Cuba Classic - 8 days from Havana

If your time is limited, and you are more interested in Cuba's culture and its people than beach resorts, then we highly recommend this 8 day tour of Cuba. In one short week, its an optimised way to sample some of the most interesting areas of Cuba within a day's drive from Havana. The tour takes your from the bustling and vibrant Havana, to the historic Santa Clara, and gives you the chance to experience the more traditional and rural sides of Cuba, with stays in Trinidad, Cienfuegos and Viñales. These places are common favourites for travellers who have come to Cuba seeking authenticcultural experiences. While Trinidad presents us with beautiful white sand beaches, colonial architecture, waterfalls, and a charming village atmosphere, Viñales offers stunning mountainous scenery, sprawling tobacco fields and friendly locals. A local Cuban Tour Guide accompanies the group throughout, and accommodation is nearly entirely in the homes of local cuban families

What’s Included in the Tour Price:

• All breakfasts
• 8 days, 7 nights.
• Cuban tour leader throughout
• Walking tour of Havana
• Che Guevara museum
• All land transport during the itinerary and airport transfer on arrival
• All hotel accommodations* (twin share)
• * Additional accommodations can be arranged at the clients’ request
• $200 cuc local payment (see details below for more information)

• International Flights
• Visa and passport fees
• Insurance (Insurance is required to participate on the tour)
• All meals (except for breakfasts)
• Drinks
• Tips
• Optional activities/day-tours/excursions
• Airport departure transfer

There will be times during your tour in Cuba where there'll be opportunitiew to tip local service providers - such as drivers and local guides. This is a completely optional practice to show your appreciation for excellent service and you should never feel obliged to do so, especially if you feel you did not receive good service. You may tip individually, or your tour guide will offer to collect the money and tip as a group. Also at the end of the tour, if you felt your tour guide did an outstanding job, tipping is appreciated (see also the section about your tour guide).

For local guides on day trips and other optional activities, as a suggestion we recommended a tip of 2 to 5 CUC per person.

The Local Payment must be handed to the tour guide at the first group meeting in Cuba(usually on the morning of Day 2 of the tour). This will be accepted exclusively in CUC(Cuban Pesos Convertibles) cash. 

Why do I have to pay a local payment? 

We have part of the cost of the tour paid by you locally in Cuba for these reasons: 

• Sometimes we have problems sending the large amount of money to Cuba to operate the tour. Having the tour guide collect a certain amount in cash, directly from the travellers at the start of the tour, acts as a safeguard against possible delays or complications in the transferral of money to Cuba to run the tour. This way the guide will at least have some cash to be able to start the tour and not compromise any of the services we provide, until the rest of the money arrives.
• The local payment allows us to lower the upfront payment amount for the tour, which means that less or your money is collected as commission by travel agents, and advertising agencies. This means that the overall cost of the tour is lower.

What part of the tour does the local payment pay for?

The local payment does not cover any one particular aspect of the trip - such as the local flight or included excursions. Instead it goes towards paying for our total cost of running the tour (including accommodation, transport, guide, guide expenses etc), the majority of which we need to pay for in cash in Cuba.

We estimate you will need between US$450 and US$600 for local expenses during the tour, such food and optional activities (but not including the local payment 

Itinerary:

Havana has to be one of the most exciting cities in the world. It's definitely intriguing and unique. Your included airport arrival transfer will take you to your guesthouse for the first night. If you arrive early today, you'll have time to do some exploring on your own before meeting the rest of your group, and your guide, tonight. Your guide will leave you a note at your guesthouse with details about the group meeting time and place. The base house or your tour group will either be in Old Havana, Central Havana, or Vedado. The neighbourhoods of Old Havana and Central Havana are some of the places where you will feel Cuba at it's most intense - narrow streets with old crumbling buildings and full of locals who are not placed there for the tourists but rather because this is their home. You will see them working, going to school, socialising, and going about their daily lives. Simply wandering the streets will give you a new experience and fill you with many questions about how the country functions. Vedado is another interesting part of town where there is a concentration of restaurants, bars, majestic mansions, and historic mafia built hotels.

The tour package itself does not include much time in Havana, so we recommend that you book an extra night or two in Havana, either before or after the tour. After the tour is probably preferable, as by then, you will have learnt a bit about how things work in Cuba and how to get around. Plus you'll have the chance to talk to your tour guide and get some recommendations of what to do and see in Havana. 

Before departing Havana, we have a guided walking tour of the historic centre of Havana (approx 2 hours). 

From Havana to Viñales its about a 4 hour drive, and on the way we usually stop for lunch. Surrounded by picturesque limestone pincushion hills (“mogotes”), Viñales is a small and culturally rich village, with friendly and welcoming residents and wide variety of outdoor activities available. Exploring caves, hiking, biking, horseback riding or simply enjoying the views of the valley and sprawling tobacco fields below are all options. Viñales is one of the more agriculturally productive areas, so an abundance of local seasonal fruit and vegetables is always on offer such as enormous avocados and mangoes, pineapples, papaya, guava, and a several varieties of sweet potatoes. Its one of the cooler areas of Cuba, so its also a nice escape from the hotter parts of the country. The nightlife is very activein this village with the local residents more than willing participants in dancing to the local live music.

Day 4 - Bay of Pigs / Cienfuegos

We head back past Havana to the French founded city of Cienfuegos through the densely vegetated Peninsula de Zapata swamp-lands, and along the beautiful Bay of Pigs. This is where the landing of counter-revolutionary exile militia occured in 1961. There is a musuem here that recounts the events of this conflict which resulted in the first defeat of a U.S backed take-over in Latin America. We will also make stops at a beautiful swimming hole (cenote) which resembles a huge natural tropical fish tank, and if the conditions are favourable, at beach for snorkelling. 

Cienfuegos appeal lies partly in the European flavour of its colonial hub, with a wide Parisian-style boulevard and elegant colonnades, and there is an ambience to inspire Cuba’s most celebrated Son singer to write the words “Cienfuegos is the city I like best”.

For many visitors to Cuba, Trinidad is their standout favourite destination. No other colonial city in Cuba is so well preserved, and the local residents are extremely friendly and festive. Trinidad is steeped in religiosity, none the least of which is Santeria, which is one of several Afro-Cuban religions.

The thing however that visitors most love about Trinidad is the nightlife. There are no less than 10 live music venues all within a short walking distance. Many of these have lovely outdoor settings, in courtyards, and within the walls of old colonial ruins. 

We are near the lovely Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of Sugarmills) and Playa Ancón - where you can enjoy long stretches of unspoiled, white sand beaches. Scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming in waterfalls, and horse-riding are other optional activities.

On the way back to Havana we stop in at the town of Santa Clara, a key city in the Cuban Revolution. Upon entering Santa Clara, there is a huge statue of Ernesto Ché Guevara, to commemorate his death and that of the revolutionaries who died along with him in Bolivia. There is also a museum here dedicated to his amazing life

Its one final night of the tour in Havana, and your tour guide will have some suggestions for a farewell dinner and fun night out.

Today you are free to depart at anytime.

• Havana to Viñales - 3 hours
• Viñales to Cienfuegos va Bay of Pigs - 8 hours
• Cienfuegos to Trinidad - 3 hours
• Trinidad to Havana via Santa Clara - 7 hours