Your Travel Experience with Tierra Maya Tours
Day 1
Arrival Havana
The rest of the day is at leisure.
Included meals: none
Overnight stay in the colonial Hotel Palacio de Cueto**** or similar
Deluxe variant: Hotel Iberostar Grand Packard***** or similar
Day 2
Havana - Colonial and Contemporary
Havana's historic centre was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. No other city in Latin America can boast a larger colonial-style centre. On a walk through the alleys and across the squares of Old Havana, you will visit the most important sights: Cathedral Square, Plaza de Armas, Cathedral Square, Plaza Vieja as well as the famous "Bodeguita". After lunch, you will take a panoramic tour in original American classic cars through 19th and early 20th century Havana. The drive takes you along the Malecón waterfront, past the legendary Hotel Nacional, along the Avenida de los Presidentes and Revolution Square with the portrait of Ché Guevara and the monument to José Martí up to the magnificent Capitol building, and past the Gran Teatro and Bacardí House via the Prado to Cathedral Square. In the evening, you have the chance to visit the world-famous Tropicana cabaret.
Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in the colonial Hotel Palacio de Cueto**** or similar
Deluxe variant: Hotel Iberostar Grand Packard***** or similar
Day 3
Havana - Traditional and Genuine
Your day trip begins with a drive to the suburb of Guanabacoa, still unaffected by tourism. Here, a visit to the municipal museum awaits you, which offers a special exhibition about local history and Afro-Cuban traditions. You will receive detailed information from a specialised guide about the Yoruba religion and customs practised in Cuba. A short tour of the centre follows, where you will have the opportunity to meet Cubans playing dominoes, the national game of the country, as part of a convivial tradition. You will certainly be invited to try your luck yourself! Then continue to a traditional colonial backyard, where you will be introduced to the Cuban art of cocktails while enjoying an aperitif. Creole meals and traditional celebrations follow, with Afro-Cuban rumba accompanied by dancers and live music. If you wish, you can have your fortune told by a Yoruba shaman!
Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in the colonial Hotel Palacio de Cueto**** or similar
Deluxe variant: Hotel Iberostar Grand Packard***** or similar
Day 4
Havana - Vueltabajo - Viñales
Your destination for today is the province of Pinar del Río situated in Western Cuba. In the morning, drive along the tobacco route to the golden tobacco triangle Vueltabajo between Pinar del Río, San Luis and San Juan y Martínez. Here you will visit the finca "Quemado del Rubí", owned by the well-known and successful Cuban tobacco farmer Hector Luis. Walk around the fields and through the drying houses. During the tour and the tobacco tasting, you will be initiated into the secrets of tobacco cultivation. After savouring a typical lunch, your journey continues to the picturesque village of Viñales immersed in the lush green tobacco landscape, where time seems to stand still. On the way, photo stop at the viewpoint "Los Jasmines" to capture the sight of the unique surroundings of the Viñales valley with its famous limestone rocks, the "Mogotes". A visit to a local artist in Viñales rounds off your day towards the end.
Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in Casa Particular "Mis Cumbres" or similar.
Day 5
Viñales
A full day dedicated to the Valley of Viñales and its surroundings. During the excursion "Coco Solo" you walk through the inimitable landscape characterized by a high diversity of flora and fauna. Viñales offers a true ecosystem mosaic. Your path takes you past typical native vegetation, tobacco areas and limestone cliffs. On the way you will meet farmers working in their fields. After enjoying lunch in a beautifully located paladar (private restaurant), you will conclude your day with a visit to the Caridad Botanical Gardens.
Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in Casa Particular "Mis Cumbres" or similar.
Day 6
Viñales - Las Terrazas - Soroa - Cienfuegos
Today, a longer day's journey awaits you with the drive from the tobacco region of the Western part of the country towards Central Cuba heading for the city of Cienfuegos, located on the Southern coast. Along the way, you will visit the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Las Terrazas located in the Sierra del Rosario as well as the nearby orchid garden of Soroa. At the Castillo de las Nubes you can enjoy a refreshing cocktail. In the afternoon, you will reach Cienfuegos, a city dominated by French colonial architecture. Dinner in your casa particular or hotel.
Included meals: Breakfast and dinner.
Overnight stay in Casa Particular "Casa Buenavista" or similar.
Deluxe variant: Hotel Melía San Carlos****(*) or similar
Day 7
Cienfuegos - El Nicho - Cienfuegos
A wildlife excursion to El Nicho National Park awaits you today, where you have the opportunity to soak up the gorgeous scenery and its many colourful birds, caves and endemic flora during a hike in the Escambray Mountains, followed by a refreshing swim in crystal-clear waters. After enjoying a lunch break, you will head back to Cienfuegos. Here you will take an afternoon city tour of Parque Martí with the Terry Theatre, where Caruso used to sing, and ride by bici taxi to the Punta Gorda peninsula for a delightful cocktail at the "Moorish" Palacio del Valle.
Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in Casa Particular "Casa Buenavista" or similar.
Deluxe variant: Hotel Melía San Carlos****(*) or similar
Day 8
Cienfuegos - Trinidad
In the morning take a tour around a local tobacco factory in Cienfuegos to see the work processes and to admire the skilled hands of the "torcedores" (cigar rollers) as they produce the best cigars in the world. Then drive along the panoramic coastal road towards Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with exceptional colonial architecture. In the late afternoon, a walk through the main square, surrounded by the magnificent mansions of the sugar barons, and take part to a guided tour of the Palacio Brunet, a former sugar baron's palace dating back to the 18th century and now home to the Romantic Museum. Conclude your city tour with one of Cuba's lesser known, but no less delicious cocktails, the "Canchánchara", prepared with water, lime, honey and sugar cane liqueur. In the evening, join the live music at Trinidad's Casa de la Trova.
Included meals: Breakfast
Overnight stay in Casa Particular "Hostal Casa de la Trinidad" or similar.
Deluxe variant: Iberostar Grand Hotel***** or similar
Day 9
Trinidad - Valle de Los Ingenios - Ancón - Trinidad
In the morning, enjoy a one-hour journey through the valley of the sugar cane mills on a train dating back to the early 20th century (subject to change). Afterwards you will visit the Casa "Guáimaro", one of the most influential families of the 19th century in Trinidad, as well as San Isidro de los Destiladeros, one of the oldest sugar mills in the Valle de Los Ingenios. After the tours, you will have the chance to walk up the slave tower of the Manaca Iznaga plantation offering a magnificent panoramic view over the valley of the sugar cane mills (access at your own risk). On the way back to Trinidad, you have the possibility to make a short detour to the Ancón peninsula to enjoy its wonderful sandy beach.
Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in Casa Particular "Hostal Casa de la Trinidad" or similar.
Deluxe variant: Iberostar Grand Hotel***** or similar
Day 10
Trinidad - Santa Clara - Cayo Santa Maria / Varadero - Jibacoa - Havana
In the morning, drive to the historic city of Santa Clara, where Che Guevara won his greatest victory and found his final resting place. You will visit the mausoleum and its small museum as well as the "Tren Blindado". Afterwards, you will continue your journey to your booked beach hotel on Cayo Santa Maria, in Varadero, Jibacoa or you will be transferred back to Havana.
Included meals: Breakfast