Small group tours to Cuba
| country: | Cuba |
| departures: | 2009: 19 Dec 2010: 30 Jan, 27 Mar, 8 May, 24 Jul, 6 Nov, 18 Dec |
| price: | From £2398 (21 days) including flights from the UK, per person based on two people sharing. Price includes tour leader, internal flights and departure tax, transfers in Latin America, transport and accommodation, meals and excursions. Minimum age 12. |
| more info: | 2010 price: From £2638 |
| late availability: | Spaces still available 19 Dec! |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Small group tours to Cuba Travel the length of the country and experience the real Cuba and its people. We use popular home stays to support the locals and to gain an insight into Cuban life. The tour journeys through the historical and revolutionary cities of Havana and Santiago, to the quieter laid back provincial towns of Baracoa and Vinales, and the UNESCO colonial beauty of Trinidad. You will pass through tropical unspoilt scenery and get to experience Cuba’s infamous and infectious music and dance.
Highlights of our small group tours to Cuba:
Staying and eating in family homes to familiarise yourself with Cuban life, and bring direct benefits. Explore the evocative crumbling colonial heart of Old Havana. Discover the unspoilt scenery of the biosphere reserve surrounding Baracoa, rich in wildlife. Adventure into the Sierra Maestra mountains, to Fidel and Che’s hideout during the Revolution. Relax in the colonial tranquillity of the UNESCO gem Trinidad’s Caribbean beaches and mountains. Stroll through the magical limestone scenery and tobacco fields around Vinales.
Style of travel
We stay in a mixture of simple hotels with private facilities, and private homes. Transport is a mixture of private and public vehicles.
A few days to spare?
If you have a few days to spare, we can arrange extensions to the beginning or end of our Cuba small group tours, on a private basis. You may like to end your trip with a beach wind down on one of Cuba’s pristine coastlines. Our experts can advise and help you chose the extension most suitable for you.
Best time to go on our small group tours to Cuba: Cuba can be visited all year round and is hot throughout the year. The most hot and humid months are typically during our Summer. From August to November there is a chance of tropical storms.
Highlights of our small group tours to Cuba:
Style of travel
We stay in a mixture of simple hotels with private facilities, and private homes. Transport is a mixture of private and public vehicles.
A few days to spare?
If you have a few days to spare, we can arrange extensions to the beginning or end of our Cuba small group tours, on a private basis. You may like to end your trip with a beach wind down on one of Cuba’s pristine coastlines. Our experts can advise and help you chose the extension most suitable for you.
Best time to go on our small group tours to Cuba: Cuba can be visited all year round and is hot throughout the year. The most hot and humid months are typically during our Summer. From August to November there is a chance of tropical storms.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Day flight to Havana. |
| Day 2: | Walking tour of the colonial heart of Old Havana. |
| Day 3: | Exploring the vibrant capital city. |
| Day 4-5: | Fly to Santiago. Included tour of the Moncada Barracks and time to explore the city and surrounding area. (If the AeroCaribbean operated flight is not scheduled, we travel by overnight bus) |
| Day 6-8: | Visit the UNESCO biosphere reserve area of Baracoa, with included and optional excursions to see the nearby beaches and rivers, or to hike the mountains. |
| Day 9: | Drive to the peaceful town of Bayamo. |
| Day 10: | Excursion into the Sierra Maestra Mountains and hike to Fidel’s hideout during the revolution. |
| Day 11: | Visit the artistic town of Camaguey. |
| Day 12-14: | Explore and relax in Trinidad: a UNESCO world heritage site with a vibrant music scene and nearby beaches and mountains. |
| Day 15: | Visit Che Guevara’a memorial site in Santa Clara. |
| Day 16: | Travel to Vinales, via Las Terrazas biosphere reserve. |
| Day 17-18: | Excursions and walks in and around the attractive Vinales region. |
| Day 19: | Return to Havana, with more time to explore. |
| Day 20: | Depart. |
| Day 21: | Arrive UK. |
small group adventure holiday
This trip is run by a company which specialises in only Central and South America holidays. Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip and how many others are booked on it) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone, with your partner 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, whilst being led by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic leader. how this holiday makes a difference
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Environment
On our small group tours to Cuba we visit and support the conservation of several National Parks, including Topes de Collantes in the Sierra Escambray; the Humboldt National Park outside of Baracoa; and Turquino National Park in the Sierra Maestra mountains. By paying entrance fees and hiring local guides within these parks, we encourage the continued preservation and research of these areas. We visit and support the community project of Las Terrazas in the Sierra del Rosario UNESCO biosphere reserve. This is Cuba’s premier centre for ecotourism, which offers the chance to get a little bit closer to the local community, who coexist harmoniously with their surroundings. The model community was set up as part of a reforestation project and also as a scheme to promote self sufficiency and education in rural areas. Community Much of the accommodation on this tour is in private Cuban houses, known as casas particulars. Many Cubans open their homes to travellers to supplement their income with dollars, meaning they can buy many goods not available in local currency – clothes, toothpaste, shampoo etc. Similarly, we also endeavour to eat in ‘paladars’, private homes that serve tourists a hearty, local meal and provide an opportunity for Cubans to earn a living. Our style of travel ensures that as many local people as possible benefit by our being there. This tour runs with a maximum of 16 people which helps to minimise the impact on delicate environments. Clients joining this tour are encouraged (at their own discretion) to take gifts of everyday items which can be hard to come by in Cuba and are often very costly. |
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. |