USA CUBA LEGAL PRIVATE AFFORDABLE TOUR

Highlights

• Tour world´s heritage Old Havana City, immerse in Cuban culture, people´s live and customs.
• Enjoy iconic old classic American vintage car drive tour through out Havana.
• Visit most interesting Havana´s towns and neighborhood as well as best attractions, discover its magic and learn about culture and people´s customs.
• Appreciate unique Mogotes landscape at Viñales Valley, learn from best tobacco farms in Cuba from where best havano cigar is hand-made produced.
• Know historical center of Cienfuegos and Trinidad, 2 Unesco world heritage listings Cuban cities, appreciate their best attractions.
• See the Cuban countryside at the Sierra del Escambray´s hill range at Cuba´s central region.
• Enjoy swimming at beautiful Cuban Caribbean Ancon beach.

Places you will visit:

Havana, Viñales Valley, Bay of Pigs, Cienfuegos , Trinidad, Santa Clara

Travel Itinerary

DAY 1 Havana , arrival , transportation to lodging

Welcome to Cuba!.

An warm welcome to Cuba from friendly Cuban people and your local operator CubaTopTravel. A private Cuban company managed by local Cubans with more than 15 years of expertise organizing authentic Cuba Tours for americans.

You will be met by our dedicated staff who will be showing you a sign with your name and company´s logo previously informed to you. Relax at the airport, no rush at all, our staff will be waiting for you at the public area of airport until you show up , no matter if there is a delayed flight or delay occur at airport by immigration or custom. In addition you will have at hand 24 hours-answering emergency phone to where you could call us from airport.

A safe transfer to your accommodation will be provided, upon arrival a welcoming cocktail will be offered by your host at one of best centrally located premium guesthouse/hostal where you be staying next 3 nights in Havana.

This evening is free, no planned activities for tonight, however depending on time of your arrival and energies you may decide to go straight out to face lovely and intriguing Old Havana streets to feel the ambiance and enigmatic character of the town. Your local tour guide will be at disposal to advise what to do and how do it getting best options based upon time and distance.

Day 2 Havana´s real complete city tour

After a tropical delicious fresh breakfast be ready to meet tour guide to initiate a colorful adventure at Old Havana declared world heritage city by UNESCO in conjunction with the fortifications built by Spain Crown to protect the city from the attack of pirates and corsairs in the XVI, XVII and XVIII Centuries.

You will have chance to learn about life in Havana, what is Cuban regular life in the city, will see markets where they bought food, popular transportation in Old Havana´s square , local customs. A real urban adventure where visitors will get immerse in a cultural learning experience not just a common tourist sightseeing tour. You will be interacting with the locals, seeing Afro Cuban faith believers, kids at schools and teachers taking care of them, construction workers, private entrepreneurs.

Starting from Plaza de Armas Square you will see “Templete” , place where Havana born 500 years ago on November 19, 1519. From there you will explore the Square seeing the Capitanes Generales Palace, built in the XVIII Century, which served until 1902 as the headquarter of the Spanish governors rule in the Island of Cuba.

Nowadays the Palace hold one of the most important History and Arts Museum about Spanish colonial time in Cuba.

By the side of the Palace you will find another very important building Palacio del Segundo Cabo where it was located the Spanish Guard of Havana during the colonial times.

From there you walk to next Square San Francisco de Asís , which take the name because there is located the San Francisco de Asís Convent built by the Franciscans Order in Cuba and one of best example of Baroque´s architecture in Cuba. The Convent was inaugurated in 1575 but it was not until 200 years later that its full construction finished. Here at this Square you will also find the Lonja del Comercio building which was Center of Merchandise Trade. You will appreciate the beautiful Lions Fountain, one of most pretties in the country as well as the Palace of San Felipe and Bejucal now converted in a 5* boutique Hotel.

Walking to the next square name Old Square which today is considered the more active and elegant with class ambiance due to many enjoyable coffee shops , restaurants, music venues, hotels and private guesthouse. It was the third square built in Old Havana in the XVI century, 100 meters close to the San Francisco de Asís Square. Old Square is made of great colonial residences all refurbished now which were the home of most rich family people in the colonial times.

Finally will visit the Cathedral Square in honor of lovely fantastic Havana Cathedral which you will have the chance to visit it if open. Here in the square there are arts galleries , restaurants, arts center like the famous Wilfredo Lam´s artist.

Also will visit the Bodeguita del Medio Bar restaurant where a welcome a Mojito cocktail wait for you. It is one of the restaurant-bar preferred by the intellectual class elite in Havana during the 40´s and 50´s , the mojito cocktail was created at the Bodeguita del Medio and today has conquered a great famous world wide mixology. It was one of must-visit Bar restaurant by American novelist Ernest Hemingway during his 21 years live experience in Havana.

