Over the years we have operated many tours to Cuba, all exploring the unspoiled regions that lie beyond the popular tourist beaches. It is fascinating to note that so many of our participants fall in love with this lovely country and make repeated visits with us to its different regions.

CLASSIC CUBA
Itinerary
(Breakfast - B, Lunch - L, Dinner - D)


Day 1 Sun Feb 17
Flight to Havana / Soroa
We arrive today in Havana. Our destination is the Sierra del Rosario Mountains.  Known as the rainbow of Cuba, because of its above average rainfall, it features many species of orchids that thrive in moist conditions. We will visit an Orchidarium, operated by the University of Pinar del Rio, to see some of these orchids in their natural surroundings.  There are over 600 species of orchids in the collection, with 200 of them endemic to Cuba. Then we’ll continue on to our hotel.  After dinner we hope to do some stargazing in the wonderfully clear mountain air, as we watch for possible Stygian Owls hunting overhead.

Please Note:  Flights are not included in the tour cost.  Our planned group flight will be on Air Canada that operates direct, non-stop flights from Toronto to Havana return.  Once the trip is confirmed as operating, we will book these flights.  Please let Pamela know if you need assistance in booking your flights.

o/n Villa Soroa  (D)

Day 2 Mon Feb 18
Reserva del Rosario
Our optional, pre-breakfast bird walk will explore the extensive grounds and pool area of the hotel, shaded by Cuban and Royal Palms.  After breakfast, we will set off for the Reserva Sierra del Rosario, Cuba’s first biosphere reserve.  Introduced forestry practices were so successful here that they became a model for similar forestry schemes in other parts of Cuba and the world.  This is a very good area to look for the tiny but exquisitely colourful Cuban Tody, a bird that is endemic to Cuba.  After a hike along one of the many trails, we’ll have lunch in a typical Cuban farmhouse to truly experience the local culture and visit Las Terrazas, a model commune in the area. If time permits, our day will end with a visit to a restored 18th century coffee plantation, formerly owned by French coffee planters from Haiti, who fled to Cuba after the slave revolts.
o/n Villa Soroa (B, L, D)

Days 3 - 4 Tues Feb 29 – Wed Feb 20
Parque Natural Cienaga De Zapata
Today we’ll take the Autopista from Soroa to Playa Larga. Although this entails several hours driving we will break up the journey with a number of stops.  Our destination is the fabled Zapata Swamp.  Our home for the next two nights will be at Playa Larga, on the Bay of Pigs.  We will visit the national park’s interpretive centre and rehabilitation and breeding centre for the rare and endangered Cuban Parrot.

We will explore Las Salinas, part of the Zapata Peninsula, renowned as the largest marsh in the insular Caribbean Sea.  To get to Las Salinas del Brito Fauna Reserve, on the peninsula, we’ll travel along a road that makes its way through savannahs, mangrove thickets and sub-tropical forests.  This 91 thousand-acre salt marsh is one of the most important flyways for migratory birds in the northern Caribbean.  The mudflats support large numbers of Greater Flamingos, egrets, Whistling Ducks and shorebirds.  We also hope to see the rare Cuban Black Hawk here.

After lunch at La Cuevas de los Peces, a quaint restaurant located next to a sea cave pool filled with multihued tropical reef fish, we will visit the crocodile farm at La Boca.  This breeding and research facility is sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund and is involved in rehabilitation efforts for the endangered Cuban sub-species of American crocodile.  We will return to our hotel in time to relax around the pool or stroll along the beach and enjoy the sunset.
o/n Villa Playa Larga (B, L, D)

Day 5 Thurs Feb 21
Cienfeugos / Trinidad
This morning we will set off for Trinidad, stopping on the way at the Soledad Botanical Gardens, near Cienfuegos.  At the gardens we’ll be entertained by Cuban Emerald Hummingbirds fighting among themselves for the best flowers in the Gardens amid Zebra-wing and Julia butterflies. We will also explore the charming Spanish colonial port city of Trinidad, with its wonderful collection of restored single-story, primary-coloured buildings topped by curvaceous clay-tiled roofs and enclosed in cobblestone streets.  Founded in 1514, it was the third settlement in Spanish Cuba.  The area around Trinidad, called the Valle de Los Ingenios, was home to many sugar mills and was the source of Cuba’s prosperity in the early 1800s.  Many of the old mills still dot the countryside and the entire area has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Later, we’ll make our way deep into the Escambray Mountains, a range that dominates this area of Cuba, to our hotel, Los Helechos or The Ferns in English.
o/n Los Helechos (B, L, D )

