20 Day Best Of Cuba Small Group Tour

Bienvenido a la Havana! Welcome to Havana! Your included airport arrival transfer will take you to your guesthouse for the night. Your tour guide will leave a note for you in the guesthouse with information for you to get settled and details of the upcoming tour group meeting time. If you arrive early in the day, you may have time to go and explore some of Havana. At some stage during the tour, your tour guide will include a walking tour of Old Havana.

Today we take a mid-morning flight to Baracoa. When Christopher Columbus first encountered Cuba it was here, and he duly noted in his log-book that this was the most beautiful land that human eyes could set upon. You will understand what he meant when you see the beaches and verdant mountain landscape that surround Baracoa. Situated on a beautiful bay with the mountains of the Sierra del Purial in the background, Baracoa was the first settlement founded by the Spanish in Cuba, and was only accessible by sea until the end of the 1960s.

We have two full days here as there are numerous options for outdoor activities in the nearby mountains, rivers, waterfalls, and beaches which your tour leader will help you arrange while on tour.

Explore Baracoa at your own pace.

Continue exploring Baracoa at leisure.

A spectacular drive through lush mountains of eastern Cuban, then along a rugged and beautiful section of coast, and later past the region’s most controversial leasehold of Guantanamo Bay, brings us to what is known as the “cradle of Cuba's Revolution”. Santiago is home to much of Cuba’s famed music, like the Son. There are also museums, colonial churches and buildings of more recent historical importance, such as the Moncada Barracks, which are well worth exploring.

Santiago de Cuba has a very vibrant traditional music scene, and it's here that we include what we call a Noche Santiaguera. It's an interactive night of music and dance where we invite some local Santiago friends of ours to come with us to a local traditional music venue, and they will invite you to join them on the dance floor to learn some dance moves. For those that are willing, you'll have the chance to get up on stage and play an instrument with the local Cuban band. Culturally, Santiago has a different feel to the rest of Cuba, undoubtedly coming from the mix of French speaking slaves from Haiti and its proximity to Jamaica.

Explore Santiago at your own pace. Your Tour Leader will be at hand to help you make the most of your time here.

Cuba's third largest city lies about halfway between Havana and Santiago de Cuba. Our longest travel day (a 6 or 7 hour drive) brings us here from Santiago. Camaguey was designed in the 17th century to disorientate potential invaders such as pirates and plunderers, so the street layout is a jumble of narrow alleys where no two streets are parallel. There are large parks, various private art galleries, and a thriving market garden, and one will enjoy strolling through this city. This is also a university town and has a rich cultural tradition, and like just about everywhere in Cuba, there is plenty of night time entertainment to be had.

Camaguey is a proud and cultural city, and has some of the best schools and institutions in Cuba. Today you will take a guided visit to a ballet school.

Trinidad is home to numerous churches and many beautiful colonial buildings. We are near the lovely Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of Sugar Mills) and Playa Ancon, where you can enjoy long stretches of unspoiled, white sand beaches. Scuba diving, snorkeling, swimming in waterfalls and horse-riding are other optional activities.

The nightlife in Trinidad is probably the most accessible and intense in all of Cuba, with numerous live music venues and many dance performances everyday of the week, all amongst the enchanting setting of old colonial buildings and the cobblestone streets.

Explore Trinidad at your own pace.

Continue exploring Trinidad at leisure. Your Tour Leader will be at hand to help you make the most of your time in this picturesque town.

Before reaching the French founded city of Cienfuegos we first drop in on the historic inland city of Santa Clara. It's here that we encounter a huge statue of Ernesto Che Guevara. We take time to visit the museum that is directly under the statue, and which tells the story of Che's fascinating life. There is also a mausoleum with an eternal flame that commemorates his death and that of the revolutionaries who were with him in Bolivia.

Cienfuegos appeal lies partly in the European flavour of its colonial hub, with a wide Parisian-style boulevard and elegant colonnades, and there is an ambience to inspire Cuba’s most celebrated Son singer to write the words “Cienfuegos is the city I like best”. You'll have time to take in the ambience with a pleasant stroll along the boulevard and to the main square.

