Best Tour of Cuba

Welcome to Cuba! At Havana Jose Marti International Airport (HAV), you will see our English-speaking guide waiting for you at the Arrival Hall. After a warm greeting, the guide and the driver will send you to the hotel. Have a good rest to prepare for your coming 9 days best Cuba private tours!

As you come to know about Cuba, this fact might make you jaw drop: the monthly average salary for Cuban people is 20 USD. Truly, Cuba is economically underdeveloped and lacks funds to improve the decaying infrastructure, with people’s life still being challenged by shortage of daily necessities (the lack of clean water is a threat as well). Ration cards, the system of which started from 1962, are still used to purchase basic goods, like rice, eggs, sugar, etc., at prices equal to a few US cents in locals-only “bodega”, or state-owned shops; it is reminiscent of the Soviet rationing system lasting from 1931 to 1935, when the state was through a great economic depression with not enough food to offer. With all these said, however, from another perspective you can still find Cubans’ optimism, reflected from their colorful architecture, a passion for music and dancing, and more. Through this nine days of tours in Cuba, with your knowledgeable professional local guide, you will unveil the mystery you had about Cuban, delve into the soul behind its mask, and discover its most magical aspects.

➤ Important Note on How to Access Internet in Cuba:
Generally speaking, there are two ways to access Internet in Cuba:
a. Use NAUTA Wi-Fi card to connect to public Wi-Fi, purchasable at state-run ETECSA telecom branches, hotels, resorts and informal markets. The card has two types, one for 1 hour of connection and another for 5 hours, with each hour charging 1 USD. To connect to Wi-Fi, turn on your Wi-Fi, select “ETECSA” network, and open the browser on your device for a page to pop up to input the username and the password from your card. Although some top-notch hotels and resorts provide free Wi-Fi, you should still consider taking some of these cards in case of emergency.

b. Use data via Cubacel Tur SIM card, also purchasable at ETECSA offices. The SIM card is valid for 30 days and the basic pack is 25 USD, covering 2.5 GB data, 20 SMS, and 20 minutes for international call. Roaming data would cost you 35 USD per MB – beware of this!

Accommodation: Hotel NH Capri La Habana

Your guide and the driver will pick you up at the hotel and then drive to Old Havana. Walking is one of the best ways to grasp charming details of Old Havana, where life meets art and history. We will start from the Grecian-style El Templete to reach Plaza de Armas, Havana's oldest square, to visit a street second-hand-book market and various museums; here we will have an interior tour to Capitanes Generales Palace, built in 1792 and now hosting the City Museum. Continue on to the portside Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, to see the beautifully asymmetrical San Francisco de Asis Convent amid sea breeze. Speaking of Havana’s colonial-era buildings, it’s in Plaza Vieja (Old Square) that the real deal unfolds: Art Nouveau, Cuban baroque and neo-classical buildings sit side by side, mixed with vibrant modernist elements. Museo del Ron Havana Club, located not far away from the Old Square, offers knowledge about how rum has evolved and a tasting session. The last square we are going to visit is Plaza de la Catedral, where the sublime Baroque Havana Cathedral can be found. While strolling the plazas, it’s likely you will meet what locals call the “Havana Crocodiles”, women wearing dramatic dress with a flower basket in their hand; if you think it’d be fun to take some pictures with them, be aware that you would be charged.

A few minutes' walk through the quaint alley of Empedrado will take us to La Bodeguita del Medio, the writer Ernest Hemingway’s favorite bar for mojito when he was in Havana. Small, lively, with live music performances, the bar is a must-visit for tourists who want to follow Hemingway’s steps. We will also arrange a glass of mojito for you. What you will do is meeting new friends and immersing in a Caribbean joviality, spiced by Cuban-style music. As for mojito, some say it originated from the pirate culture in 16th century; some say it was born nowhere else than in this bar, during the first half of last century - it doesn’t matter which is true, as you can be sure that mojito is a heritage from Cuba’s history, so, seize the chance to taste it while in its place of birth!Pass Obispo Boulevard and Central Park to see the Grand Theater of Havana and National Capitol of Cuba from outside. If today falls in between Monday and Friday, we will also have a tour around Partagás Cigar Factory.