From here you will go to admire other section of Old Havana in particular the Central Park and prestige Paseo del Prado Avenue, where amazing buildings will be found in particular the Grand Theater of Havana and Capitol of Cuba, considered by some architect and specialist one of the 6th most recognized Palace in the world.

You will visit then the Yoruba Association of Cuba where you will appreciate the relevance of the afro Cuban religion in the Cuban culture.

Then will jump into the American vintage classic car for touring Central and Modern Havana visiting the Havana Malecon ( Sea Promenade), the Revolution Square were most important government building are located and the Jose Marti Memorial, the Christopher Colombus Cemetery second most important in Latin America. Then reaching Vedado neighborhood with its lovely Avenues President and Paseo as well as great constructions were the residences of high Cuban class during the 30´s, 40´s and 50´s . Here you will be seeing very active 23 Stree, the University of Havana , the Tryp Havana Libre building-hotel, first Hilton built outside USA in 1957, the Napoleon Museum, ice cream parlor Coppelia , the Arts Exhibition Pavilion, going into Miramar residential area where most aristocratic sector of rich people live in the 40´s and 50´s , moving through Cuba´s Fifth Avenue and finally reaching the Hotel National de Cuba which you will explore . They have a nice hall of fame gallery where you will find pictures of many familiar known americans personalities who have been guest of this Hotel during its 90 years of existence.

Tonight you will enjoy a nice welcome dinner at one of best Cuban owned private restaurant in Havana where you will be able to chose from the Menu any dish including lobster . Enjoy your meal and evening.

Accommodation at centrally located premium private Guesthouse with breakfast included.

B,D (Breakfast and Dinner included).

Day 3 Havana : Hemingway presence, Christ of Havana, towns of Havana.

08:30 Breakfast.

09:30 Leaving for Hemingway Museum at Finca Vigía farm located in the town of San Francisco de Paula 15 kilometers southeast of Havana. It was the residence of Hemingway in Havana, Cuba since 1939, he bought the farm following year in 1940 when he married his third wife Martha Gellhorn. It is considered one of the most complete Hemingway´s museum in the world. There you will see the Hemingway´s Yacht El Pilar , which he used for all his fishing adventures in the Cuban´s see. While leaving in Havana, Cuba Hemingway wrote his masterpiece Old Man and the Sea novel based based in real stories told by fishermen of Cojimar, a fishermen town east to Havana.

He won the Novel Prize literature award in 1954 and dedicated his medal to the Cuban people leaving the medal at the Sanctuary of Virgin Caridad del Cobre , patron of all Cubans.

You will also visit Cojimar and La Terraza de Cojimar restaurant where you will see pictures on the wall of Hemingway fishing and at this restaurant very famous at the time.

From Cojímar will visit the external area of Morro Cabaña fortress to have an excellent view over Havana City and the Promenade from the other side of the harbour, also will visit the small harbour´s town of Casa Blanca where you will see the Havana Christ and the Institute of Meteorology, then will go through Guanabacoa and Regla, two other important Havana´s town.

After a pause for lunch on your own, you will visit the preferable Bar restaurant of Hemingway in Havana, El Floridita where Daiquiri cocktail was created in the 30´s.

Then visit Cerro and Marianao´s popular Havana towns, enjoy some of the most interesting residences built in the 40 and 50 of last century on these area.

Going directly to Jaimanita, west of Havana where you will visit the Fuesterlandia painting project developed by Cuban painter Jose Fuster qualified by some expersts as the Picasso of Caribbean.

After that you will visit the Hotel Nacional de Cuba where you will enjoy a mojito when you discover the many pictures of world leaders and famous personalities who has stayed in this emblematic hotel of Cuba since it was built in 1930.

Back to residence.

Free evening.

It is recommended to visit Ceremony of Cannon Fire which take place at 9pm at La Cabaña Fortress every night in Havana resembling old time tradition from colonial times when a cannon shut advise inhabitants of Havana that doors of the walled city was going to be close and no citizens could move in or out of the City. That all was built to protect Havana from attack of pirates and corsairs.

You could also enjoy nigh life in Havana , a very colorful and musical city with many venues to listen good music including Jazz, traditional Cuban music played by musicians who played at the Buena Vista Social Club group, even going to dance to best dancing venues in Havana from Casa de la Música to world famous Cabaret Tropicana or Parisien, or in many other Disco´s club in the capital.

Day 4 Havana-Las Terrazas-Viñales Valley

After breakfast, you will depart to Cuba west first visiting Las Terrazas community project ( distance around 1.15 hour from Havana). This rural town is enclave at Sierra del Rosario hills range belonging to province Artemisa.

Las Terrazas was declared in 1985 by UNESCO as first Cuba Biosphere Reserve project with a total of 25,000 hectares of land in the Sierra del Rosario range in the western part of Cuba. This area a was reforest to keep the habitat and endemic flora and fauna which had been lost due to indiscriminate deforestation. The beauty of Las Terrazas community and its surroundings was a great cultural and human value , and the perfect context to develop rural and farm tourism.

