Holidays | Central & South America | Cuba | Classic Cuban Cultural Holidays
Overview
One of the bestselling tours of Cuba; has local people at its core giving you a real insider’s experience guided by native Cubans who will show you the best local Paladars and producers, staying at local family Casa each night.
Get up close and personal with Cuba past and present with our 8 days/ 7-night Cuba Group Tour. Learn about the Castros and Che Guevara at the Bay of Pigs and Santa Clara, explore Cuba’s world-famous cigar and rum exports in Havana and Vinales, and admire the aging grandeur of cities such as Cienfuegos and Trinidad in the Caribbean’s most authentic and vibrant destination. Our 8 Day Cuba Group Tour has guaranteed departures, meaning only two people need to book for the tour to take place. And with a group size maxing out at 6, you’ll never feel lost in the crowd or lacking the space you need for those all-important photographs.
What’s more, every tour receives the expert attention of one of our knowledgeable English-speaking guides – ensuring you get the very most out of your time in Cuba. The tour also includes private transportation between scheduled destinations and airport transfer on arrival as standard.
Accommodation
Experiencing Cuban culture first-hand is an important part of our 8 Day/ 7 Night Cuba Group Tour. One way in which we help you achieve a real connection with the everyday Cubans you see around you on the street if by taking advantage of the country’s unique casa particular accommodation (also known as Cuban B&B’s or guesthouses). Most similar to bed and breakfast accommodation elsewhere in the world, these casas particulars (as they’re known in the plural) are small family-run businesses aimed at foreign visitors that developed after Havana’s government relaxed the laws on private enterprise. Much more homely than other alternatives, each casa is different in its size and set-up, but tend to have just a handful of rooms and basic amenities. Even so, many visitors consider their time in our casas to be the highlight of their cultural experience in this distinctive destination. We always book Casa’s with ensuite bathroom facilities and air-conditioning whenever
possible.
Our 8 Day Cuba Group Tour is specifically designed to give you some free time to explore Cuba at your own pace, or to undertake a range of optional activities to add to the extensive list of scheduled activities and highlights, so that you can make the very most of your Cuban experience.
Itinerary - Classic Cuban Cultural Holidays - 8 Days
Havana
The tour begins as soon as you arrive at the Cuban capital’s airport, where one of our representatives will await you and ensure your stress-free transfer from the airport to your casa accommodation whatever time you arrive. No activities are scheduled for the day, but if there is time, there is the option of meeting up with your guide as well as the other members of the tour group for a delicious local meal as you get to know one another. It is also a great time to ask any burning questions you may have about this beguiling country, before you set out to explore it properly the following day.
Cienfuegos Via Bay of Pigs
The tour’s first scheduled stop is at the Bay of Pigs Museum, which tells the story of the botched US-backed counter-revolution that unsuccessfully attempted to remove Fidel Castro and the new communist regime from power. It is also a place of phenomenal natural beauty, and you’ll have time to swim or snorkel in its calm blue waters. Your private transport then continues to Cienfuegos. Unusually for Cuba, Cienfuegos was founded by French immigrants rather than their Spanish counterparts, and as a result has a distinct and rather Parisian feel unlike anywhere else in the country. You’ll get to explore the ancient harbour-front fortification of Castillo de Jagua, and the UNESCO-listed buildings of the centre of the city on a guided walk, before enjoying a drink at the impressive Palacio de Valle hotel.
Trinidad Via Santa Clara
Stopping first at Santa Clara you’ll get to pay your respects to one of the masterminds of the Cuban revolution – Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. The mausoleum you will visit on the outskirts of the city was specially built after the Argentine’s bones were discovered in an unmarked grave in Bolivia and returned to his adopted home. Continuing, the tour reaches Trinidad, in Cuba's heartland. Founded in 1514, the city came to riches due to the local production of sugar cane. Falling into decline when the slavery the industry depended on was outlawed, the city has now been restored to its former glory, as you will see as you take part in a guided walk of its most important sights and an optional salsa lesson if you are feeling energetic. During your free time in Trinidad, you might like to visit a local waterfall, a historic sugar mill or one of Cuba’s best beaches – Playa Ancon.
Vinales
You’ll know you’re getting close to Vinales when the regions mogotes begin to sprout from the rich red soil of the surrounding countryside. These dramatic circular rock formations are typical of the area, as are the fields of tobacco plants, the traditional crop of farms around Vinales. You’ll get a closer look at how the leaves are turned into world-famous cigars on a tobacco farm and drying house tour and learn more about Vinales itself with a guided orientation walk. But don’t forget that while in Vinales you also get to have lunch at an organic farm and enjoy some of the healthiest and most flavourful foods you will ever have tasted.
Havana
Having discovered much of what Cuba has to offer you return to the country’s piece de resistance – Havana. There is perhaps no better way to see this enigmatic capital than from the rear seats of a vintage convertible car, the result of decades of trade embargo by the US. You’ll also be taken to one of our favourite spots in the city, a rooftop bar with views over the historic Old Town district. Here you’ll be shown how to make the perfect mojito before enjoying a farewell dinner with the fellow members of the group. Your final day in Cuba is free of scheduled activities to allow you to depart for the airport at any time without missing out. Should you have a later flight, your guide will have plenty of suggestions of how you can fill your last few hours in wonderful Cuba.
What’s Included
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Casa accommodation (ensuite bathrooms and air-conditioning)
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7 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch & 1 Dinner
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Return Airport Transfers Private Air-conditioned Transportation
What’s not included
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International flights
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Travel and personal accident insurance
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Visa, passport, vaccinations, medicines
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Tips
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Expenditure on alcoholic drinks, souvenirs, personal items
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Optional excursions/activities not detailed in itinerary
* Any additional services requested.
