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 in a day
Immerse yourself in the everyday life of Cubans. Your day kicks off hopping on a bicitaxi that will take you to the Old Square in the historical center of the city. Here begins your special colonial city tour of the four most beautiful squares in Old Havana and the fascinating Automobile Museum. After lunch, board a cocotaxi, a travelling nutshell that has gained popularity over the years, especially in the centre of Havana. Enjoy the breezy ride, which leads you to some car repair workshops. Here, you will definitely be impressed by the local inventiveness. Discover the secret of how the Cubans manage to keep the classic old-timers functioning from a patchwork of individual and spare parts. At the end of the day, take a ride in a restored classic car through the more modern part of Havana. Get to know the neighbourhoods of Vedado and Miramar and drive along the famous Malecón.
Included meals: breakfast
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 3
Havana - Viñales
In the morning, head for Pinar del Río, the greenest of Cuba’s provinces and home to the best tobacco in the world. Stop at the lookout point Los Jazmines to appreciate the stunning Viñales Valley with its distinctive limestone outcrops called Mogotes. A traditional lunch awaits in a place full of nature, where you will also enjoy a cocktail session to learn the secrets behind the recipes of some of the most delicious Cuban cocktails. Back to Viñales, you will be able to admire one of the largest murals in the world, El Mural de la Prehistoria. Conceived by painter Leovigildo González, 21 local farmers helped in this monumental work that recreates life in Cuba in the times of the dinosaurs. Rest of the afternoon at leisure.
Included meals: breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 4
Viñales - Nature and Adventure
In Viñales, time seems to stand still. Nature, almost unspoiled, and the local fauna definitely contribute to the ideal portrait. Enjoy a morning walk by the lush greenery, the path leads past tobacco fields and the typical limestone rocks Mogotes. Chances are you will run across a farmer working the traditional way, with rustic tools and ox-drawn carts. You can look forward to a candid talk about his work and life experiences. After the trek, savour a delicious lunch, courtesy of Alberto Vitamina, a singular local farmer with a keen creole sense of humor. Your host rose to notoriety selling fruits, his trademark being his loquaciousness with guests. After the re-energizing pause, rid yourself of any source of stress in our special adventure: the canopy tour. With every stretch, enjoy the sensation of literary having the valley at your feet. The afternoon is then at your leisure and dinner is on your own.
Included meals: breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 5
Viñales - Angerona - Cienfuegos
Depart in the morning towards Central Cuba to reach Cienfuegos, only city in Cuba founded by the French. On your way there, stop at the ruins of the Angerona coffee plantation, an estate owned by the German immigrant Cornelio Souchay back in the 19th century. Vestiges of the property that have withstood the passing of time include parts of the manor house, the walls of the slaves’ quarters and the reservoirs used to water the plantations. The place is wrapped with a mystic atmosphere of legends and stories about slavery and love. Shortly after, visit an agro-ecological paradise where local food production is transformed into culinary delicacies in the hands of an experienced chef. After lunch and a 300 km haul, arrive to the charming maritime city of Cienfuegos, the Pearl of the South. Benny Moré, the most celebrated Cuban sonero, is among the many national idols born here. Do not miss the opportunity to snap a photo alongside his bronze statue in the Prado Promenade.
Included meals: breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 6
Cienfuegos - El Nicho - Cienfuegos
The natural park El Nicho is one of the most amazing places in Cuba. Arrive there after an hour drive through mountainous roads full of rural life. A rather easy 2-hour trek leads to a spectacular waterfall forming numerous small natural pools. Take a refreshing dip and return back to the starting point of the hike for lunch at a wooden restaurant surrounded by pure nature. Back to the city in the afternoon, stop at the Martí Park. There you will find the Terry Theater, where the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso once sang. Cap your day off with a delicious cocktail on the rooftop of Palacio de Valle, an iconic building at the south end of the city where you can enjoy a fabulous sea view.
Included meals: breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 7
Cienfuegos - Trinidad
Leave in the morning along the panoramic coast road for Trinidad, one of the wealthiest villas of the 19th century, where the unique colonial architecture remains essentially untouched to this day. A tour through the old cobblestone streets of the city will suffice to understand why it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Walk by the Plaza Mayor and appreciate the magnificent mansions. One of them is the Brunet Palace, nowadays the Romantic Museum, where you will be able to appreciate a collection of pieces that belonged to the sugar estate owners back in the 19th century. To crown a day of traditions, learn about the Trinitarian pottery-making heritage in La Casa del Alfarero. In the evening, after tasting the local cuisine at an authentic paladar you will have the opportunity to dance to the rhythm of the Cuban music at Casa de la Trova.
Included meals: breakfast and dinner
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 8
Trinidad - Cayo Iguana - Trinidad
Today is all about the Caribbean Sea. Move by water heading to Cayo Iguana and catch a different perspective of Trinidad on the way to this small Caribbean dream island. Passing it and the small fishing village of Casilda, you will reach your first stopover. Jump into the cool water and take the chance to observe the underwater world while snorkelling. On the boat as well as on Cayo Iguana you will have plenty of time to soak up the sun and unwind while listening to Cuban rhythms. Enjoy a typical Creole lunch on "Robinson Crusoe" Island before returning to Trinidad in the early afternoon.
Included meals: Breakfast and lunch
Overnight stay in Casa Particular
Day 9
Trinidad - Santa Clara - Varadero / Jibacoa - Havana
Traveling through the Sugar Mills Valley, where the iconic Iznaga Tower stands, you will head for Santa Clara. This city witnessed the most important victory of the iconic guerrilla fighter Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Visit the "Tren Blindado", the armoured train that El Comandante derailed in Santa Clara and made the decisive contribution to the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. Continue for the “Che” Guevera Memorial, the final resting place of the epoch-making revolutionary. En route to Havana, stop in Varadero to drop off participants opting for a beach extension.
(Timely connection to an international return flight cannot be guaranteed and is therefore not recommended on the same day. For this reason, we strongly advise booking an extra night.)
Included meals: breakfast