Visit the Interpretation Center Curujey where an explanation of the entire project is provided to visitors, then move with a local tour guide around the project, visit hotel La Moka, casa de Maria La Guajira to try its Cuban coffee , time to go to the ruins of a French coffee plantation, then to the river San Juan.

Continuation to beautiful and unique Viñales Valley in the Pinar del Río province . Wonderful land with caves and mogotes declared also by UNESCO a world biosphere Reserve area.

Touring the valley with your tour Guide , visit the lookout Los Jazmines, from where you will have an exceptional view over the valley and the mogotes, rare hills not often seen in the world. You will visit the masterpiece of popular art at Mural de la Prehistoria painting on a ladder of a hill , and will visit the town of Viñales.

Luncheon at a restaurant which is part of an eco-agriculture sustainable project based on organic agriculture.

Check In at very good and well located good private guesthouse , comfortable, with A/C and private bath.

Free evening.

Enjoy the active night life in the town of Viñales, small countryside and rural town, which has been enjoying prosperity thanks to the development of tourism and the opening for the private business sector , take advantage of the opportunity to talk to the locals, entrepreneurs what tourism has meant to the people in Viñales and all of the existing potential for Cuban small towns and people in the rural communities.

B,L ( breakfast and lunch included).

Day 5 Viñales Valley-Vuelta Abajo área

Before breakfast, trekking the Viñales Valley countryside for an 1 hour and so, appreciating the rural Cuba , how farmers prepare land for crop with the oxen which save gas and keep clean the atmosphere and rivers. Visit farmers and interact with them, see schools for children at the valley.

Back to accommodation for breakfast , departing to nearby Vuelta Abajo region, land of best havano cigar in Cuba.

Robaina´s tobacco farm is one of the most famous tobacco farm in the region and in the country, 3 families generation has been in charge of producing best tobacco leaf in Cuba, and helping to create few of the best havano cigar brand including the Robaina´s brand.

You will get a first class explanation in English of the process by a charismatic Engineer who work closely with the farm owner , grandson of Robaina, for preparation of land, sowing of the seed, keeping clean of bad weed , then pick up by phases , drying the leaf until it is ready to be sent to the cigar factory where expertise hands will converted into the Havano Cigar, rolling conveniently the leaf of first class tobacco.

Depart back to Viñales where you will get free time to have lunch on your own in one of family private restaurant (Paladar).

After luncheon there will be free time to enjoy the town and discover by yourself more of the attractions there.

Options include horse riding through the valley , visit nearby Moncada community village where biggest Caribbean cavern systems Santo Tomas is located (third biggest in Latin America) or you could try entrance to the indean caves with a boat ride inside the cave.

Evening at leisure.

Accommodation in B & B at comfortable private guesthouse with private bath at the room and A/C.

B (breakfast included)

Day 6 Bay of Pigs -Cienfuegos City.

Departing Viñales around 7:30 am after breakfast. Driving east for around 5 hours to visit special region of Cuba , Cienaga de Zapata Península which has the biggest Caribbean mainland swamp.

Stop at Boca de Guamá where you see biggest Cuban crocodile´s farm where the Cuban crocodile endemic specie (Crocodylus rhombifer ) is bred to avoid its extinction. Continuation to Cueva de los Peces where you will lunch and get a free snorkeling experience at the Caribbean sea of Cuba.

Continuation to final destination for today Cienfuegos, most elegant City with an European flavor in Cuba.

Cienfuegos was founded in 1819 by a group of French settlers who came from New Orleans now part of USA territory. They brought with them European style, design and flavour which is clearly visual in the houses and buildings they built in Cienfuegos City in the XIX Century.

After check in at premium guesthouse , you will enjoy a walking tour lead by your tour guide seeing most attractive things of the City starting from Marti Park where the city was founded . Here you will see only Arc de Triomphe in a Cuba Park which was dedicated to the Independence of Cuba , will visit also the magnificent Terry Theater , the government palace , the Cathedral built at the end of XIX Century , and other buildings and statues who made of this Central Park something very special to know.

Go to Alameda Central pedestrian avenue, to see the Nautical Club , the Malecon in Cienfuegos at the Cienfuegos Harbor considered one of the prettiest in the island of Cuba, visit the architectonic jewel of Cienfuegos, the neo classical Palacio del Valle.

Optional dinner.

B,L ( breakfast and lunch included).

Day 7 TRINIDAD

After breakfast , you will ready to depart to Trinidad from Cienfuegos around 1.20 minutes away. Before leaving for Trinidad you will visit Trazos Project a private social oriented initiative taken by a group of young artist dedicated to painting façade of many houses in the City to keep maintenance of the houses avoiding destruction and deterioration. Interact with the promoters of the project and see their goals for time to come.

