11-Day Heritage and Nature Tour of Cuba with Havana and Trinidad

1

Day 01

Arrival and Welcome to Havana

• Meet the representative at the airport, who will transfer you to your lodging in Havana City.
• You will stay in a penthouse apartment on the 14th floor of a building on the Havana Malecón, from where you can enjoy stunning views. The apartment is exclusive to your party and has 3 rooms and a central living area.

2

Day 02

Discover Havana by Vintage Car, on Foot, and Through Salsa

• At 9:00 am, meet your guide at your lodging and travel in American vintage cars - Chevrolet from the 1950s style with an open roof - for a 2-hour tour through modern Havana.
• Drive from the Havana Malecón to the Plaza de la Revolución and pass through city quarters like Miramar, Centro Havana, and Vedado.
• The tour ends in Old Havana, from where you will continue on foot. The guide explains the history of the city as you pass through colonial streets and plazas, marvelling at the colonial architecture.
• You will end up at a local dance school, where professional dancers will be your partners and introduce you all to the rhythms of Cuban salsa. You receive a well-deserved mojito at the end.
• In the evening, the guide takes you to Havana's emblematic restaurant, La Bodeguita del Medio. Here, the mojito was invented, and dinner begins with one.
• You have a menu of typical Cuban dishes and, of course, live music featuring traditional Cuban sounds.

3

Day 03

Leisure Day in Havana

• Today you are at leisure to explore Havana on your own. The guide will give you many ideas, and Havana is just waiting for you.
• You can go on the trail of Hemingway's presence in Havana, with the many bars he visited, his house Finca Vigía on the outskirts of town, and the fishing village of Cojímar, featured in his famous book "The Old Man and the Sea".
• You can learn more about the Cuban Revolution by visiting the Museum of the Revolution or the Memorial José Martí.
• Visit the Museum of Fine Arts, with Cuban art from the last 200 years, and the many present-day art workshops in the Old Town.
• You can also enjoy the bars, cocktails, and live music of Old Havana.

4

Day 04

Las Terrazas and Onward to Viñales

• Leave in the morning with your driver and guide in a private vehicle for the area of Viñales. On the way, make a stop at the nature park Las Terrazas. This park is the result of a reforestation project from the 1960s. Visit the community and have a swim in the natural water rapids of the San Juan River.
• In the afternoon, continue to Viñales. On arrival, see the valley from Jazmine's viewpoint.
• The area of Viñales and the surrounding Vuelta Abajo is the best place on earth to grow tobacco. In the months from December to April, the leaves slowly grow and guarantee the famous Cuban cigars like Monte Cristo and Romeo & Juliette. But it is also an area for eco-tourism. The Valley of Viñales, with its mogotes, is incredibly beautiful.
• Everywhere you will meet humble and hospitable Cuban farmers who show their daily lives in the fields. The village of Viñales is an attraction on its own, with lively bars featuring live music and local restaurants offering the typical Cuban food of rice and beans.
• Spend the night in a villa with views over the valley, a little on the outskirts of town: Balcón del Ermitaño. You have the villa exclusively for yourselves, with 3 bedrooms, a central area, and gardens.
• Enjoy the dinner prepared by the owner for you in the garden.

5

Day 05

Horseback Riding Through the Valley of Viñales

• This morning, you go with a specialized local guide on a horseback trip through the fields. Everywhere you see the mogotes, the little karstic mountains of the area. On the way, you see the fields and the farmers ploughing them. From January to April, you will see tobacco in the fields. From May to July, the leaves are hanging in the drying sheds.
• Visit Finca Coco Solo, a genuine farm in the Valley of Viñales. You will find tobacco being cultivated, along with other regular crops, all in an organic way. The breeding of domestic animals is another activity here. Of course, it also has great natural beauty, given by its location inside the valley and its surroundings of the characteristic mogotes of Viñales.
• There is also the farmer's house, a house for curing tobacco, a small lake, a small house where the peasant keeps work instruments, as well as a ranch where the visitor can have a meal. The menu is 3 courses with specialties from the local Cuban farmer's kitchen, using products straight from the land.
• Spend the afternoon at leisure in the centre of town.

6

Day 06

Drive to the Bay of Pigs

• Today you drive to the Bay of Pigs area. On arrival, you will visit a crocodile farm under the control of a research centre.
• See animals in different basins according to their age group. With a bit of luck, you may catch them at feeding time - a real feast. You end the day in the fishermen's village of Playa Larga, where you overnight.
• You have a house with 3 rooms and direct access to the beach of Playa Caletón. Dinner will be prepared for you at the house on the beach.

7

Day 07

Hiking and Snorkelling in the Bay of Pigs

• Today you will follow a trail in the bushlands around the Bay of Pigs. The hike with a specialized guide takes you through thick bush to a cenote, or open-air pond, that is connected underground to the sea.
• You can swim here in the freshwater. In the afternoon, you stop at a snorkelling spot along the bay. Here, you just jump into the water from the shore, and you have tropical fish and reefs everywhere.
• Enjoy a free evening in Caletón.

8

Day 08

Colonial Cienfuegos and Trinidad

• Today you continue to the historic town of Trinidad. On the way, you stop in Cienfuegos, another provincial city.
• Visit the centre with Parque Martí, Prado Boulevard, and the Punta Gorda neighbourhood near the bay.
• In the afternoon, you arrive in Trinidad. The little town of Trinidad was the centre of the Cuban sugar industry around 1800. The sugar barons built palaces in the centre in the typical style of the colonial era. The streets were cobblestoned for their horse carriages, and they painted the houses in light pastel colours. This historic centre has prevailed through the years and is now Patrimony of Mankind. The centre is crowded with little bars featuring live music and restaurants with creative cuisine.
• Many colonial houses rent rooms, so you can enjoy authentic Cuban hospitality while staying within walking distance of the museums and colonial plazas. But there are also lots of things to do in the area, like visiting the sugar valley of the Ingenios, doing hiking trails to waterfalls in the mountains, or simply going to the nearby Caribbean beaches.
• Stay in a colonial house in the historic centre. The house dates back to the 19th century, and the furniture and decoration are all in colonial style.
• You will stay in Casa Inchauspie or Casa D'Lirio in the casco histórico of Trinidad. You have 3 rooms, and the central area of the house is exclusive to your party.

9

Day 09

Waterfall Hike in the Escambray Mountains

• Today you go into the Escambray Mountains to the central point of Topes de Collantes, at an altitude of 600 m, in a natural environment completely different from Trinidad at sea level. Here, together with the guide, you choose a trail that is suitable for you. All of them end at a waterfall surrounded by lush tropical jungle where you can swim. It is a great experience and an encounter with tropical nature.
• In the evening, the guide takes you to a local paladar for a typical Cuban cuisine experience. Afterwards, you will enjoy the nightlife of Trinidad, with live music in the streets.

10

Day 10

Private Boat Trip on the Caribbean Sea

• Today you have a short transfer to Marina Ancón at the beach of Trinidad. Here you take a private boat to spend the day at sea. Onboard drinks are included.
• You set off and stop around one of the islands off the coast, where you go snorkelling. Equipment is available onboard.
• You make a stop at Cayo Iguana Island or Cayo Blanco Island for a visit. This uninhabited island has a large population of iguanas, which you can observe in their natural habitat.
• Have a seafood lunch and relax on the beach. In the afternoon, you sail back to Marina Ancón and transfer to your lodging.

11

Day 11

Return to Havana Airport

• Today you drive back to Havana airport for your return flight. On the way, you can make a few stops if time permits, such as in the Valley of the Ingenios and at the Mausoleum of Che Guevara in Santa Clara.