Cuba Libre!

Our tour starts today in Havana - home to salsa, mojitos, and revolutionary spirit. Cuba's capital is one of the most impressive cities in the Americas, almost frozen in time with crumbling tenement blocks and 1950s American Cadillacs rubbing shoulders with grand colonial buildings and monuments to the revolution.



Due to the number of evening flights into Havana, our tour leader will meet you for a welcome meeting on the morning of Day 2. Details of timings will be left in the hotel reception, as well as information about anything else you'll need for the day.



There are no activities planned today, so you're free to arrive at any time. If you'd like an airport transfer, you'll need to arrive into Havana's Jose Marti International Airport (HAV) which is around a 45-minute drive from the airport. A representative from our local partners in Cuba will meet you at Havana Airport and assist you with the transfer formalities.



If your flight arrives earlier in the day, you might like to head out to explore Old Havana, just a short walk from the Capitolio building and the Malecon sea esplanade with views of the city. There are several restaurants and bars within walking distance and you're likely to hear the hypnotic rhythms of salsa, trova and son being played along the Paseo del Prado.

Today, we'll begin to explore Havana and its iconic mixture of restored and crumbling buildings. Walking through the Vieja (Old) District, we'll discover the baroque cathedral and Plaza de Armas (the main square), alongside some beautiful neoclassical buildings. Along the way, you might notice the lack of advertisements which are commonplace in the West, and spot the hyperbolic, political slogans in their place - tokens that tell you, you really are in Cuba now. Passing by the famous Capitolio building (modelled on the White House), you'll get your first glimpse of the rows of brightly coloured vintage cards that adorn many a Cuban postcard. Interestingly, these are the result of legislation enforced until 2011 that meant only cars built before the 1959 revolution could be sold.



After our tour, there'll be free time to explore more at your own pace. You might like to visit the Museum of the Revolution, housed in the former Presidential Palace. The Museum of Artes Decorativas is also worth a visit, a collection of furniture, porcelain, and art pieces from the 16th to 20th centuries, located in one of Vedado's grandest mansions. Alternatively, you could visit one of the famous cigar factories.



Later this afternoon, we'll delve into Cuba's rum culture with a cocktail class, mixing and shaking our very own mojitos. The evening is then free for you to experience Havana's vibrant nightlife. The Hotel Ambos Mundos is a Hemingway landmark where the 1954 Nobel Prize winner lived for several years. Walk in his footsteps and grab an expertly shaken mojito up on the roof terrace. There are several excellent bars in both Old Havana and Vedado where live music is played and the cocktails flow freely.

This morning, we'll travel three hours west to the Vinales region - arguably the most picturesque part of Cuba. Here, surreal mountains - the result of the erosion of limestone over millions of years - jut out of the landscape. They're locally known as 'haystacks' (or 'mogotes' in Cuban Spanish) thanks to their steep sides and rounded, jungly tops. Around them, are a patchwork of tobacco fields, with their iron-rich, red soil - the raw material for Cuba's famous cigars.



We'll have a two-hour walk through the valleys of this remarkable landscape to the village of El Palmarito. Mogotes tower above us as we pass through tobacco fields and past drying barns, and during our walk we'll learn more about Cuba's prolific cigar-making industry, which stems from the plants growing in this region.



After our walk, you might like to visit the Cueva del Indio - one of the many caves in this area - or take a swim in the hotel pool.

Today, we have a long drive of around six and a half hours (450 kilometres/279 miles) ahead of us, past Havana and east to Santa Clara in the centre of Cuba. We'll break up the journey with regular stops, including a break at the Soroa Rainforest where we'll take a walk to see the orchids. Nearer to Santa Clara, we'll visit the Che Guevara monument, with its enormous transcription of Che's last letter to Fidel - your tour leader can translate this for you - it's fascinating to read about how much the revolution meant to both of them.



The town of Santa Clara was originally a prosperous agricultural area, well-placed on the island's trading route. Now, it's most famous as being the site of the last battle of the Revolution in which Che Guevara's troops took the city, causing the Cuban dictator, Batista, to flee into exile. Because of this, the town was chosen as the final resting place for the national hero, and we'll explore some more of the Che Guevara sites tomorrow.

This morning, we'll visit the centre of Santa Clara and the Tren Blindado Memorial, before moving on to Che Guevara's Mausoleum. Guevara was buried here with full military honours in 1997 after his exhumed remains were discovered in Bolivia and returned to Cuba. A flame lit by Fidel Castro burns eternally to honour the man who played a key role in Cuba's revolution and whose image is routinely displayed throughout the country. We'll also visit the museum dedicated to Guevara's life, which contains some interesting letters and artefacts.



