14 Night Cuba Group Tour

Day 1 — Havana

Having arrived in Havana, clients will be transferred the short distance from Havana airport to their accommodation in Old Havana.

With flights generally arriving in the late afternoon or early evening, most clients will probably look to go for a short stroll, have a light dinner and then get at earlyish night in preparation for the busy week ahead.

Day 2 — Havana

After breakfast, you will meet with your guide before heading off on a tour of the city from the back of a classic American car.

Heading along the iconic Malecon, you will pass by the famous Hotel Nacional, Avenida de los Presidentes and the Plaza de la Revolution with its giant portrait of Che Guevara. Continuing past the haunting Necropolis Cristobal Colon, you will come to Bosque de la Habana, often referred to as the city’s lungs.

If possible, there will be a visit to a cigar factory where you can witness Cuba’s most famous export being crafted by hand.

After a break for lunch, you will continue to Habana Vieja for a walking tour of the historic heart of the city with its beautiful plazas and cobbled streets.

At the end of the tour, you will return to your accommodation, with the rest of the day at leisure.

Day 3 — Havana to Santa Clara

Checking out of your hotel after breakfast, it is an approximate 3-hour drive along the near deserted highway to Santa Clara, a city that is forever tied to the Cuban Revolution.

Just outside the city is the last resting place of Ernesto Che Guevara, together with a statue and museum dedicated to the iconic revolutionary.

Within the city you will also visit the Tren Blindado, a national monument and museum that celebrates the decisive victory over government forces in December 1958.

It’s not all Revolutionary history though, as you also visit the colonial-era Vidal Park in the city centre, as well as the beautifully restored Teatro la Caridad.

Day 4 — Santa Clara to Camaguey via Sancti Spiritus

After an early breakfast, you will depart Santa Clara and continue your journey east.

First up enroute is a stopover in the charming, laid back, colonial-era town of Sancti Spiritus. This compact town, with its gracious architecture, can easily be explored on foot and includes a visit to the town’s most famous structure, the Puente Yayabo.

From Sancti Spiritus, it is an approximate 3-hour drive to Camaguey, another colonial era city and UNESCO World Heritage site.

Unlike most towns and cities in Cuba, that are laid out in a grid format, Camaguey is a mish-mash of streets heading off in random directions, a deliberate ploy to confuse marauding pirates.

Having checked in at your accommodation, you will set off of a cycle-rickshaw tour, taking in all the city’s main plazas and sites of interest.

Day 5 — Camaguey to Gibara via Holguin

Continuing your journey east, it is an approximate 4-hour drive from Camaguey to Holguin, dubbed the city of parks.

After exploring the city with your guide, you will proceed to the Loma de la Cruz from where one can enjoy panoramic views of both the city and surrounding countryside.

From there, you will continue to the nearby coastal town of Gibara, one of Cuba’s largely unexplored colonial gems.

Having checked in at your hotel, what remains of the afternoon is free for you to explore Gibara on your own and soak up the undeniable atmosphere of this charming town.

Day 6 — Gibara to Baracoa via Biran

Today is a long and, at times, bumpy drive as you head to Cuba’s isolated, far eastern reaches.

Before then, and after an early departure from Holguin, you will visit the quiet village of Biran in the foothills of the Sierra de Nipe.

Otherwise unremarkable, Biran was the birthplace of Fidel Castro and his siblings, his father being the owner of the sprawling Finca Las Manacas estate.

The estate was the first property in Cuba to be appropriated by the new government at the culmination of the Revolution, although it wasn’t until 2002 that it took on its current form as Museo Conjunto Historico de Biran.

From Biran you will continue towards Moa, famous for its huge nickel mine and from there on to Baracoa along a road that has been badly dug up by heavy trucks from the mining operation.

After bumping along for a further 4 hours, you will pass Alejandro de Humboldt Park which is one of the most important in Latin America, home to a wide variety of flora and fauna including the smallest frog and bird species in the world.

Eventually arriving in Baracoa, the oldest colonial-era town in the Americas, and after a long day on the road, you will be treated to dinner at a local restaurant offering authentic, local cuisine including seafood and coconut infused dishes.

Day 7 — Baracoa

With the iconic El Yunque Mountain as a backdrop, Baracoa represents something of a Cuban Shangri-La, hard to get to and enveloped by the lushest vegetation on the island including its world famous cocoa.

Accordingly, after breakfast, you will visit nearby Finca Duaba to learn all about the process of producing cocoa in the region.

You will then enjoy a boat trip down the Rio Toa with lunch served at Eco Finca where typical cuisine is served in containers made from natural products.

Returning to Baracoa, there will be a walk through the colonial centre and up to the Nuestra Senora de Asuncion church where you can see for yourself the iconic cross brought to the island by none other than Christopher Columbus.

