From Havanna to Vinales

Airfare is not included in this tour, so you are responsible for arranging your own transportation to and from Cuba. The first day is unscheduled, allowing you to arrive in Havana at your convenience. Upon arrival at José Martí international Airport (HAV), one of our representatives will greet you in the arrivals hall and accompany you to our charming hotel for the night. Here, you will meet the guide and the rest of the group. We have dinner together at the hotel and go over the program for the coming week.

Today we drive to Las Terrazas where we our cycling adventure begins. This is a beautiful eco-tourism area that was listed by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve in 1985. After centuries of deforestation, new trees were planted and conservationists built an ecological community by a small, beautiful lake. Here we take a morning walk, eat lunch and taste the locally produced coffee, and there will also be time for a refreshing dip. In the afternoon, we cycle the last stretch to Soroa, which is known for its beautiful waterfalls, but the area still bears the mark of the powerful hurricanes that have ravaged here in recent years. Here we spend the night and have dinner.

After breakfast we take the bus out of Soroa before we start cycling down into the valley. The trip takes us through small charming villages and we spend the night at Pinar del Rio which is a sleepy little town at the foot of the Sierra del Rosario mountain range. We cycle through thriving agricultural areas and tobacco plantations, up and down along the almost unused mountain roads, and on a clear day it is possible to see both the north and south coast of Cuba, which here is only about 5 miles wide. Along the way we will have lunch, and when we arrive in San Diego de los Baños, we will check into the hotel and find a place to have dinner.

We eat breakfast, bring a packed lunch and visit a cigar factory before leaving San Diego de Los Baños. Soon we catch sight of "Los Mogotes", which are the tree-clad, mushroom-shaped mountains that rise straight up from the lush, green fields. We are now in the middle of the province known for producing Cuba's (some say the world's) best tobacco and its beautiful limestone formations. We visit the cave Cueva de la Portales, where Che Guevara commanded the Cuban army during the crisis of 1962. We spend the night in Aguas Claras, which is located just outside the city of Piñar del Rio. Here you can lie and relax by the pool, well satisfied with the day's cycling.

Today we are going on a journey of discovery in the beautiful Viñales Valley. Viñales is known for its tobacco plantations, many valleys and vast networks of limestone caves. We will spend the whole day here and will visit both the Santo Tomás cave, tobacco farmers and the rock paintings "Mural de la Prehistoria". Here we also eat lunch and enjoy Cuba's best and freshest Piña Coladas. The last leg goes to the colorful town of Viñales where we check into casas particulares (private homes). Here we are warmly welcomed by the owner of the house. In the evening we find a local paladar (local privately run restaurant) where we can have dinner.

A short walk from our Casa brings us to the trailhead for today's ride among the horse trails and lagoons that characterize the Viñales farms. The rich red soil and moist conditions are perfect for growing fruit, vegetables and tobacco. We visit local farms and learn how farmers live and work, try a coffee or cocktail, then learn more about life in the countryside. Today we will have lunch at a restaurant located on the outskirts of town known as Wilfredo's Organic Farm, a self-sufficient organic farm that uses the produce from their fields in the kitchen. After lunch we head down the hill towards Viñales Village and explore this lovely rural town.

We take it easy in the morning and eat breakfast at our casa. Afterwards, we hop on our bikes and hit the road again. We have been given a packed lunch that we will eat along the ride. We will struggle quite a bit on bad roads today, but we promise that Cuban village life will tempt you with many new impressions. The first stage is perhaps the most beautiful of the entire cycling journey! During the day, we can smell the sea, and we arrive at Cayo Jutias. This is one of Cuba's finest beaches, a beautiful white sandy beach of around three kilometers.Here we spend a few hours relaxing, sunbathing and swimming in the Caribbean Sea, before taking our bus back to Havana for the evening. Here there are often opportunities to join a salsa course if you still have some energy left in your legs. In Havana we are accommodated in two different private homes in the old town. This is a great way to get to know the city and its culture even better!

Today we explore a city that has been lost in time. This is a magical city that bears witness to Spanish cultural heritage: dark rum, sweet cigars, salsa and a legendary joie de vivre. The four main quarters from the colonial era are on the UNESCO World Heritage List and consist of a wonderful jumble of small, narrow alleys and old, elegant buildings. Side by side with pastel colored buildings from the colonial era, we find slogans such as "Viva Cuba Libre" and the unmistakable portrait of Che Guevara painted on white brick walls. We are dropped off in Miramar, and get a sightseeing tour into the old town. Here we eat lunch and In the afternoon there will be a sunset drive through Havana, in old classic American cars, to a great restaurant for a joint farewell dinner.

After breakfast we we say goodbye to Cuba and all the new friends we have made along the way. Participants then have the freedom to organize their onward journeys, whether it is on the way to the airport and home or going to yet another exotic destination. You can be sure we have plenty of suggestions to get you inspired!