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Classic Cars and Cigars

During this Cuba trip, you'll visit Cuba's most fascinating attractions in under two weeks. You'll see an interesting combination of Cuban culture and nature. Your trip begins in the immensely charming city of Havana before heading out to the tobacco fields where Cuba's famed cigars are made. From here you'll visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Las Terraces then continue travelling through small colonial towns such as Santa Clara, where Che Guevara is commemorated in a grand way. You'll also visit the colourful town of Trinidad where you'll stay in a local Cuban family's 'casa particular' (home stay). Towards the end of your trip you'll head back to nostalgic Havana for a brief stop before heading home.

If you would like to book this Cuba trip, please fill out a Quote Request Form, or alternatively if you prefer to discuss your options on the phone with one of our friendly Cuba Travel Specialists just call us on 01273 322 059.

Duration	11 days - 10 nights	Accommodation	Accommodation with breakfast in charming, comfortable hotels. Comfort Level 3 (See Accommodation).
Price	Transfers - £685 per person or Hire Car - £598 per person Both based on 2 people sharing	Includes	10 nights' accommodation with breakfast, excursions as described in daily itinerary and Cuban visa (tourist card). Transfers between major cities as described, or 6 days mid range car hire with air-con and roadmap.
Transport	Private & group transfers or Rental car	Excludes	International flights, travel insurance, other meals, tips, other excursions and entrance fees. Car insurance (from 15 CUC per day) paid locally, optional car hire extras.

Day 1: Arrival in Havana

Once you've landed in Havana, a representative will be waiting to take you by classic American vintage car to Latin America's largest colonial city centre, where your Cuba holiday will begin. The classic cars, an abundance of music in the air and bustling plazas will make it feel as if you've stepped back into the 1950's. Your accommodation in Havana is located near the city's most beautiful and vivacious district, Habana Vieja. Most of the hotels here were built before the 50's and although they can have small bathrooms and slow lifts they still have tremendous ambience and flair. Water and electricity supplies can falter at times in Cuba, but it's part of the charm of this historic part of Havana. During your first night in the city we recommend dining at El Patio on the Plaza de la Cathedral. As you look out from your table on the balcony of this historic colonial building you'll see the lights being turned on across the plaza, the sound of horse drawn carriages and salsa will fill the air. Welcome to Cuba!

Day 2: Havana

After breakfast it's time to get to know the city and really start your Havana Cuba tour. Go for a walk and explore the historic part of Cuba's enigmatic capital, Havana Vieja. As you stroll through the narrow, winding streets, you'll be amazed by the combinations of brightly coloured villas next to crumbling buildings. The many plazas, cathedrals and museums will keep you busy for hours. Deciding what you would like to see first isn't easy. Stroll from plaza to plaza and grab some lunch at the restaurant Mirador de la Bahia near Plaza de Armas. The restaurant's fifth-floor location gives you an excellent view of the city. 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 drank. We also recommend visiting the Casa de la Musica in Miramar in the evening where you can listen to famous salsa bands.

Day 3: Havana - Viñales

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If you've chosen to travel through Cuba by hire car you'll pick your hire car up this morning at around 8.30 at Havana's famous seafront boulevard, the Malecon. Next up is a relaxing drive through one of Cuba's most beautiful provinces. There's very little traffic in this area, which will make the drive even more pleasant as you pass by lakes and tropical forests.

When you reach the province's capital, Piñar del Rio, you'll leave the highway and for the last 45 minutes you'll drive through the green undulating landscape. After a while the blunt mountains typical of 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; this is where tobacco for the famed Cuban cigars is cultivated. You'll spend the night in a bungalow tucked away in a tropical garden with a swimming pool on the outskirts of the small town of Viñales.

Cuba trip - Preparing to dry tobacco leaves

Day 4: Viñales

On day four of your Cuba trip you'll either go hiking or horse riding through the local tobacco fields. You'll notice that 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 smaller Cuban working horses. A guide will lead you across winding paths through fields of tobacco. The tobacco plants grow from October until March. From time to time you'll see a small farm surrounded by chickens pecking at the dirt and pigs foraging around in the mud. The local farmers who grow the tobacco also try to sell cigars to tourists who walk or ride by, just to make a little extra money.

The rest of the day is free to spend as you wish. We recommend heading to Hotel Jazmines for the sweeping panoramic view of the Viñales Valley.

Day 5: Viñales - Las Terraces

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After breakfast you'll set off on your journey to Las Terrazas. Because of the mild climate, high humidity and frequent rainfall, this area is known as 'Cuba's rainbow'. It's a very tropical environment and a natural greenhouse of ferns, orchids, begonias and other flowers. Back in the 70s these hills were filled with dusty yellow and brown scrub due to extreme deforestation. Luckily the government started a reforestation programme and built an ecological hotel on a hill top near town to attract eco tourists.

The hotel's unique reception area is built around a large tree, which grows through the roof. The hotel also has its own swimming pool, restaurant and an open-air bar, and your air conditioned room looks out across the town and lake. If you wonder into town you'll find a few paladares - small Cuban restaurants.