Day 8 — Baracoa to Santiago de Cuba

Departing from Baraco, it isn’t long before the road begins to rise and wind its way through the tropical mountains in what is possibly the most scenic drive in Cuba, the famous La Farola. Built shortly after the Cuban Revolution, it provided the first road access from Baracoa to Santiago.

On arrival in Santiago de Cuba, the island’s second largest city after Havana, you will first head to the city outskirts to visit the magnificent San Pedro de la Roca fort, constructed in the 18^th Century as a means of guarding Santiago Bay from pirate attacks.

Later, you will visit Casa de Diego Velazquez, the former residence of the Spanish conquistador. Built in 1515, this colonial gem is reputed to the oldest house in Latin America.

Day 9 — Santiago de Cuba

While only a fraction of the size of Havana, the citizens of Santiago de Cuba are fiercely proud of their city and, in many ways – be it ethnicity, traditions or temperament – very different.

More ethnically mixed than other parts of the island, Santiago de Cuba could be considered as the New Orleans of Cuba, notable as much for its rich cultural heritage of music and dance as it is for its equally varied architectural styles.

After breakfast at the hotel there will be a full-day’s tour of this fascinating city, beginning with the iconic Moncada Barracks and Museum, attacked by Fidel Castro in July 1953 and, for most people, the start of the Cuban Revolution.

You will also visit the charming Vista Alegre neighbourhood, San Juan Hill and Santa Ifigenia cemetery, final resting place of Fidel Castro, national hero Jose Marti and members of the famous Bacardi family.

On the subject of the Bacardi family, there will also be a visit to the city’s Rum Museum, to learn all about Cuba’s national drink, as well as to the Emilio Bacardi Natural History Museum.

After lunch, the rest of the afternoon is free for you to explore further on your own. In the evening, there is nowhere better in Cuba to experience traditional music than at the legendary Casa de la Trova in the city centre.

Day 10 — Santiago to Camaguey via Bayamo

After breakfast, you will check out of your accommodation and begin the journey back west.

Shortly after leaving the city, you will make a stop at El Cobre, Cuba’s most important site of religious pilgrimage, so much so that it was even visited by the Pope on his 1998 visit to Cuba.

Continuing on from El Cobre, your next stop is the town of Bayamo, older than either Havana or Santiago and revered throughout the country for its part in the struggle for independence from Spain. It was also in Bayamo that the national anthem was first sung, hence its name ‘La Bayamesa’.

After a tour of this picturesque town by horse-drawn carriage, you will return to the road for the approximate 3-hour drive back to Camaguey.

After checking in at your accommodation, and a visit to a local gallery, the rest of the day is at leisure.

Day 11 — Camaguey to Trinidad

From Camaguey, it is an approximate 5-hour drive to your next destination, and one of the highlights of any visit to Cuba, the beautiful, colonial town of Trinidad.

One of several UNESCO World Heritage sites in Cuba, the historic, traffic-free heart of Trinidad appears to be stuck in time with its elegant buildings, picturesque main plaza and numerous cobbled streets.

On arrival, you will enjoy a walking tour of town including a visit to the Museo Romantico, once home to the wealthy Brunet family and still filled with much of their furniture, furnishings and art.

From town, it is a just a short, 20 minute drive to your accommodation on beautiful Ancon beach.

Day 12 — Trinidad / Playa Ancon

Today is at leisure for you to relax at the hotel and enjoy the warm waters of the Caribbean. Should you so wish, it is easy to get taxis between Ancon and Trinidad town where there are plenty of bars, restaurants and live music venues.

Day 13 — Trinidad to Havana via Cienfuegos

Your final day on the road begins with an approximate 1-hour drive along the coast to the city of Cienfuegos, yet another UNESCO World Heritage site. What makes Cienfuegos different to other towns and cities in Cuba is that it was founded by French, and not Spanish, settlers.

Your tour of the city begins in the central square which is lined by grand, civic buildings including the Teatro Tomas Terry where, famously, Italian tenor Enrico Caruso once performed.

You will then proceed to the picturesque, once upmarket neighbourhood of Punta Gorda that juts out into Cienfuegos Bay and which still boasts a number of pre-Revolutionary mansions.

After a visit to the famous, Moorish-inspired Palacio de Valle, and lunch at a local paladar, you will return to the road for the final, 3-hour plus drive back to Havana.

Day 14 — Havana

Today is free for you to explore the city on your own or, should you wish, book an optional tour or excursion (details on request). Perhaps a day trip to the famous Vinales Valley, an approximate 2-hour drive west of Havana.

Day 15 — Havana & Home or Beach

Depending on your flight time, you will be collected from your Havana accommodation for the 30-minute transfer back to Havana airport in good time for your overnight flight back home.

Alternatively, for those looking to extend their stay with time at the beach, you will be collected from your accommodation for the onward transfer to the resort of your choice, such as nearby Jibacoa and Varadero.