Carnaval 15 days - Cuba Private Tour
Itinerary highlights
Day 1: Havana
Arrival date. Bienvenidos a Cuba! (Welcome to Cuba). We will greet and welcome you at the Havana airport. Look for one of our Experience Cuba Tours representatives. Look for our logo and your group leader name, which is usually the person that made the booking. The transfers to your accommodation are part of the inclusions in this tour. Take this opportunity to go for a little wonder around your accommodation. Havana (and Cuba in general) is incredible safe, and Cubans are welcoming and warm people. or perhaps take this opportunity to rest from your journey (the calm before the storm!).
Day 2: Havana
Old Havana Walking Tour and Classic Convertible Ride
Enjoy a walking tour of the colonial district Havana Vieja (Old Havana) accompanied by your private local guide. UNESCO declared Old Havana a World Heritage Site in 1982, a genuine living museum, in which more than 144 buildings from the 16th and 17th centuries are conserved. This colonial and historic center is a museum at open air of architecture, art and culture. This tour is a real treat for history and culture enthusiasts.
Bask in a beautiful Classic Vintage Convertible Car while you take in the highlights of Havana.
Day 3: Pinar del Rio. Viñales or Soroa.
Select 2 activities
Travel to the Western province of Pinar del Rio. An area of great importance, though it may not have the large cities and infrastructure that you would normally associate with importance, to Cuba as it is an area that produces some of the world’s finest tobacco. Still stereotyped as a simple area with pure country folk it has withstood the temptation to adopt the big tourist developments and remains an area of simple houses and homes in basic small villages and towns.
Select 2 from the following options:
- Soroa Tour
- Tobacco Plantation
- Viñales Prehistoric Mural
- Indian Cave
- Las Terrazas
Overnight in Viñales.
Day 4: Bay of Pigs and Cienfuegos
Playa Giron Museum (entry fees included)
Departing from Havana, travel to Bay of Pigs (Playa Giron) and learn about the 1961`s fight between Cuban militias and U.S. hired mercenaries.
Cienfuegos panoramic and cultural tour
Continue to Cienfuegos, and enjoy a panoramic tour of the city known as well as the Pearl of the South. Cienfuegos is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, founded in 1819 by French settlers from Bordeaux and Louisiana. Wander along the avenue to visit Beny Moré’s monument, one of Cuba’s most treasured musicians. Overnight in Cienfuegos.
Day 5: Santa Clara and Trinidad
Che Guevara Mausoleum Visit (entry fees included)
Departing from Cienfuegos continue by travelling to Santa Clara, the city of Che Guevara. Founded in 1689 Santa Clara was militarily taken by Che Guevara in December 1958, during the Cuban revolution. Visit to Che Guevara Mausoleum, where his remains are kept.
Trinidad Panoramic and Cultural Tour
Travel to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Trinidad. Panoramic tour of Trinidad city. The “Villa de la Santisima Trinidad” was the third village founded by the Spanish Crown in Cuba in early 1514. The conservation and restoration work undertaken by specialists has made Trinidad one of the best preserved colonial cities not only in Cuba but also of South America. Overnight in Trinidad.
Day 6: Trinidad
Trinidad Free Day
Refer to our Daily Activities page for ideas of what to do.
Day 7: Camaguey
Panoramic and Cultural tour of Camaguey
Departing from Trinidad travel to Camaguey. Enjoy a stroll along the UNESCO heritage and rich in colonial-style Camaguey city centre. Uncover its asymmetrical and complex street web while admiring the architectural attractiveness of San Juan de Dios Square, Ignacio Agramonte Park and the Worker’s Square among other local attractions. Overnight in Camaguey.
Day 8: Bayamo
Bayamo Panoramic and Cultural Tour
Learn about the rebellious spirit of Bayamo on a walking tour offering the city’s highlights. Stroll around the metropolis centre to learn about fascinating chapters in the history of Cuba. Regular life in Bayamo rotates around Céspedes Park, the Hymn Square and Céspedes birthplace.
Overnight in Bayamo.
Day 9, 10, 11: Santiago de Cuba
Santiago de Cuba Panoramic and Cultural Tour
Discover Santiago de Cuba and their genuine and welcoming people in a panoramic tour of the city.
Refer to our Daily Activity pages for ideas of what to do.
Day 12: Havana
Domestic flight to Havana with Cubana de Aviacion. 20 kg limit, inclusive of carry on baggage.
Day 13: Havana
Return to Havana City.
Refer to our Daily activities page for ideas of what to do.
Day 14: Havana
Hemingway Tour
Relive Hemingway’s steps in Havana by visiting the Nobel Prize’s favourite spots in the city. Visit where he lived at the “Finca La Vigia” and Room 511 at the Ambos Mundos Hotel. Stopover at La Bodeguita del Medio and El Floridita: the birthplace of the Daiquiry.