Day 6: Las Terraces

Today you'll explore the idyllic natural habitat surrounding Las Terrazas with a guide. Your guide will pick you up at your hotel in the morning and together you'll visit Rancho Curujey. Here you'll learn more about the eco-project and area in general area during the tour. You'll walk through a fabulous tropical garden filled with the most beautiful colourful flowers, drink a hot cup of coffee with a group of friendly Cubans at Casa del Campesino and at the end of this tour you can wash off the dust and heat with a dip into the natural pools at Baños de San Juan.

In the evening you can head into town for a bite to eat at a 'paladar' - a small family-run Cuban restaurant (not government owned). There's even a simple, modestly-priced open-air vegetarian restaurant in a nearby town named El Romero. If you're in Las Terrazas during the weekend, you can get your groove on at the local disco. People of all ages from the town put on spontaneous dance contests here. A word of warning though, after watching the fancy moves of the local 60-somethings, you may feel just a little hesitant to display your own moves on the dance floor!

Day 7: Las Terraces - Santa Clara

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After breakfast and a last cup of coffee, you'll set off and follow the autopista to Santa Clara where you'll see the Che Guevara statue, one of the most important monuments in Cuba.

You'll spend the night in a bungalow on the outskirts of Santa Clara. It was in this city that Che Guevara won the 1958 battle against General Batista, giving communism its' firm grip on the country. Che's mausoleum, a museum featuring his clothing, guns and a monument honouring this national hero (closed Monday's) is a lasting reminder of this victory. As you get close to the museum you'll start to hear marching band music flowing from crackling speakers as a part of history comes to life.

Day 8: Santa Clara - Trinidad

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Stroll through the tree-filled parks of Santa Clara this morning and enjoy the relaxation before moving onto Trinidad in the afternoon. If you're travelling by hire car you can chose to take the picturesque route through the Escambray Mountains and drive through the protected Topes de Collantes natural reserve. Along the way you can stop off for a picnic in the lush green lush surroundings before going for a swim at one of the area waterfalls.

We recommend planning your arrival in Trinidad for around 16:00 in the afternoon, as this is when your host family will be expecting you. Many Cuban families have started opened their doors as a special kind of bed and breakfast, known as casa particulars. The Casas offer a very welcome addition to their income and they offer you a first-hand experience of the Cuban way of life. You'll have your own key to the house, your own room with a shower, toilet, warm water and electricity. The Cubans are a very warm and welcoming people, but they aren't very affluent which is reflected in the modesty of the Casas.

Day 9: Trinidad

Trinidad was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 and it's a real highlight of many of our clients Cuba trips. 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 pulling carts, art shops and friendly bodegas (small grocery stores).

There are plenty of interesting sights to see near the palm tree-lined promenades of Plaza Mayor. For instance, you can visit the city's iconic yellow San Francisco Monastery and the bell tower. One of Trinidad's best museums is the beautifully renovated Museo Romántico overlooking the main square (closed 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. The museum will give you a good idea of what it was like to live in the days of the sugar barons.

Cuba trip - Cuba's rich culture and architecture

By late afternoon, around 16:00, the tourist day-trippers will start to return to their beach resorts on the coast and live bands will start to play on the terraces, plazas, bodegas and streets of Trinidad. In the evening, try climbing the stairs leading up to the Plaza Mayor and then stroll on over to Casa de la Musica. There's a very good chance that you'll never actually make it there and that you'll stop off and listen to some of the great music along the way. The stairs are always laden with fun-loving people having a chat and drinking a canchanchara, a tasty local concoction of lime juice, honey and white rum. Before you know it a band will have started playing and everyone will be dancing in the streets. Music and dancing are in the blood of Cuban people and this is your chance to be a part of a spontaneous celebration on your Cuba trip.

Day 10: Trinidad - Havana

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After breakfast this morning, you'll say goodbye to Trinidad and begin the long journey back to Havana. If you wish to, you can extend your stay in Trinidad, just let your travel specialist know to amend your Cuba travel plan. Beach lovers and divers can reach Playa Ancon in only 20 minutes. If you want to surround yourself with nature, go for a hike through the Escambray Mountain Range or head over to the Valle de los Ingenios, the sugarcane plantation area just outside of Trinidad.

In Havana you'll stay at the same hotel that you stayed in at the start of your Cuba trip. As this is your last night in Cuba you can decide whether to take it easy and have an early night, or head out for one last Mojito!

Day 11: Havana - UK

It won't be easy, but after breakfast the time will come to say goodbye to this feel-good holiday destination and your best of Cuba holiday will come to an end. We'll arrange for a private driver to collect you from your hotel and transfer you back to the airport for your international flight back to the UK. On the flight home you can flick through your hundreds of beautiful pictures and reflect on plenty of fond memories.

If you would like to book this Cuba trip, please complete a Quote Request form. Alternatively if you'd prefer to discuss the trip on the phone with one of our friendly Cuba Travel Specialists just call us on 01273 322 059.