Best of Cuba in 21 days

Fly from the UK to Cuba where on arrival in Havana, you will be met by your driver and transferred to your accommodation, where you will stay for 2 nights.

After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel by your English-speaking guide for a grand tour of Havana in a Classic American car. You’ll pass the famous Malecon (Seafront promenade), the Capitol building (Capitolio), the Revolution Museum, the Fine Arts Museum, the Parque Central (Central Park) and the Gran Teatro de la Habana. There will be short stops along the way and once you get to Revolution Square, you’ll have plenty of free time to take pictures of the surrounding buildings. After two hours, you’ll continue your guided tour on foot in Havana Vieja, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and visits include the Plaza de Armas, the Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the Templete, the Palacio del Segundo Cabo and the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the main street ‘Calle Obispo, Ambos Mundos hotel, Havana’s first University San Geronimo de la Habana, the Plaza de la Catedral and the Bodeguita del Medio.

There will also be time to visit the Palacio de la Artesania to buy some souvenirs.

You’ll need to pick up your car in the evening and can park near your hotel.

Leave Havana behind and drive westwards to the province of Pinar del Rio, famous for being Cuba’s tobacco capital and its distinctive limestone rock formations called Mogotes. Enjoy the rolling green scenery and the agricultural region’s typical red dirt and arrive at the small farmer’s town of Viñales.

Today you’ll see more of the countryside during your horse ride through the Viñales valley, dotted with small farms and stop at a local tobacco farm. Here you’ll learn about the growing and drying process of the region’s most famous product. You’ll also visit a cave inside a ‘Mogote’ and there’s the opportunity to go for a swim in a natural pool inside the cave, so don’t forget to bring your swimming gear. After the ride, continue your journey to Las Terrazas, a tiny eco-village located inside the Sierra del Rosario biosphere reserve. A successful ecological restoration project turned land that had been badly damaged by extensive monoculture farming of coffee, into a biosphere reserve in the seventies. Nowadays the area is lush with a rich birdlife and looks as if it’s been pristine and untouched by human hands for centuries. There’s only one hotel in the eco-village, which is where you will be staying, on a hill with lovely views of the small lakes.

Today’s route will take you from Las Terrazas to Cienfuegos, with an optional detour to the infamous Bay of Pigs, where the CIA-backed invasion of Cuban expats took place. You can visit the local museum commemorating the battle for a trip down the island’s history. You’ll arrive in Cienfuegos in the late afternoon, in time for a stroll along the city’s boulevard to enjoy a lovely sunset. Cienfuegos is a relatively young city, founded in the 19th century, by mostly French colonists from Louisiana and Haiti, after France lost both colonies, and much of the city’s buildings are reflections of the French architectural style of the time

Enjoy a day at leisure in Cienfuegos, where you can enjoy its many colonial buildings, art galleries, museums, and artisanal markets.

Continue from Cienfuegos to Trinidad along the coastal road with its many small coves and beaches. Another option would be to drive through the Topes del Collante mountain range and visit the El Nicho waterfalls, again with the opportunity to dip into the natural pools beneath the waterfalls.

One of the highlights of the trip is our 4 hour guided walking tour of Trinidad, which will leave your head spinning at the end after all the knowledge you had to absorb. You’ll hopefully get a grasp of the art and history of this intriguing place as not only will you learn about the original inhabitants the Taino Indians, you’ll also get to know more about the Spanish colonial heritage, the sugar plantations and its slaves, the independence wars and social revolution. You’ll visit several important Plazas, the home of the former professor at the Art Academy in Trinidad, Carlos Mata who collects and restores antique, and the art gallery of Lazaro Niebla who makes portraits of wood.

Today you’ll leave Trinidad and drive through the Valle de los Ingenios, an area dotted with former sugar plantations and, which it in heyday made Trinidad the sugar-producing capital of colonial Cuba. You can visit the attractive city of Sancti Spiritus along the way. Founded in 1514, this city also claims to have designed the original Guayabera shirt. Finally arrive in Camagüey, often called ‘the maze city’ for its confusing road grid.

