As a country that starts with C listed on Countryaah.com, Cuba has been a socialist one-party state since the 1959 revolution. The resulting conflict with the neighboring USA and the US trade embargo against Cuba that came into force in 1962 sometimes give the island the charm of an open-air museum, where the US road cruisers of the 1950s are kept in good condition.
- Day 1: Flight to Havana
- Day 2: Havana
- Day 3: Havana – Las Terrazas – Viñales
- Day 4: Viñales
- Day 5: Viñales – Cienfuegos
- Day 6: Cienfuegos – Topes de Collantes – Trinidad
- Day 7: Trinidad
- Day 8: Trinidad – Camagüey
- Day 9: Camagüey – Bayamo
- Day 10: Bayamo – Santo Domingo – Santiago de Cuba
- Day 11: Santiago de Cuba
- Day 12: Santiago de Cuba – Guantanamo – Baracoa
- Day 13: Baracoa – Humboldt National Park
- Day 14: Playa Maguana
- Day 15: Playa Maguana – Holguín
- Day 16: Return to Europe
- Day 17: Welcome back!
Around 130 species of birds flutter through the rainforest around the village, there are dozens of hiking trails and the Rio San Juan, on whose banks we enjoy a Creole lunch: the ecovillage Las Terrazas is a showcase project for sustainable tourism. It is located in the middle of the Sierra del Rosario, the country’s first UNESCO biosphere reserve. We continue to the small town of Viñales. We walk past tobacco fields, coffee and banana plantations with a view of the limestone cliffs, the “Mogotes”.
This easy hiking tour is intended for people who want to experience Cuba actively, but at the same time relaxing. What is special: We are often accommodated in casas particulares, i.e. with private families. We start in the west in Havana (with a vintage car ride!) And in the low mountain range of the Sierra del Rosario. In central Cuba, the wooded mountains of the Sierra Escambray and the southern Caribbean coast characterize our hiking days. We inhale the Cuban way of life in Cienfuegos, once a notorious pirate’s nest and today an important port city, and the colonial city of Trinidad with its pastel-colored houses, museums, stairs and plazas. At the Bay of Pigs we visit the museum that commemorates the failed invasion of the USA.
To get to the Comandancia de la Plata, the former headquarters of the revolutionaries, we have to go deep into the forests of the Sierra Maestra. In the wooden huts of Fidel and Che Guevara, old bottles and pots, ammunition and typewriters paint an authentic picture. After the hike in the Humboldt National Park, it is time to finally relax: under palm trees on the lonely Playa Maguana.
Meals: B = breakfast / L = lunch / packed lunch / D = dinner
1st day:
Flight to Havana
Direct flight with Condor from Frankfurt. In the evening we land at the international airport José Martí in Havana, where we are welcomed by our friendly tour guide. With her we drive to our private accommodation in the center of Havana.
Travel time: approx. 45 min.
Overnight stay in a casa particular (Villa Vedado or similar)
(- / – / -)
2nd day:
Havana
After breakfast we will be picked up by our tour guide at 09: 00 a.m. in the hotel lobby for the historic old town walk through Cuba’s capital. On foot we explore the colonial Habana Vieja with the most important sights the palace of the captains general, Hemingway’s favorite bar “Bodeguita del Medio”, El Templete and more.
The varied program also includes the peculiarities of the architecture of Spanish colonial rule: magnificent buildings from the heyday of this culture, neoclassical and Art Deco facades alternate with the Russian-influenced panel construction. We discover the most important and curious features of this famous and notorious city, where we can feel the morbid charm of this former pearl of the Caribbean in the many small streets again and again.
After lunch together, we explore the newer parts of the city during a sightseeing tour in a vintage car. We get to know and love many sights outside of the old town, including the Revolution Square “Plaza de la Revolución”, the diplomatic and villa district of Miramar, and the magnificent Vedado district. We continue past the famous University of Havana and along Cuba’s most famous waterfront, the Malecón. Past the once legendary Hotel Nacional, we reach the hotel again in the late afternoon.
