Those passengers arriving on an international flight will be met at the airport by your local tour guide or representative who will escort you to the group hotel.

In the evening head out into Havana to hear to some of the all pervasive salsa which dominates the music scene. You may catch local people playing dominoes while you enjoy a cold mojito cocktail.

The streets of La Habana Vieja were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, and the subsequent restoration of this part of town has transformed it into arguably Latin America's finest colonial quarter, in marked contrast to the rambling, potholed streets and crumbling façades around it.

 

Breakfast included.

The town is set in a spectacular curve of mountains and feels as if it has been suspended in time; isolation has protected it from the excesses of tourism, and it's a delight to wander the streets and take in the surprisingly vibrant and authentic nightlife.

 

The surrounding region is one of rich, tropical beauty, and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Excursions include a boat trip on the Yumari River, passing cocoa and coconut crops with the background noise supplied by a myriad of tropical birds. The more active may want to ascend 'El Yunque' an anvil-shaped mountain that dominates the skyline. The climb is steep and there are wonderful views from the top over Baracoa Bay. 

 

Breakfast included.

Santiago is Cuba's second city and a town with its own pace of life; the city is lively, noisy and frenetic. From the rooftop of the Casa Granda Hotel in the main square there are views over the colonial centre and across to the glimmering waters of the Caribbean and the Sierra Maestra mountains.

 

You’ll visit to the Moncada Barracks, where Castro and his ill-prepared guerrillas launched their Revolution in 1953. It's a museum and a school now, but the walls are still riddled with bullet holes.

 

There are optional excursions in the surrounding area. Visit the Castillo del Morro San Pedro de la Roca, a fortress poised on the high cliffs which flank the entrance to the Bahia de Santiago or relax in the rural village of Cayo Granma, an excellent place for a peaceful meal. In the evening the city's mainly Afro- Caribbean population come alive and there is a fantastic music scene.

 

Breakfast included.

Day 6: Drive to peaceful Bayamo

Travel to Bayamo, the second oldest town in Cuba, and the birthplace of Cuban independence in 1898. Set on the edge of the Sierra Maestra mountains, it is a relaxed, pleasant town. Unusually for Cuba it has little in the way of colonial architecture as most of its original buildings were destroyed in a fire in the late 19th century. But there is a pretty main square and a park, which you will stroll through on your walking tour and the inhabitants are laid-back and friendly.

 

Breakfast included.

Day 7: Sierra Maestra

You continue by road up into the mountains of the Sierra Maestra National Park. The region contains some of the island's most spectacular scenery; deep, lush, forested hills stretching as far as the eye can see, and the occasional vista down to the coast.

 

Its revolutionary heritage is legendary: it was in these remote mountains that Fidel and Che started the Revolution, gathering and training the campesinos who were to join their army, and planning their attacks on the incumbent regime. There is a visit to the wooden shack that served as Castro's base of operations, the Comandancia de la Plata, during the Revolution's initial guerrilla war. The Sierra is also home to Pico Turquino, at 1,972m Cuba's highest peak. You overnight in a hotel in the village of Santo Domingo at the bottom of the valley.

 

Breakfast & Lunch included.

Today is spent travelling north to Camagüey (5hrs), a lively university city renowned for its ballet, music, and fine examples of unspoiled colonial architecture. You will see the characteristic tinajones clustered in patios and on the streets; these large clay pots were used in the colonial era for storing water in times of drought.

 

Breakfast included.

Continue west to Trinidad via the Valle de los Ingenios. This is a valley of sugar mills, where you visit a farm and climb the tower from where colonists kept a close eye on the slaves working in the plantations below.

 

Trinidad was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Its popularity has not affected its colonial charm and unhurried atmosphere. Low-rise, brightly painted houses with vast shutters open out onto cobbled streets, palm trees dot the main plaza and evenings go on to the early hours with dancing and music each night.

 

There is an informal walking tour and a number of optional excursions available. Drive up into the shady environs of the Escambray Mountains where you may spot the national bird, the tocororo, along one of the walking trails whilst en route to a waterfall for a refreshing dip. Or relax beneath the shade of a palm tree at Playa Ancón, a wide stretch of white sand.

 

Breakfast included.

Day 13: Havana via Las Terrazes

 

Breakfast included.

Day 14: Walking Tour in Havana

Today there is an informal walking tour of Old Havana. The streets of La Habana Vieja were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, and the subsequent restoration of this part of town has transformed it into arguably Latin America's finest colonial quarter, in marked contrast to the rambling, potholed streets and crumbling façades around it. Stroll along the cobbles, between grand, pastel-hued mansions and take in the bustling street life, the music that seeps out of every doorway and the gargantuan, crumbling 1950s American cars that clog the narrow streets. You'll have trouble keeping your camera by your side as iconic images flash before you around each and every corner.

The afternoon is free to further explore the atmospheric streets, visit some museums, do some last minute shopping or simply relax with a mojito.

 

Breakfast included.