Day 15: Havana
Departure date. We are sorry we have to say goodbye…for now ;-P
Adiós muchachos, compañeros de mi vida,
Barra querida de aquellos tiempos.
Me toca a mi hoy emprender la retirada
Debo alejarme de mi buena muchachada.by Carlos Gardel.
Translation:
Goodbye guys, companions of my life,
Bye dear bar, memories of these times.
It’s my turn today to undertake the withdrawal,
I must get away from my good companions.
Personalised for you
Take a look at our Daily activities for further ideas on how to personalise this tour for you!
Or give us a call so we can discuss.
- Transfers from and to Havana airport on arrival and departure.
- Domestic flights from Santiago de Cuba to Havana with Cubana de Aviacion.
- Transport/transfers in car or minivan as specified in the itinerary.
- Premium accommodations in “casas particulares” (Cuban term equivalent to guesthouses, home-stays, B&Bs). Private bathrooms/ensuites and air-conditioning guaranteed. Upgrades of accommodations to superior casas, private apartments, luxury villas or hotels are available on request and incurs additional surcharges.
- Daily breakfast.
- Daily bottle of water per person, excluding arrival, departure and free days.
- Same local tour guide throughout the tour.
- Activities/excursions as specified in the itinerary.
- Travelers Information Package with lots of practical advice (PDF).
- Cuba Tourist Map, advised by MINTUR, Minister of Tourism in Cuba (hard-copy) on arrival in Cuba.
- DK Eyewitness Travel Top 10 Cuba with a pull-out map (hard-copy). Allow 4 weeks for delivery. Available only to residents of Australia and New Zealand.
- ECT personnel tips and gratuities.
- Old Havana guided walking tour.
- Classic Vintage Convertible Car ride (1 hour).
- Pinar del Rio: Selection of 2 activities included.
- Bay of Pigs, Playa Giron museum (entry fees included).
- Panoramic and cultural tour of Cienfuegos.
- Panoramic and cultural tour of Trinidad.
- Panoramic and cultural tour of Santa Clara. Visit to Che Guevara Mausoleum (entry fees included).
- Panoramic and cultural tour of Camaguey.
- Panoramic and cultural tour of Bayamo.
- Panoramic and cultural tour of Santiago de Cuba.
- Hemingway Tour, visit to Finca la Vigia (entry fee included).
- International flights.
- Travel insurances (required to participate in our tours).
- Visas and passport fees. Visas can be arranged for additional costs and subject to our Terms and Conditions.
- Additional meals (except daily breakfasts and the meals in Mariel Tour).
- Drinks (except bottles of waters as stipulated in the itinerary).
- Additional optional activities not specified in the tour. They can be added, incurs surcharges.
- Tips and gratuities (except ECT personnel).
Low season (15th of March to 14th of November):
- One person, one room: price on request
- Two people, one room: $2,998 AUD
- Three people, two rooms: $2,753 AUD
- Four people, two rooms: $2,331 AUD
- Five people, three rooms: $2,255 AUD
- Six people, three rooms: $2,032 AUD
High season (15th of November to 14th of March): Supplement of $120 AUD per person.
Notes: For groups with more than 6 travellers please contact us for details and a quote.
- It is an exciting time in Cuba with rapidly changing legislation and local conditions. Cuba has seen a massive increase in tourism, which has put a strain on local tourist infrastructure. While we will strive to operate our tours as closely to published itineraries as possible, conditions often change from one day to the next, and minor tour modifications may be necessary with no advance notice.
- Casa Particulares can refer to home-stays, B&B’s, guesthouses, self contained apartments or entire villas. They are family run businesses that are legal and formalised to provide accommodation to foreigners in Cuba. Though much nicer than general Cuban homes they can seem a bit rustic and simple compared to what most international travellers are used to back home. Experience Cuba utilises premium accommodations as their entry level, with private bathrooms and air conditioning services guaranteed.
- Cuba as a developing country is subject to power outages and it is common to have low water pressures in the showers and sinks.
- If understanding and expectations are kept in check staying at Casa Particulares is a very personal and pleasurable way to accommodate yourself in Cuba.
- The transport system in Cuba is in many ways different to anywhere else in the world. We (Experience Cuba) are restricted in a large way by the local transport laws. We use privately owned transport with approved licences to provide taxi services to tourists and the state-owned transport services of TRANSTUR, the only inter-provincial taxi provider in Cuba. The privately-owned transports vary between classic vintage cars (hardtop and convertible) and more modern models of cars, all in good condition. It is not law in Cuba for cars to be fitted with seat belts and neither is it against the law to use a mobile phone while driving. This is not condoned or encouraged by Experience Cuba but when travelling to other countries it is customary to abide by the local laws.
- While it is hard to know what every individual’s expectations might be, we do remind travellers that Cuba is in most respects a third world country and as such considerations should be made and understood.