The evening is at leisure. Your tour guide will be happy to give you tips for the Cuban nightlife in the capital!
Overnight in a casa particular (Villa Vedado or similar)
(B / – / -)
3rd day:
Havana – Las Terrazas – Viñales
We are picked up from our hotel in Havana in the morning. After a 1-hour transfer to Las Terrazas, there is a welcome cocktail at the ranch station. The “Las Terrazas Complex” is located in the middle of the 5000 hectares of unspoilt landscape of the “Sierra del Rosario”, which has been designated by UNESCO as Cuba’s first biosphere reserve. Las Terrazas is one of Cuba’s ecotourism showcase projects. Here we experience pure nature and enjoy the peace and quiet away from the Cuban cities. On a three-hour hike we learn a lot about the local flora and fauna, at the end of the hike a Creole lunch awaits on the Rio San Juan.
After lunch we continue our journey and in the late afternoon we reach the small town of Viñales.
Driving time: approx. 3 hours (220 km)
Hike: approx. 3 hours (8 km, +/- 300 m)
Overnight stay in a 3 * hotel (Hotel Jazmines or similar)
(B / L / -)
4th day:
Viñales
In the early morning there is usually a fantastic view of the limestone hills, the so-called “Mogotes” and the tobacco fields of the Viñales Valley, which are covered in light fog. We start the day early in the morning with an interesting hike through the Viñales Valley. Passing tobacco fields, coffee and banana plantations with a view of the unique limestone cliffs, we enjoy our hike through the unique landscape.
In the afternoon we visit the soccer project “Viva el fútbol” and practice a few soccer tricks and play soccer with the enthusiastic youngsters! No previous knowledge necessary. Project info: “Viva el fútbol” With the help of football, the leisure activities for children and young people in this region are improved and we try to support them in their development over the long term. Numerous girls and boys between 6 and 15 years of age are looked after together with the local sports directorate and part-time soccer coaches.
Hike: approx. 2 hours (6 km, +/- 15 m)
Overnight in a 3 * hotel (Hotel Los Jazmines or similar)
(B / – / -)
5th day:
Viñales – Cienfuegos
After breakfast we start our journey to today’s destination in Cienfuegos. We drive through exotic marshland along the legendary Bay of Pigs. At the Cueva de los Peces we take a swim break and can refresh ourselves in the cool water. In Playa Girón we visit the museum which commemorates the failed invasion of the USA. After this leisurely break, the journey to Cienfuegos, the so-called “Pearl of the South”, continues.
After arriving in the afternoon, we will visit this city, which used to be a notorious pirate’s nest and is now an important industrial and port city. It is located in an imposing bay and is characterized by its stately buildings from the 17th century. During a tour of the main square Parque Martí with French colonial architecture, we get a good overview of the sights of the historic center. We will also visit the famous Terry Theater (including admission), which Caruso and Sara Bernhardt used as a stage.
The evening is at our disposal. Our tour guide is happy to give us tips for great paladars and places to go out in town!
Driving time: approx. 5.5 hours (445 km)
Overnight in a Casa Particular in Cienfuegos
(B / – / -)
6th day:
Cienfuegos – Topes de Collantes – Trinidad
We leave Cienfuegos early in the morning and drive to the nature park “El Nicho”. A guided hike brings us to the “El Nicho” waterfall in whose natural pool we can swim and refresh ourselves. Afterwards we “sail” on an excursion boat to the restaurant “Rio Negro”, which is beautifully situated in the middle of the Hanabanilla reservoir, and have lunch there.
