Vinales Valley is the pride and joy of the citizens of western Cuba and probably of all Cubans. It’s one of the most visited sites in Cuba. Thousands of visitors visit the Valley, go inside its caves, admire its nature and get to know its culture and particular Vinales cuisine. The valley has an area of 132 km2 and is located in the Sierra de los Organos mountains just north of Vinales in the Pinar del Rio Province. The town of Vinales and the scenic valley in which it is located has been a favoured location for living from the earliest days of human settlement on Cuba. It is a great combination of Mother Nature and traditional Cuban art and craft. The town offers plenty of paladares with local food and live music spots, placed along the main street. In 1999, the Valley was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, in the category of Cultural Landscape.

credit: Giam

Segovia is a picturesque old city with twisting alleyways, the highest concentration of Romanesque churches in all of Europe and pedestrian-only streets. The majority of Segovia’s attractions are found in the Old Town. The ancient Roman aqueduct, fairy-tale castle, awe-inspiring cathedral and mystical monasteries reveal Segovia’s rich cultural heritage.

credit: santiagolopezpastor

This West African city—long synonymous with the uttermost end of the Earth—was added to the Unesco World Heritage List in 1988, many centuries after its apex. Timbuktu was founded by nomads in the twelfth century and it rapidly became a major trading depot for the caravans of the Sahara Desert. It has often been invoked as a symbol as a mysterious and exotic place on Earth. Timbuktu city boasts a rich and fascinating history. it was once a thriving center of science and the starting point of Islam throughout Africa. Although the city and maintains a permanent population, as well as a place to store the greatest collection of ancient manuscripts of Timbuktu slowly recedes before approaching the Sahara desert. The main problem is the local desertification, as in there are big dunes and the streets are often buried under windblown sand. The temperature then increased too, often fever was recorded at above 55 ° C. The good news is that in the cool waters of the Niger can dip only 24 km from the city. Nowadays, Timbuktu is in the hands of Islamist rebels who captured the city from a secular rebel group in June. Most of the area’s population has fled to non-rebel controlled areas of Mali or Niger. The rebels have imposed sharia law, which includes mandatory veils for women, the stoning of adulterers, and punitive “amputations” for thieves. The rebels have called for the destruction of all of the city\’s shrines, which they believe to be a form of idolatry banned by Islam. It appears most, if not all, of the shrines have been destroyed.

credit: Emilio Labrador