Your Travel Experience with Tierra Maya Tours
Day 1
Meet and greet at Havana airport. Then transfer to your accommodation. The rest of the day is at leisure. Dinner at your own discretion.
Included meals: none
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 2
Havana - Travelling a lo Cubano
It is a well-known fact that Cuba has been struggling with urban and national public transport for years. Today we will show you how Cubans cope with this challenge. Kick off your day hopping on a bicitaxi to contemplate the city waking up. Just like many Cubans who travel from one side of Old Havana to the other, jump into the rickshaw-like vehicles and let yourself be chauffeured from your accommodation through the alleyways to the Plaza de la Catedral. 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 good lunch, after which you will be taken to the Parque Central by horse-drawn carriage. To make the picture perfect, tens of classic cars taxiing around set up the scene. Get comfortable on the back seat of one of those and enjoy a ride through the modern part of Havana. Get to know the districts of Vedado - the garden of Havana - and the villa district of Miramar. Last but not least, the ride along the famous Malecón will most certainly leave you enchanted.
Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 3
Kunst und Rhythmus
Experience tradition. Board Cuba's only still operating electric train, already in use for 100 years. Join a lively party on board with Cuban rhythms and have a day to remember. Head to the small village of Hershey to follow in the footsteps of the pioneer Milton Hershey. Walk through the semi-abandoned small town that was once the chocolate mogul's flagship. Let yourself be carried back by memories of the golden age of sugar over a freshly squeezed sugar cane juice, called ''guarapo''.
Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 4
Havana - Soroa - Viñales
Leaving Havana's hustle and bustle, today it' s off to nature. Drive along the tobacco route towards the province of Pinar del Río. Stop in Soroa and visit the Orchid Garden with over 350 different plant species. Then on to Patio Pelegrín, an programme of assistance run by the artist Mario Pelegrín. Here, children and young people in particular are offered a first approach to artistic creation and the development of their own creativity as a purposeful way to enjoy their free time. Prepare a delicious dessert together with Pelegrín and his team. In the afternoon, continue through the Mogote Valley with its impressive rock cones and through the picturesque village of Viñales. In the evening, dinner will be served at your casa particular.
Included meals: Breakfast and dinner
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 5
Viñales - Playa Larga
A longer drive to the south coast to the Caribbean Sea is scheduled for today. The route takes you along the Zapata swamp, an area known as a migratory bird corridor. Here you will visit the Casa del Zunzún, the farm of the nature lover Mr Bernabé, where different bird species such as the Zunzún or the Zunzuncito, the smallest bird in the world, as well as the Tocororo, the national bird of Cuba can be seen depending on the season. Following a short onward journey, you will arrive at the Cueva de los Peces, where you can go swimming or snorkelling. The Cueva de los Peces cave has formed from karst lagoons and an extensive system of underground caves, which extend for more than 30 km from Playa Larga to Caleta El Toro. Finally, you can spend the rest of the day on the beach of Playa Larga in the Bay of Pigs. Dinner is served at your casa particular.
Included meals: Breakfast and dinner
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 6
Playa Larga - Cienfuegos - Trinidad
In the morning, drive along the Bay of Pigs through Playa Girón, scene of the 1961 failed invasion by exiled Cuban mercenaries and the US Air Force. Even today, many posters remind us of the battle between David and Goliath at that time. Continue towards central Cuba until you reach Cienfuegos, a town marked by French colonial architecture. Stroll along the boulevard to the main square Parque Martí and visit the Terry Theatre, first opened in 1890. After lunch, continue to Trinidad - UNESCO World Heritage Site with its inimitable colonial architecture. Learn more about the city on a short walking tour through the typical cobblestone streets of Trinidad.
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 7
Topes de Collantes - Kubanische Naturlandschaft
Indulge in a beautiful rural Cuban farm for a day out. Visit this idyllically situated farm on the edge of the forested mountains of the Sierra del Escambray. On foot or on horseback, you will head across the property, along the river, you will see many different animals and a small farmhouse. The trail continues to a small waterfall that pours into natural bathing pools. Jump into the fresh water and soak in this unique place. Afterwards, recharge your batteries with a delicious, rustic lunch. From the lookout point near the main house, you have a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and the Caribbean Sea.
Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 8
Trinidad - Santa Clara - Cayo Santa Maria / Varadero / Jibacoa - Havana
Leaving Trinidad, you set off for the university town of Santa Clara, where Ernesto Che Guevara, the famous guerrilla warrior, won his greatest victory and found his final resting place and memorial. You will visit the Tren Blindado, the armoured train that "el Comandante" managed to derail in Santa Clara and thus played a decisive role for the success of the Cuban Revolution. A visit to the mausoleum is also planned. Afterwards, we continue our journey via Cayo Santa Maria, Varadero, Jibacoa to your chosen seaside hotel or to Havana.
(Note: Timely connection to an international return flight cannot be guaranteed and is therefore not recommended for the same day. We therefore strongly advise you to book an extra night).
Included meals: Breakfast