Highlights of Cuba

We take a walking tour to the historic heart of Havana. Granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1982, the old town, or ‘Habana Vieja’, has been handsomely restored and features unique Baroque neoclassical architecture. Our tour will take in many of Havana’s sights, including a visit to Plaza de Cathedral, Plaza Vieja and the old City Walls. Lunch will be in a local paladar restaurant.

You will also visit the Hotel Ambos Mundos where Ernest Hemingway lived for more than 2 years, and you’ll see the room where he lived and wrote “For Whom the Bell Tolls”.

This evening we’ll have dinner in a local paladar restaurant.

Today we drive west into the heart of Cuban tobacco country. We’ll head to the provincial capital, Pinar del Rio, for a visit to a traditional tobacco factory. 

From here, we travel to the beautiful Viñales valley, a picturesque region of small farms and old tobacco plantations. We’ll enjoy lunch on arrival followed by a tobacco rolling demonstration with local farmers. Using tobacco leaves they have grown and cured themselves, the farmers roll cigars known as “tabaco criollo”. 

In the evening, after checking into our hotel in Viñales, we set out for a walk along the Sendero Valle del Silencio. Exploring this enchanting countryside will prepare your appetite for dinner at Wilfredo’s Organic Farm, set in a beautiful hilltop location overlooking the town. With luck, we will witness a marvellous sunset as we enjoy our meal. 

Distance: approx. 2.5 miles (4km) 

Driving distance – approx. 210km 

This morning, we rise early and set off with packed breakfasts on the Acuaticos trail which takes us up into the hills for a spectacular sunrise over Viñales Valley. After lunch in a local ‘paladar’ - a small Cuban family-run restaurant - we carry on along the Palmarito trail, which leads through small villages that still have a traditional way of life, before returning to our hotel. 

Dinner will be in a local paladar

Distance: approx. 4.5 miles (7km)  

Today is mostly a travel day (approx. 6 hours over approx. 500km) as we head towards central Cuba. We’ll visit Las Terrazas Biosphere Reserve to learn about the reforestation programme started in the 1970s and take a short trail, La Serafina, in the hopes of spotting local birdlife. Distance: approx. 4 miles (6km).

After lunch on an old coffee plantation, we continue to Santa Clara. If time allows today, we’ll visit the Che Guevara memorial, resting place for Che and sixteen of his men who were killed in action in 1967 in Bolivia, and have dinner at the hotel.

If we didn’t have time to visit the Che Guevara memorial yesterday, we’ll do this today before departing for the city of Remedios, located about an hour to the northwest of Santa Clara.

Well off the beaten path and forgotten by most tour operators, Remedios is one of the oldest towns in Cuba – now a National Monument town – and the 17th century colonial architecture dominates this peaceful town. We’ll take in the city and its historic centre on a relaxed tour. The key attraction is the main square with its colonial church, ‘Iglesia Mayor’ of San Juan Bautista, which possesses thirteen beautifully decorated gold altars.

We continue to the beautiful Northern Cays of Cuba and our all-inclusive hotel, where we’ll have lunch and the remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Today, take some time to relax in the resort. Enjoy the hotel’s facilities or explore the nearby area – perhaps a swim in the sea or a short walk along the white sand beaches or through the nearby tropical woodland.

Today we travel towards Trinidad to visit the Valley of the Sugar Mills (‘Valle de los Ingenios’). This fertile plain, with the Sierra del Escambay in the distance, is carpeted in the green hues of sugar cane. The valley is dotted with ruins of 19th century sugar mills. 

We also take a walking tour of the historic heart of Trinidad and enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Founded in 1514 by Diego Velazquez, Trinidad has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988 thanks to its past as the centre for the sugar trade. The city’s cobbled streets and lovely architecture bear witness to its former glories. 

This evening we will have dinner at Alberto’s House. 

After breakfast we travel to the Escambray Mountains to visit Topes de Collantes, a natural park above Trinidad de Cuba dotted with magical waterfalls and cool pools. Here we’ll walk the Guanayara trail, often lauded as the most rewarding hike in the park. We travel to the start of the hike by truck and descend to the El Rocio waterfall. This section is steep, and we recommend walking poles if you usually use them. 

We’ll have dinner together this evening. 

Distance: 3.7 miles (6km). 

Today is a free day. There are many options including taking a visit to Playa Ancon, joining a catamaran trip to the offshore cayes, or exploring the charming streets of Trinidad a little further. A picnic lunch is provided today, and dinner will be together as a group at a local paladar.

Driving distance approx. 90km

After breakfast, we’ll walk around Hanabanilla Reservoir along the La Atalaya trail. During the walk you will see typical country houses of the area, before finishing at Lago Hanabanilla from where we will be taken by boat to Rio Negro for lunch. Distance approx. 4.5 miles (7km), with some rough sections of ascent and descent.

After lunch, a 1½ hour transfer takes us to Cienfuegos Bay, where we check into our hotel.

Dinner will be in a local paladar.

After breakfast we set off for a visit to the Cienfuegos Botanical Garden, with its impressive array of orchids and tropical palms. We explore the garden and have lunch in the gardens themselves before returning to Cienfuegos for a tour of this beautiful town.

Cienfuegos is one of Cuba’s most charming cities. Set on the shores of a huge natural bay, the city was originally one of Cuba’s most important harbours. It was settled by French immigrants fleeing the slave uprisings of Haiti, the city has elegant boulevards and classical homes, as well as spacious squares and one Cuba’s most famous theatres (Teatro Terry).

We will explore the city with a sightseeing tour, including visits to the theatre and the main square.  This evening we enjoy dinner in a local paladar on the waterfront.

Driving distance approx. 260km

Today we return to Havana via the Zapata National Park.  

We stop at Playa Giron, or the Bay of Pigs, the site of the final battle between Fidel Castro’s forces and the counterrevolutionary army and visit its museum to learn about the US/CIA involvement in the anti-Castro movement.   We stop for lunch on the coast with the option of swimming in waters full of tropical fish.

This evening we’ll enjoy a cocktail at El Floridita, one of Hemingway’s old hangouts, and round off the evening with a special dinner in Old Havana.

This morning, we’ll visit the Havana Rum Museum where you will have the chance to try some of Cuba’s finest rums. We then depart for a visit to Finca Vigia, which is lovingly kept as it was when Ernest Hemingway lived here. After the visit, we continue by bus to Cojimar, where the author moored his boat, The Pilar. The fishing village is full of memories of the great American novelist and its setting was the inspiration for his novel “The Old Man and the Sea”. To round off, we’ll enjoy an ice-cold daiquiri at one of his favourite restaurants – Las Terrazas – which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.  

We’ll return to Havana for lunch and free time to explore the city independently. In the evening, we’ll enjoy a city tour courtesy of a classic American car before sharing our last group meal in local paladar. 

Our final morning is at leisure. After lunch, our with-flight guests transfer to Havana airport to begin our return journey back to the UK.

With-flight guests arrive back in the UK.