as well. It is good to know that some things don’t change, and indeed this is one of the reasons why the area made it onto the UNESCO World Heritage list to begin with. There is a lot to celebrate and appreciate here.

One writer compared the area to visiting a museum, and it certainly has a touch of that about it. The combination of ages old scenery and methods for farming dating back many years too makes this a true treasure of Cuba that is hard to resist.

How long will you spend there before you can finally tear yourself away?