ARRIVE AT HAVANA

Bienvenido! Welcome to Cuba. It doesn’t matter what time your flight arrives into Havana since we deliberately keep the first day of your 8 Day/ 7 Night Private Cuba tour relaxed and flexible. We’ll arrange your airport transfer and one of our representatives will meet you at the airport before whisking you to your accommodation in Havana.

Havana is the ideal starting point for our 8 Day Private Cuba Tour as is it representative of the country as a whole mixing a faded grandeur of its colonial architecture with lovingly maintained buildings that have seen better days. There’s so much life here, and if you’ve ever read anything about Havana, you’ll notice that the word “vibrant” is used a lot. You’ll soon see that it’s a highly accurate description of the Cuba capital. An overnight stay at hotel.

HAVANA SIGHTSEEING

Breakfast at hotel. Your guided foray to see Old Havana this morning is on foot, so after your hearty Cuban breakfast we recommend pulling on a pair of good walking shoes. As part of the tour you will visit La Catedral San Cristobal de la Habana (described by the novelist Alejo Carpentier as ‘music set in stone’) and famous landmarks such as the Palacio de los Marqueses de Aguas Claras (now home to a restaurant) and the Plaza de Armas, complete with a statue of Manuel de Cespedes, one of the leaders of the independence movement. You will also have the opportunity to admire the exteriors of two of Havana’s best museums – the Museo de la Revolucion and the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. An overnight stay at hotel.

HAVANA - VINALES

Breakfast at hotel. Depart Havana after breakfast and transfer west to Viñales in Pinar del Río, the “Garden Province” of Cuba. Head out on the first ride – a circular route around Viñales, cycling past the famous mogotes (limestone pincushion hills) of the region.

Your guide will take you on a walking tour of Viñales township and the surrounding farmlands by foot or by bicycle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 in recognition of the areas traditional farming practices and architectural legacy, followed by lunch at the Finca Agroecologica El Paraiso organic farm. You’ll see how tobacco is farmed, and witness a cigar rolling demonstration – one of the highlights of our 8 Day Private Cuba tour. The rich sweet scent of the leaves in the drying house is a memory that will stay with you for a long time, as will the views from the lookout point at Los Jasmines.

While in the national park you’ll also get to see the 120 m long mural de la prehistoria painted over one of the park’s magote hills by artist Leovigildo Gonzalez Morillo.

Your evening back in Havana is left free for you to take in some of the capital on your own, though of course your guide will be happy to give you recommendations of where to eat or dance the night away, and will be happy to make bookings on your behalf and host you of requested. An overnight stay at hotel.

VINALES DAY AT LEISURE

Breakfast at hotel. Enjoy a free day in the area. Opt to go caving, hiking, biking, or just relax and enjoy the beautiful views of the valley. An overnight stay at hotel.

VINALES - CIENFUEGOS

Breakfast at hotel. Settle in for a travel day to Cienfuegos. Along the way, stop off at the Giron Museum at the Bay of Pigs to learn more about the US military involvement with Cuba. Opt to go for a swim in the beautiful waters before continuing on to the seaside town of Cienfuegos.

The US government back in the early 1960s wasn’t too happy when Fidel Castro became President of a communist regime and tried to alter the country’s future. The Playa Girón (Spanish for Bay of Pigs) is the location where an army of anti-Castro Cuban exiles with CIA backing gathered, ready to take the country back. They were not successful, as you’ll learn when you visit the local museum dedicated to the historical events that took place here, and Castro (now Fidel’s brother Raul, remains President). An overnight stay at hotel.

CIENFUEGOS - TRINIDAD

Breakfast at hotel. Travel to Trinidad, tour the city, and opt to take a salsa dancing lesson.

Your 8 Day Private Cuba Tour will take you to the sun-drenched streets of Trinidad, a living museum stuck in the time of Cuba’s first War of Independence when local sugar plantations were devastated by fire. Modern intrusions are a rare sight and it’s possible to imagine yourself transported back to that time. Here you have almost two full days to explore Trinidad and its surroundings. After your induction walk around the town, your guide will make a number of suggestions regarding the best optional activities to do at the time of your visit. Time seems to have stood still in Trinidad, and you will have plenty of time to fully enjoy this experience. Taking part in a tour of the township, you will see the Cantero, Canchanchara, Palacio Brunet, Plaza Mayor, Museo Romantico, and a pottery workshop among other sights.

You’ll return to Plaza Mayor later, since this is where you’ll find Trinidad’s Casa de la Musica, somewhere to keep salsa dancing until your feet hurt. If you’re a bit shy to give salsa a go at first in front of the locals, then consider enjoying a reasonably priced mojito (or two) first to give you some much needed courage! An overnight stay at hotel.

TRINIDAD SIGHTSEEING

Breakfast at hotel. During your full day in Trinidad will will have the opportunity to choose two out of three options. If you fancy spending some more time on the beach, you can choose to visit Playa Ancon beach, either by taxi or by bicycle. This beautiful ribbon of white sand on the Sancti Spíritus iridescent Caribbean shoreline is often touted, with good reason, to be the finest arc of beach on Cuba’s southern coast. It is a fantastic place to slip into your swimming costume and take to the azure blue waters. An overnight stay at hotel.

TRINIDAD - HAVANA

Breakfast at hotel. Start the day with a visit to the Manaca Iznaga community, where G Adventures and Planeterra helped create a textiles centre that enables local women to sell traditional textiles. Take a guided tour of key historical sites, including the famous Che monument in Santa Clara, en route back to Havana. An overnight stay at hotel.

DEPARTURE FROM HAVANA

Breakfast at hotel. Depending on what time you are leaving the city centre for Havana’s airport, after your hearty last Cuban breakfast you might like to spend a few hours relaxing on one of Havana’s nearby beaches. They are long, with white sand and warm turquoise waters. If you snorkel, you’ll see that the underwater life is simply amazing too.. Take a look at our ‘To do in Havana’ Brochure for more ideas. Whatever your desired departure time, we will of course have arranged your airport transfer for you so that your Private 5 day Cuba tour comes to a perfect, if sad, end.