¬ In 1856, Brothers Lorenzo and Antonio Soroa Muñagorri successively acquired, west of Havana, several coffee plantations including Neptuno (now Villas Soroa), La Merced, San Luis and San Ramón de Aguas Claras making up a veritable territory, eventually known by their family name. Others claim the name comes from French settler Jean-Paul Soroa who fled the revolution in Haiti and settled here in 1802. In November 1895, during Cuba's first war against colonial Spain, locals joined independistas for a two-day which left both sides even. In 1970, the town of Las Terrazas was founded to provide housing for the area's families. The town was designed with good taste and nature preservation in mind; a large fruit and coffee coop employs a large part of the population. Since 1985, when it was named a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the 25,000-hectare area called the Sierra del Rosario around Soroa has been a vital part of Plan Turquino, created by the Cuban Environment Ministry DISTANCES Bahia Honda, 28 Cayo Jutias, 190 Guahanacabibes, 194 La Habana, 65 Las Terrazas, 16 Maria la Gorda, 141 Pinar del Rio, 100 Puerto Esperanza, 151 San Cristobal, 17 San Diego de los Baños, 40 San Juan y Martinez, 122 Viñales, 127 MAPS & LINKS Map - La Habana to Soroa and Las Terrazas Map - Soroa trek trails from Manantiales River Map - Soroa around resort hotel with our casas Map - Las Terrazas attractions and general area Map - Las Terrazas center in detail Weather for La Habana (Wunderground), Some photos by Dan Heller Various videos on Truveo Las Terrazas "Canopi" ride link Daily exchange rates All that's natural in Pinar del Rio province Island-wide bus connections (horariodebuses.com/cu) Las Terrazas official web site POPULATION About 1,400 (est.) in some 220 dwellings spread in Soroa and Las Terrazas. Soroa has individual housing whereas Las Terrazas is almost all large public housing. The regional municipality of Candelaria (south of the highway) which administers the area counted 19,945 people in 2007 SERVICES Getting here by car : exit at km 51 of the highway that goes to Pinar del Rio. Havanatur runs a minibus service to Villas Soroa, leaving 8 am from some Havana hotels for 12cuc per person one-way. Stops here on request at 10:30 am on its way to Viñales. Return Viñales-Havana goes by here at 4 pm. LODGING The "best ecolodge in Cuba" according to Frommer's can be found in Las Terrazas. Hotel Moka (26 cabinas, swimming pool, 5 restaurants) is not exactly cheap : 100-125cuc per room Tel. (82) 78-600. • More affordable, Villas Soroa, stretching across a valley floor — pool, snack bar waterside, dining room, motel-type lodging for 61-76cuc per night; two mountain bungalows rent for 90-122cuc per night (max. 6 persons) Tel. (48) 52-3534 • Bucolic and tempting are Cabañas del rio San Juan : 5 cabins on stilts near the namesake baños; 15-25cuc single to double or 30cuc for 3, including the desayuno. Mosquito nets supplied. Tel. (5) 578-555 or 578-700 ] Photos here[

Trekking — with or without a dog — allows for some unique aerial views. •}• A well-earned pause for our caballos.

Located 40 miles west of the capital, Soroa and Las Terrazas are nested in total greenery •}• One of the many stunning waterfalls or saltos in the area.

The Casa del Lago, on lake San Juan in Las Terrazas : bar, restaurant, rowboat rentals © sogestour •}• Overlooking the river and its natural pools, the Cabañas del rio San Juan are for lodging. © sogestour

The El Romero in Las Terrazas : creativity and bio goodness to satisfy any palate : Best Restaurant West of Havana and surely Top 5 in Cuba © Tito Armando Núñez Gudás, the Chef •}• The welcoming piscina at Villas Soroa : get a drink at poolside bar and dive in, no questions asked © sogestour

Second largest on the planet, the Soroa Orquideario boasts 700 varieties of ... orchids © sogestour •}• Refreshing in the afternoon heat, Baños del rio San Juan are a must. A few km's before Las Terrazas, coming from Soroa © sogestour

RESTAURANTS & PALADARES
One of Top 5 culinary finds in Cuba, El Romero (rosemary) in Las Terrazas, just below the Moka Hotel : fabulous bio food creations. Seats 20 only. Reservations (7) 640-4375 Suggestion : drive up (or be driven) to the Moka and park, have a drink at its lovely bar, then walk down to the Romero.