Then we continue by boat to the south bank of the lake, where we take a short hike up to the “Tres Palmas” viewpoint. From here there is a wonderful view over the lake and the surrounding wooded mountains of the Sierra Escambray. Then it goes on to Topes de Collantes in the middle of the mountains. The highest point of the Macizo de Guamuhaya mountain range is the mountain Pico San Juan with a height of 1156 meters above sea level. On a serpentine road we reach the cozy town of Trinidad and move into our accommodations. The evening is at our disposal.
Driving time: approx. 1.5 hours (100 km)
Hike: approx. 2.5 hours (5 km, +/- 300 m)
Overnight stay in a Casa Particular in Trinidad
(B / – / A)
7th day:
Trinidad
Today we take it a little more relaxed! After a leisurely breakfast there is time for a city tour of Trinidad. The cozy colonial city is next to the old town Havana the largest coherent complex of colonial buildings in Cuba and was declared a world cultural heritage by the UNESCO in 1988. With the red tile roofs, cobblestone streets, plazas and stairs, the pastel colored houses and historical museums, Trinidad is a must for the historically interested visitor. Then we enjoy the free time in the city or drive to the nearby beach “Playa Ancon” and relax by the sea. In the evening you can experience the nightlife of Trinidad live with Cuban rhythms and lively dances in the Casa de la Música or in a cozy bar (optional).
Overnight in a Casa Particular in Trinidad
(B / – / -)
8th day:
Trinidad – Camaguey
Today we leave the cute town of Trinidad. On the way to Camagüey we visit the former slave tower Torre Iznaga, which offers us a panoramic view of the famous Valle de los Ingenios (the valley of the sugar cane mills). On the further journey to Cuba’s third largest city, we occasionally take short breaks. One of them in the nature reserve of the Sierra de Cubitas, where we can admire over 600 species of plants including dozens of different orchids on the approx. 2-hour hike “Limones – Tuabaquey”. Other attractions are wall paintings in the caves in the park. We then take the bus to Camagüey.
Driving time: 3, 5 hours (300 km)
Hike: approx. 2.5 hours (5 km, +/- 25 m)
Overnight stay in a 3 * hotel (Hotel E Santa Maria or similar)
(B / – / A)
Day 9:
Camagüey – Bayamo
Arriving in the morning we discover Camagüey on a walk, alternatively we can also use a very “Cuban” means of transport (the trip by bicycle taxis in what is known as “Bicitaxis” in Cuba is not included). There is no shortage of sights in the historic old town, which has kept its Spanish face to the present. We stroll through the tiny, winding streets and across the picturesque squares. You can quickly get lost in the city’s labyrinth, but if you stroll beyond the main streets you will be rewarded with an enchanted patio or picturesque little square behind some gates. Camagüey surprises on every corner.
In the afternoon then bus ride to Bayamo, in the small provincial capital you take a city walk.
Driving time: approx. 3.5 hours (300 km)
Overnight in a 3 * hotel (Hotel E Royalton or similar)
(B / – / D)
10th day:
Bayamo – Santo Domingo – Santiago de Cuba
Today, shortly after breakfast, we take the bus and jeep to the starting point of the hike to Comandancia de la Plata, the former headquarters of the rebels. This is hidden in the middle of the dense forests of the Sierra Maestra. Not far from the 1,974 m high summit of Pico Turquino, the revolutionaries hid after landing with the motor yacht Grama in the early days of the revolution in order to plan the revolution from here. We hike through the wonderful lush nature of the Sierra Maestra to the hidden wooden huts of Fidel and Che Guevara. Inspection of the well-preserved command post. Old utensils such as bottles, pots, ammunition as well as sewing machines and typewriters still paint an authentic picture today. In this place we feel closer to the greatest climax in Cuban history than anywhere else:
Through the beautiful mountains of the Sierra Maestra it goes back to Bayamo and on to Santiago de Cuba.
