Welcome at the Havana1 airport. Transfer to your accommodation. Dinner at own.

Accommodation: Casa particular, e.g. San Lázaro 115 or similar, Havana

Commuting in Havana is a challenge for Cubans due to the poor public transportation. Have fun exploring Havana on all kind of wheeled vehicles. Kick off your day hoping on a bicitaxi to contemplate the city waking up. This tricycle is used by many Cubans to make groceries and move around the neighborhoods. Once in Old Havana, discover the colonial past of the city in a walking tour of its four main squares. Give the midday heat a miss with a lunch and a refreshing Mojito at a local restaurant. Take a horse-drawn carriage for a tour around the bay up to the heart of mid-century Havana: The Central Park. Admire the Cuban architecture in all her splendor with renowned buildings like the Havana Capitol, the Great Theater Alicia Alonso and the Inglaterra Hotel. To make the picture perfect, tens of classic cars of the 50s taxiing around set up the scene. Get comfortable on the back seat of one of those, called by locales almendrones, for a panoramic tour of the entire city. Visit the Revolution Square, the Metropolitan Park, the neighborhood of Miramar with its 5th Avenue and the Malecón, ending at your homestay.

Accommodation with breakfast: Casa particular, e.g. San Lázaro 115 or similar, Havana (B/L)

The people you are going to meet today have something in common: their passion for arts. The morning starts with a visit to Jose Fuster project, the "Gaudi of the Caribbean". A well-known naïve Cuban artist, specialized in ceramics and painting. During the last 18 years he has made an important contribution to the community by building, restoring and decorating the houses of Jaimanita’s village, the place where he lives in the outskirts of the city. Continue to visit a rehearsal of the company Havana Queens, a project born of the association of the Cuban choreographer Rosario Blanco and the Swiss producer Patrick Hofer. You will learn about the various Cuban rhythms and will have the opportunity to meet and greet the dancers. Head for a tour of the neighborhood of San Isidro, in Old Havana. Full of controversies and home to renowned dissident artists, the place is filled with contestatory paintings crafted by graffiti artists on the walls of crumbling buildings. You will notice a flourishing movement of young artists and entrepreneurs galvanizing the dynamics of the community with art galleries and local business. Arrive at San José Warehouse, the largest craft market in Cuba, where you will be able to purchase a souvenir. Rest of the afternoon at leisure. In the evening, dinner at Casa Miglis restaurant with an entertainment show courtesy of Havana Queens to see in action the dancers you met earlier today.

Accommodation with breakfast: Casa particular, e.g. San Lázaro 115 or similar, Havana (B/D)

Trade the noise and agitation of Havana for a stunning natural scenery. In the morning, head for Pinar del Río province. Stop in Soroa to admire the orchid garden with a collection of more than 350 species. Leave for a visit to Patio de Pelegrín, a community project created by the artist Mario Pelegrín. This initiative channels the energy of the youth into arts and introduces them to a variety of art forms. Alongside Pelegrín and his team, prepare a traditional dessert. Your trip continues. Arrive in Viñales and appreciate from the lookout point of Los Jazmines the breathtaking valley dotted with its iconic Mogotes. Visit the house of a veguero, where you will be briefed on the world of tobacco. Check in at a Cuban family home in the town of Viñales.

Accommodation with breakfast: Casa particular, e.g. Villa El Habano or similar, Viñales (B/L)

Nature does not cease to amaze. You will not need an alarm clock today, as one of the neighbor’s roosters will happily help with that. Head for the Zapata Swamps, the largest marshlands in the insular Caribbean. Lunch en route and stop at the Zunzún’s House, the private patio of Mr. Bernabé. In this birds’ paradise you will be able to appreciate freely flying hummingbirds, the tinniest bird in the world, as well as other species that use the area as a migration corridor. Not far from there, you will discover the Cueva de los Peces, known as the deepest and most beautiful cenote in Cuba. There is a lagoon that connects with an extensive system of underwater caverns going more than 30 kilometers, from Playa Larga to El Toro Cove. You will have the option to spend the rest of your day at the beach near your homestay. At night, enjoy a homemade dinner at your casa particular.

Accommodation with breakfast and dinner: Casa particular, e.g. Casa Enrique or similar, Playa Larga (B/L/D)

Early in the morning, hit the road bordering Bay of Pigs in direction to Playa Girón, battleground of the 1961 invasion of Cuban mercenaries supported by the US Navy and Air Force, which resulted in the first great defeat of the US military in America. At the Museum of Playa Girón you will learn details of the clash, including the weaponry utilized. Arrive in Cienfuegos, a city of distinctive wide avenues and neoclassic architecture, which was founded and designed to the smallest detail by French settlers. Visit the Tomás Terry Theater, built in 1890; the Martí Park and the boulevard. After lunch at a paladar (privately owned restaurant), continue alongside the south coast down to Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage for its well-preserved colonial architecture dating back to the golden years of the sugar industry in the 19th Century. Tour its cobblestone streets and plazas.

