At the western end of the island, the scenery of the Vinales Valley could not be more different. It is typically karsts, a region of eroded limestone where isolated mogotes stand above the plains like enormous rounded loaves of bread. Vinales is one of the island’s most beautiful valleys and attracts tens of thousands of tourists every year.

Spanish settlers planted vines for grapes in the rich soil between the limestone hummocks. These are the vines that gave the valley its name. Cuba’s finest tobacco now comes from this region.

The mountains here are lower but the scenery is rugged. Even though the scenery varies, limestone is found in about 65% of the country. Limestone is eroded or dissolved by water that contains carbonic acid. The action of the slightly acidic water over millions of years has left many openings or caves throughout much of Cuba.