Cuba: The Highlights
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Los Mambi, band playing on the streets of Havana, Cuba
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boat ride along the Laguna del Tesoro, Cuba
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Havana, sightseeing in Cuba
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Fun on the beach in Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba
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Forestry and waterfall fun in Topes de Collantes, Cuba
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Statue in Trinidad, Cuba
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La Canchanchara Cocktails in Trinidad
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People selling at stalls in Trinidad, Cuba
Holidays in Cuba have it all. Characterful Caribbean Cuba is an island of contrasts, from old forts and green tobacco fields to caves and coral reefs. Culturally it’s a melting pot, where Caribbean rum meets Latino salsa and ‘Son’ music fuses African drum and Spanish guitar.
This group tour highlights the best the Cuba can offer starting in the lively capital Havana where the streets are lined with bright colonial buildings and classic cars. Visit the Ambos Mundos Hotel, where Hemmingway stayed, take a walking tour around the old streets or sit back relax and enjoy a daquiri, a famous Cuban cocktail.
The tour s also visit peaceful Vinales Valley, where lush tobacco plantations are flanked by vertical limestone outcrops and an artisanal rum factory before heading to Cienaga de Zapata, an impressive wetland area. The group will also see the Santa Clara Mausoleum, dedicated to Che Guevarra (El Che), the elegant city of Cienfuegos with its neo-classical architecture and the most iconic colonial town in Cuba – Trinidad. At the end of the tour there is even time for a few days relaxing on the tropical island of Cayo Santa Maria.
Dates
Dates on request
Suggested Itinerary by Air
Day 1
Havana
Fly to Havana Airport where you will be met by an English speaking guide and transferred to your hotel. Upon arrival enjoy a welcome cocktail before dinner at the hotel.
Day 2
Havana
Enjoy a walking tour through the typical streets of the old town and visit Obispo Street, the most visited place in Old Havana. Visit the hotel “Ambos Mundos”, where the Nobel Prize winner Ernest Hemingway stayed, and the Museo de los Capitanes Generales which shows the history of the Colonization era. In the afternoon, visit the Gran Parque Histórico Militar Morro-Cabaña, the Caribbeans biggest fortress complex.
Day 3
Viñales
Travel to Pinar del Rio. Visit the artisanal rum factory “Guayabita del Pinar” and a Tobacco Factory, where you will learn the steps of cultivation and production of the world’s best cigars. Continue your journey to Viñales and enjoy an incredible boat ride.
Day 4
Guamá
Guamá is at the heart of Laguna del Tesoro, the largest natural lake in Cuba, located within Montemar Natural Park. Visit the Crocodile Farm and enjoy a boat trip over the lake to Taíno Village.
Day 5
Cienfuegos
Cienfuegos is an elegant city with neoclassical architecture. Visit the Thomas Terry Theatre, the Plaza Marti and La Catedral, a spectacular church where you can see the incredible detail of classical French architecture. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant located in Punta Gorda, on the seafront. Continue your journey to Trinidad and you will have the rest of the evening at leisure.
Day 6
Trinidad
The most iconic colonial town of Cuba and also known as ‘The Museum City’. Start with a visit to the Palacio Cantero museum, followed by the “Canchanchara” bar, where you can enjoy a special cocktail. Stop by the Casa del Alfarero, a traditional regional potters house. In the afternoon, discover the ‘Valle de los Ingenios’ or ‘Valley of the Sugar Mills’ which was a centre for sugar production from the late 18th until the late 19th century. Do not miss the “Manaca Iznaga” tower from which you can see all of Trinidad.
Day 7
Caribbean Sea
Set sail on the Caribbean Sea along the shoreline of southern Cuba on board a comfortable catamaran or yacht. Later, the boat will moor at Cayo Macho, a small paradisiacal island. A seafood lunch will be served with fish, lobster and shrimp and the remaining of the afternoon is at leisure for you to lie on the beach or to dive into the Caribbean Sea.
Day 8
Topes de Collantes
Travel to Topes de Collantes. The Gran Parque Topes de Collantes is located just 20 kilometres north of the city of Trinidad and 800 meters above sea level in the heart of the Escambray Mountains. On the way up the mountain, visit local communities such as Cuatro Vientos and Guanayara. Once at the top, the trail runs downhill towards the waterfall, El Rocío, followed by the river and finishes by the mountain lake, El Venado.
Day 9
Santa Clara
Enjoy a guided tour of Santa Clara. Start the visit with a monument made in tribute to El Che, the Santa Clara Mausoleum. Continue your visit with the Armored Train which was involved in Santa Clara Battle in 1958 during the Cuban Revolution. In the afternoon, visit the Leoncio Vidal Park. Later, transfer to Cayo Santa María for your four night all inclusive stay.
Day 10-12
Cayo Santa Maria
These three days are at leisure for you to relax and enjoy the hotel facilities.
Day 13
Cayo Santa Maria – Havana
Transfer back to Havana. You will have the afternoon at leisure. In the evening, visit Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña colloquially known as La Cabaña which is an 18th-century fortress complex, the third-largest in the Americas, located on the elevated eastern side of the harbour.
Day 14
Depart Havana
After breakfast you will transfer to the airport for you international flight back to the UK where you will land the following day.
Cuba has a warm tropical climate with two distinct seasons. The best time to visit is from December to May, when you can expect dry, sunny days and plenty of blue skies. The wet season begins in June and, previously, visitors to Cuba would have avoided travel entirely between August and October, when there is also a risk of hurricanes.
Visa Requirements:
British passport holders require a tourist card before entering Cuba. The form can be printed off from the Cuban Embassy site and costs £39 per card, you can then apply by post. The tourist card will be valid for one entry and lasts 30 days, it can be extended once in Cuba for another 30 days.
Greatdays Holidays Limited has an ATOL licence (4279) and all of our air package tours are protected under this licence. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the Civil Aviation Authority will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any monies you have paid to us for an advance booking. All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate
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A group is 10 persons or more. Smaller groups can be accommodated. Picture is for illustrative purposes only. Greatdays Holidays Limited has an ATOL licence (4279) and all of our air package tours are protected under this licence. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the Civil Aviation Authority will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any monies you have paid to us for an advance booking. All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this email are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services).
