Cuba Express !
Itinerary
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Day 1 Havana
Welcome to Havana! Your driver will greet you and take you to your homestay accommodation in the old town.
Accommodation: Homestay
Meals not included -
Day 2 Havana - Santa Clara - Mausoleum of Che - Hanabanilla
Early this morning you head towards the city of Santa Clara about 3 hours from Havana. Often nicknamed "The city of Che", it is the symbol of the Cuban revolution. Discover the Che Guevara Mausoleum memorial and take the road to Lake Hanabanilla where your hotel, with a magnificent view of the lake, awaits.
Transport: 4 hours
Accommodation: Hotel
Breakfast and dinner included -
Day 3 Hanabanilla Lake - Trinidad
A day devoted to discovering, on foot, the protected reserve of Hanabanilla, a refuge for many birds. The clear and gently sloping path offers magnificent panoramic views of the surrounding forest and agricultural crops. From the highest point you can see the city of Cienfuegos and the plains of Santa Clara. Today you can meet local Cuban people working in their fields. Then you take the road to Trinidad where you spend two nights homestay accommodation.
4 to 5 hours of walking
3 hours driving
Accommdoation: Homestay
Breakfast and dinner included -
Day 4 Trinidad
Discover the beautiful unique city of Trinidad, a living museum where time seems to have stopped. Wonder through colourful cobbled streets and meet local inhabitants, known for their hospitality. You can visit the craft market and the potter's house...
Accommodation: Homestay
Breakfast and lunch included -
Day 5 Trinidad - Cienfuegos - Playa Larga
You head for Cienfuegos (the pearl of the South) founded by the French at the beginning of the 19th century. Visit the magnificent central square, the cathedral and the town hall; the house of culture and the Tomas Terry theatre, true jewels of the colonial era. Stroll along the main street and its small craft market then continue on through the Zapata marsh and drive along the country's most important citrus groves to the famous Bay of Pigs. Arrival at Playa Larga and settle into your homestay accommodation. It's beach time!
Transport: 3 hours
Accommodation: Homestay
Breakfast and dinner included -
Day 6 Playa Larga - Vinales
This morning you drive towards the West and the region of Viñales. Arrival in Vinales and departure for a small easy hike to meet locals who reveal their cigar rolling techniques and visit a tobacco barn. During the walk you can observe the farmers plowing their fields with oxen. You can also visit the village before settling into your homestay accommodation.
2 to 3 hours of walking
Transport: 2 hours
Accommodation: Homestay
Breakfast and dinner included -
Day 7 Vinales - Pinar Del Rio - Havana
Accompanied by a local guide, today you enjoy a superb hike to the mogotes. These striking geological formations are characteristic of the region and reminiscent of certain Chinese landscapes. Admire magnificent panoramas over the valley of Viñales and its patchwork fields... You are invited for lunch with Ana, a local woman who lives in a small house in the heart of the valley. Enjoy a small digestive walk to see the Viñales Mural de la Prehistoria, a fresco painted on a mogote by a Cuban artist in the 60s. Late this afternoon, you take the road back to Havana. Along the way you stop to visit a cigar factory in Pinar del Rio. Night in Old Havana.
4 hours of walking
Transportation: 3 hours
Accommodation: Homestay
Breakfast and lunch included -
Day 8 Havana
Visit Havana and its different neighbourhoods including Old Havana and its Fortification System which are recognised by UNESCO as World Hertitage Sites. Havana is certainly the most beautiful colonial cities in the American continent.
Accommodation: Homestay
Breakfast included -
Day 9 Havana - End of stay
After breakfast we say goodbye and continue our seperate adventures.
Breakfast included
Period & budget
When to travel?
The best period for travelling is during the following months:
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Price
The budget is an indication of the price per person, subject to availability. Your local agent will send you a customized quote with the exact price. The price can vary according to availability, level of services, period of travel, number of participants, booking time frame and other items.
Included
- 8 nights in hotel, refuge on the farm and homestay with breakfasts.
- Lunch on Day 7 and dinners of the Days 2,3, 4, 5 and 6
- Entrance fees to sites as per itinerary
- Accompaniment by a Spanish speaking driver from Day 1 to Day 8
- Our English speaking assistance 24 / 7
Not included
- International flights
- Tourist card (necessary to enter the country)
- Meals: Most lunches and some dinners, see 'included' and your itinerary
- Drinks, tips and personal expenses - all that is not 'included'
- Single Room Supplement: Consult us
- English-speaking driver: Consult us
Terms and conditions
Inscription
Facturation
Annulation
- Cancellation received more than 30 days prior to the departure date: a sum of €50 per person will be retained
- Cancellation received 30 to 21 days before the departure date: your deposit, 30% of the total trip price will be retained
- Cancellation received 20 to 14 days before the departure date: 50% of the total trip price will be retained
- Cancellation received 13 to 7 days before the departure date: 75% of the total trip price will be retained
- Cancellation received less than 7 days before the departure date: 100% of the total trip price will be retained
- Fixed airfares: if your airline ticket was issued in advance, often done to avoid significant surcharges, you will be charged 100% of any non-refundable fees if you wish to change or cancel your flight plan.
- Fixed in-country costs: early charges for firm bookings will be charged if you cancel or modify your trip.
- Insurance costs: if you have taken out comprehensive or cancellation insurance, the cost of insurance is due and cannot be refunded.
Modification du contrat
Prix et révision des prix
Cession du contrat
Insurance
Altai Travel Insurance Options
Practical info
Staff
Food
Accommodation
Transportation
Budget & exchange
Tips
Vital equipment
- A sleeping bag liner (or sleeping bag) for your night in a shelter (blankets provided)
- Water purification tablets
- A refillable water bottle or 2 (2L)
- A sun hat
- A bandana, to protect your neck
- A pair of sun glasses (good quality, 3 or 4)
- Thermal tops and bottoms
- T shirts, shorts and trousers suitable for hiking
- Appropriate underwear and pyjamas
- A warm layer
- A coat / jacket
- A rain coat (good quality, breathable with hood)
- Water proof trousers
- A swimsuit & fast drying towel
- A pair of hiking boots
- Thick socks for hiking
- A pair of casual shoes for evenings/gentle strolls
- 1 pair of shoes for wearing in water for snorkeling, swimming, etc
Material
Helpful equipment
- Your personal toiletries
- Sun-cream (body and lips)
- Head torch and spare batteries
- A pair of hiking poles
- A waterproof bag cover (or plastic bags) to protect your belongings
Luggage
Medicine
Passport
Visa
Mandatory vaccines
Health information & recommendations
Weather
Electricity
Local time
Sustainable tourism
- Avoid dropping litter - use bins or carry your rubbish with you.
- Use drinking water sparingly - avoid wasting water, take showers not baths, report leaks, etc..
- Support the preservation of cultural sites - resist the temptation to touch statues, moves stones etc..
- Exchanges are prefarable to donations - generations gifts can destabalize the local economic balance.
- When walking, be aware of fragile ecosystems, observe wildlife from a distance, stick to trails, limit trampling and do not steal from the nature - resist the temptation to pick flowers, collect fossils or stones...
- Some hotels have air conditioning - to avoid excessive energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, please use sparingly and remember to cut the aircon when you are not in the room.