Often overlooked, the city is a real treasure and one of Cuba’s oldest settlements. Why not get deliberately lost in Camagüey and explore its warren-like streets and stumble into hidden gems like plazas, churches, and interesting art galleries. Originally founded on the northern coast of the province, the settlement was moved further inland, where it was safe from pirate raids.

It’s going to be a day from Camagüey to the province of Granma, and if you have time you could stop in the town of Bayamo. Today’s destination is Villa Santo Domingo, located high in the Sierra Maestra mountain range, the tallest in Cuba. These jungle-covered mountains are breathtakingly beautiful and it’s here where Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries had their base during the Cuban revolution.

We have included a guided visit to the old camps of Fidel Castro and Che Guevarra where they planned the revolution against Batista. The excursion starts from the hotel Villa Santo Domingo where you will be picked up to go to the starting point in the mountains. It’s a short hike to the camps and a lunch box is included.

After the visit, you continue your journey and cross the Sierra Maestra mountains to Cuba’s southernmost coast. Along the way, you can’t miss out on visiting the church of El Cobre, dedicated to Cuba’s patron saint, the lady of Charity and the island’s most sacred pilgrimage site. The church displays many medals and other artifacts from Cubans wishing to show devotion to the patron Saint, and even Ernest Hemingway donated his Nobel Prize for his book ‘The Old man and the Sea’, which he wrote in Cuba. After your visit continue to Santiago de Cuba, the second-largest city of Cuba.

On your second day, you could stroll along the large and lively pedestrian centre, to its many monuments. Santiago de Cuba was the original capital of Cuba and it was also the city where Fidel Castro studied. You can visit the Santa Ifigenia cemetery where he is buried alongside several other important Cuban heroes.

From Santiago de Cuba, head along the southern coast to Baracoa, a small town on the Eastern tip of the island. You’ll find many small beaches and beautiful scenery where the mountains plunge into the sea. The road will take you past Guantanamo, but don’t expect to be able to catch a glimpse of the infamous Guantanamo Bay, as it is a cordoned off, military zone.

Starting from the village of Recontra, we have included a guided walk along the beautiful Baracoan countryside, where you can observe a wide variety of flora and fauna. Lunch is included and there’s also time to have a swim in a local river, so do not forget to bring swimwear.

Drive from Baracoa along the Northern road to the fishing village of Gibara. It is said that when Cristopher Columbus set foot on Cuba near Gibara, he claimed that it was the most beautiful land that human eyes have seen.

Another long drive will take you to Ciego de Avila, located in the middle of Cuba.

Spend the day in Ciego de Avila, another charming place and often overlooked, even though it played an important historical role during the first Cuban Independence war. It has a lovely boulevard and a city centre with impressive colonial buildings and art galleries. The locals refer to their city as the City of Porches as it has many ornate colonnaded house fronts.

Continue to the colonial town of Remedios, with a possible detour to the city of Santa Clara, where the final battle of the Cuban revolution took place and where you can visit Che Guevara mausoleum where his remains are buried.

The final leg of your journey takes to you back to Havana where you’ll stay for one more night.

Today you will be transferred back to the airport in time for your flight home.

The Manaca Iznaga is a former sugar plantation and the best-preserved sugar mill and plantation in the Valley the los Ingenios or Valley of the Sugar Mills. Founded in 1750, it has a haunting history as its owner became one of Cuba's wealthiest man through slave trafficking. The 44 metre high tower was used to watch the slaves. Nowadays you can climb the tower for views of the valley.

Kayak silently along the coast and take in the natural beauty and exotic wildlife of the mangroves. Starting at the beach of Guajimico, which means 'place of the fishes' in the language of the Cuban natives, there will also be time to rest, swim and lunch, so make sure to bring your swimwear and snorkelling gear.

One of Cuba’s most iconic hotels the Iberostar Imperial Hotel in Santiago de Cuba was built in 1916.

It was recently renovated without losing its original Cuban architecture style. From the rooftop terrace, you’ll have magnificent panoramic views of the historic old town, bay and mountains in the far distance.

