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Cuba by busThis three-week Cuba adventure holiday is for those who want to travel through Cuba independently, without having to drive. You'll cross the distance between cities by public bus, arranging transport on your own... but with our assistance and we'll arrange your accommodation for the trip prior to your departure. There's plenty of free time during this Cuba trip so you can see the sights at your own pace.This trip begins with a drive from Varadero to Havana. Visiting Havana is like stepping back in time... everywhere you look you'll see colonial buildings, old Cadillacs and horse drawn carts lining the streets. Then it's on to Vinales where you'll see the tobacco fields on foot or on horseback. You'll then continue on to Cienfuegos, where you'll get a chance to swim with dolphins. Then it's time to travel to Trinidad, where Cubans and tourists dance the night away to the sounds of live salsa bands by the steps of the Playa Mayor. Via Camaguey you'll continue on to Santiago, the premier city of son and salsa music. This Cuba adventure holiday ends on the ivory beaches of Playa Pesquero where you can kick back and reminisce about your exciting adventures. |
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Duration |
19 days - 18 nights, departs daily |
Accommodation |
18 nights in double occupancy room Accommodation category 3 |
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Price |
Please see our Contact Us page for more details |
Includes |
15 nights' accommodation with breakfast, 3 nights all-inclusive, excursions as described in the daily itinerary and a visa |
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Transport |
Transfers on arrival and at departure, public buses with air conditioning |
Excludes |
International flight, airport taxes, intercity buses (approximately £75 per person), transfers to/ from bus stations (total approximately £25 per person), other meals, excursions and entrance fees |
Day 1: Arrival in VaraderoMost flights from the UK arrive in Varadero sometime late in the afternoon. When you arrive at the airport in Varadero, one of our representatives will be waiting for you at the arrivals hall and he/ she will take you to your hotel. It's a 30-minute drive to your hotel from the airport. You'll spend the night in the most charming hotel in the centre of Varadero, about a 10-minute stroll to the beach. The hotel rooms are quite small, yet well maintained and they each have a ceiling fan, shower and toilet. There's a safe in the reception area and you can also exchange currency here. The hotel also has a breakfast area and a bar. In the evening you can sip on your first Cuba libre or mojito on the patio to celebrate the start of your Cuba adventure holiday. |
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Day 2: Varadero - HavanaThe bus station is located in the centre of the city; about a 20-minute walk if you carry your luggage with you. A Coco taxi can take you to the bus station for about 2 CUC. The Viazul buses that you'll travel with during your Cuba adventure holiday are comfortable, on time and have air conditioning (you may want to bring along pullover for the ride, it can get chilly at times). Seats are not reserved prior to departure. When you reach the bus, you'll hand over your luggage and in return you'll receive a receipt that you'll have to show in Havana to get your luggage back.When you arrive in Havana you can catch a taxi cab to your accommodation. Your hotel is located in the most beautiful, lively part of Havana, Habana Vieja or Old Havana. You'll spend the night in a very warm and welcoming historic colonial hotel built before the 1950's. |
Day 3: HavanaToday on your Cuba adventure holiday you'll be free to go out on your own to explore the city's many plazas, cathedrals and museums. Deciding what you would like to see first isn't easy. If you have some time to spare, visit Cuba's 'White House', the Capitolio and have a mojito at the famous 'Bodeguita del Medio' bar where Hemingway once had his drinks.Aside from the historic city centre, you can also see other neighbourhoods such as the mafia neighbourhood Vedado, Plaza de la Revolucion where former President Fidel Castro held his famed speeches and Miramar, the ambassador's neighbourhood with its fabulous colonial villas. If you have enough time you can also visit Cerro, a typical Havana residential area. We can offer you a driver and English speaking guided tour to these areas for a surcharge of £70 per person. |
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Day 4: Havana - Viñales3 hour and 15 minute bus tripAt around 8:00 in the morning you'll arrange your own taxi cab to the bus station to catch the 9:00 bus to Viñales. Bus tickets can be purchased at the bus station. You'll have a relaxing drive through one of Cuba's most beautiful provinces. There's very little traffic in this area, making the drive even more pleasant as you pass by lakes and tropical forests. When you reach the province's capital, Piñar del Rio, the bus will leave the highway and for the last 45 minutes you'll travel through a lovely green undulating landscape. After a while the blunt mountains typical for this region will start to pop up. These 'mojotes' or karst mountains are the result of centuries of erosion. Scattered between the mojotes lie plantations where the tobacco for the famed Cuban cigars is cultivated. At around 12:15 you'll arrive at the bus station in Viñales. You may want to go ahead and buy your return ticket for the trip back to Havana and then take a taxi cab to your bungalow on the outskirts of town. You'll spend the next three nights of your Cuba adventure holiday here. |
