Caribbean Birding Trail

Know the Caribbean, Bird by Bird

Donate
  • About the CBT
    • Interpretive Guide Training
  • Countries
    • Countries A-I
      • Anguilla
        • Cove Pond
        • Dog Island
        • East End Pond
        • Forest Bay Pond
        • Katouche Canyon
        • Long Pond
        • Meads Bay Pond
        • Merrywing Pond System
        • Prickly Pear Cays
        • Road Salt Pond
        • Scrub Island
        • Sombrero
        • West End By-the-Sea Ponds
        • West End Pond
      • Antigua and Barbuda
        • Bethesda Dam
        • Christian Valley
        • Codrington Lagoon
        • McKinnon’s Salt Pond
        • Two Foot Bay National Park
      • Aruba
        • Spaans Lagoon
      • Bahamas
        • Abaco
        • Andros
        • Cat Island
        • Crooked Island and Acklins
        • Eleuthera
        • Exumas
        • Grand Bahama
        • Great Inagua
        • Long Island
        • Mayaguana
        • New Providence
        • San Salvador
      • Barbados
      • Bonaire
        • Dos Pos IBA
        • Gotomeer
      • British Virgin Islands
        • Josiahs Bay Salt Pond
        • Sandy Cay
      • Cuba
        • Guanahacabibes
        • Humboldt National Park
        • Mensura-Piloto National Park
        • Viñales
        • Zapata Swamp
      • Curaçao
        • Christoffel National Park
        • Salt Pans of Jan Thiel
      • Dominica
      • Dominican Republic
        • Central Mountain Range
          • Constanza and Valle Nuevo
          • Ebano Verde Reserve
          • Hatillo
          • Jarabacoa with Armando Bermúdez and José del Carmen Ramírez National Parks
          • La Joya de San Francisco
          • Loma Quita Espuela
          • Pico Diego de Ocampo, Santiago
        • Southeast
          • Bávaro
          • Cumayasa
          • Del Este National Park
            • Del Este National Park: Boca de Yuma
            • Del Este National Park: Guaraguao
            • Del Este National Park: Padre Nuestro Trail
            • Del Este National Park: Saona Island
          • Ecological Foundation Trail, Punta Cana
          • Limón Lagoon
          • Los Haitises National Park
            • Los Haitises National Park: Caño Hondo
            • Los Haitises National Park: Los Limones
          • Monte Plata
        • Southwest
          • Aguacate and Zapotén
          • Cabo Rojo and Pedernales
          • Cabral Lagoon
          • Cachote, Eastern Bahoruco
          • Jimaní
          • Lake Enriquillo
          • Loma Charco Azul
          • Oviedo Lagoon, Jaragua National Park
          • Puerto Alejandro and Tortuguero
          • Rabo de Gato and Puerto Escondido
          • Sierra de Bahoruco National Park
            • Los Arroyos, Sierra de Bahoruco National Park
        • North Coast
          • Cayos Siete Hermanos
          • El Choco National Park, Cabarete
          • El Limón, Samaná
          • Estero Hondo
          • Loma Guaconejo
          • Loma Isabel de Torres, Puerto Plata
          • Monte Cristi and Saladilla
          • Nalga de Maco National Park, Río Limpio
          • Samaná
        • Around Santo Domingo
          • Las Salinas de Baní
          • Mirador del Norte Park
          • National Botanical Garden
          • Ozama Wetlands
      • Grenada
        • Antoine Lake
        • Beausejour/Grenville Vale
        • Diamond Rock
        • Grand Etang National Park
        • Levera National Park
        • Mt. Hartman National Park
        • Telescope Pond
        • Woburn Bay MPA
      • Guadeloupe
        • Mountain Road
        • Pointe des Chateaux
    • Countries J-Z
      • Jamaica
        • Ahhh…Ras Natango Gallery and Garden
        • Barbecue Bottom Road
        • Black River Great Morass
        • Cockpit Country
        • Ecclesdown Road
        • Flagstaff
        • Green Hills Field Station
        • Hardwar Gap
        • Hope Gardens
        • Portland Bight Protected Area
        • Stewart Town
      • Martinique
        • Rocher du Diamant
      • Montserrat
      • Puerto Rico
        • Camuy Coastal Area
        • Culebra National Wildlife Refuge
        • Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge
      • Sint Eustatius
        • Pilot Hill
        • Quill/Boven National Park
        • Zeelandia Beach
      • St. Lucia
      • Sint Maarten
        • Great Salt Pond
        • Little Bay Pond
      • St. Martin
        • Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House
        • Étang Cimetière de Grand Case
        • Étang de la Barrière
        • Pic Paradis
      • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
        • Grenadines
          • Bird Sanctuary
          • Mustique Lagoon
          • Mustique Ponds Walk
        • Saint Vincent
          • Richmond Beach
      • Trinidad and Tobago
        • Tobago
          • Kilgwyn Swamp
          • Little Tobago
        • Trinidad
          • Asa Wright Nature Centre
          • Brasso Seco Paria Village
      • Turks and Caicos
        • Grand Turk
        • Middle Caicos
        • North Caicos
        • Providenciales
        • Salt Cay
        • South Caicos
  • Tours
  • Guides
  • Get Involved
  • Contact Us

