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Birdlife is one of the hidden treasures of Cuba, with more than 354 species, 21 of which are endemic, such as the charming Cuban Tody (Todus multicolor), the Cuban Trogon (Priotelus temnurus, the national bird), and many other Caribbean specialties. Probably the main star is the Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), the smallest bird on the entire planet. There is a good opportunity to spot migratory birds from North America, flying hundreds of miles to, over winter, look for the Cuban sun. Who blames them?
Havana was founded in 1519 (third location, officially established by nowadays Havana Bay) by spanish Conquistador Diego Velazquez de Cuellar and soon became the capital city of Cuba after turning into the main business operation hub of the island due to its geographical location. Havana has the most complete architectural compound in Latin America (out of all former Spanish colonial colonies) and is a melting pot of Spanish, Cuban, African and Chinese heritage.
The Viñales Valley in the Sierra de los Organos near the western end of the island of Cuba is an outstanding karst landscape encircled by mountains and dotted with spectacular dome-like limestone outcrops (mogotes) that rise as high as 300 m.
Tobacco and other crops are cultivated on the bottom of the valley, mostly by traditional agricultural techniques. Many caves dot the surrounding hills faces (Cueva del Indio is one example of them).
The conspicuous limestone cliffs rising like islands from the bottom of the valley are called Mogotes. They can be up to 300m tall.
Viñales is a major tourist destination offering mainly Hiking and rock climbing. The local climbing scene has started to take off in the last few years with many new routes being discovered resulting in an increase in local tourism.
The 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion begins when a CIA-financed and -trained group of Cuban refugees lands in Cuba and attempts to topple the communist government of Fidel Castro. The attack was an utter failure.
Cienfuegos is a city 3 & ½ hours away from Havana -the only one founded by French settlers on the island-on Bahía de Cienfuegos, a bay on Cuba’s south coast. It's known for its colonial-era buildings (most neoclassical city in Cuba). City of Cienfuegos was declared a site of the world heritage by UNESCO in 2005
City tour of Trinidad, day in the city (known as the city of Museums, the best preserved colonial city in Cuba)
Trinidad, city, central Cuba. It lies on the southern slopes of the Sierra de Trinidad, north of its Caribbean Sea port, Casilda. Trinidad was founded in 1514 by Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar.
UNESCO had little to ponder when it declared the colonial core of the town a World Heritage Site in 1988.
La Moka is a UNESCO biosphere Reserve whose declaration is from the 1980’s (first one in Cuba) and offers excellent nature choices with unique flora and Fauna.
*Prices are per person, based on single, double and triple occupancy valid on date specified. Full payment is due when you book your tour. All rates, availability and tours are subject to change without notice. Certain restrictions apply.
* The initial deposit is $500 dollars and is non-refundable and non-transferable.
Itineraries
Day 1
Arrival in Havana
Havana, Spanish La Habana, city, capital, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. It also constitutes one of Cuba's 15 provinces: Ciudad de la Habana (City of Havana). ... The city's Old Havana (La Habana Vieja) district and its fortifications were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982
Met and assisted by tour guide. Transfer to 4-star Capri hotel
The Capri Hotel opened in November 1957. With its 250 rooms, the nineteen-story structure was one of the largest hotel/casinos in Havana during its heyday. It boasted a swimming pool on the roof.
7:00 p.m. pick-up for Welcome Dinner at Cacina de Liliam
La Cocina de Lilliam is one of the original paladares established in Havana in the 1990's when privately owned restaurants were first permitted. It is owned and operated by the great Sra Lilliam who is known as one of the greatest cooks of Cuban food. Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter ate here upon his visit to Havana
Accommodation with breakfast and welcome dinner
Day 2
Get to know Havana city
City tour of Old Havana. Founded in 1519 under the name of Villa de San Cristobal de La Habana, Old Havana is the historical center of the Cuban capital of Havana. ... Much of Havana Vieja was constructed during the Spanish colonial time period which is apparent in the city's baroque and neoclassical architecture.
Lunch at local Paladar. (Paladar is a term that in Spanish translates literally to "palate" and used with that meaning in the Spanish speaking world, however in Cuba is used exclusively to refer to restaurants run by self-employers. Mostly family-run businesses, paladares are fundamentally directed to serve as a counterpart to state-run restaurants for tourists seeking a more vivid interaction with Cuban reality, and looking for homemade Cuban food).