The hotel has a total of 39 modern and spacious en-suite rooms with high ceilings – all with A/C, television, phone and either a king, queen, or twin-size beds. You could either have a drink in the Don Fernando lobby bar or sit outside on the rooftop and watch the sunset from the El Dorado Roof Garden, before you head down to the La Francia restaurant that serves gourmet cuisine.

Within walking distance of Santiago de Cuba’s art galleries, historic monuments and bars, this hotel is the perfect base for a few nights.

The colourful colonial-style Hotel Los Jazmines is Located in Cuba’s western region, Pinar del Rio.

It boasts one of the most beautiful views of the Viñales Valley (if not Cuba). With its impressive limestone cliffs and mogotes and painted pink, the property is surrounded by lush gardens and close to several walking trails that cross the fields around the hotel.

The 78 en-suite rooms have big shutters that open up to a balcony and has all the modern amenities you can expect from a standard accommodation like A/C, telephone, and television. It’s the ideal base to explore Viñales, whether you’re a keen hiker, rock climber or birdwatcher. At the end of the day, after your horse-riding trip or your excursion to Las Terrazas, you can relax by the swimming pool.

The hotel has a restaurant, a massage room and a medical clinic.

The relatively new boutique Hotel E Camino del Principe is located in Remedios.

It’s housed in an attractive building and has successfully combined colonial architecture with modern comforts.

The red structure with its impressive white columns and high ceilings has 26 en-suite rooms. All have A/C, a safe, telephone, television and mini bar, with some overlooking the plaza.

Within driving distance from both Santa Clara and Cayo Santa Maria, the hotel is the perfect stopover, but is fast becoming an interesting place to visit in its own right, as it celebrated its 500^th anniversary. It is after all one of the oldest settlements in Cuba and is currently undergoing a complete makeover to attract more visitors.

There’s a spacious restaurant, a bar and you can also sit outside on the patio.

Located in the historic centre of Ciego de Avila, the attractive Hotel E La Rueda is a recently renovated establishment that was originally built in 1920.

Painted in terracotta and with majestic columns and arches on the outside, the interior has tiled floors and hallways decorated with mosaic tiles, as well as the contemporary art pieces on the walls.

The 30 en-suite rooms are spacious with high ceilings and big wooden shutters that open up to a French balcony. The rooms either have a queen bed or two double beds and come with A/C, telephone, television, mini bar, safe and WIFI.

The Mezquita restaurant serves a fusion of Cuban and international dishes, made with fresh and local produce.

The Hotel E Arsenita (or Iberostar Gibara) is located in the sleepy town of Gibara.

In its heyday, it used to be an important sugar-exporting town. Sadly it dropped off the map after the main highway Carretera Central was built in the 1920s and a hurricane swept through the region in 2008.

More recently the town has seen a bit of a revival, due to the local government’s focus on renovating the town’s historical buildings. Hopefully, the newly renovated hotel with only 15 rooms, will entice some visitors to stay in the town.

All the rooms are en-suite with high ceilings and decorated with vintage furniture. The rooms all have A/C, television and safe. The roof terrace has splendid views of the town and beaches and the restaurant serves the best Creole and international cuisine. As the areas offer one of the best diving in Cuba, it’s a perfect base for divers and snorkellers, who want to explore the local reefs.

Located at the end of Baracoa Bay, and where Christopher Columbus first set foot on the island of Cuba, is the Hotel Porto Santo.

Named after the tiny island of Porto Santo near Madeira in Europe, where Columbus lived for a short period when he married a local girl.

The hotel consists of 4 separate buildings each with two floors and 24 lodges set in lush gardens. All 83 en-suite rooms have A/C, a telephone, television, safe and either a terrace or balcony overlooking the bay. The hotel has a swimming pool and there’s a small beach nearby

The Santa Maria restaurant (again named after Columbus’ ship) serves international cuisine, or you can head to the town where you can taste the food the region is famous for. Unlike the rest of Cuba, the food here comes prepared with coconut, spices and exotic fruits.

From the hotel, you can tour the mountains, admire La Farola viaduct or go on a boat trip on the nearby Toa river to spot birds.

High up in the Sierra Maestra mountain range you’ll find the picturesque Hotel Villa Santo Domingo.

