Unique Cultural Tours
Unique Cultural Tours
Cost: $3,395 (market value $6,495). A $500 deposit secures your space. Single rooms are available for an additional $500.
Save $200 with Early Bird registration 6+ months in advance.
Bilingual Cuban Guide
Travel licenses, mandatory Cuban health insurance and visas
9 nights in Casas Particulares, Cuban Bed & Breakfasts. We have discovered the most comfortable lodging in Cuba is in these Casas, versus hotels which are government-owned and lacking in many amenities.
19 meals, almost always at paladares. The paladares of Cuba are unique in that they are privately-owned restaurants where the staff takes great pride in their delicious meals and hospitality.
Private, air-conditioned ground transportation for the whole tour with our own driver
Purified water included and always available (bring your favorite water bottle for refills)
Curious About Cuba educational program (7 video sessions) available on YouTube
Personalized Trip Orientation 2 weeks before departure
Please note: We have an experienced team in Cuba; therefore Jenny & Steve do not attend every tour.
Airfare to/from the US
Trip Insurance
7 Meals
Tips
Alcohol at included meals
Havana (UNESCO area)
'55 Chevy Bel Air driving tour of Havana
Fusterlandia and artists
Buena Vista Social Club, Hotel Nacional
Colonial Havana of the 1500s
Tour of Cuba’s capitol building (if no congressional meeting is taking place)
Museum of the Revolution/National Art Museum
Vinales
See the orchids at the Soroa Botanical Gardens
Beginner Salsa class
Tobacco plantation tour and Cuban Cigar sampling
Organic farm tour
Farm to table dinner
Bay of Pigs/Cienfuegos
Meet local ornithologist and see Bee hummingbirds
Tour of Korimicao, school for the arts, with chances to interact with local artists and dancers
Sinkhole swimming bursting with tropical fish
Bay of Pigs Museum
Trinidad & the Sugar Valley (UNESCO area)
Afro-Cuban folkloric dance show
Salsa dancing
Waterfall hike and birdwatching
Beach time and shopping opportunities
Accessibility: Please note that in Cuba, the sidewalks are often cracked and uneven, tour members must be able to handle walking on uneven terrain. You must be able to walk up to 3 miles in a day to participate in the tour.
Meet the farmers of the country’s world-famous tobacco, discover the endemic species of birds, and taste exotic tropical fruits and cuisine on this loop tour that starts and ends in Havana. Classic cars, UNESCO World Heritage sites, snorkeling and Cuban friends are built into this specially curated tour!
A look at where this tour goes
Day 1: Welcome to Cuba!
Arrive in Havana.
We will be greeted at the airport by Roger, our Cuban guide. He’ll take us to our B&B accommodations (casas particulares) in Centro Habana. We will get a layout of the city along with first impressions of the architecture and lifestyle of the city dwellers. Evening arrivals may choose to settle into your casa to rest or join the group and go out for dinner. That’s the flexibility of small group tours.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2: Havana
Wear your walking shoes for this day! We start with a visit to Fusterlandia in the fishing village of Jaimanitas and the home of the famous artist Jose Fuster. Fuster has made his entire home, and much of the surrounding neighborhood, into an outdoor art gallery using tiles in mosaic forms. A Havana driving tour in classic cars will take you to the forest of Havana, the famous Revolutionary Square and through the gorgeous historic embassy neighborhoods.
The activities will be followed by lunch and a walking tour of Old Havana City, gorgeous architecture and plazas. In the late afternoon we will return to our casas particulares for free time. Dinner is on your own, but nearby suggestions will be available.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 3: Viñales via Soroa
Say goodbye to the big city as we head to Viñales. Viñales is the one of the most scenic areas of Cuba, among the limestone pincushion hills (called mogotes) in the tobacco-growing area of Cuba. On the way to Viñales we will visit Soroa, a botanical garden with amazing orchids that have been brought from China. (Wear your bug spray or long sleeves.)
Arriving in Viñales, we will settle into our casas and take a walking tour of the town, which has one main road and is a very small but beautiful place. It’s not hard to see why this was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site!
In the early evening we will take a low-key salsa class, which is always fun regardless of your level. After dinner, you can head to the local plaza where the outdoor disco gets going every night at 9 pm. They feature live bands, dance performances and drinks to give you a flavor of Cuban nightlife. This venue often packs out with people, both Cubans and visitors.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4: Viñales
Today we will spend the morning learning the tradition of tobacco cultivation from a farmer and expert cigar maker. Get an insight as to how the communist system works, how much tobacco they will keep, how much produce they give back to the government, and how they make ends meet! The plantation tour includes walking through banana and plantain groves and meeting local Cubans.