Afternoon visit to Museum of Rum
A visit to the Havana Club Museum of Rum isn't merely a journey back to the origins of Cuba's most famous beverage. From freshly cut stalks of sugar cane to a reconstitution of a distillery and ageing cellars, the museum offers a real-time experience of the rum-making process, as well as a taste of true Cuban culture
Visit Local Art galleries
Transfer back to hotel, rest of evening at leisure
Recommendations for the evenings include world-famous Tropicana cabaret (the Moulin Rouge of Cuba), Casa de la Musica (there are a few salsa venues in town), Cabaret Parisien, La Zorra y el Cuervo (Jazz), among many others, reservations can be made through your tour-guide or at the hotel sales bureau in the lobby.
Included accommodation with breakfast, city tour of old Havana, Lunch, entrance fee to Museo del Ron.
Day 3
Visit to Jardin Botanico Nacional
The Jardin Botanico Nacional de Cuba is located about 30-45 minutes outside of Havana City Center. There are 2 glass houses that feature many of the plants you can see in Cuba. There are areas in the glass houses that show plants that are indigenous to Cuba and the other areas have plants that grow in Cuba but are not indigenous and has them divided by region of origin, mainly South America, Asia and Africa.
The rest of the tour is taken by open air bus. The overall grounds of Jardin Botanico National is massive. The grounds are almost 1,500 acres big. And while the grounds are open to pedestrian traffic, it is far more efficient to take the tour buses. Most of the rest of the tour focuses on trees that you might see in Cuba, again divided by region of origin. I think that it would be fair to say that the Jardin Botanico National is actually more of an arboretum than a traditional botanical garden, as 90% of the gardens do focus on trees.
The collection of trees is quite impressive. They even have an area of the gardens dedicated to a rather large collection of palm tree varieties.
Lunch at a local Paladar, and afternoon visit to Ernest Hemningway’s Museum. Hemingway became a fixture of Havana, and stayed in the country longer than many Americans chose to after relations between Cuba and the United States began to deteriorate. He fished extensively aboard his boat, Pilar, and enjoyed the island lifestyle, hanging out in Havana, and entertaining guests at the Finca.
Continue drive to Cojimar, a fishing town where Hemingway kept his Boat
Cojímar is a small fishing town located seven kilometers to the east of Havana. This town is famous for being the setting of Hemingway's most famous novel: “The Old Man and the Sea,” which allowed him to be awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1954.
Transfer back to Hotel, rest of evening at leisure
Recommendations for the evenings include world-famous Tropicana cabaret (the Moulin Rouge of Cuba), Casa de la Musica (there are a few salsa venues in town), Cabaret Parisien, La Zorra y el Cuervo (Jazz), among many others, reservations can be made through your tour-guide or at the hotel sales bureau in the lobby.
Included accommodation with breakfast, English-speaking tour guide, transportation, Visit to National Botanical Garden of Cuba, Lunch, entrance fee to Hemingway’s Museum.
Day 4
Time : 9:45 am
Havana city, insight about life in the city
Pick-up walk (guide will pick you up) to Museo de la Revolucion( Visit to Revolution Museum The Museum of the Revolution’s exhibits are largely devoted to the period of the revolutionary war of the 1950s and to the country's post-1959 history but it spans from Cuba’s discovery by Christopher Clumbus in 1942 to present times), afterwards visit to Fine Arts museum (The National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana -Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana- in Havana, Cuba is a museum of Fine Arts that exhibits Cuban art collections from the colonial times up to contemporary generations)
Lunch at local Paladar
Afternoon visits to Havana’s La Cabaña Fortress, biggest one built by the Spanish Crown during the colonial times in Latin America. Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña, colloquially known as La Cabaña, is an 18th-century fortress complex located on the elevated eastern side of the harbor entrance in Havana, Cuba. The fort rises above the 200-foot (60 m) hilltop, along with Morro Castle
On the way back to hotel, stop at a flea market where souvenirs and other Memorabilia can be bought.
Drive back to hotel and rest of evening at leisure
Recommendations for the evenings include world-famous Tropicana cabaret (the Moulin Rouge of Cuba), Casa de la Musica (there are a few salsa venues in town), Cabaret Parisien, La Zorra y el Cuervo (Jazz), among many others, reservations can be made through your tour-guide or at the hotel sales bureau in the lobby.
Included accommodation with breakfast, visits to Museum of Revolution and Museum of Fine Arts, transportation, English-speaking tour guide, Lunch and Visit to La Cabana Fortress.