➤ Recommended Restaurant for Lunch:
We strongly recommend you eat at the small yet exquisite Restaurante 5 Sentidos, which provides a classy Cuban dining experience found no elsewhere.

In the afternoon, your guide will take you for a ride via American Vintage car into modern Havana. The eye-opening amount of these cars in Havana might seem a riddle, which is, in fact, not at all. Their history began since Cuban Revolution, when economy started to spiral drastically down. Couldn’t afford new cars? Cuban people have their ways to deal with it - they renovate and replace the old parts with the new. The cars’ ability to survive over 50 years is also evidence to their quality (Ladas from the Soviet Union, which you might encounter on the streets, were generally not as so durable)! You will whiz along seaside Malecón, admire Morro Castle and University of Havana from the outside, and have a short stop by Colón Cemetery, where statue angels appear in various postures guarding tombs; finally, visit Revolution Square. Off the car, the guide and the driver will take you back to the hotel.

➤ Important Note:
While enjoying the ride via vintage car, for safety concern, you should ask your driver to drive at a mild speed. These antiques have sharp edges on iron parts and NO seatbelts for either passengers or the driver, despite which the driver would still soar up the speed to over 100 km/h while onto Malecón. Considering Cuba’s bleak medical services, you have a hundred reasons to let your driver to go slower. You are here for leisure, not for hospital!

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel NH Capri La Habana

This morning, we will drive about 5 hours to Trinidad. On the way, get off the car in Santa Clara for Che Guevara Mausoleum and Taking of the Armored Train. As you might’ve known, Che Guevara is a great international Communist fighter and the central leader during the Cuban revolution. The mausoleum is where the body of Che was laid and some of his relics are exhibited. Why he was buried in Santa Clara is because this was where the decisive battle of the revolution happened, after which Che took the city and the dictator Fulgencio Batista fled Cuba. The Armored Train we will visit was derailed by Che to trigger the battle.

The tour will then extends to Trinidad, where you will first enjoy a welcome drink at Taberna La Canchánchara Bar. An informal salsa lesson will also be prepared for you. Later, we will transfer you to the hotel to check in.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Mystique Trinidad La Popa

Have some hiking through Topes de Collantes Nature Reserve today. You will follow the La Batata Trail with your guide to a small waterfall, where you can swim and wind down. Surely, hiking on the trail leads you to secret natural beauties, but it would take quite an effort; thus, if you are above 75, we can take you to enjoy the famous beach of Playa Ancón instead, an effortless alternative to commune with nature.

In the afternoon, we will visit Valley of the Sugar Mills, once the center of the country's sugar industry. Some of the buildings are kept what they were, so you will travel back in time and imagine the prosperity at that time. Then, we will climb the Manaca Iznaga Tower to overlook the scenic views around. Enjoy a taste of guarapo or sugarcane juice, a Cuban specialty, before we head back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Mystique Trinidad La Popa

The whole morning will see us touring the colonial town of Trinidad. We will admire the abandoned yet still charming church of Iglesia de Santa Ana, visit Cantero Palace and Romance Museum, and take a walk around Plaza Mayor. Another fascinating point is Casa del Alfarero Potter House, where you get to appreciate local ceramic art.

This afternoon, we will continue to Cienfuegos. Your guide will lead you to Plaza José Martí to admire Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Tomás Terry Theater, and Ferrer Palace. Later, we will hit the beach road of Paseo El Prado for Palacio Del Valle. Though a Spanish colonial town, Cienfuegos - built by French immigrants - will impress you with its dominating French influences. Just as you think you can’t meet a more eclectic architecture, Palacio Del Valle, a private villa built in the early 20th century, would surprise you once more. At first sight, it’s a Moorish building with arabesque and horseshoe arches, but a closer look will make you notice it has Italian-style balconies; there are also mediaeval influences on display. After the visual feast, go to Malecón to enjoy coastal views for a while, before we transfer to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Melia San Carlos

