Vinales Bus Tour

Vinales is an idyllic slice of countryside in Cuba, and is the perfect place in your Cuba itinerary to retreat to after the intensity of Havana. The Vinales bus tour is a hop on hop off bus that stops at some of the best spots in the beautiful Vinales Valley. I struggled to find reliable information on the Vinales bus route, stops and times online, so pulled this post together to help other travelers.

Vinales Hop On Hop Off Bus: The Essentials

Map of Bus Tour of Vinales

The map above is a fairly rough and ready map of the Vinales Valley. The little bus symbols (if you can see them!) mark the spots the bus stops at. Don’t worry if this looks like a bit of gobbly-gook – I’ll explain all the stops to you later.

Vinales Hop On Hop Off Bus Cost

If you’re visiting Vinales on a budget, then the hop on hop off bus might just be the Vinales Valley tour for you. The Vinales bus is an absolute bargain at 5 CUC per person for a one day ticket. Buy a ticket as you board the bus, and hold onto that ticket for the day. (Although there’s only one driver, so he’ll probably start to recognise you after a stop or two!)

Vinales Bus Tour Schedule and Route 

The Vinales hop on hop off bus does a continuous 90 minute loop around the Vinales Valley, stopping off at some key sites along the way. The bus departs from Parque de Vinales (Stop 1 below) on the main street of Vinales five times per day, every 90 minutes with a break for lunch. The departure times are 9am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, 3pm and 4:30pm.

I’ve captured some of the bus stops above as at March 2019. As you’ll see, they’re looking a little dilapidated! However, they should help in planning your day in Vinales.

When I first looked at the Vinales bus map, I was a little confused about all the stops and where the bus was going. There’s 18 stops on the Vinales bus route and the names are in Spanish, which makes it a little confusing to decipher at first. (Good thing I’m here to help!)

While 18 stops seems like a lot, 6 stops are repeats (where the bus stops on the way out and back) and a few of the stops are in central Vinales town, so there will really only be a few places you want to get off.

There are three main branches to the Vinales bus tour, which pop back through town each time. This means that you can join the bus in town at several different times during its 90 minute loop.

• Tobacco plantation, visitors centre and Hotel Los Jazmines (Stops 1 to 9)
• Canopy zip line tour and prehistoric mural (Stops 9 to 12)
• Another tobacco plantation and two sets of caves (Stops 12 onwards, ending back at Stop 1)

Vinales Bus Tour Tips

Stopping: The driver announces the stops as they’re approaching. Shout out if you want to get off, as the bus doesn’t always come to a physical stop at all stops.

Planning: Plan your route and stops in advance. You also need to decide how long you want to spend at those places, as the next bus will only come past 90 minutes later, or shorter if it’s one of the out and back stops. At some of the scenic stops, the bus stops for 5-10 minutes so that you can jump off quickly and snap a piccy if you don’t want to spend 90 minutes at the site.

Stops On The Vinales Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour

Here’s a quick run down of the 18 stops on the Vinales bus tour. As you’ll see, not so confusing once you understand what each stop is!

Stop 1 – Parque de Vinales (Town)

The Vinales bus departs outside Parque de Vinales, which is Vinales plaza on the main street (above). I’d been looking out for a smaller green bus, but a massive blue Transtur bus rocked up with a teeny tiny ‘Viñales Bus Tour’ sign on the front. That’s the one you’re after!

Stop 2 – La Ernita (Hotel)

The next stop is Hotel Ernita. This stop is mainly for hotel guests. The hotel has nice views of Vinales Valley, but they don’t compare to Hotel Los Jazmines (Stop 6).

Stop 3 – Las Cubanitas (Town)  

Las Cubanitas is Stop 3 on the official Vinales bus tour schedule, but was Stop 2 on our tour. Las Cubanitas is in town, so is another good place to jump on the bus, although Stop 1 is easier to find. Las Cubanitas quite possibly sells Cuban sandwiches, but don’t quote me on that one!

Stop 4 – Casa de Veguero (Tobacco Farm)

Casa de Veguero is a tobacco plantation with a tobacco drying house, where you can learn about the tobacco growing process and and buy cigars. There’s also a restaurant on site. Opening hours are 10am – 5pm.

Stop 5 – Centro de Visitantes Parque Nacionale Vinales (Visitors Centre) 

The next stop is the Vinales Visitors centre, which has maps, trail information and park history. Handy if you’re planning to hike in Vinales.