Day 6 Fri Feb 22
Topes de Collantes / La Codina
Today, we’ll explore part of the wild and rugged Escambray Mountains that tower above this part of the central plains. We will travel by army truck (the roads get steeper) to the beautiful coffee plantation of La Codina, where we will walk a lush mountain trail and enjoy a wonderful picnic lunch of roast pork, from a spit. Here, the wildflowers attract clouds of butterflies and the orchards and woods are alive with birds.

We will look for the Cuban Trogon, Cuba’s national bird, in the fragrant pine and eucalyptus forests of the region, as well as the endemic Cuban Bullfinch and Cuban Green Woodpecker.  The vocally challenged trogon, dressed in the colours of the Cuban national flag, is perhaps one of the most beautiful birds in the world.  In the past, we have also found the rare and endangered Cuban Rose-throated Parrots in the forests.  We’ll return to the hotel to relax in its beautiful surroundings.
o/n Los Helechos  (B, L, D)
 
Day 7 Sat Feb 23
Hanabanilla Dam / Cayo Santa Maria
Today we’ll have a short but scenic drive to Hanabanilla Dam.  This picturesque reservoir, winding its way through the countryside, is set against a backdrop of palm-fringed hills.  We will transfer to a comfortable launch and make our way through the flooded valleys to Rio Negro Island to have lunch in a secluded restaurant, accessible only by boat.  We’ll have a short, but steep, optional hike before lunch. It will be for those who are energetic and wish to have a great view of the area while watching Turkey Vultures fly by at eye-level.  After lunch, we’ll go back on board and make our way to the other end of the lake where our bus and driver will be waiting for us.  We’ll continue on to Cayo Las Brujas on the North East coast.  The beaches here have been described as simply the best in Cuba.
o/n Villa Las Brujas (B, L, D)

Day 8 Sun Feb 24
Cayo Las Brujas  / Jardines del Rey Archipelago
For a change of pace, we will board our comfortable catamaran for a boat ride through the beautiful Jardines del Rey Archipelago, part of the Archipelago de Camaguey.  Our cruise will take us through a number of different habitats including sea caves, mangrove areas, beaches and rocky headlands.  We will have lunch on one of the deserted cays. There will be free time to beach-comb and enjoy the ambience of warm sand and sea breezes.  Bring your mask and snorkel, as there should be an opportunity to snorkel. The mangroves around the hotel are a treasure trove of birds with Cuban Green Woodpeckers and Cuban Bullfinches on the steps to the cabins. Hutias, an endemic Cuban mammal, are common around the boardwalk in the early morning and evening.
o/n Villa Las Brujas (B, L, D)

Day 9 Mon Feb 25
Santa Clara / Old Havana
This morning, after a leisurely breakfast, we will make our way to Santa Clara.  While here, we’ll visit the Che Guevara mausoleum, one of the more striking monuments in honour of the famous Cuban-Argentinian revolutionary.  On our way to Havana, we’ll stop for lunch at Fiesta Campesina.  In the afternoon we’ll explore Old Havana, where we will visit some of the colonial sites and a handicraft market. Old Havana has such a special place in the Caribbean that, in 1982, UNESCO recognized its superb colonial architecture by declaring it a World Heritage Site. Through extensive renovations, the local neighbourhoods that give the old town its natural vibrancy are being restored.

We will sample a “Mojito”, the national drink made from rum and mint in the Café Oriente where we will have our farewell dinner, a scrumptious dining experience in the old town. 
 
We will be staying at the modern Occidental Miramar in the embassy section of Havana.
o/n Occidental Miramar (B, L, D)

Day 10 Tues Feb 26
Departure Day
This morning, after a visit to El Morro Fort, we’ll be driven to the airport in time for our flights home.  Please note that our activities will depend on our flight time. (B)