Holidays | Central & South America | Cuba | Classic Cuban Holidays
Overview
One of the most popular Cuba holidays takes you from Havana to Trinidad Via Beaches, Coffee fields and tobacco hills, guided by local farmers trained through a project which supports their families and lands and staying in special Casa Particulars.
This Cuba holiday is a tailor-made trip for twelve days and so this is only our suggested itinerary, which of course we can adapt according to your interests. Although we believe it captures many of Cuba’s highlights, both cultural and natural. Starting with Havana, your trip gets into the Cuban swing, taking a tour of the old city in Malecón in an iconic vintage car, dancing the salsa at some of the city’s famous clubs, or just enjoying its crumbling yet wonderful architecture.
This itinerary moves from urban to rural with ease, and so from Havana you can explore the lovely laid-back village of Viñales enveloped by the “sugarloaf” limestone mountains, farms, and tobacco plantations. No better way to explore it than on horseback. Another rural idyll awaits at Las Terrazzas, an eco- community created in the 1960’s and which is now a thriving community of painters, sculptors, and other artisans. Stay at the wonderful ecolodge here for a unique and special Cuban experience. And given that you are surrounded by their coffee plantations, there is no better place to wake up and smell it.
Waking up in Trinidad is a whole other Cuban experience. Although sleeping isn’t always on the agenda here, as it is one of the country’s best live music destinations, with the colourful Spanish colonial plaza beating to the salsa rhythm until the early hours. For a more sedate time in Trinidad, there is always the beach, such as Playa Ancon which is an easy and lovely cycle from the city. Stay in a traditional casa here too, one of Cuba’s welcoming homestays. They will always be able to recommend the best dance spots, beach spots and secret rum bars!
Itinerary - Classic Cuban Holidays - 12 Days
Classic Cars in Havana
Havana has a distinct, exotic personality that you won’t find anywhere else on the planet. During this trip, you’ll spend two nights in the heart of timeless Old Havana and take a city tour by classic car and foot. It's the perfect way to explore the mix of crumbling colonial beauty, peeling bygone glamour and colossal Caribbean soul.
Day three; you’ll pick your hire car up this morning for the drive through one of Cuba’s most beautiful provinces to Vinales. Alternatively, you’ll hop aboard the shuttle bus. Today’s travel time is roughly 4 hours.
Rolling through Tobacco Hills
Ride horseback through the rolling hills of Viñales, Cuba’s rustic cigar region. A stubborn, scenic village that refuses to be changed by tourism, Viñales feels totally timeless. You’ll explore the valley on horseback and on foot, learning about the art of cigar-rolling and meet the local guajiros. If you’re looking for an authentic experience, you’ve found it. Life isn’t staged in Viñales, it simply unfolds as it has done for decades. Next, you’ll set off on your journey to Las Terrazas by hire car or private transfer. Your travel time today is about an hour and a half.
Explore the Coffee Fields
Las Terrazas, Cuba’s pioneering eco-village is a beautiful natural playground just begging to be explored. Walk to hidden waterfalls, get to know the forest on foot and discover how coffee is grown. During this trip, you’ll spend 2 nights tucked away in the trees of Las Terrazas, staying in a truly unique resort built around a giant tree. Now protected under UNESCO biosphere status, the area is an example of eco-tourism at its very best.
Day seven; you’ll set off by hire car of private transfer for roughly 4.5 hours. You'll follow the autopista to Santa Clara where you’ll see the Che Guevara statue, one of the most important monuments in Cuba.
Cuba, the Cuban Way
Indulge yourself in a colonial daydream and dust off your dancing shoes on the cobbled streets of Trinidad. During this trip, you’ll spend one night in Santa Clara on your way to Trinidad, for a visit to Che Guevara’s mausoleum. In Trinidad you'll stay with a family in a traditional Casa Particular. You’ll take a bici-taxi tour with a local guide, getting you into the groove of this creative, colourful, and quirky city.
Overnight in Havana
Finally, you’ll say goodbye to Trinidad and begin the long 6-hour journey back to Havana by hire car or private transfer. In Havana you’ll stay at the same hotel that you stayed in at the start of your Cuba trip. The next day, we’ll arrange for a private driver to collect you from your hotel and transfer you back to the airport for your international flight back to your destination.
What’s Included
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Airport Transfer
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Hotels with breakfast
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Local guides
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Internal transfers
What’s not included
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International flights
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Airport taxes
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All meals and drinks not specified.
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Tips and gratuities
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Items of a personal nature