We will spend eight hours driving to Viñales Valley today. On the way, stop by Bay of Pigs for a break, to learn some history at Museo de la Intervención and relax on the tranquil Playa Coco Beach.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel E Central Viñales

Cigar is part of Cuba’s identity, which means a tour in Cuba without learning some of its secrets is not complete. For this reason, a trip into Viñales, ideal for growing and specializing in producing tobacco leaves, is a must. You will visit Montesino's tobacco farm and see how world-famous Cuban cigars are birthed. Normally, tobacco seeds are planted at the end of a year and their leaves picked in three months. The leaves would then be cured in the drying house for another three months, before they are manually got rid of insects and rolled. The most skill-intensive work - cigar rolling - then begins; you will witness how the rollers work out top-notch cigars with seamless wrappers.Around noontime, enjoy a farm-to-table set menu lunch at the organic farm Agro-ecological El Paraiso. After an “anti-stress” hybrid vegetable juice, you will be served soup, dishes cooked with freshly-picked vegetables, fish among other meat, and desserts. You will try many traditional dishes, which include Arroz Moros y Cristianos (Cuban Beans and Rice), the Cuban staple food made by rice, black beans, garlic, spices, and more, mixed with pork and chicken.

In the afternoon, we will come to Indian Cave and take a boat along the underground river to appreciate karst beauties. Hike along Coco Solo and Palmarito Hills for some time and visit Mural de la Prehistoria. Finally, return to the hotel.

➤ Recommended Restaurant for Dinner:
Restaurante Bar Razones, just a few hundred meters away from your hotel, offers food with best price and quality. Try their lobsters! Which you will find much lower-priced than in Havana.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Hotel E Central Viñales

After breakfast, we will return to Havana. En route, stop by Soroa for Soroa Orchid Botanical Garden to get your fill of various species of orchid, and Castillo de las Nubes Hotel to overlook mountain views. Further ahead, we will arrive in Las Terrazas, where you will be introduced at the Interpretation Center to this “biosphere reserve”. Our next stop is La Moka Hotel, beautiful for how it adapts to and respects nature. We will also have a tour around San Juan Lake and French coffee plantation Cafetal Buenavista, and enjoy a cup of Cuban coffee at cafe de Maria. Cuban coffee is another local specialty, so we’d like to take you to taste it, with a visit to coffee plantation ruins - which Las Terrazas is famous for - to relive history. Dating back to the early 19th century, these plantations were built by French who fled Haitian Revolution, but later abandoned due to impactful policies and hurricanes. Today you will discover traces that tell the slice of history, while admiring a natural scenery that is honored by UNESCO. Next, visit Fusterlandia, a neighborhood blanketed by kaleidoscopic Mosaic tiles, in the fishing village of Jaimanitas. Continue to Havana.

➤ Recommended Dinner Choice and Evening Activities:
If you haven’t tried home-cooked Cuban-style dishes at a local private-owned restaurant “paladar”, it’s time for you to do it. If today falls between Wednesday and Sunday, why not go to Tropicana Club for a mind-blowing Cabaret show? Live Latin dances to upbeat music under the stars, tropical garden, and rum will make tonight unforgettable (a standard ticket is 75 USD/ per person).Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel NH Capri La Habana

Today our trip will be over. We will send you to Havana’s airport according to your flight's schedule. May you have a pleasant trip home!

Important Note:
Please make sure you will arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to departure to allow for various delays. You will have to print out ticket in advance in case the antiquated machine goes down and wait in a slow-moving line for check-in - the working staff would try to prolong the process unless tipped.

➤ Insider Tip:
If you have a whole morning’s free time before departure, we suggest you explore the beach of Playas del Este, a less-touristy gem treasured by locals. Finca Vigia, Hemingway’s house when he’s in Havana, would also be worth your visit. You might be interested in further exploring Old Havana as well to encounter real local life - just promise you won’t linger around the back streets, where there are decayed buildings that seem to fall in any minute and foul waste discharged on to the streets, which are threats to safety and eyesores that may disrupt your mood.

Meals: Breakfast