Day 5 - 6: ViñalesThe morning after your arrival in Viñales you'll either go hiking or horseback riding through the local tobacco fields. You'll notice how horses are just as much a part of Cuba's heritage as tobacco is; you really can't do without them in this region. If you decide to saddle up, you'll ride one of the small and easy to ride Cuban working horses. A guide will lead you across winding paths through fields of tobacco. The tobacco plants grow from October until March. You'll also see how tobacco leaves are laid out to dry under slanted roofs throughout the landscape. The local farmers who grow the tobacco also try to sell cigars to tourists who come by, just to make a little extra money.The rest of the afternoon and the next day of your Cuba adventure holiday are free to spend as you wish in Viñales. There's a cave nearby that you can take a boat ride through; it's known as Cueva del Indio. We also recommend driving to Hotel Jazmines for the sweeping panoramic view of the Viñales Valley. |
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Day 7: Viñales - Havana3 hour and 15 minute bus tripAs your Cuba adventure holiday continues, you'll arrange your own transport to the bus station in Viñales for the bus ride back to Havana that you made reservations for. When you arrive, it's best to go ahead and make reservations for the bus trip to Cienfuegos tomorrow.You'll have the rest of the afternoon to spend in Havana. Go for a stroll across Havana's popular seaside boulevard, the Malecon; a meeting place where young people come together for stroll or chat. Then go out for a night on the town and visit one (or more) of the city's fabulous salsa bars or the Casa de la musica where many popular bands come to play. You won't have to wake up early tomorrow, so enjoy a fun late night out if you want to. |
Day 8: Havana - Cienfuegos5 hour bus rideHave a coco-taxi take you to the bus station where you'll catch a bus heading east towards Cienfuegos. It's about a 5-hour drive along a straight road. After your arrival you may want to go ahead and arrange your bus ticket to Trinidad and then take a (bicycle) taxi to your hotel. You'll spend one night in a cosy hotel in the city centre.The next stop on this Cuba adventure holiday, Cienfuegos, is known for its French architecture and is a very lovely city to explore on foot. Stop off for a drink at one of the bars on Parque Marti as the sounds of Cuban music fill the air. While in town, you can visit to the former casino Palacio de Valle. |
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Day 9: Cienfuegos - Trinidad1 hour and 25 minute bus rideIf you like, you can go on a short walk through the streets of Cienfuegos before the bus leaves and your Cuba adventure holiday continues on to Trinidad. As the bus drives along the southern coastline, you'll see the Escambray mountains pass by on the other side of the bus. While in Trinidad you'll spend the night at a Cuban family's casa particular. Casas are very modest; however your air conditioned room will have electricity and your own private bathroom with shower and toilet. Don't expect to see a television or telephone though. You'll have your own key to the house so that you can come and go as you please. Cuban families are very warm and personable and since you'll be spending 3 nights with them, you'll really get a chance to connect with them if you want to. During our visit, we stayed 'in' during the evenings and enjoyed lovely home cooked Cuban meals with the family. |
Day 10: TrinidadTrinidad was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, and its a real highlight of your Cuba adventure holiday. As soon as you drive past the pastel-coloured houses in its historic hub, you'll understand why. The city is an open-air museum of cobbled streets, small houses with red tiled roofs, vintage cars, donkeys, horse drawn carts, art shops and friendly bodegas. There are plenty of interesting sights to see near the palm tree-lined promenades of Plaza Mayor. One of Trinidad's best museums is the beautifully renovated Museo Romántico overlooking the main square (closed on Mondays, entrance fee 1 CUC). The colonial mansion it's housed in was once owned by a wealthy family of Spanish sugar cane plantation owners and it will give you a good idea of what it was like to live in the days of the sugar barons. |
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If you would like to explore the area's natural surroundings, you can book an excursion (on location) to the protected Topes de Collantes natural reserve. During the excursion an open truck will drive you into the mountains and you'll hike through a canyon river to the El Rocio waterfall for a swim. This daytrip costs approximately 40 CUC.Starting around 16:00 Cubans and tourists alike head towards the stairs at Plaza Mayor. Bands start to play and people start dancing along to the music. Music and dancing are in the blood of Cuban people and this is your chance to be a part of a spur of the moment celebration. Don't forget to make reservations for tomorrow's bus ride as your Cuba adventure holiday continues on to Camaguey. |