You are here: Home / Cuba / Viñales

Viñales

  • About Viñales
  • The Birds
  • How to Get There
  • Where to Stay
  • Tour Operators and Guides
Morning fog over Vinales by Nils Navarro

Some would argue that Viñales is the most picture-perfect destination in Cuba. It would be hard to disagree with them. This UNESCO World Heritage Site near the western end of the island boasts an outstanding karst landscape encircled by mountains and dotted with spectacular dome-like limestone outcrops, called mogotes, that rise as high as 300 m off the surrounding plains.

About 92% of Viñales is in the hands of private owners, with 30% of that owned by individual farmers and the rest by the Asociación Nacional de Agricultores Pequeños (National Association of Small Farmers). The Viñales Valley is overseen by the Consejo Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural (National Council of Cultural Heritage), and protected by provisions in the Cuban constitution. 

Visitors to the area feel as though they’ve been transported back in time, as traditional methods of agriculture have survived largely unchanged on this plain for several centuries, particularly for growing tobacco. During the afternoon downtime, birders can enjoy a lesson in tobacco cultivation and harvest (all by hand, or with the help of oxen) and cigar rolling in a local tobacco drying barn. The quality of this cultural landscape is enhanced by the vernacular architecture of its farms and villages, where a rich multi-cultural society survives, its architecture, crafts and music illustrating the cultural development of Cuba and the islands of the Caribbean.

Tobacco drying by Nils Navarro

The more renowned trail in Viñales is named “Maravillas de Viñales,” located 13 km to the west of town taking the main street in the direction of the Prehistoric Mural. This trail is an excellent place to find almost all of the target bird species for the region.

Another good birding option is to visit the Hotel Rancho San Vicente and surrounding areas in the early morning.

For better views of Cuban Grassquits, Cuban Black Hawk, and waterfowl, consider visiting El Rosario, reached by taking the north road to Puerto Esperanza and then making a right-hand turn just before arriving to Puerto Esperanza.

El Albino Reservoir is also a good option for seeing waterfowl, and the Cuban subspecies of Eastern Meadowlark and Northern Bobwhite.

Viñales is also considered as a paradise for the endemic Cuban Land Snails and the only aquatic lizard in Cuba, the Cuban Stream Anole (Anolis vermiculatus) and Pinar del Río Cliff Anole (Anolis bartschi) and other species of lizards, snakes, and frogs.

“It was in the Viñales Valley, about 135 miles southwest of Havana, that we got our first full taste of Cuba’s distinctive birdlife. Our group’s attention was frequently drawn in several directions at once as [our birding guide, Ernesto] Reyes tried to get us to focus on the Cuban Emerald, Red-legged Honeycreeper, West Indian Woodpecker, Loggerhead Kingbird, and Olive-capped Warbler, as well as the endemic Cuban Oriole, Cuban Vireo, and Yellow-headed Warbler. On the nearby Maravillas del Pinar Trail, we not only encountered our Cuban Trogon but were treated to the flute-like song of the Cuban Solitaire, another endemic species.”

Carrol L. Henderson

Target bird species:  Scaly-naped Pigeon, White-crowned Pigeon, Cuban Solitaire, Cuban Grassquit, Olive-capped Warbler,  Red-legged Honeycreeper, Western Spindalis, Cuban Tody, Cuban Trogon, Cuban Blackbird, Cuban-Green Woodpecker, Cuban Bullfinch, Cuban Pewee, La Sagra´s Flycatcher, Loggerhead Kingbird, Red-legged Thrush, Yellow-headed Warbler, Cuban Vireo, Cuban Blackbird, Cuban Pigmy-Owl, Bare Legged Owl, Cuban Martin (Spring-Summer), West Indian Woodpecker, Tawny-shouldered Blackbird, Shiny Cowbird, Eastern Meadowlark (Cuban), Northern Bobwhite (Cuban), Gundlach´s Hawk, American Kestrel (Cuban, red and white morphs), and several special migrants during the fall and spring migration.

