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.

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


Day 1 
Flight to Havana / Parque Natural Cienaga De Zapata
Today is our arrival day in Havana. We anticipate that our group flight will leave Toronto early in the morning and arrive in Havana in time for lunch at the Havana Botanical Gardens. We’ll have a chance to stretch our legs and enjoy the many excellent exhibits in these fabulous gardens.  Then we’ll set out, in our comfortable air-conditioned coach, for our first destination, the fabled Zapata Swamp.  Our home base for the next two nights will be at Playa Larga, on the Bay of Pigs. 

Please Note:  Flights are not included in the tour cost.  Our planned group flight will be on Air Canada which 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 Occidental Miramar, Havana (L, D)

Day 2
Parque Natural Cienaga De Zapata
We will explore Las Salinas, part of the Zapata Peninsula, renowned as the largest marsh in the insular Caribbean.  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 also visit the national park’s interpretive centre and a rehabilitation and breeding centre for the rare and endangered Cuban Parrot.

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 3
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.  In the afternoon we’ll drive deeper into the Escambray Mountains.  Dinner will be at the Los Helechos Hotel, situated among towering Eucalyptus trees.
o/n Los Helechos (B, L, D )

Day 4
Topes de Collantes / La Codina
Today, after breakfast, we’ll travel by army truck to the beautiful coffee plantation of La Codina, where we will walk a lush mountain trail and enjoy a picnic lunch of roast pork, off the spit, in the gardens of the old hacienda. 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. 
o/n Los Helechos ( B, L, D)

Day 5
Hanabanilla Dam / Cayo Las Brujas
Today we’ll have a short but scenic drive to the Hanabanilla Dam.  We will transfer to a comfortable launch and make our way through the flooded valleys to Rio Negro to have lunch.  For those who are interested, there is an optional, short, but steep, hike before lunch.  After lunch we’ll continue on our boat to Hanabanilla Hotel where our bus is waiting for us.  Our final destination is the wild and desolate Cayo Las Brujas and our hotel of the same name. Las Brujas means “the witches” and the cay and hotel are called after a sea witch, famous in local legend.  We’ll have the beach, on this wonderful island, all to ourselves.
o/n Villa  Las Brujas  (B, L, D)
 
Day 6
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 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 7
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 8
Departure Day
After a morning visit to El Morro Fort, we’ll have lunch at the pleasant La Divina Pastora restaurant. In the afternoon, we will be transferred to the airport in time for our flights home.  Today’s activities depend somewhat on our flight schedule.  (B, L)