Day 5
Time : 9:00 am
Departure for Zapata Swamp
Stop en route at Fiesta Campesina Pitstop
Check-in at Playa Larga Hotel
Lunch at hotel
Afternoon birdwatching tour with local specialized tour guide
Drive back to hotel, Dinner at hotel, rest of evening at leisure
Included are accommodation with breakfast, Transportation, English speaking tour guide and specialized guide service for Cienaga de Zapata.
Day 6
More of Zapata Swamp and surrounding areas
Early Birdwatching morning in Cienaga de Zapata.
Drive back to hotel for lunch
Afternoon optional Snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea (transportation and guide available for you)
Drive back to hotel, Dinner at hotel, rest of evening at leisure
Included are accommodation with breakfast, Transportation, English speaking tour guide and specialized guide service for Cienaga de Zapata.
Day 7
Time : 9:00 am
Drive to Cienfuegos city
Drive to Cienfuegos city
Visit museum of Bay of Pigs Invasion and drive on to Cienfuegos city
Cienfuegos was the only city founded by French Settlers in Cuba during Spanish colonial times
Lunch upon arrival.
Afternoon City tour of the city.
Visit art Galleries and Thomas Terry Theater, a 19-century gem
Visit to Valle Palace, a Cuban architectural gem in eclectic style with strong influence of moorish styles.
Accommodation at Jagua hotel
7:30 pick up for Dinner at Paladar la Punta or similar choice
Rest of evening at leisure
Included are accommodation with breakfast, Transportation, English speaking tour guide, museum of Bay of Pigs, Lunch, Thomas Terry Theater, Valle Palace and Dinner.
Day 8
Time : 9:00 am
Drive to Trinidad (best preserved colonial city in Cuba)
City tour of the city core. Visit Museo Romantico
Lunch at local Paladar
Afternoon visits to art galleries and souvenir shops
Check-in all inclusive Brisas Trinidad del Mar or similar choice
Rest of day at leisure
Ancon Peninsula boasts excellent beach stretch. Do not miss Casa de la Musica in the
evening where locals merge with tourists for best Cuban music experience
Included are accommodation with breakfast, Transportation, English speaking tour guide, visit to Museo Romantico, Lunch, Dinner and all drinks at hotel.
Day 9
Time : 9:00 am
Excursion to Topes de Collantes
Pick up for Topes de Collantes
trekking Guanayara Trail, lunch at Casa del Campesino, bring your binocular, you’ll be in Sierra
del Escambray mountain range. Specialized birdwatching guide available
Drive back to hotel and rest of the day free
Included are accommodation with breakfast, Transportation, English speaking tour guide, excursion to Topes de Collantes, Specialized birdwatching guide, Lunch, Dinner and all drinks at hotel
Day 10
Time : 9:00 am
Drive back to western Cuba: Soroa
pick-up for drive through center Cuba to reach western Cuba going
through Santa Clara (Che Guevara’s Mausoleum)
Lunch ini Santa Clara
Accommodation in Soroa Hotel
Dinner at Hotel and rest of evening at leisure
Included are accommodation with breakfast, Transportation, English speaking tour guide, visit to Che Guevara’s Mausoleum, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 11
Birdwatching in Soroa and its surrounding areas
Early morning start
Birdwatching activities in the area, great to spot Cuba’s Zunzuncito
(smallest in the world) and el Tocororo (Cuba’s National Bird).
Visit to Orchid Garden visit
(largest in Cuba)
Dinner at Hotel and rest of evening at leisure
Included are accommodation with breakfast, Transportation, English speaking tour guide, visit to Orchid Garden, specialized birdwatching guide, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 12
Time : 9:00 am
Excursion to La Moka
Pick up for excursion to La Moka
Las Terrazas Community and its surroundings are a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve from the 1980’s. Bring your swimming suit, you’ll swim in San Juan River, visit Cafetal BuenaVista, a
19 th French coffee plantation, you’ll visit the community, a self-sustainable community, café
Maria, Rancho Curujey, lunch at Casa del Campesino
Drive back to hotel
Dinner at Hotel and rest of evening at leisure
Included are accommodation with breakfast, Transportation, English speaking tour guide, excursion to La Moka, Lunch, and Dinner.
Day 13
Departure Day
Transfer out to Havana International Airport for outbound Flight back to USA 4 hours before flight time
Included are accommodation with breakfast, Transportation, English speaking tour guide
END OF SERVICES
- As described in the day-by-day itineraries
- Tips of any kind (maids, tour guides, drivers), personal expenses at hotel facilities, personal expenses of any kind, meals and services not mentioned in itinerary