The Paladar La Fonda de Mercedes is another good choice in the Las Terrazas building complex (6 choices incl. Camaguey Lamb or Pinareña chicken, only 6 tables) tel (48) 57-8647; Hacienda Union, Buena Vista and the Rancho Curujey in the Biosphere Reserve.

RIOS, RUTAS & RIDES
Among the many streams in the area are the San Juan and its baños (literally, baths which they are not), more like gentle, 40-foot wide cascades where bathers may sit and sip a drink from the nice bar; a few meters away up a gentle hill, the remarkable Cabañas del rio San Juan — photos here; also, El Bayate natural cristal-clear waterwells; not to be missed is Salto del rio Bayate, a 60-foot high waterfall which creates superb rainbows.

From the Moka Hotel (guides are 12-35cuc) in Las Terrazas one can thread six footpaths (senderos), such as Serafina (5 km towards Serafina coffee plantation), Las Delicias (4 km, ends at Mirador), El Terracero (3 km, bird watchers like it), El Taburete (8km to the summit of Taburete (453 meters) with views all the way to the Gulf of Batabano), La Ruta de la Cañada del Infierno (5 km passing by coffee plantations San Pedro and Santa Catalina; swim in Bayate river) and El Canto del Tocororo (5 km of bird-filled forest up to La Union).

The best trek in Soroa leaves Villas Soroa (with Alberto as guide) and follows La ruta del Brujito along its 17km. Figure on walking about 6 hours there and back. On a difficulty scale of 0 to 5, it's a 3-4 but not risky.

Down a few steps from the Moka, in Las Terrazas, try the Canopi Tour to glide on a cable above the trees and cross San Juan lake in the air. Link here.

DISCOVER
The Biosphere Reserve of Sierra del Rosario (a UNESCO World Heritage site) covers about 61,700 acres of mountainous forests crossed by many rivers. The oldest established reserve of Cuba (1985), it is located at the easternmost point of the Sierra de Guanibanico in the province of Pinar del Río and shows great fauna and flora with some trees reaching 30 meters; 34 % of its 800 plant species are endemic.

In 1940, rich landowner Antonio Arturo Sánchez Bustamante had himself a castle built, called it Castillo de las Nubes (Castle of the Clouds) and asked it be located on El Fuerte, high up and overlooking a valley. Its interior showed off some of the medieval furniture the owner found in European auctions. From its terrace (transformed into a restaurant and abandoned in 2001), there are great views of the Sierra del Rosario all the way — on a clear day — to Pinar del Río. From the Orquideario, one can walk up the path to see the sad state of the house and two more nearby, one with its empty swimming pool. The Salto (waterfall) de Soroa is 22 meters high and a must-see, gentle hike up some 250 meters from across the Villas Soroa.

In 1952, Tomás Felipe Camacho, a lawyer from the Canary Islands started arranging a large garden for his wife and daughter. He allowed only orchids to be grow, gathering them from Central and South America and Asia and adding all of the Cuban endemic varieties. It became known as the Orquideario and it covers 35,000 square meters : there are 700 species of orchids numbering some 20,000 examples. Visits with guides only for 3cuc (from 9 to 4:30). The garden also boasts 6 000 species of ther ornemental plants, trees and flowers from various countries. As most of these species start flowering in November, it and the following two months are best for a visit. Since the terrible hurricanes which ravaged the province in late August and early September 2008, the Orquideario has slowly come back from the devastation which cut down trees and destroyed installations. Alas, it will take close to a generation before it's back in its natural shape.

The Peña Polo Montanez in Las terrazas is the house where the famous singer who became an icon when he died in a highway crash which his wife and daughter survived.