Viñales is located 2.5 hours from Habana, taking the Autopista to the west in the direction of the city of Pinar del Río. Close to Pinar del Río, there is a shortcut to the right, which you can find indicated by a sign that reads “Viñales-Las Ovas”; this shortcut will take you to Viñales Way. At the end of this road you should turn to the right again, and then continue on for 25 minutes directly to Viñales.

Viñales has multiple Bed & Breakfast options, and there are four main hotels: Los Jazmines, La Hermita, Rancho San Vicente, and Hotel Central; however, these are more expensive and reservations need to be made as far in advance as possible.

Instead, we suggest you contact Nils Navarro ([email protected]) and his wife, Yerenia ([email protected]). Nils is the author of the Field Guide to the Endemic Birds of Cuba, Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Cuba and now the new Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba (in preparation). They manage a Bed and Breakfast in Viñales (Villa La Terraza) and can also help you plan your birdwatching trip and pair you up with a local guide. See photos below.

If you are interested in arranging a birdwatching tour in the Viñales area, contact Nils Navarro directly at [email protected]

Viñales

Cuba Sites

  • Guanahacabibes
  • Humboldt National Park
  • Mensura-Piloto National Park
  • Viñales
  • Zapata Swamp


Cuba Tour Operators

  • Ernesto Reyes Bird Photography & Tours
  • Birding in Cuba Tours
  • Wildside Nature Tours

Recommended Field Guides

Endemic Birds of Cuba: A Comprehensive Field Guide by Nils Navarro

Birds of the West Indies by Herbert Raffaele, James Wiley, Orlando Garrido, Allan Keith, and Janis Raffaele

Want to know how you can be involved?

Do you know of a place that should be part of the Caribbean Birding Trail? Are you the owner of a lodge or hotel and want to attract eco-tourists? Are you a guide interested in the birdwatching market? Then, get involved with our project!

Get Involved

The Latest from BirdsCaribbean.org

Twitter
Birds Caribbean
Birds Caribbean
@BirdsCaribbean

Let's make it the #BiggestHourForEarth 🌎 In 60 minutes you can do something positive for your environment 🙌🏽 #Educate yourself ℹ️jco.birdscaribbean.o… ▶️youtube.com/@BirdsCa… Try #birding after dark for 🌌 #owls 🦉, potoos, #nightjars & more! #EarthHour #MyHourForEarth pic.twitter.com/kqjx…

reply retweet favorite
2:01 pm · March 25, 2023
Twitter
Birds Caribbean
Birds Caribbean
@BirdsCaribbean

Just published in the #JournalOfCaribbeanOrnithology 🗞 (JCO) - understanding susceptibility to 🔬 #avian #malaria in Bananaquits. Learn more about this fascinating study here: bit.ly/JCO-Bananaqui… 📸 Carlos H Almeida #peerreview #openaccess #scicomm #Caribbean pic.twitter.com/BUBT…

reply retweet favorite
5:02 pm · March 24, 2023
Twitter
Birds Caribbean
Birds Caribbean
@BirdsCaribbean

The Smooth-billed #Ani is a bizarre looking #bird 🤨, with its oversized, strangely shaped bill and long tail! Anis are almost always seen in groups and do almost everything together, even incubating #eggs and raising offspring. 📸Russell Campbell ℹ️bit.ly/PhotoContest2… pic.twitter.com/zcdD…

reply retweet favorite
6:01 pm · March 23, 2023
Twitter
Birds Caribbean
Birds Caribbean
@BirdsCaribbean

Happy #WorldWaterDay💧 Just like us #birds need water. Sadly, many of their sources are #threatened by #development #pollution & #climatechange But together we can #BeTheChange we want to see & make water conservation a part of everyday life. ✨ ➡️ bit.ly/JA-Backyard-B… pic.twitter.com/xqM2…

reply retweet favorite
3:12 pm · March 22, 2023
Twitter
Birds Caribbean
Birds Caribbean
@BirdsCaribbean

Happy #InternationalDayOfForests 🌳 We're celebrating 🎉 by featuring the Bicknell’s Thrush 🤎 —a shy, subtle #bird that depends on #forests year-round. Both in the US, where they breed, & in the #Caribbean 🏝 where they migrate to for the winter. ℹ️ birdscaribbean.org/2… pic.twitter.com/eN6N…

reply retweet favorite
4:30 pm · March 21, 2023

Our Site

  • Home
  • About the CBT
  • Countries
  • Tours
  • Guides
  • Get Involved
  • Contact

Search

Follow

Sign up for our Mailing List

Copyright © 2011–2023 Caribbean Birding Trail. A project of BirdsCaribbean.