www.cubacasas.net •|• Soroa

In 1856, Brothers Lorenzo and Antonio Soroa Muñagorri successively acquired, west of Havana, several coffee plantations including La Merced, Neptuno, San Luis and San Ramón de Aguas Claras making up a veritable territory, eventually known by their family name. Hence the name.

Others claim the name comes from French settler Jean-Paul Soroa who had fled the revolution in Haiti. Ask around...

In 1970, the town of Las Terrazas was founded to provide housing for the area's families. The town was designed with good taste in mind, certainly a welcome change from the functional but ugly Eastern bloc architecture found in many recent housing projects. (See below).

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

Descriptive of area by dtcuba

Weather for La Habana (Wunderground),

Some photos by Dan Heller

Various videos on Truveo

Villas Soroa Hotel on CHB

Hotel Moka on CHB

Daily exchange rates

All that's natural in Pinar del Rio province

POPULATION 1,400 in some 220 dwellings spread in Soroa and Las Terrazas

SERVICES
Getting there by car : exit at km 51 of the highway that goes to Pinar del Rio. 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 58cuc per night) : photo below.

RESTAURANTS
Close to the Moka in Las Terrazas : La Fonda de Mercedes, Hacienda Union, Buena Vista and the Rancho Curujey in the Biosphere Reserve.

Comments & suggestions
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Trekking — with or without a dog — allows for some unique, aerial views. •}• In Las Terrazas, a well-earned pause for our caballos.

One of the many stunning waterfalls or saltos in the area. •}• The community in Las Terrazas lives mainly off coffee preparation.

The Casa del Lago, house on the lake San Juan. •}• In the Orquideario, the views are incomparable.

BELOW, OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
V = suggested by travellers. Check by phone. 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.

Villas Soroa in the Sierra del Rosario, surrounded by wooded hills and trekking senderos © sogestour

DISCOVER
The Biosphere Reserve of Sierra del Rosario (a UNESCO World Heritage site) covers some 250 sq km 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.

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.

VISIT
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. 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

Among the many streams in the area are the San Juan and its Baños, gentle cascades sided by a nice bar and 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.

Fom the Moka Hotel, one can trek and thread six superb 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).

Best 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 the waterfalls La Joven Niagara and Salto Escondido. Down a few steps from the Moka, in Las Terrazas, try the Canopy Tour to glide on a cable above the trees and cross San Juan lake in the air. Link here.

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

BOOK BY PHONE
• From Canada and the USA : 011 53 + number preceded by 82, the area code or 5 for cell
• From Europe, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Mexico : 00 53 + phone # preceded by 82, the area code

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 most casas in sequence.

Move to next casa by clicking logo.

Casas are presented below in the order visitors see them gradually going up the road all the way to Villas Soroa (and its welcomed swimming pool) with a couple more casas further up the road, which eventually leads to, 16 km beyond, through nature and trees — nothing more — San Juan lake and Las Terrazas. Some fearless cyclists ply these roads but one can deduct from their body language, as they climb hills and more hills, that they are saying "Never more !".

LOS SAUCES
Jorge Luis Vivó y Ana Lidia Rodriguez
Carretera Soroa, 3km from the immigration and admin offices in Candelaria (across the highway) and 1 km from the highway itself and its Servi-Cupet gas station. First rental casa you will see as you go up the road to Villas Soroa. Cellular (5) 228-9372 In Cuba, dial 015 228-9372

Jorge and Ana Libia live in a nice country casa where they rent two modern bedrooms comfy, air-conditioned, each with fridge, private bathroom and two beds and with its own mini shaded terrace with rockers. Sauces is Spanish for willows.

Ana Libia has been working at Soroa's Orquideario for close to 30 years. The couple gets along very well in Ingles.