Located right next to the gateway to Gran Parque Nacional Sierra Maestra with its cloud forests and along the Yara River, the hotel has a total of 40 cabanas, some built of concrete and newer wooden buildings. It’s without a doubt an excellent spot if you are interested in bird watching.

Both the Castro brothers have stayed here on separate occasions. Fidel, most likely when he established his rebel HQ Comandancia de la Plata, high up in the cloud forest and where he planned his revolutionary campaigns, whilst Raul stayed there when he climbed Cuba’s highest mountain Pico Turquino (1972m)

We have included a guided excursion to Fidel’s remote rebel complex, where you can still see Casa del Fidel, visit the small museum, the hospital and higher up the radio communications buildings.

If you’re staying for a few nights, you can go mule and horseback riding and go on hikes in the cloud forest. The actual village of Santo Domingo is also the venue of lively Guateques (Cuban countryside fiestas).

The small Hotel E La Avellaneda in Camagüey is named after the 19th-century Cuban poet Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda also known as ‘La Tula´.

The colonial architecture of the hotel is nicely combined with the works of art that can be found throughout the hacienda-style property. The 9 en-suite rooms are on the ground floor, around a rectangular shaped tiled courtyard surrounded by columns.

All the rooms are furnished in a colonial style and have A/C, television, telephone, minibar and safe. The restaurant only serves breakfast, light snacks and drinks, but is within walking distance of many restaurants, museums and art galleries.

the delightful Hotel La Moka is the only accommodation within the eco-village of Las Terrazas

Located within Cuba’s first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, it’s the perfect place to relax and soak up the vibrancy of the art community that resides in the village.

Built by local workers in order to promote tourism to the area, the hotel is designed in a traditional Cuban style and set in lush gardens.

There are 42 rooms altogether, and the en-suite standard rooms are spacious and with large glass windows and balconies with lovely views of the surrounding area. The rooms have A/C, television, telephone, safe and a minibar A/C. If you are interested in staying with the locals, the hotel also offers five community rooms with shared facilities.

There is a swimming pool, tennis courts and a restaurant that uses local produce. The hotel can also organise tours in the area (like canopy tours, hiking and fishing trips) and is particularly popular with birdwatchers due to its location in the reserve and nearby lakes.

The Hotel La Union in the old part of Cienfuegos is another example of a classic gem.

Converted to an outstanding establishment that has maintained its architectural heritage, it was originally built in 1869 and completely restored in 2000. This elegant colonial-style property has 49 rooms.

Managed by the same company that also owns the Melia Buenavista in Cayo Santa Maria, the hotel has two most impressive open-air inner courtyards surrounded by spacious en-suite rooms. The rooms are all fitted out with colonial-style furniture and have A/C, safe, minibar and satellite television.

Other rooms either have a city or pool view. The hotel has an exclusive terrace bar, a meeting room and a restaurant that serves internationally renowned gastronomic dishes.

Located in the Old part of Havana and close to the San Francisco Square, you must definitely stay in the charming Hotel Raquel.

Especially if you appreciate the Art Nouveau style and history of this beautiful establishment. Originally built to house offices and used as storage space, the building was renovated and turned into a hotel with 25 rooms.

The impressive atrium with coloured light panels gives the building an ethereal look. The en-suite rooms with all its modern amenities look down into the covered courtyard.

As its name indicates the hotel has strong links with the Hebrew culture, which can also be found in the Jardin del Eden where dishes are prepared according to the Hebrew tradition.

Casa la Casona on the outskirts of Trinidad and close to the Santa Rosa Valley is perhaps the most beautiful Casa Particular of Cuba.

It feels more like a boutique hotel than a homestay. Set in its own grounds of 2 hectares, the casa is a haven for birds, colourful flora and the home of some amazing thoroughbred horses.

With only eight en-suite rooms, the colonial hacienda style homestay exudes peacefulness and serenity you only find in a few places. Each room has A/C, a minibar, safe and WIFI and either a living area or outdoor patio.

The open-air thatched roof restaurant serves a wide selection of food prepared with local produce from their own garden. Horseback rides departing from the Casa can be arranged (advance booking recommended), for rides up the Valle de Los Ingenios and includes lunch at the family farm La Victoria.