Driving time: approx. 4 hours (350 km)
Hike: approx. 3 hours (5 km, +/- 400 m)
Overnight stay in the hotel (Hotel Iberostar San Felix or similar)
(B / L / -)
11th day:
Santiago de Cuba
In the morning we start to visit the Caribbean metropolis and take an exciting tour through this lively city. When visiting the “Cuartel Monacada” museum, we learn a lot about the Cuban revolution and the failed assault of young revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro on July 26, 1953. Then we visit the famous fortress “Castillo del Morro”. From here we enjoy a wonderful view over the sea and the bay of Santiago de Cuba, the “secret capital of music and carnival”. At Parque Céspedez we see the Casa “Diego de Velazquez”, the oldest house in Cuba. From the balcony of the neighboring town hall, Fidel Castro announced the victory of the revolution in 1959.
In the evening we can choose between visiting the Casa de la Trova, Casa de Artex and Patio de los 2 Abuelos and swing the dance floor or marvel at how elderly Soneros celebrate the Son with elegance in the style of the Buena Vista Social Club and together with their Señoras Prove your dancing skills at any time of the day or night.
Overnight stay in the hotel (Hotel Iberostar San Felix or similar)
(B / – / -)
12th day:
Santiago de Cuba – Guantanamo – Baracoa
Early in the morning we set off towards Guantánamo, a stronghold of the Afro-Cuban Santería. We drive to the Los Monitongos, a unique rock formation southwest of Guantánamo and hike with short climbs over wooden stairs. Lunch takes place in Caimanera, and the infamous American naval base is also nearby, and you can catch a glimpse of it over lunch. Afterwards we continue over the well-known Farola Pass to the somewhat dreamy-looking town of Baracoa. On the way we always take a break to experience this desert-like landscape and the coastal road. After arriving in the 1st capital of Cuba, founded by the Spaniard Velazquez, we take a walk through the clear, somewhat dreamy-looking place.
Driving time: approx. 3.5 hours (250 km)
Hike: approx. 1.5 hours (3 km, +/- 25 m)
Overnight stay in a 3 * hotel (El Castillo or similar)
(B / – / -)
13th day:
Baracoa – Humboldt National Park
After breakfast we will be taken to the park entrance by bus. A local tour guide picks us up here and we hike through the “Alejandro de Humboldt” National Park. On the 5 km long hike “El Balcon de Iberia” we explore the flora and fauna of the national park. In simple paths it goes through coconut, coffee, cocoa and banana plantations and you learn a lot about the main crops of the region.
Against At noon it goes back to the small hotel complex on Playa Maguana where you can relax on the beautiful beach for the rest of the day.
Driving time: approx. 2.5 hours (60 km)
Hike: approx. 3 hours (5 km, +/- 250 m)
Overnight stay in a 3 * hotel (Villa Maguana or similar)
(B / – / -)
14th day:
Playa Maguana
Today is at our leisure at the beautiful Playa Maguana.
Overnight stay in a 3 * hotel (Villa Maguana or similar)
(B / L / D)
15th day:
Playa Maguana – Holguin
Early in the morning we set off on the north coast along the Humboldt National Park towards Holguín. Around noon we reach the island of Cayo Saetia, where we have a lunch stop. The 42 km² island offers a rich flora and fauna and is a protected nature reserve. The former private game reserve was only opened to the public in the 1990s. With a little luck, a large number of exotic animals such as zebras, antelopes or ostriches can be observed in the wild during a jeep safari in the early afternoon. Then it goes on to Holguín.
Driving time: approx. 5 hours (270 km)
Overnight in a hotel (Hotel El Caballeriza or similar)
(B / – / -)
16th day:
Return to Europe
In the afternoon we drive to the airport of Holguín, from where your return flight to Europe takes place.
Return flight options for individual extension requests are always possible on Wednesdays and Sundays (winter season) directly to Frankfurt.
A bathing extension on the beautiful beaches of Guardalavaca or Playa Maguana are recommended!
Driving time: approx. 20 min. (15 km)
(B / – / -)
17th day:
Welcome back!
