Cuba Highlights

Our Cuba trip is packed with adventure and variety, much like the country itself. Experience the unique architectures and cultures of colorful Old Town Havana, Trinidad and Cienfuegos, three of Cuba’s cities. Swim in turquoise ocean bays and waterfall pools. Learn about sustainable farming, and eat a freshly harvested meal at an organic farm. Learn how Cuban cigars are made and rolled; how to cook platos típicos (typical Cuban fare), and how to dance salsa! You’ll also learn about t... READ MORE >>
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Havana
Day 2: Old Town Walking Tour & Classic Car Tour
Day 3: Havana to Viñales (via Las Terrazas)
Day 4: Viñales
Day 5: Viñales to Cienfuegos (via Bay of Pigs)
Day 6: Cienfuegos to Trinidad
Day 7: Trinidad
Day 8: Trinidad to Havana (via Santa Clara)
Day 9: Havana - Home
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Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Havana
Your driver will meet you at the airport to take you to your accommodations, a casa particular (Bed and Breakfast) where you will meet your local tour leader. You’ll enjoy dinner together at a local paladar, a privately owned Cuban restaurant. (D)
Day 2: Old Town Walking Tour & Classic Car Tour
Your Cuba trip guide will meet you in the B&B after breakfast to begin your tour. The day starts with a guided walking tour of Old Havana. You’ll have the chance to explore historical sites and learn about the dual-currency economy. You’ll visit commercial centers where CUC are used, and ration and peso stores, where locals buy goods in CUP. The day ends with a trip to Jaimanitas, a local fishing village. The village is home to Jose Fuster, an artist who has converted his home and neighborhood into a work of art using mosaic tiles. (B,L)
Day 3: Havana to Viñales (via Las Terrazas)
Your Cuba tour guide will meet you at your accommodations after breakfast to take you and your luggage to Viñales, one of the most beautiful parts of Cuba. Situated in the Pinar del Río province, the area is known for its limestone pincushion hills, or mogotes. On the way to Viñales, the tour will stop in Las Terrazas. You’ll meet a local guide, a community leader, who will explain how the local society functions. The arrival to Viñales coincides with a tour of a local organic farm. The farmer and his family will explain how sustainable farms are run in Cuba, including the alternatives to pesticides they use to protect their crops. By sunset, you will be enjoying a dinner made by the farmer and his family with produce from their fields – a true farm to fork experience. (B,L,D)
Day 4: Viñales
The second day in Viñales, you’ll learn the traditional way to make Cuban cigars. Your guide will meet you after breakfast and take you to meet a local farmer and cigar maker. He’ll walk you through the entire process, from growing tobacco to rolling Cuba’s world-famous cigars. You’ll also get a chance to learn more about how the communist system works in Cuba and how it applies directly to the cigar trade: how much the farmer keeps; how much they give to the government; and how farmers make their money. In the afternoon you’ll learn how to cook Cuban cuisine, including some of the platos típicos de Cuba – typical Cuban dishes – including congri, potaje, garbanzo soup, ajiaco and flan. (B,L)
Day 5: Viñales to Cienfuegos (via Bay of Pigs)
Today you’ll head to Cienfuegos. Meet your driver after breakfast and be sure to keep your swimsuit handy. On the way, you’ll get a chance visit to the Bay of Pigs. Enjoy the views of this picturesque bay with a famous history. You’ll visit a museum that explains the conflict that happened in the Bay of Pigs that led to the first defeat of a U.S.-backed takeover in Latin America. If there’s time, you’ll be able to swim in a natural sinkhole that looks like a tropical fish tank. You’ll stay overnight in Cienfuegos, also called “The Pearl of the South.” Founded by the French, the city has a decidedly European feel, with elegant boulevards and colonnades reminiscent of Paris. (B)
Day 6: Cienfuegos to Trinidad
Today you’ll meet your guide after breakfast and head to Trinidad, a colonial city with a wealth of historic churches and colonial-style buildings. The day will start with a cultural tour of the city, including visits to several museums. You will also get to visit an Afro-Cuban temple dedicated to Yemaya. Learn first hand about the deities and traditions of this religion from Israel, a local caretaker and priest.

In the afternoon, you’ll meet members of an Afro-Cuban folkloric dance group, and learn the importance of dance to the local culture and society. Learn to salsa at Club Palenque, where the dance group trains and performs. Later you’ll be able to take your new moves out on the town. Trinidad has a rich nightlife and dance scene, with performances and live music every day of the week. (B,L)
Day 7: Trinidad
On your second day in Trinidad, you’ll learn about the local industry and the biodiversity of the area with a trip outside the city. After breakfast, your guide will meet you to take you to the humble home of a local campesino to see how Cubans live in rural areas. Next, take a short hike to a waterfall and get a chance to cool off in the natural pools at its base. Afterward you’ll head back to Trinidad and have the afternoon to explore and relax. For dinner, enjoy a special meal – possibly on the beach – including delicious Cuban specialties and live music. (B,D)
Day 8: Trinidad to Havana (via Santa Clara)
After breakfast your guide will collect you and your luggage for the trip back to Havana. On the way back you’ll learn about Cuba’s slave trade at Manaca-Iznaga, a plantation in the Valle de los Ingenios. The plantation has a 147-foot tower originally built to observe the slaves as they worked.

Enjoy a stop at Santa Clara, one of the cities that played an important role in the Cuban Revolution. See the statue built at the city’s entrance commemorating Ernesto Ché Guevara and his fellow revolutionaries who died in Bolivia. Enjoy lunch at a small family farm outside of Santa Clara before heading back to Havana to prepare for a farewell dinner, including music and dancing. (B,L,D) 

Day 9: Havana - Home
Say goodbye to your Cuba guide and driver, who will take you to the airport to catch your flight home. (B)

Maps

Cuba Highlights

Pricing
Per Person
$3,850
Included in tour cost
  • All airport/hotel transfers
  • All hotel accommodations
  • English-speaking certified guides
  • Entrance fees for all scheduled tours, national parks & archaeological sites
  • Southern Explorations pre-departure services
Excluded from tour cost
  • Airport taxes, international and local
  • Domestic airfare within South America
  • International airfare to and from Central & South America
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Medical & travel insurance (highly recommended)
  • Visa fee

Cuba Highlights

Trip Dates
Weekly Departures. Contact us to arrange your private departure.
Sunday, January 1, 2017 to Thursday, December 31, 2020
Available
Havana
Hotel upgrades are available, please contact us to discuss your options.
Trinidad
Hotel upgrades are available, please contact us to discuss your options.
Viñales
Hotel upgrades are available, please contact us to discuss your options.