Stop 6 – Hotel Los Jazmines (Hotel with Views)

Hotel Los Jazmines has some of the best views over the Vinales Valley, along with a typically kitsch pink hotel. The hotel is only 17 minutes into the round trip, and is the first place that most people ‘hop off’. The bus stops at Los Jazmines for 5-10 minutes if you just want to snap a photo of the stunning Valle de Vinales.

We decided to make the most of the views and chillax sans crowds (as everyone else got back on the bus), and parked up at the hotel until the next bus 1.5 hours later. Hotel Los Jazmines has a small bar overlooking the valley that serves only pina coladas (no complaints here!). There’s also a small outdoor restaurant and bar next to it with a bigger menu but obstructed views. The hotel had live Cuban music playing when we visited.

Stop 7 – Centro de Visitantes Parque Nacionale Vinales (Visitors Centre)

Stop 7 is the same as Stop 5, as the bus heads back towards town.

Stop 8 – Casa de Veguero (Tobacco Farm)

Stop 8 is the same as Stop 4.

Stop 9 – Poblado de Vinales (Town)

Poblado de Vinales is another stop in Vinales town, at the west end of the main street. This would be a good spot to ‘hop on’ if you want to head straight to the canopy tour or Mural de la Prehistoria.

Stop 10 – Canopy (Adventure Activities) 

Stop 10 is the Vinales canopy tour where you can soar on a zip line above the forest. The Viñales zip line tour is a relatively new attraction, and has a few zip lines of different lengths.

Stop 11 – Mural de la Prehistoria (Mural On Rocks)

Mural de la Prehistoria is (as you may have guessed) a mural showing prehistoric scenes that was painted into the rocks near Vinales in the 1960s. The mural is massive, colorful and just a little bizarre.

The bus usually stops at Mural de la Prehistoria for 5-10 minutes, which is enough time to jump out for a quick photo. It costs 3 CUC (drink included) to enter the grounds, which is a little pricey if you’re only staying a few minutes. When we visited, the bus drove into the grounds and did a loop around, but the bus windows are tinted so it would be tricky to take a photo.

If you’re not on the bus, you can stop on the side of the road shortly before the official entrance and take a photo without paying.

Stop 12 – Parque Vinales (Town)

Stop 12 is Parque Vinales, the main town square. Stop 12 is the same as Stop 1, but on the opposite side of the road.

Stop 13 – Estanco del Tabaco No 2 (Tobacco Farm)

Estanco del Tabaco No 2 is another tobacco plantation.

Stop 14 – Palenque de Los Cimarrones (Cave)

Palenque de Los Cimarrones is a cave that you can walk through, with a cave bar out the front that turns into a party cave later on the weekends. The cave is only a few hundred metres long, and costs 3 CUC to enter. The cave has some heavy history, as runaway slaves (cimarrones) fled and hid out in the cave.

As far as caves go, Palenque is not overly impressive as it’s pretty small. You’ll enjoy this if you’re after some Cuban history or, like us, want to chill out at the cave bar. Another bonus was that the cave was pretty quiet, and we encountered only a few other visitors in peak season.

Stop 15 – Cueva del Indio (Cave)

The next stop on the hop on hop off bus tour of Viñales is another cave, Cueva del Indio (the Indian Cave). The cave includes a 200m walk and a 400m boat trip through a lit cave, with a gift shop at the end. We gave this one a miss, as it didn’t really sound like our jam.

If you want to visit both Palenque Los de Cimarrones and the Cueva del Indio but didn’t want to spend 1.5 hours at each cave waiting for the next bus, you could quickly visit Palenque and then walk to the Indian Cave, which is around 2km down the road. Both caves are surrounded by beautiful countryside, so you could definitely spend longer here if you wanted to wander around.

Stop 16 – Rancho San Vincente (Hotel)

Rancho San Vincente is another hotel in a beautiful Vinales Valley location.

Stop 17 – Cueva del Indio (Cave)

Stop 17 is the same as Stop 15, as the bus heads back towards town.

Stop 18 – Palenque Los de Cimarrones (Cave)

Stop 18 is the same as Stop 14.

Stop 19 – Estanco del Tabaco No 2 (Tobacco Farm)

Stop 19 is the same as Stop 13. After Stop 19, the bus returns to Stop 1, which is Parque Vinales in the middle of Vinales town.

While the bus tour of Vinales Cuba is a cheap way of getting around, I also recommend you take a guided walking or horseback tour of Vinales Valley. A Vinales Valley tour is the best way to get right into the heart of the valley and learn about local farming life without modern machinery.

Read More: Looking for a small Cuban town filled with colonial and revolutionary history? Then you should absolutely visit Santa Clara Cuba, the resting place of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara!

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