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Ranchos of CamagueyIf you decide to travel Cuba from west to east, you'll probably head from Trinidad to Santiago at some point. It's a 9-hour drive between the two cities. Most travellers agree that 9 hours on the road during a holiday is just a little too much of a good thing... and so we offer a place to spend the night in between. Visit Cuba's third largest city during our traditional Cuba tour.This area is Cuba's own wild west complete with cowboys, horses and ranches! We actually recommend booking a second night in this city if you have enough time to do so. This will give you a chance to hop into your car and cruise through the cattle region a little more thoroughly. You could visit the Belen Ranch stables to see the bulls and thoroughbreds or go for a horseback ride through a protected nature reserve and afterwards have lunch and swim at the ranch. At the end of the day you can head into town for drinks, just like the local farmers do! Be prepared for a much cheaper night on the town than you're used to back home... Where could you go next? Check out our bite-sized Cuba trips and longer Cuban holidays for more inspiration. |
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Duration |
3 days - 2 nights, daily |
Departs |
Double occupancy room in city hotel |
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Price |
Please see our Contact Us page for more details |
Includes |
Accommodation for 2 nights, breakfast |
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Transport |
Rental car, public bus on request |
Excludes |
Transport, horseback ride and lunch on the countryside - these cannot be arranged in advance. Ask your hotel for more info. |
Day 1: Arrival in CamagueyDriving in from Trinidad, it's about a 5 hour drive to Camaguey. Of course you may want to stop off along the way to see the Valle de los Ingenios and stay in an authentic Trinidad Casa, just ask our Cuba travel specialists. You'll reach your final destination by the end of the day - the starting point of your traditional Cuba trip. If you're travelling from Santiago to Camaguey, you'll start out by driving past Cuba's largest mountain range, the Sierra Maestra. Afterwards you'll drive through the landscape of the Granma province, straight through a wide stretch of open land filled with corn and sugarcane. The last part of the drive is through flat, rural land, filled with traditional villages and cattle farms. With the exception of a farmer travelling home on horseback, the road will be yours alone on this Cuba trip. |
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Camaguey has a very confusing urban infrastructure with a jumble of narrow winding streets with one-way traffic. The best way to get a good impression of the city is by asking one of the local boys (1 CUC) to lead you through all of the winding roads on his bicycle, while you drive slowly behind him. He'll glance back at you regularly to make sure you're still following him. You'll spend the first night of your traditional Cuba tour in a colonial hotel in the city centre. You'll sleep in a light and airy hotel room with air conditioning, television and a telephone. If you want to spend some more time touring Camaguey, take a bicycle taxi through the city. For only 5 CUC (per 2 passengers) you'll be driven through the centre of the city for an hour. We were lucky to have an English-speaking bike driver who could explain what we were seeing all around us. One thing you'll come across in Camaguey are the tinajones; large pottery jugs that once held water in preparation for periods of drought. The largest jug in the city is 4m wide and 1.5m tall. Imagine trying to get one of those home as a souvenir of your Cuban holiday... |
Day 2: Camaguey Cuba tourIf you'd like to spend a quiet day in the city on your Cuba tour, you could go for a walk through the historic old town. This is the ideal place for a stroll amidst the colonial buildings with courtyards filled with bougainvilleas and other colourful flowering plants. You could also visit Plaza San Juan de Dios - a cobbled square lined with small houses and a church dating back to the 18th century, great if you are after a traditional Cuba experience. There's also a local market and plenty of narrow, quiet streets to explore.Not many tourists visit Camaguey, perhaps that's why the people that live here love to strike up a conversation. If you do stop for a chat with someone, before you know it you may be standing in a local bodega - a glass of beer or wine in hand - listening to a proud local man or woman telling you about their life in the city. As the evening falls, there are plenty of local bars that you can visit for a cheap pint of beer or a glass of local rum. |
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If you'd like to get a taste of the nature in this area, you can head out to Rancho El Belen at around 9:30 in the morning. This farm is located in the Sierra del Chorrillo, a protected nature reserve made up of mostly flat terrain and a few small hills. Compared to the rest of Cuba, the Camaguey province is much warmer and drier. The road to El Belen features the Cuban countryside at its best. Oxen carts, children in uniforms walking to school, goats grazing by the roadside and men riding by in a horse drawn carriage... A real highlight of your traditional Cuba holiday. Once you've passed by the picturesque town of Najasa, you'll exit left where you see the ranch entrance gate. From here you have another 15 minute ride across an unpaved trail. Once you reach the ranch you can head over to the stables to meet the bulls, deer and large brown thoroughbreds. Unfortunately the ranch isn't always open and may be closed during your Cuba travel. Please check with your hotel before visiting. |
Day 3: End of the Camaguey Cuba tourAfter breakfast this traditional Cuba tour will come to an end and you'll continue travelling through Cuba. Once you start driving out of Camaguey it will take you 5 hours to travel and join our Santiago trip for some salsa dancing!If you're in need of some relaxation at the beach, you can take off towards the Caribbean coastline for a Cuba diving trip or head into the mountains for our Cuba walking holiday. |
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Camaguey traditional Cuba tour accommodation (Click to enlarge)
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