Cuba adventure tours
| country: | Cuba |
| departures: | Departs every Sunday throughout the year |
| price: | From US $450 (8 days) excluding flights + local payment CUC $200 (approx £109). Price includes all accommodation and breakfasts, transport and local guide |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A small group tour of Cuba (12 travellers maximum), using family home-stays and expert local tour guide throughout. Suited to those interested in Cuban culture, fun, adventure, and seeing the ‘real’ Cuba. As well as visiting the highlights, this tour concentrates on contact with the Cuban people and the Cuban culture. It packs into one week many of the highlights of the country and is ideal for the discerning traveller who wants to have a more authentic experience of Cuba's unique culture, to understand its complex society and economy, and is prepared to immerse himself/herself in Cuba's vibrant culture. There is free time for your own adventuring and there are optional activities available that the tour leader can arrange for you at local prices.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival Havana. |
| Day 2: | Santa Clara. We head east along the island to Santa Clara, a key city in the Cuban Revolution. It's about a 4 hour bus ride through the flat central region of Cuba, where there are lots of citrus plantations. Upon entering Santa Clara, there is a huge statue of Ernesto Ché Guevara, to commemorate his death and that of the revolutionaries who died along with him in Bolivia. There is also a museum here dedicated to his amazing life. This is where you will get your first experience staying with a Cuban family. You'll have time in the afternoon to check out this small city. Santa Clara isn't a thriving tourism hub, and that in itself creates its own interest as you can experience a more authentic Cuban city. Take a walking tour with the tour leader or explore on your own. |
| Day 3: | Trinidad. Its only about 2 or 3 hours drive to from Santa Clara to Trinidad but we make the most of the beautiful journey through the Sierra del Escambray mountains by stopping along the way. The Escambray mountains are famous for producing the best coffee in Cuba and you'll get the chance to try some either at a farmer's house or a small coffee museum. We also stop at the village of Manicaragua where you have the chance to tour a tobacco factory, and for lunch at a farmer's house next to a beautiful mountain stream. Our last stop is at a lookout where we get our first view of the Caribbean Sea. For most visitors to Cuba, Trinidad is their standout favourite destination (well, for the ones that make it this far anyway). No other colonial city in Cuba is so well preserved, and the local residents are extremely friendly and festive. Trinidad is steeped in religiosity, none the least of which is Santeria and other Afro-Cuban religions that are related to Voodoo. The thing however that visitors most love about Trinidad is the nightlife. There are no less than 10 live music venues all within a short walking distance. Many of these have lovely outdoor settings, in courtyards, and within the walls of old colonial ruins. We are near the lovely Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of Sugarmills) and Playa Ancón, where you can enjoy long stretches of unspoiled, white sand beaches. Scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming in waterfalls and horse-riding are other optional activities. |
| Day 4: | Free day in Trinidad. Options are to hit the beach, trek to a waterfall, and to explore the beautifully preserved colonial city. |
| Day 5: | Havana. We head back to Havana via the French founded city of Cienfuegos and the Bay of Pigs. Cubans are known to be very proud people, and the citizens of Cienfuegos, call their town La Perla del Sur (the pearl of the south). Cienfuegos appeal lies partly in the European flavour of its colonial hub, with a wide Parisian-style boulevard and elegant colonnades, and there is an ambience to inspire Cuba's most celebrated Son singer to write the words "Cienfuegos is the city I like best". Beyond Cienfuegos we travel along the picturesque Bay of Pigs past the site where the landing of counter-revolutionary exile militia occured in 1961. Today there is a musuem there that recounts the events of this conflict which resulted in the first defeat of a U.S backed take-over in Latin America. After this you'll have the chance to stop at a beautiful swimming hole which resembles a huge natural tropical fish tank. The scenery changes shortly afterwards to a densely vegetated swamp where the natural fauna includes boa snakes and crocodiles. We have the opportunity to visit a crocodile farm here at Guama. We have a stop-over in Havana with the chance to explore the city at night. |
| Day 6: | Vinales. Surrounded by picturesque limestone pincushion hills ("mogotes"), Vinales is a small and culturally rich village, with friendly and welcoming residents and wide variety of outdoor activities available. Exploring caves carved in the limestone by rivers, hiking, biking, horseback riding or simply enjoying the views of the valley and sprawling tobacco fields below are all options. Vinales is one of the more agriculturally productive areas, so an abundance of local seasonal fruit and vegetables is always on offer such as enormous avocados and mangoes, pineapples, papaya, guava, and a several varieties of sweet potatoes. Its one of the cooler areas of Cuba, so its also a nice escape from the hotter parts of the country. The nightlife is very active in this village with the local residents more than willing participants in dancing to the local live music. From Havana to Vinales its about a 3 hour drive, and on the way we usually stop for lunch at the mountain resort town of Soroa. There are quite a few attractions around this heavily forested area including a short trek to a waterfall, a steep walk to a lookout, a very impressive orchid garden. |
| Day 7: | Havana. We have the morning to hike or horseride through the valley and then we head back to Havana in the afternoon for one last night out on the town. |
| Day 8: | Departure. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
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This trip if filled with opportunities to get to know the culture and vibrant society of the intriguing island nation of Cuba. Nearly all of the accommodation is in the homes of Cuban families, where you will get to see how typical Cubans live, observe their way of life, and participate in their culture.
This tour is lead by a local Cuban guide who will give you an insight into the complex Cuban history and society. The guide will demonstrate how this unique country has managed to resist many of the negative impacts of North American culture, influence, and capitalism, and how it has achieved significant social goals, and at the same time, show you the short-comings of the present system. The maximum group size of this tour is limited to10 travellers which enables us to more easily interact with the Cubans and to visit their homes and places of work and play. It also minimises our impact on the local culture and society. You will get the chance to visit government run local community projects such as the ‘organoponicos’ (urban based community organic produce gardens), local schools, and ration stores. All travellers are encouraged to explore with the group and on their own, learn a few words of the ‘Cubanised’ Spanish, and to interact with the locals as much as possible. The local guides are employed to help explain as much as possible about the cultural differences and the historically significant places that we visit and to make your experience in Cuba as enjoyable and as much fun as possible. |
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. |