Adventurous Cuba – 8 Days
Highlights
- Snorkel and stand-up paddleboard along Cuba's pristine coastline
- Visit the studio of a rising reggaeton artist in Alamar
- Role a Cuban cigar in Viñales National Park
- Hike Topes de Collantes National Preserve
- Hear the Choir of Cienfuegos and soak up some live music
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Havana | Havana |
| Day 2 | Walking tour of Old Havana | Havana |
| Day 3 | Visit Viñales National Park | Havana |
| Day 4 | Paddleboard the Zapata Peninsula | Cienfuegos |
| Day 5 | Soak up the music in Cienfuegos | Cienfuegos |
| Day 6 | Artists and cocktails in Trinidad | Trinidad |
| Day 7 | Hike Topes de Collantes National Preserve | |
| Day 8 | Depart |
|
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Havana
Get acquainted with Cuba on a walking tour of Old Havana. Learn the history of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also discover what the next generation of Cuban millennials are doing. After lunch, you will visit Fusterlandia, a wonderland-like outdoor art space.
Day 2: Walking tour of Old Havana
Meet your very own professor from the University of Havana, who will answer your questions about Cuban culture and society. Then, visit a private dance company to see some Cuban dance. If you’re brave, you can learn some steps yourself! Then head to the outskirts of the city and eat at a tapas restaurant in Alamar before visiting a rising reggaeton star in his studio. Reggaeton – a combination of rap, hip-hop, and reggae – is the new wave of music in Cuba.
Day 3: Visit Viñales National Park
After breakfast, drive westward to Viñales National Park, where you'll talk with a national park specialist about this spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site. After lunch, try your hand at rolling a cigar at a tobacco farm and spend the rest of the day hiking with a local expert in the heart of the valley before heading back to Havana for the night.
Day 4: Paddleboard the Zapata Peninsula
Depart Havana for Zapata National Park, where you'll feast on a locally-caught seafood lunch and learn about the conservation efforts taking place on the Peninsula. Stop at the Bay of Pigs museum before stand-up paddleboarding or snorkeling in a secret spot along the coastline. Overnight in Cienfuegos, known as the Pearl of the South.
Day 5: Soak up the music in Cienfuegos
After a hearty breakfast and strong Cuban coffee, take to the streets of beautiful Cienfuegos, 'La Perla del Sur,' for a walking tour and visit a local pharmacy and ration store. Enjoy coffee in the home of an internationally-renowned photographer and see his work. In the afternoon, enjoy the Choir of Cienfuegos before a sunset cruise. After dinner, soak up Cuba's live music scene.
Day 6: Artists and cocktails in Trinidad
Say goodbye to Cienfuegos and make your way to Guajimico, a hidden oasis for snorkeling and stand-up paddleboarding. Go for a hike with a local guide before lunch. Continue to Trinidad for a sunset walking tour of the old town. Before dinner, enjoy a traditional canchanchara, a Trinidadian cocktail, in the home of innovative artists – one who etches photographs of local Trinidadian people on recycled pieces of wood re-purposed from antique doors, and the other who started a weaving crochet cooperative that supports more than 30 women weavers.
Day 7: Hike Topes de Collantes National Preserve
Ride in an open-air bus to Topes de Collantes National Preserve high in the Escambray Mountains. Hike for 2–3 hours with an expert on local flora and fauna to a refreshing waterfall at the end of the trail, where you can swim. Enjoy a traditional lunch of roasted pork, potatoes, beans and rice in the countryside. After a farewell dinner with your group, take in some live music in the Casa de la Musica.
Day 8: Departure
After breakfast drive to Santa Clara for your return flight.
Map
