6 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, your tour guide will meet you at your accommodation as you begin the day with a stroll around the picturesque streets and plazas of Old Havana (aka Habana Vieja).

Included in this tour will be visits to Calle Obispo, Plaza de Armas, Castillo de la Fuerza Real, El Templete, Castillo de la Real Fuerza & Plaza de Catedral.

Also included will be a visit to the Museo Palacio de Segundo Cabo, the first interactive museum in Cuba as well as the Automobile Museum which contains valuable exhibits including models that date back to the beginning of the 20th century.

After a break for lunch at a paladar (private restaurant) in the city centre, the afternoon will be spent in the back of a classic American car, exploring the rest of the city.

Included on this fun tour will be visits to the Plaza de la Revolución, past the iconic Hotel Nacional to the Miramar neighbourhood and, of course, a drive along the iconic Malecon.

You will then be dropped off at your hotel with the rest of the day at leisure.

Day 3 — Havana to Las Terrazas via Vinales

After an early breakfast, you will leave Havana and head west along one of Cuba’s near empty highways, eventually arriving in Vinales, home to the tobacco used to make the country’s cigars as well as some of the most beautiful countryside on the island.

Located within the lush, Sierra de los Organos, the Vinales Valley is technically described as a karst landscape, the main feature of which is the limestone mogotes that rise sheer from the valley floor and which reach heights of close to 300 metres.

After a walking tour through the picturesque town of Vinales, you will proceed to a traditional tobacco farm where you will learn the process of growing, drying and processing the tobacco that goes into Cuba’s world-famous cigars.

There then follows a visit to the famous Mural of Pre-History, a vast (120 metres high, 160 metres tall) mural, created in 1959 by artist Leovigildo González Morillo and designed to depict the history of evolution in the region.

After a break for lunch, it will be time to depart the Vinales Valley and head back along the highway towards Havana, ending the day at the eco community of Las Terrazas in the UNESCO protected Sierra del Rosario biosphere.

Having checked in at the hotel, there will be a walking tour of the community, after which the remains of the day are at leisure.

Day 4 — Las Terrazas to Cienfuegos via Zapata Peninsula

After breakfast, you will skirt Havana before heading down to the south coast and the largely unspoiled, sparsely populated Zapata Peninsula.

Close to the coast is the beautiful Cueva de los Peces, a series of underwater caves and open-air pools that are inhabited by a variety of flora and fauna including, as the name suggests, fish.

After a refreshing dip in the pools, you will continue to the maritime city of Cienfuegos.

There was a small, indigenous Taino settlement at Cienfuegos long before the colonial powers arrived in Cuba although, unlike the rest of the island, it was French immigrants, and not Spanish, who founded modern day Cienfuegos. This French influence is still evident in the city’s layout, architecture and many of its street names.

On arrival, there will be a tour of the city starting with its substantial central plaza, home to the iconic and beautiful Teatro Tomas Terry where Caruso once performed.

You will then proceed to the nearby Punta Gorda peninsula, home to numerous attractive buildings including the famous Palacio de Valle where you will enjoy a refreshing cocktail as well as beautiful views over the Bay of Cienfuegos.

Day 5 — Cienfuegos to Trinidad

Before departing Cienfuegos, there will hopefully be an opportunity to visit a cigar factory to see for yourself where tobacco from Vinales and beyond is transformed, by hand, into the finished product.

From Cienfuegos, it is then a drive of a little over an hour to the beautiful, little town of Trinidad.

It may be one of the smallest towns in Cuba, but almost every street, square and corner of Trinidad’s historic centre is a colourful reminder of the island’s colonial past.

One of the country’s oldest settlements, dating back to 1514, Trinidad grew wealthy from the sugar trade and this wealth is still apparent in the town’s many beautiful private houses and civic buildings. Indeed, so unchanged and unspoiled is Trinidad’s colonial centre that it is frequently referred to as a Museum Town. Not surprisingly, Trinidad was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.

After lunch in a private restaurant, there will be a walking tour of the town’s compact centre with its cobblestone streets and stunning main square.

There are numerous bars and restaurants for clients to choose from in Trinidad not to mention numerous clubs where you can enjoy traditional, live music and dancing.

Day 6 — Trinidad to Remedios via Santa Clara

Departing Trinidad after breakfast, it is just a short drive to the nearby Valley of the Sugar Mills.

During the Spanish colonial era, the Valley of the Sugar Mills (aka Valle de los Ingenios) was at the heart of the island’s sugar industry, a trade that resulted in great wealth for a select few landowners and traders but abject misery for the slaves who worked in the fields.

Today, the Valley of the Sugar Mills is peppered with old sugar plantations, the majority of them abandoned and derelict. One of the most famous of these estates, now partly restored as a visitor attraction, is Manaca Iznaga. The beauty of its location belies its cruel history, no more so than in the form of its central tower, today used by visitors to enjoy sweeping views, in times gone by to watch over its slave workforce.

From there, it is an approximate 2-hour drive to the city of Santa Clara which, despite being one of Cuba’s oldest cities, is now principally famous is its links to the Cuban Revolution and, in particular, being the final resting place of Che Guevara.

Having visited his mausoleum, you will head to the last stop on the tour, the picturesque, colonial-era town of Remedios.

From Remedios, it is a short drive to a former sugar factory that has been converted into a museum dedicated to Cuba’s historic sugar industry.

Not only will you gain an insight into the sugar industry, you will also get a chance to inspect several steam locomotives that are still in very good condition, a must for any train enthusiasts.

The day ends with a walking tour of Remedios, including the historic church of San Juan Bautista, witness to countless parrandas.

Day 7 — Remedios to Havana or Beach

The tour now ends and clients have a number of choices.

For those looking to head home, or to spend more time in Cuba’s capital city, a transfer back to Havana is included in the price.

For clients looking to extend their holiday with beach time in either Varadero or Jibacoa, the same transfer will be slightly diverted to drop you at the hotel or your choice.

Alternatively, clients may wish to make the short hop from Remedios to the nearby beach resorts of the Cayos de Villa Clara in which case a separate, private transfer will be arranged.