On our return we will have free time to wander the town and eat at lunch, go to the casas for rest time, or perhaps take the bus to see the mountainside murals or a boat ride through the limestone caves.
In the late afternoon we will tour an organic farm and learn about sustainable farming in Cuba. Here we will meet with a local farmer and his family who will show us around the organic farm and explain to us the methods used to cultivate crops without the use of pesticides. With the beautiful sunset as our backdrop, we will enjoy a diverse meal prepared at the family restaurant, a truly authentic farm-to-table experience!
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 5: Palpite, Playa Girón/Bay of Pigs and Cienfuegos
(5-hour drive with stops)
This is a road trip day with great stops and changing scenery. On the route to Cienfuegos we will stop in the very small (but special) town of Palpite. We will visit an ornithologist who is famous for the Bee Hummingbirds that frequent his backyard. Take pictures of the birds and learn the habits of the world’s smallest bird, which resides only in Cuba! We will also meet young Cuban dancers, artists and musicians at the school for the arts, Korimacao. Enjoy a generous lunch of local foods before heading back to the bus.
Our next stop is a roadside spot popular for swimming/snorkeling and birds. Take a dip in a sinkhole which resembles a huge natural tropical fish tank. Be sure to have your swimsuit and water socks (rough coastal area) handy in your backpack.
From there we will drive on the Playa Girón, home of the Bay of Pigs Museum. Learn about the conflict that happened right here between the U.S.-supported Cubans and locals in 1961, from the perspective of the Cuban government.
The last hour on the trip takes us into Cienfuegos, a city of 400,000 people. known for it’s French architecture. We will freshen up at our casas particulares before enjoying a delicious dinner together.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6: Cienfuegos to Trinidad
(2 hours driving)
After breakfast at our casas particulares, we will explore the seaside city. You are likely to see a quinceañera photo session in the main plaza. Palacio del Valle is an architectural treat, and admission includes a mojito or coke for your refreshment. When cruise ships were able to travel legally from the U.S. (2016-2019), Cienfuegos was a popular port city.
After our walking tour we will head into the heart of sugar in Cuba to Trinidad. Trinidad is a cozy, bustling town of Cubans and tourists, with French and Spanish inspired architecture, stories of slave trade and wealth in the south of Cuba. Roger will give us a walking tour to get our bearings and learn the stories of the 500+ year old town. Trinidad’s cobblestone can be hard on your feet, be sure to have thick-soled walking shoes. You are welcome to hire a pedi-cab to drive you through the streets of Trinidad when your feet grow weary.
After dinner, prepare to stay up late! Nightlife in Trinidad is probably the most accessible and vibrant in all of Cuba, with numerous live music venues and free dance performances in the town square. You will have the chance to see Afro-Cuban folkloric dances performed in one of the many plazas.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7: Trinidad
We will start early with a hike at “El Cubano” through the hills to a gorgeous waterfall where you can dive in and swim a bit. With any luck, we will see a tocororo, the national bird of Cuba, along with many other birds in the area. This is a moderate-level hike, about 3 miles round trip.
After the hike, enjoy an early lunch. A favorite place is San Jose, which is known for its huge hamburgers and sizeable gourmet coffee drinks.
In the afternoon you’ll have time to explore more of the town, or join the group at the beach, where there are umbrellas, lounge chairs, and lovely soft sand. This is another good snorkeling location. In the evening, dinner is on your own followed by live music at the outdoor amphitheater, the hub of the action in Trinidad.
Meals: Breakfast
Day 8: Travel from Trinidad to Havana
(5-hour drive, with stops)
Settle in for a drive through the mountains and see the varied landscape en route to Havana. We will visit a farmer’s house and learn about rural life far away from the cities, as well as have an opportunity to take a dip in nearby waterfall. Arriving in Havana in the late afternoon, there is time to take a few pictures at sunset or grab a nap before heading to dinner.
This is a great night to check out some of Havana’s historic bars (many of which were Hemingway’s favorites).
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 9: Havana
For our last day full day in Cuba, there are some great places to visit in Havana. We will start the day at the nation’s capital for a tour (when available, admission is based on congressional meetings), then see the train station and the areas of Old Havana that you didn’t see when you first arrived. After lunch, Roger will take you on a tour of the National Museum of the Revolution or the National Art Museum.
Be sure to take time to rest up and shower for tonight! If luck is on our side, we’ll have reservations at La Torre del Focsa, with its incredible views for our goodbye dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 10: Departure
Head to the airport 2 hours prior to your flight to Florida. Say good-bye to Roger and our driver as you head back to the U.S. We hope you come back soon!
Meals: Breakfast
