Best of Cuba in 11 Days
Havana/ Viñales/ Trinidad/ Cienfuegos
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Day 2- Walking Tour of Old Havana / Museum of the City / La Torre Restaurant / Cigar Factory & Store / Cannon Blast Ceremony
Day 3- Las Terrazas Eco-Tourism Resort / Visit the Falls in San Juan River / Cafe Oriente
Day 4- Fine Arts Museum / La Bodeguita del Medio / Visit Social Cultural Project Callejón Harmel / Visit Zorra y El Cuervo Jazz Club
Day 5- Hemingway Museum Finca Vigia / Vistamar Paladar / Hotel Ambos Mundos / El Floridita
Day 6- Visit Fusterlandia & Sandra Dooley art galleries / Visit Crafts Market San Jose / Visit Buena Vista Social Club
Day 7- Viñales Valley / Visit Tobacco Plantation / Visit Rum Distillery / Visit Cueva del Indio / Visit Prehistoric Mural
Day 8- Cienfuegos / Trinidad- Ciénaga de Zapata / Cueva de los peces / Palacio del Valle
Day 9- Trinidad- Parochial Church / Brunet Palace / Torre Iznaga Manacas / Paladar El Galleon
Day 10- Visit Havana Club Rum Museum / Visit Museum of Decorative Arts / Havana 61 Paladar
Day 11- Farewell day / Departure
FLIGHT PACKAGE
* Round Trip Airfare from Miami to Havana with priority check-in at the Miami International Airport. (Included)
* Cuban Visa & Airport Departure Tax. ( Included)
* Baggage Fees for the first bag that you check-in. (Included)
PRE-DEPARTURE DAY
* This is your arrival day to Miami.
* Check in at your complimentary Miami Hotel no later than 4PM. Hotel details will be provided upon confirmation of your booking.
* We will be holding our orientation meeting at 7PM over cocktails by the lobby area.
* Dinner will be on your own.
DAY 1- MODERN HAVANA- Meals (B-L)
* After an early breakfast time permitting our group Leader will meet with you at the hotel Lobby and we will depart promptly to the Miami International Airport for check-in. Expect to wait for 2-3 hours prior departure.
* Our short flight to Havana will only take approximately 45 minutes.
“””WELCOME TO CUBA””!!!!. You have arrived and now the experience of a life-time will begin.
* Depending on your flight Schedule expect to wait 1 hour to get through Customs and claim your luggage.
* The day begins with a Driving tour of the modern City. Have a first look at many of the sites we will revisit on our trip. Including: The Malecon, the Hotel Nacional, the Havana Libre-Hilton Hotel, the University of Havana, The Cemetery of Christopher Columbus, the Revolution square and the American Embassy. This tour will provide you with a preview of many of the sites and sounds that Havana has to offer.
* Depending on your arrival time a welcome ( Lunch or Dinner will be at The Aljibe Restaurant ). This is a popular open-air restaurant in Havana.
* Visit Museum of the Revolution
* Check-into Hotel or Casa Particular
* Explore for the rest of the day on your own.
DAY 2- COLONIAL HAVANA- Meals (B-L-D)
* Stop en route for a snack and a drink and a panoramic view of the city
* People-to-People Interaction: Visit with a local Architect Expert on the Renovation of Old Havana for an informative interview.
* Visit ( The Museum of the City ) with its history on the colonial life.
* Lunch at ( La Torre restaurant )
* Visit a ( Cigar factory & Store).
* Return to the Hotel.
* Night out for ( Cannon Blast Ceremony ) with the explanation on its history.
* Dinner at local Paladar
DAY 3- LAS TERRAZAS- Meals (B-L-D)
* Visit the ruins of a coffee plantation
* Lunch at ( Las Terrazas’ Restaurant )
* People-to People Interaction: Visit the Community and learn about the local traditions and crafts.
* Time off to ( Visit The falls and swim in the San Juan River. )
* Return to Havana
* ( Dinner at Cafe del Oriente )
DAY 4- CULTURAL HAVANA- Meals (B-L)
* Later enjoy An hour long drive along ( Tour of the city on American convertible vintage cars ).
* Lunch at world renowned ( La Bodeguita del Medio )
* People-to People Interaction: ( Visit a social cultural project Callejon de Hammel )
* Get in the action and Experience a Salsa lesson by locals.
* Return to the hotel
* Visit the Impressive Basement at ( The Zorra y el Cuervo Jazz Club )
* Dinner on their own
DAY 5- HEMINGWAY’s HAVANA- Meals (B-L)
* Depart for ( Hemingway Museum Finca La Vigia )
* Visit the quaint community of Cojimar from where Papa used to go fishing
* Lunch at the amazing ( Ocean Front Paladar Vistamar )
* In the afternoon you will join a Hemingway themed tour visiting many of the places Papa frequented to include ( El Floridita – La Bodeguita del Medio- Hotel Ambos Mundos).
