CASAS WE SUGGEST SOROA, from highway to Villas 10 LAS TERRAZAS, lake & beyond 8 ¬ 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 (16 km further north up the same road) 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 Map - Havana to Vinales (Soroa in the middle) 10 BEST THINGS TO DO IN LAS TERRAZAS Las Terrazas "Canopi" ride link Daily exchange rates All that's natural in Pinar del Rio province Island-wide bus connections  Las Terrazas official web site All the Web particuba.net 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. TRAIN "El Lechero" (the Milk Run #225) leaves La Habana at 22h05 every 2nd day arriving Candelaria (across the highway) at 01h40; then a taxi ride here; returns (#224) leaves Candelaria at 12h16 arriving Havana at 15h30. BUS See below. 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 namesa 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 are a must (7) 640-4375  Casa del Campesino (48-57-8700) and Cafetal Buenavista (48-57-8555) are also highly rated. La Fonda de Mercedes (48-57-8647) is another top choice in the Las Terrazas building complex (Camaguey Lamb or Pinareña chicken, only 6 tables) ; other choices : El Almacigo (two bars, snacks) El Macurije (rio San Juan riverside), Rancho Curujey (cocktails at the bar, snacks) and, in Hotel Moka, Bacon de las Tecas. GETTING HERE The Habana-Viñales bus leaving at 0900 stops at 1020 in Las Terrazas. There is no return bus that leaves from Viñales and goes through Las Terrazas anymore. Casa owners will guide you to the best return options; checking with Villas Soroa and the Moka in Las Terrazas may be a good idea.

Nestled in the forest cover, this is Villas Soroa; its swimming pool and bar are a nice oasis for travelers staying in the casas particulares nearby ; )

Another unique specimen as shown in the orquids of cuba. a lovely book by Juan A. Llamacho and Julio A. Larramendi published by Greta Editores

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

Lester Campa's Studio by the lake in Las Terrazas © Melanie K Reed Photography

Looking down from the top of one the cascadas in the surrounding hills part of the numerous walking-trekking tours starting from your casa particular or a Villas Soroa guide.

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 Rusticas del rio San Juan (tel. (48) 57-8555; 15-25cuc per night) — 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.

SOROA TO DISCOVER & SHARE
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 in 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, 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.

ORQUIDEARIO & MAS
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 the 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.

In the decade since the terrible hurricanes which ravaged the province in late August and early September 2008, the Orquideario has come back from the devastation which cut down trees and destroyed installations.

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. The Lester Campa studio also in Las Terrazas is a must-see : a great contemporary artist.

HEED THE HINTS IN THIS FINE PRINT
::: Unless you only want a room in any house which may be of the same quality, but not the specific casa you booked through these photos, say or write : "Quiero asegurir que mi cuarto reservado esta situado en tu casa propria." ::: So as to not abandon honest owners with empty rooms, reconfirm your booking by phone as soon as you can after arriving in Cuba. ::: Please write or phone a casa owner to cancel a booking. As late as it may seem, it allows them a chance to rebook. ::: Children under the age of 16 may share a bedroom with adults for free. Specify the child's age when booking. ::: Since October 2010, maximum bedroom capacity is not limited to two adults (we will erase all mention of this on our pages). ::: Also, large casas are not limited to renting only two bedrooms per night. ::: At the end of the casa name, the V signals the casa was suggested by travelers or owners but not verified by the website staff. If you try it and like it, write us about it. ::: Unless otherwise mentioned, the average room rates and service prices are : 20-25cuc per bedroom per night [up to 40+ for 4 in a room]; breakfasts 3-5cuc, dinners 7-10cuc. ::: Any casa particular anywhere in Cuba must have a hot water shower, otherwise it cannot have a permit to rent. ::: Please share your Complaints, comments & suggestions webmaster [@]cubacasas.net

HOSPEDAJE ESTUDIO DE ARTE
Two indep ac bedrooms, ensuites, in nature
Carretera Soroa, km 8,5 or about 300 metres from Hotel Horizontes Villas Soroa right by the Iglesia/Escuela with its steeple. Tél casa (48) 59-8116 cel Aliuska 53 99 50 91, cel Jesus 58 36 39

VIRGINIA
Two ac bedrooms, ensuites, ranchon, terrace
Carretera Soroa, 5km from Candelaria, in Finca La Flora zone. Cel 52 94 20 39

PEPE
One aircon bedroom, ensuite bath
Carretera Soroa, km 5,5 Candelaria. Check for the sign. Cel 52 25 54 64 or 53 59 16 95

PAPITO
Two aircon bedrooms, ensuites, ranchon
Carretera Soroa, about 9,5km from Candelaria; 600 m up after Villas Soroa, before the campismo. Tel. (48) 59-8487 cel 53 36 57 47

YUMI
Upstairs, two ac bedrooms, ensuites
Carretera Soroa, about 10km from Candelaria; 630 m up after Villas Soroa, before the campismo. Cel 53 99 54 59

The community in Las Terrazas mostly works for a fruit & coffee coop; others man lovely lake San Juan installations, the (troubadour) Polo Montañez museum, the Lester Campa Art Studio, mountain treks to the old coffee plantations, the two freshwater bathing areas and bars along rivers San Juan and Bayate, the « canopi » ride, the chic Hotel Moka, the sabroso El Romero restaurant.

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 value has been consecrated as a Unesco World Biosphere Reserve. 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 Revolucion, 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. [The program was guided through by Camilo Cienfuegos' brother Osmany in 1968.]

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 overcrowding are used for charcoal, and much replanting is done. Source : Global Exchange .org © Team 18355


The Habana-Viñales bus leaving at 0900 stops at 1020 in Las Terrazas. There is no return bus that leaves from Viñales and goes through here anymore. Casa owners will guide you to the best return options; checking with Villas Soroa and the Moka in Las Terrazas may be a good idea. 

VILLA JUANITA
Three double ac bedrooms, ensuites
La Pastora 601, Cayajabos, 3.5 km east of the entrance to Las Terrazas near tiny El Establo. Cel 52 21 06 34 or 53 21 94 44 or 54 64 06 37


 

VILLA DUQUE V
Four ac br's (upstairs or ground), ensuites, views
Finca San Andres, 2 km from the park gate and entrance to Las Terrazas and about 3 km from the main highway; lovely balcony-terrace. Cel 53 22 14 31 or 52 32 68 71

VILLA TRES HERMANAS V
Two ac bedrooms, ensuites, garden
Finca San Andres, Cayajabos, 1 km from Las Terrazas and about 3 km from the main highway. Cel 52 77 38 83 or 55 49 11 74

HOSPEDAJE VILLA RAQUEL 
Two twin ac bedrooms, ensuites
Km 51, off the main Havana-Pinar del Rio highway or 6 km from Las Terrazas Cell 52 58 60 33


 

HABITACIONES COMMUNITARIAS
Below, Ciriles, Mardu, Modesco, some of the 5 rental villas managed by the Las Terrazas office.
Phone reservations are now available from the Las Terrazas village management office Tel. (48) 57-8700 or 48 57-8555 @  

VILLA CIRILES V
Ciriles y Barbara
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 : 66single, 102 double, 140cuc triple for villa per noche in high

Mouseover for room plan.