Cuba’s Captivating Core: A Journey Through Time
Your Tour:
10 nights
11 days
14 meals
Up to 4 miles / day
Tour overview
Program activities, schedules and personnel may change due to local circumstances.
In such an event, we will alert you as quickly as possible.
Day by Day
Day 1
Overnight: Havana
The tour coordinator will greet everyone, and we will review the program schedule, emergency procedures and answer questions. After orientation we will set out with our tour coordinator to take a walk and explore the area around the hotel. At a restaurant, we will enjoy a welcome dinner with a delicious set menu.
Day 2
Overnight: Havana
Breakfast at the hotel. We will depart from the hotel by private bus towards Old Havana where we will meet a local expert who will lead our walking tour around the area discovering the main colonial squares. We will continue visiting the Museum of The Revolution where we will learn about the history of Cuba from the early 1960s to the present time.
In the afternoon, a local expert will join us for a presentation on Cuban History through one of the best ways to get to know Cuban idiosyncrasy: music and the different Cuban rhythms.
Day 3
Overnight: Havana
Breakfast at the hotel. We will spend the morning learning about the differences between the state-government owned markets and the private agricultural markets, where Cubans buy their vegetables and other food. We will choose the main ingredients for the cooking class we will have after the tour. We will learn how to make a delicious menu with true Cuban flavors.
At night, we will go to the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress, a colonial fort used to protect the town from pirate invasions in the past. You will be able to witness the cannon blast ceremony that takes place each night at 9 pm repeating the old tradition of the cannon blast which was used to give the sign of the city’s curfew, moment in which the doors of old Havana’s wall would close.
Day 4
Overnight: Havana
Breakfast at the Hotel. We will enjoy the morning at the Fine Arts Museum where we will have a guided tour with an expert around the national gallery. Afterwards, we will visit a private business, an Auto Repair classic car shop, where we will have the opportunity to have an exchange with the owner, ask questions and get to know how the system works in relation to the government.
Afterwards, we will take a fun tour and ride on a classic American car around Havana arriving at the Revolution Square, the venue of the most important politics celebrations.
Day 5
Overnight: Havana
Breakfast at the hotel. We will depart to Viñales Valley, UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we will enter Mogotes (limestone mounds) located on top of tobacco plantations and one of the most spectacular natural landscapes in the world. We will make our first stop at the botanical garden, a sprawling garden which began in 1918.
Afterwards, we will check in at Casas Particulares, private guest houses with all amenities which contribute to the local economy. Afterwards we’ll set out with our tour coordinator to take a walk and explore the area around Viñales.
Day 6
Overnight: Havana
Breakfast at Casa Particular. Afterwards, we will tour around the Natural Park visiting the Indigenous caves (their old native homes) and the famous prehistorical mural.
Afterwards, we will visit a tobacco plantation, and learn all about this important and artisanal farming as well as about the interesting drying process and what the guajira way to do it means (expression referring to people living in the countryside). After this, we will enjoy a delicious set menu at an ecological open-air restaurant, enjoying the magical landscape.
Day 7
Overnight: Trinidad
Breakfast at Casa Particular. We will depart to Trinidad. The first stop will be at Playa Larga where the Bay of Pigs Invasion took place. Nowadays it is a paradise for divers and naturist travelers. We will visit a fish cave, 43 miles deep and a natural sinkhole, filled with attractive tropical fish.
Optional: Rent diving and snorkeling equipment.
Finally we will arrive to Trinidad, Cuba’s finest colonial town founded in 1514, UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town was built thanks to the success of the sugar industry from the beginning of the XIX century produced near the Ingenio Valley.
Day 8
Overnight: Trinidad
Breakfast at Casa Particular. We will visit downtown discovering its architectural value and also the Architecture Museum exhibiting the high-class architecture from the XVIII to XIX century. After lunch, we will visit a local pottery workshop where artisans produce classical pieces that characterize the city of Trinidad.
After dinner, we will assist a live music and dance show at the Escalinata music house.
Day 9
Overnight: Trinidad
Breakfast at Casa Particular. We will depart to The Ingenio valley, located 5 miles from Trinidad, the place where the Ingenios (sugar factory) settled, becoming the epicenter of the sugar industry in Cuba during the XIX century.
The first stop will be at The Ingenio Valley lookout where you can see a panoramic view of the valley which is now a World Heritage Site. You will learn about Cuba’s sugar industry through the many old sugar cane mills, plantation houses, and barracks. Afterwards, we’ll visit San Isidro de los Destiladeros, probably the last example of the many archaeological sites found in the valley. Finally, we’ll visit Manaca-Iznaga town with its famous Tower and local artisans.
Optional: Climb to the Manaca Iznaga Tower, old vigilance tower used to control slaves where you can also enjoy amazing views.
Day 10
Overnight: Havana
Breakfast at Casa Particular. We will depart for Havana. On route, we will make a stop and visit the town of Cienfuegos, Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. There, we’ll enjoy an expert-led walking tour around downtown that will give us a perspective of the French spirit. We will continue visiting the Tomás Terry theatre, an impressive theatre with French and Italian influences.
Arrival to Havana and free afternoon to pack, explore or just relax.
Farewell dinner at a restaurant.
Day 11
Transfer to the airport at a designated time.
Tour Inclusions
- Bilingual Staff
- Expert Tour Coordinator during the entire program
- Expert Local Guides for the visits included
- Local Experts for each lecture
- Private ground transportation
- Entrances fees to Museum of Revolution, San Carlos Fortress, Fine Arts Museum in Havana.The Orchid garden, Native and Prehistorical Caves in Viñales. Fish cave in Playa Larga. Architecture museum, the pottery house, San Isidro ruins in Trinidad. Terry Theater in Cienfuegos
- Enriching Experiences: Cooking class with Agro-markets tour, meeting with private business and American Classic Cars tour in Havana. Tobacco Plantation in Viñales. Live Music at Escalinata Music House
- 1 Lecture
- 10 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners
- Accommodation in 4* hotel at city center in Havana. Casa Particular in Viñales and Trinidad.
- 24/7 Emergency support
- Tips are included throughout the visits programmed
- Taxes
Tour Pricing
- $2645USD
Price per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement $345.
For a minimum of 15 pax.
Additional Experiences
Customize your trip according to your interests by adding any of these once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
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