Continuation to Trinidad City where after check in at premium guesthouse which accommodate next 2 days , you will start a locally guided walking tour of this precious well preserved colonial city . probably most intact colonial city you can see and enjoy in western hemisphere . Trinidad is an alive city, workable and real city functioning every day at all times.

You will visit the Santa Ana square and Plaza Major where most of the official buildings are located, starting from the Trinidad Cathedral , the Romantic Museum, where you will see best collection of art and furniture from colonial time in Trinidad , the Lucha contra Bandidos Museum´s building with highest tower in Trinidad from where you will get an excellent view of the historical center of the City.

From there you will visit one of the famous bar in the City Canchanchara Bar where you will have special cocktail prepared in Trinidad, Canchanchara cocktail mix of sugar cane brandy ( aguardiente de caña) and limon . You will keep walking through the tiny alleys and streets to reach private pottery workshop of Santander family, one of the most traditional family in Trinidad specialize in the production of pottery and handcraft for centuries.

Today you will enjoy an special dinner at one of best privately owned family restaurant ( Paladar) in Trinidad.

After dinner, free time to enjoy night life in very romantic Trinidad City, another great example of what private entrepreneurs and tourism can do for local development and prosperity.

Accommodation in very nice comfortable premium guesthouse with breakfast included.

B,D ( breakfast and dinner included).

Day 8 TRINIDAD

Early this morning after breakfast you will depart to Topes de Collantes , in Sierra del Escambray hill range , biggest in the Central´s Cuba region to initiate a treckking adventure tour , where you will see water falls where you can swim, the endemic flora and fauna of the region, ending with a campesino guajiro lunch.

When back to the city , you will visit the of Casilda fishermen town and later will enjoy swimming at Caribbean pristine water Ancon´s beach.

At evening you will enjoy a 1 hour class of Cuban dancing rhythm at casa de la Música or similar venue including local dancers.

Free evening.

Accommodation in very nice comfortable premium guesthouse with breakfast included.

B,L (breakfast and Lunch included).

Day 9 Santa Clara City -Havana

After breakfast , check out and departing from Trinidad in direction west to Santa Clara city and then continuing to Havana where tour will come to an end.

Visit first Manaca Iznaga Farm and tower in the Sugar Mills Valley which together with the historical city of Trinidad was declared world heritage site by Unesco. Opulence and greatness of Trinidad City occurred as the result of the production of sugar cane in the Sugar Mills Valley due to the significant increase in world´s sugar demand in the XVIII Century. Hundreds of Sugar Mills were built to process the sugar cane and produce the sugar to export to world markets.

Before continue journey to Santa Clara City try a glass of sugar cane juice ( guarapo) for refreshing and charging energies to c0ntinue adventure of today.

Santa Clara city is associated with last revolution in Cuba led by Fidel Castro and the legendary figure of argentine-born Ernesto Che Guevara who helped to the victory of the revolutionaries who were fighting the forces of Fulgencio Batista Government in 1958. The derail of a military convoy train moving military supplies to the east forces fighting Fidel revolutionaries forces was a decisive victory which precipitated the defeat of the regime on January 01, 1959.

See the Vidal Park at the historical center of the city, the Cathedral of Santa Clara de Asis , also visit the monument erected in recognition of the battle to derail military train and finally visit the Monumental square Ernesto Guevara and the Che Guevara memorial where his rest together with the ones from a group of guerrilla fighters are buried.

Luncheon at local restaurant and continuation to Havana where you will be arriving around 6 Pm.

Check In at your private guesthouse.

Enjoy your last evening in Havana.

B,L (breakfast and Lunch included).

Day 10 End of Tour-Departure!.

After breakfast ready for departure, tour have come to an end.

Check Out at 12:00.

Transfer Out to the airport will be ready for the time you need it.

B (breakfast included).

END OF SERVICES

Minimum 2 persons travelling

SOLO traveler require a supplement.

Recommended also for families, small and medium size groups.

Included:

• 9 nights accommodation at first class centrally located guesthouses with breakfast included.
• 8 breakfast included as well as some luncheons and dinners as indicated on the itinerary at end of each day.
• Experienced first class tour guide in full control of English language during the whole trip.
• First class private vehicle throughout the whole tour with a professional, experience , pleasant and educated driver.
• All tours and activities indicated on the Itinerary with the entrances.
• 24 hours emergency ready to answer phone number.
• Personal staff involvement in each detail of itinerary and in the attention of clients with permanent communication with Tour Guide.
• Attention of clients and implementation of the tour, involvement in daily plan Itinerary´s activities with permanent communication with tour guide.

Not included:

• Airfare.
• Insurance
• Personal expenses, phone calls.
• Wi Fi service.
• Services and activities not mentioned.