WALK, WATCH & WONDER
The woods about and around abound with bird songs : almost 100 species of birds to listen to; some 22 of these are endemic (found only in Cuba) like the Cuban Trogon, the national bird.

Best trekking choice for bird watchers : Placer de Caminar (Pleasure of Walking) running 9km from the Mirador of the San Juan Valley to coffee plantation Buenavista and others through waterfalls La Joven Niagara and Salto Escondido.

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
Rates are most similar everywhere : 20-25cuc for bedroom (2 adults max.), 3cuc breakfasts, 7-8cuc for dinner. AFAWK, this list comprises all the casas for rent in Soroa/Las Terrazas. Children 16 and under may share parents' bedroom at no charge only if there is an additional bed available. Mention the age of your children when making reservation. Comments & suggestions webmaster(at)cubacasas.net

BOOK BY PHONE
From Canada and the USA : 011 53 + number preceded by 48, the area code or 5 for cell • From Europe, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Mexico : 00 53 + phone # preceded by 82, the area code • In this phone area (48), most casas which have a phone, use a cellular (5). From overseas dial 5 before the 7 digits. In Cuba, 015 + 7 digits


BOOK BY EMAIL : Click on above logo to open an email message addressed to that casa in your email application. Spanish words here.

Click photos to see each casa's page and description. See our new Soroa hotel and casas MAP here and area trails MAP here.

Also in the Occidente

BOOK BY PHONE
From Canada and the USA : 011 53 + number preceded by 48, the area code or 5 for cell • From Europe, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Mexico : 00 53 + phone # preceded by 82 for Las Terrazas, the area code • In this phone area (48), most casas which have a phone, use a cellular (5). From overseas dial 5 before the 7 digits. In Cuba, 015 + 7 digits


BOOK BY EMAIL : Click on above logo to open an email message addressed to that casa in your email application. Spanish words here.

Las Terrazas (pop. 1200), though not significant in terms of size is certainly one of the region's most interesting towns, some 16 km from Soroa on a hilly road : attempt at your own risk on a bike ; )

Its history of poverty began in the late 18th century when coffee crops planted by French exiles from Haiti began to fail.

After that, the locals relied on sales of charcoal to feed and clothe their families. Not only did they become appallingly poor, but much of the forest had been clear-cut and was ecologically dead.

It became one of the poorest places in the province of Pinar del Rio.

Even for years after the Revolution, the area was still impoverished and fully reliant on charcoal exports. The people were still isolated from the health care and education that would be necessary to escape the cruel cycle of poverty.

In 1967, noting the region's horrid conditions, the government established programs of rural development and ecological restoration in an attempt to renew the community.

Similar to the Agrarian Reform laws, and other projects around the country, the people were provided with housing and employment.

In return, they were given the responsibility of working to replant the forests.

Exports of charcoal can now be considered a renewable resource, as only those trees which are sick, dying, or overcrowded are used for charcoal, and much replanting is done.

Source : GlobalExchange.org © Team 18355

VILLA JUANITA
Two aircon bedrooms, shared bath
La Pastora, No. 601, Cayajabos, 3.5 km east of the entrance to Las Terrazas near tiny El Establo. No fone known.


Rates : 25cuc for room for night (2 adults max.) Breakfasts, 7cuc. Everything is fresh, cause this is a farm.

VILLA DUQUE RENT A ROOM V
One aircon bedroos, private bath
Finca San Andres, 2 km from the park gate and entrance to Las Terrazas and about 3 km from the autoroute. Phone c/o Moka Hotel admin : (82) 77-8600 and same e-mail as next one.

One bedroom with two double beds; private bathroom.

VILLA CIRILES - CIRILO RODRIGUEZ V
Casa 36A - In the heights of Las Terrazas, near Hotel Moka. Locate (#15) on this map.

One aircon bedroom with two double beds, national tv chains, minibar, small patio; ensuite bathroom.

Rates : 40-50cuc for villa per noche in low season; 60-85cuc in high

Mouseover for room plan.