Back on the road, we'll continue to Sancti Spiritus, one of the original seven settlements founded by Diego Velasquez when he claimed Cuba for Spain, before driving across the flattest province in Cuba - Ciego de Avila. We'll pass through land predominantly used for cattle ranching, sugar growing and citrus fruit production.



The road takes us up into the hills of the Sierra de Cubitas and by late afternoon we'll reach the provincial capital of Camaguey - Cuba's third-largest city and a cultural centre for music, ballet and art. Our hotel is near to the Old Town, making it easy to head out and explore on foot.



Our driving time today will be approximately five hours.

There are no plans this morning, so you're free to wander around Camaguey at your own pace. What might strike about the city is its labyrinth street layout - a by-product of pirate fighting. Similar to a Moroccan medina, legend has it, it was designed to confuse invaders and give cover to its residents. If the heat gets too much, you might prefer to explore the city's hidden plazas and baroque churches by bicitaxi. We'd also recommend a visit to the bustling farmer's market - one of the largest in Cuba.



In the afternoon, we'll travel to Bayamo, another of the original seven Spanish settlements. The inhabitants burned it to the ground in 1869 in an act of rebellion against the Spanish, so there's little colonial architecture left to see.



After Bayamo, our journey continues east towards the Sierra Maestra Mountains - the highest mountain range in Cuba, where we'll spend the night in a small hotel in either Bartolome Maso or Santo Domingo.



Our total driving time today will be just over five hours.

This morning, we'll switch things up and board a convoy of 4WD vehicles that will take us up the steep asphalted road to El Alto de Naranjo, 950 metres/3116 feet above sea level. From there, we'll trek for 3 kilometres/1.8 miles through virgin rainforest to La Comandancia de La Plata. It's worth noting that the path is uneven and can be muddy - comfortable shoes are a must. It was here that Fidel Castro and Che Guevara took refuge after an unsuccessful uprising against the Cuban dictator, Batista, in 1956. As you walk around this hideaway, which became the revolutionaries' headquarters until Batista fled Cuba in 1959, you get a real sense of their two-year residency here. Castro's simple camp bed and fridge still remain, along with a trap door for a speedy exit in the event of an attack. The original broadcast hut for 'Radio Rebelde' still stands, as well as Che's hospital hut where he worked as a doctor. While photography was previously forbidden here, you can now snap pictures for a small fee.



After lunch at Villa Santo Domingo, we'll drive down to Bayamo in our 4WD vehicles, where we'll meet our bus and continue to the north coast at Guardalavaca. The area is well known for its stretches of fine white sand, so it's a relaxing end to our days in the mountains.



Our total driving time today will be around three and a half hours.

With perfect white sand and crystal-clear waters, Guardalavaca is the epitome of Caribbean paradise. We have a full day free to simply relax at the beach or explore the coastline.



The resorts in the area are typically Cuban (in need of an update), however, the location can't be beaten. Our hotel is all-inclusive and offers bicycle rental and diving (at additional charges), as well as a pool, sauna and gardens.

This morning, we'll leave Guardalavaca behind and start our long drive to Trinidad. The drive will take approximately nine hours but we'll make plenty of stops along the way.



We'll break at Valle de los Ingenios, also known as the Valley of the Sugar Mills. This was the centre of sugar production for 100 years from the late 18th century, and at its peak, it was home to 30,000 slaves working in the mills and surrounding plantations. Today, the ruined sugar mills and mansions lining the valley bear witness to the previous prosperity in the area.



We'll also stop at the infamous Torre de Manaca Iznaga, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This seven-floor tower was built to watch over the slaves working in the fields and had two bells. One was rung when the slaves could stop working and take a meal, the other when a slave escaped.



By early evening, we'll arrive at our casa particular just outside the beautiful Spanish colonial town of Trinidad. 'Casa particulares' (local guesthouses) are a type of accommodation that's unique to Cuba. The industry began in the early 1990s when entrepreneurial homeowners would rent out rooms in their home. The side hustle was initially illegal as communist Cuba didn't allow for private enterprises but was legalised in 1997. Today, it's common to find large casas that run as bed and breakfasts, however, the majority - particularly in Havana - are still a couple of rooms in the owner's house. This gives you a truly unique, local experience as no two casas are the same - you'll have ensuite bathrooms, air-conditioning, and a delicious breakfast across the board but that's where the similarity ends. We choose to use these casas as they give a truly authentic Cuban experience, an alternative to standard hotels, and a new perspective on local life.

This morning, we'll wander through the cobbled streets of the old centre of Trinidad, discovering its fine palaces, churches and cafes. A paradise for photographers, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a perfectly preserved colonial settlement unlike any other. In the early 19th century, French settlers fleeing a slave revolt in Haiti landed here and started to grow sugar cane in the Valle de Los Ingenios. This crop generated considerable wealth and consequently, the town had to be regularly defended from pirates.