Accommodation with breakfast: Casa particular, e.g. Casa Osmary y Alberto or similar, Trinidad (B/L)

Cubans love nature and therefore many places on the island are protected by environmental laws. One of these places is todays destination: the "Sierra del Escambray" National Park. This beautiful environment gives a home to almost half of the endemic bird species in Cuba and furthermore nearby areas are famous for the high quality of the Arabica coffee that is grown here and known in the whole country for its excellent quality. The trip starts from Trinidad in the morning through a winding road to a Cuban farm. Today guests will come into contact with the countryside and its beauties. Beehives can be visited and some sweet honey enjoyed. A path leads to a waterfall of crystal clear waters which literally invites to take a dip and cool off in the middle of a beautiful landscape. Then a traditional lunch in the gardens of the hacienda will be served. While lying on one of the most comfortable hammocks and feeling the soft country breeze relaxation is granted an exquisite coffee can be enjoyed. In the afternoon return to Trinidad.

Accommodation with breakfast: Casa particular, e.g. Casa Osmary y Alberto or similar, Trinidad (B/L)

Leave behind Trinidad on a 16 km drive leading to the villa’s most iconic site: The Manaca Iznaga Tower. Outlasting the slavery times, this tower overlooks the Valle de los Ingenios, a sugar cane industry powerhouse in the colonial period. Continue to Santa Clara, the city that witnessed the most important victory of the iconic guerrilla fighter Ernesto “Che” Guevara, one that effectively determined the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. Visit the “Che” Guevera Memorial1 , the final resting place of the epoch-making revolutionary. Stop and enjoy a refreshing drink in a restaurant with beautiful decorative plants. En route to Havana, stop in Varadero to drop off clients opting for a beach extension. (B)

(Caribbean Tours recommends against arranging international flight connections on the same day that the tour ends. Arrival in time to the airport is not guaranteed in those cases and Caribbean Tours does not take responsibility for that. Instead, it is recommended to take a private transfer from Trinidad or an additional night in Havana or Varadero)

• The tours are always carried out in air-conditioned vehicles (Taxi/Microbus/Bus) of the quality customary in the country with a professional driver and tour guide. Depending on the number of passengers, the following vehicles are used:
  • Up to 2 people: standard taxi (Please note that the vehicle has a maximum of one piece of luggage per person as the driver and tour guide are in the same vehicle and carry luggage according to the duration of the trip.)
  • With 03 - 07 participants by minivan/microbus (6 - 10 seats)
  • With 08 - 10 participants by minibus (15 - 16 seats)
  • With 11 - 12 participants by bus (24 seats)
• Transfer from Havana airport to Havana accommodation on the starting day of the tour.
• Local guide service all 8 days of the tour (transfers from/to the airport might be escorted by a Caribbean Tours representative instead)
• Excursions, visits and entrances as per program
• 7 night-stay at selected privately-owned houses
• 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinner

• Meals and drinks not mentioned in the program
• Optional excursions and shows incl. transfers (contact sales@caribbeantours.ch )
• Extensions e.g. beach extension in Varadero
• Transfer to the Havana airport after extensions e.g. after a beach extension in Varadero
• Personal expenses and tips

• The tours are always carried out in air-conditioned vehicles (Taxi/Microbus/Bus) of the quality customary in the country with a professional driver and tour guide. Depending on the number of passengers, the following vehicles are used:
  • Up to 2 people: standard taxi (Please note that the vehicle has a maximum of one piece of luggage per person as the driver and tour guide are in the same vehicle and carry luggage according to the duration of the trip.)
  • From 3-6 pax in a minivan/microbus (6-10 seats)
• Transfer from Havana airport to Havana accommodation on the starting day of the tour.
• Local guide service all 8 days of the tour (transfers from/to the airport might be escorted by a Caribbean Tours representative instead)
• Excursions, visits and entrances as per program
• 7 night-stay at selected privately-owned houses
• 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinner

• All meals and drinks not mentioned in the program.
• Optional excursions: Tropicana Show incl. transfers (contact sales@caribbeantours.ch).
• Extending nights e.g. in Holguín or Guardalavaca.
• Transfer to Havana airport after the extending nights.
• Personal expenses and tips.

• Transfer from Havana airport to Havana accommodation on the starting day of the tour.
• Comfort Set personalized assistance (See Caribbean Tours or Latinconnect manual).
• 7 night-stay with breakfasts at selected privately-owned houses.

• Rental car (booked separately, based on Caribbean Tours rates)
• Guide, driver, entrances, meals. The program description is intended solely as a recommendation of activities
• Following services are not included and ought to be paid at the car rental office upon reception of the car: mandatory integral insurance, initial gas in the tank and, if applicable, the one-way drop-off fee (charge for dropping off the car in an office different from the one where the car was received)
• All meals and drinks that are not mentioned in the program
• Optional excursions and shows incl. transfers (contact sales@caribbeantours.ch )
• Extensions e.g. beach extension in Varadero
• Transfer to the Havana airport after extensions e.g. after a beach extension in Varadero
• Personal expenses and tips