* Dinner on your own
DAY 6- ART & COLOR of HAVANA – Meals (B-L)
* Lunch at ( Paladar in Jaimanita )
* People-to-People Experience: Afternoon visit to a local Agro market in Jaimanita.
* Visit to the ( Almacenes San Jose ) an enormous Arts and Crafts Market where you will find anything from paintings, pottery, wood carvings and souvenirs.
* Return to the hotel.
* Visit ( Buena Vista Social Club ).
* Dinner on your own
DAY 7- VALLE VINALES – Meals (B-L)
* After breakfast depart to ( Viñales Valley referred to as “The garden of Cuba ” ). Some of The best tobacco in the world is grown here.
* On the way, Stop and ( Tour a real working Tobacco Plantation )
* (City tour in Pinar del Río ) visit the famous ( Rum Distillery Guayabita del Pinar ),
* ( Visit La Cueva del Indio (Indian Cave) Enjoy a boat ride along the cave,
* ( Lunch in Palenque de los Cimarrones restaurant ).
* ( Enjoy the magnificent views from Los Jazmines lookout point, and the Prehistoric Mural ),
* Return to Havana.
* Dinner on your own
DAY 8- CIENFUEGOS/TRINIDAD- Meals (B-L-D)
* After Breakfast. Depart to Playa Larga and Cienaga de Zapata, which is one of the most extensive Wetlands of the Caribbean and one of six biospheres in Cuba.
* Lunch at the (Cueva de Los Peces ) where you will be able to see colorful fish many of which are only found in this corner of the Caribbean.
* After Lunch Depart to Cienfuegos, a charming town located in the bottom of the bay of the same name and also know as the Pearl of the South. This city enjoys both French and Spanish Architecture. The colonial center became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
* Later we will Arrive at Punta Gorda after walking along the Malecon lined with beautiful colorful houses.
* Visit ( Palacio del Valle ) an ancient palace of a particular elegance with venetian-style with a blend, Moorish, Romanesque and Gothic all in one.
* You will enjoy a Guided tour of the historic center where you will discover the ( Arc de Triomphe, Cathedral, City Hall, the Lyceum, the Palacio Ferrer and the Terry Theatre) before departing to Trinidad
* Arrive at hotel and check in.
* Dinner is included at the hotel.
DAY 9- TRINIDAD/ HAVANA- Meals (B-L-D)
* After Breakfast enjoy Trinidad, a city founded in 1514 by Diego Velazquez that owes its prosperity to growing sugar cane which has been Listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1988. Its architecture, cobblestone streets of the historic center, its pastel colored houses, windows open to the street revealing rich interior of the homes give the impression a city frozen in time.
* Later enjoy a (Guided tour of the historic center). Visit Mandoza the street leading to the Plaza Santa Ana or throne church ruins Santa Ana where the former royal prison is located now a tourist complex. Visit the Majestic Plaza Mayor surrounded by beautiful colonial mansions, which today are dedicated to expositions of art and other tasteful crafts.
* (Visit the Parochial Church) of Trinidad Santimila Gothic Revival (Unique in Cuba) with its carved wooden Christ made out of wood from a shipwreck that was bound for Mexico.
* (Visit the Brunet Palace) dating back to 1740. The Brunet family made its fortune with sugar was the last to live there until 1857. Since 1974 this Palace became the Romantic Museum a place full of history that gives you an idea of what life was like for these rich slaveholders. You will see Colonial furniture, paintings from around the world, Crystal Baccarat, Bohemian and Bristol, porcelain trinkets from all backgrounds that adorn this Palace. This is one of the finest examples of colonial architecture in all of Cuba.
* People-To-People Interaction: Meet with local musicians at the Canchanchan tavern accompanied by a percussion group followed by lunch at Paladar La Parranda in the heart of the historical center.
* After lunch you will enjoy some Free time to walk the streets and its traditional market or visit one of the many museums the city offers before departing for the Sugar Mills Valley or Valle de los Ingenios.
* (Visit Torre Iznaga Manacas) located in the village of the same name classified as another World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This beautifully preserved tower was built in 1816 and it is 43.50 meters high and you will be able to Climb the 137 steps to admire the entire valley.
* Dinner will be at (Paladar El Galleon) from where we will depart on the return trip to Havana.
DAY 10- MUSEUMS- Meals (B-L)
* Breakfast
* Visit (The Havana Club Rum Museum)
* Visit ( The Museum of Decorative Arts )
* People to People Interaction: We will visit a local Artist for a presentation (Pending confirmation)
* ( Lunch at Paladar Havana 61 )
* After lunch you are on your own to explore on your last night before return trip home
DAY 11- FAREWELL DAY- Meals (B)
* Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
* Transfer to the airport.