Subject to opening hours, we'll visit a local museum before having free time to explore more. It's worth climbing the stairs of the bell tower at the small Museo de la Lucha contra Bandidos, purely for the views across the roofs of Trinidad out to the Caribbean at one side and the Escambray Mountains at the other.



The afternoon is free to spend as you'd like. Playa Ancon's white-sand beach is just a 15-minute taxi ride away or there's the opportunity to take a salsa lesson with a local teacher. In the evening, you might like to head to the open-air Casa de la Musica, just off the main square, where live bands and salsa-dancing locals do their thing well into the night.

Today we'll travel inland to Topes de Collantes Nature Reserve Park, famous for its many endemic species of flora and fauna. We'll have two nights to explore the area in-depth.



After a ride in an old Russian military-style truck up a steep, switch-back road into the lush Escambray Mountains, we'll arrive at the park entrance. Here, we'll meet our local guide who, along with our tour leader, will help us to explore the park.



Please note, there's an 8 kilometre/5 mile trek to our hacienda accommodation. Those who would prefer not to walk can continue with the truck to the hacienda.



Our hike may vary slightly, depending on the weather and the group, but it's likely to take us into the coffee-growing valley of the Guayanara River. The paths are undulating and can be uneven underfoot, but the views and the sense of remoteness are truly rewarding. Along our route, we'll see Cuba's highest lake, Embalse Hanabanilla, pass rural homes and watch shepherds minding their herds of goats. After around four hours of walking, we'll arrive at our hacienda, a small farmstead set in a rocky valley, where we'll have lunch.



The afternoon is free for you to explore at your own pace. We recommend the 5 kilometre/3 mile circular walk (approximately three hours) to the Salto de Rocio Waterfall - an area flush with trogons, hummingbirds and woodpeckers. To get to the waterfall, you'll follow a riverside track where you're likely to see tree fern, bromeliad and orchid species. On arrival at the waterfalls and lakes, adventurous swimmers might like to take a dip, or you can relax on the banks.



The accommodation is simple. You have the option to sleep out under the eaves of the hacienda's veranda or in the platformed tents. Foam mattresses are provided but you might want to bring your own sleeping bag. There are male and female washing facilities in a nearby block. With the fresh mountain air, canopy of stars and peaceful, remote setting, you're guaranteed a good night's sleep.



Please note that the order of Day 11 and Day 12 may be swapped.

This morning, we'll start with a short drive in the Russian truck to the start of our four-hour trek (approximately 8 kilometres/5 miles). Again, anyone not wanting to join the walk can continue on to tonight's hacienda with the truck.



Our trek takes us through pine forest and along paths bordered by mahogany and hibiscus. If we're lucky, we may see brightly coloured hummingbirds flash past, darting from flower to flower, searching for nectar. When we reach La Batata, we'll have the opportunity to swim in an open cave. The water rarely exceeds 20°C, so it's an exhilarating dip. We'll then trek on through the forest until we reach an isolated, century-old hacienda, set in a lush valley. This is our base for the night and where we'll have lunch.



In the afternoon, our local guide will take us on a circular trail (approximately 1.5 kilometres/0.9 miles), telling us about the orchids and medicinal plants that we can find en route. We'll also head down through a cave, La Cueva del Altar, emerging on the other side of the hill, where we'll have views of the Caribbean.



This evening, we'll experience Cuban hospitality at our hacienda - which is a similar set-up to our accommodation last night.

Leaving the Escambray Mountains behind, this morning, we'll set off west, hugging the coastline with views over the sparkling turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea.



We plan to break up our journey back to Havana with several stops, the first of which is at the colonial seaport of Cienfuegos. Here, we'll stretch our legs with a walking tour of the town, including the Marti Park overlooked by the grand Italian-style Tomas Terry theatre. Our journey continues to Playa Giron, arriving in the early afternoon, where we'll visit the museum dedicated to the infamous 'Bay of Pigs' invasion' - a US-supported attack by Cuban exiles which failed to overthrow the Communist regime in 1961. Our final stop on the Zapata Peninsula is a cenote - a pool formed when the roof of a river collapses - where we can take the opportunity to swim.



By the evening, we'll have arrived back at our hotel in Havana. Our total driving time today will be approximately six hours.

Today is free for you to explore more of Havana. You might like to visit some of the city's museums, or one of the famous cigar factories. The capital is easy to navigate on foot but you could also take the opportunity to hop in one of the colourful Cadillacs to tour the city in style.



In the late afternoon, once the refreshing breeze blows in from the Caribbean, we'd recommend a walk down the Malecon (the promenade) to catch the sunset with the hordes of locals who gather there each evening.

The trip ends after breakfast at our casa particular in Havana.



There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart from Havana at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from Havana's Jose Marti International Airport (HAV) which is around a 45-minute drive from the hotel.