Cuba family holidays
| country: | Cuba |
| departures: | 2010: 4 Apr, 25 Jul, 8 Aug, 22 Aug, 19 Dec 2011: 10 Apr, 24 Jul, 7 Aug |
| price: | From £1665 - £1991 (16 days) per adult and from £1555 - £1881 per child including flights from the UK, from £995 - £1078 excluding flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
introduction to Cuba family holidays
Old Havana & 'Mogotes'
We'll explore Havana's vibrant colonial quarter, wander its narrow streets and have the opportunity to visit the Museum of the Revolution. Heading west we stay near the lively small town of Viñales. From here we will venture into this intriguing region to discover the dramatic scenery of sheer limestone peaks (Mogotes) rising from the valley floor - either on foot or by bike. At Las Terrazas, there's the chance to walk along forest trails, swim in jungle rivers and ride the zip wire for a bird's eye view!
Trinidad & Mountain Forests
Then we drive to the Zapata Peninsula, before visiting the infamous Bay of Pigs. We spend two nights on the Caribbean from where we can visit the laid-back town of Trinidad - with its faded, painted houses and atmospheric streets. Next we head into the mountains to Topes de Collantes National Park, where we camp on the grounds of a hacienda. Exploring this wild area on foot, we can really enjoy the remoteness and highland views of this hidden corner of Cuba. We'll swim in waterfalls and discover forest trails, hoping to catch a glimpse of tiny hummingbirds and perhaps the Tocororo - Cuba's national bird.
Tropical Beaches
Travelling across the mountains and down to the plains, we head for the Mausoleum of Ché Guevara at Santa Clara. We continue to Cayo Las Brujas, where sandy beaches give way to coral reefs and tropical fish, well away from high-rise tourist resorts further north. If you would like to spend a few extra days relaxing on Cayo Las Brujas at the end of your Cuban adventure, then make sure you book our beach extension. You'll spend an extra couple of nights on the cayo before flying back to Havana for the final night.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Havana. |
| Day 2: | We explore Havana's vibrant city streets from the back seat of a 1950s American car! After this adventure there's still plenty of time to take in more of the old town's highlights on foot. |
| Days 3-4: | The dramatic limestone 'mogotes' protruding out of the tobacco fields here are rightly famous and after exploring the area on foot there's also time to discover lively town of Vinales itself. |
| Days 5-6: | Heading to the lush forested region of Las Terrazas, we'll swim in jungle pools and there's the chance to ride a zip wire through the trees. |
| Days 7-8: | After pausing at the infamous Bay of Pigs, we stay on the Caribbean from where we visit the laid-back and atmospheric town of Trinidad Day. |
| Day 9: | Heading into the mountains of Topes de Collantes National Park, we'll camp on the grounds of a hacienda. Exploring this wild area on foot, we can really enjoy the remoteness and highland views of this hidden corner of Cuba. |
| Days 10-13: | Leaving the mountains behind, we visit Che's Mausoleum before crossing to the beautiful sandy beaches of Cayo Las Brujas where there's plenty of time to unwind, relax and swim in the warm turquoise seas. |
| Day 14: | We fly back to the capital today. |
| Days 15-16: | Overnight flight to UK. |
small group family holiday
This is a 'small group family adventure' - typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your children to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves. Most adventure kids tend to be aged between 7 and 15, but some are younger (minimum age is usually 5) and some older (perhaps travelling as part of a larger family group). Please check with the operator to confirm the minimum age for this trip award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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On our family tour to Cuba we take the chance to visit the lesser-known destination of Topes de Collantes where we sleep under the stars and stay at a hacienda hosted by the local community. They cook wholesome local food for us and also provide the guides that we use on our walks in the area. By staying at the hacienda we support local people directly and use minimal resources when compared to staying at a hotel. The night in the hacienda is always listed as a highlight of the tour by our customers as they have a chance for interaction with the locals, which is often much harder in larger cities.
Our ground handling agent in Cuba is locally owned and run and the majority of the hotels we stay in are locally run and not part of a chain of hotels or other large conglomerates that dominate tourism in Cuba. We also encourage our groups to eat in small Paladars run by the locals. Due to food rationing food is more limited in the Paladars compared to the hotel restaurants, however by eating in them it not only supports the local economy but also gives our customers a real insight into the realities of Cuban life. We also drive the whole time on this tour, rather than using internal flights as planes have much higher carbon emissions than a bus. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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