Day 11 - 12: Trinidad - Camaguey5 hour and 30 minute bus driveThis morning you'll wake up early for the 8:00 bus ride as this Cuba adventure holiday continues to Camaguey. During the first part of the ride you'll pass through the Valle de Ingenios, a picturesque area with peaceful towns and sugarcane fields. As you near Camaguey, the scenery will become more and more like something out of a classic western movie as you pass by ranches, cowboys, grazing cattle and goats. Once you arrive in Camaguey around 14:00, you could explore the city by bicycle taxi. You'll spend the night at a colonial hotel in the city centre.The following morning you could go for a walk through Old Town. This is an ideal area for sightseeing on foot with many colonial buildings and courtyards filled with bougainvilleas, orchids and other flowering plants. One fascinating feature of this city are the statues of the inhabitants of the city (see picture). The people the statues depict actually live in Camaguey, so don't be too surprised if you see someone walking past their own statue. |
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Day 13: Camaguey - Santiago de Cuba7 hour bus rideOnce again you'll make your own way to the bus station where this Cuba adventure holiday will take you further eastwards, through 4 very diverse provinces. First you'll travel through Camaguey's cattle country and then on into the smallest province, Las Tunas. From here you'll cross through the endless corn fields in the Granma province. The bus will stop off at a restaurant in the province's capital, Bayamo, so that you can have a bite to eat. As the sun sets behind the Sierra Maestra mountains, your Cuba adventure holiday will continue on to Santiago de Cuba, where you can go ahead and make reservations for the next bus trip and then catch a taxi cab to your hotel. |
Day 14 - 15: Santiago de CubaSantiago de Cuba, the birthplace of Cuban music, has always been a very vivacious city with live music performances taking place every night of the week. Naturally you'll want to get a taste of the unmistakable Cuban musical atmosphere, so we'll arrange for you to stay in the city centre.You'll have a chance to head out into the city on your own on Day Fourteen of your Cuba adventure holiday. Not all of the city's attractions are located in the city centre. The Ifigenia cemetery, where for instance national hero José Marti, Cuba's first president and 'Mister Bacardi' are buried and the Morro Castle, idyllically located on a bay, are both about a 15-minute drive away from the city centre. |
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If you want to visit these places on your Cuba adventure holiday, you can get a taxi cab to take you to the cemetery first and then on to the castle for around £25. Afterwards you can have the taxi cab driver drop you off at your hotel or at San Juan Hill, where Fidel Castro lost an important battle. You can have lunch here, have a look around and then head back to the city centre at your own convenience. In the evenings, Cuban bands perform original son music in the city's traditional music houses the trovas. You may even be surprised by an impromptu performance by the Buena Vista Social Club. |
Day 16: Santiago - Holguin - Playa Pesquero3 hour and 45 minute bus rideAfter an enervating visit to Santiago, it's time to relax and unwind. You'll catch one last bus during this Cuba adventure holiday starting out in the Sierra Maestra foothills and continuing on to Holguin where you'll catch a taxi cab to the coast. This is the last taxi cab ride you'll have to arrange on your own; the transfer back to the airport will be taken care of for you.There are 4 bays and beaches in Holguin which together make up the Costa Verde. Guardelavaca is the most popular; Playa Pesquero is a quieter beach. The 4-star beach hotel that you'll spend the last few days of your holiday at lies directly by the sea and is surrounded by tropical gardens. |
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Day 17-18: Playa PesqueroDuring the next two days of your Cuba adventure holiday you're free to enjoy the facilities at your all inclusive hotel. There's a large freeform swimming pool with a special area for kids. The hotel has 4 restaurants, a beach bar, a pool bar and a lobby bar. There are also many different sports facilities so that you can play volleyball or tennis, go surfing, hire a scooter, go biking (even on the water), sail a catamaran or go snorkelling. There's also a diving school, kids day care, a gym, a massage parlour and an animation team for during the day and in the evening.We'll make reservations for a standard room with tv, telephone, air conditioning, safe, mini bar and either a balcony or terrace with chairs. The bathroom has a bath, hairdryer and a bidet. All meals and local drinks are included during your stay. |
Playa Pesquero - Holguin - UKDuring your stay here, enjoy the Caribbean sun, the clear blue sea and the white sandy beaches. Dolce Far Niente!Today you'll still have some time left to enjoy the hotel's facilities before leaving for the airport in Holguin. Your 30-minute airport transfer will be taken care of for you and you'll arrive at the airport about 2 hours before your flight's departure. If your flight leaves in the evening, you may even see one of Cuba's spectacular sunsets as your plane takes off. The perfect way to say goodbye to Cuba at the end of your Cuba adventure holiday. |
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A sneak peek at your Cuba adventure holiday accommodation... (Click to enlarge)
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