On our way back to the capital, we drive along the beautiful coastline of the Bay of Pigs. This is where the landing of counter-revolutionary exile militia occurred in 1961. The ensuing battle with the Cuban Revolutionary forces resulted in the first defeat of a U.S backed take-over in Latin America. Your guide will explain in more detail the dramatic events. If the conditions are favourable, we can stop for a swim at a beautiful spot on the bay that is ideal for snorkelling. Snorkelling masks are available at a small cost.

We then pass through an area of densely vegetated swamp-lands called the Cienaga de Zapata, before arriving bank in Havana.

The Caribbean's largest and most exciting urban concentration, Havana is one of the oldest cities in the Western Hemisphere, and was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Options are to take an included walking tour of the Old town with the guide or to find your own adventure.

If you have more time to spend in Cuba before flying out, the Tour Leader can suggest a number of excellent options for spending a few extra days, and give you details on how to get there and where to stay. At the appropriate time, your Tour Leader will help you arrange a transfer to the airport in time to board your ongoing flight.

Heading west of Havana in private transport, we stop in a couple of Havana neighbourhoods to see some community art projects. The first one is an alley called the Callejon de Hammel. This is where local artist Salvador Gonzáles Escalona has done some colourful decorations of the street with a distinctive African flavour. In fact, many of the works are dedications to specific Afro-Cuban religious demi-gods. Next we visit a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Havana called Jaimanitas. It is here that Jose Fuster has made a very impressive project called Fusterlandia in which works are made in mosaic ceramics. It extends from his own residence to surrounding houses and streets. Even the local medical clinic has been targeted by his creative efforts. Next stop is a mountainous area called Las Terrazas. The town itself was built as part of an environmental project in the early days of the Revolution. You'll have time for a walk around the town and to meet some of the locals. Apart from its environmental characteristics, Las Terrazas is also known as for its art, and there are a few woodwork, painting and pottery studios, that are open to the public.

Eventually we reach the tiny settlement of Soroa, which for many is the prettiest area of the region. We stay in local guesthouses.

On the way to Vinales we stop by Soroa, which is a beautiful area in the mountains with quite a few interesting things to see. There is an excellent orchid garden with about 200 different types of orchids, more than half of which are Cuban species. For the more actively minded, there are a couple of short walks. One short one to a waterfall and a longer one to the peak of a mountain with some fantastic views. Before reaching the town of Vinales we can stop at a lookout which has some great views of the Vinales valley. Parts of this stunning area are listed with UNESCO for the value of their rural scenery and heritage. In the afternoon we have time to take you to the home of a local tobacco farmer, who will show you his life and how he rolls his own cigars.

Today is free and you have the opportunity to explore Vinales at leisure. There are plenty of options available that your guide can arrange for you. Our travelers in the past have highly recommended the walk through parts of the valley with a guide that is local to the Vinales area. There are also caving, horse riding, and biking excursions available. Another option is to do some voluntary work on a local organic farm (and staying for dinner!), or heading to one of the beautiful beaches nearby - Cayo Levisa or Cayo Jutias. There are a couple of hotels on the outskirts of the town with swimming pools you can use for a small fee - a good option if you just want to relax and enjoy the views while drinking a cocktail or two.

The nightlife in Vinales is very friendly and active, and the locals are always enthusiastically involved. There is live music nightly and usually a dance performance or two. But the main emphasis is on participation and the locals are not shy in asking visitors to share a dance. In fact, many travelers will tell you that Vinales is one of the best places in Cuba to interact with the locals.

We return to Havana to celebrate the last night of the tour, and for some, their last night in Cuba. With recent changes to the laws in Cuba, and legal opportunities for Cubans to open their own businesses, there are many more good options for restaurants, bars, and night spots. Your tour guide will no doubt suggest a few for a group celebration.

If you have more time to spend in Cuba before flying out, your Tour Leader can suggest a number of excellent options for spending a few extra days, and give you details on how to get there and where to stay. At the appropriate time, your Tour Leader will help you arrange a transfer to the airport in time to board your ongoing flight.