Tranquilo - 8 Days - Idea Private Escorted Cuba Tour Program

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1 Tranquilo - 8 Days - Idea Private Escorted Cuba Tour Program Cuba is not a holiday, it s an Experience! Your Experts in Tailor Made Cuba Tours experiencecubatours.com.au info@experiencecubatours.com.au Remember, this is just an idea, a conversation starter. It is a totally bespoke tour for you, so let us know what you think. Come and experience Cuba; a place where time appears to have stood still. Get to know the most exciting island in the Caribbean. Enjoy not just the old American cars in the streets or the colonial architecture in Old Havana, feel the sense that the world of modern tourism has somehow largely bypassed the Caribbean s largest island. Cuba is one of the few remaining communist countries in the world. Its isolation from the modern world has perhaps helped to conserve the Cuban society s personality where you can feel like the pulsating heart of what it means to be Latino, with music, dance, and the fiesta being core. Come and Experience Cuba: an undeniably fascinating and unique destination. Inclusions: o Personalised welcome and greeting at Havana airport by ECT representative. o Havana airport transfers on arrival and departure. o Comfort accommodation in "casas particulares" (guesthouses or home-stays) with private bathrooms/ensuites and airconditioning. * o Daily breakfasts, 1 lunch and 1 dinner as specified in the tour. o Bottle of water daily. o Private transfers as specified below. ** o Same private local Cuban guide throughout. o Activities/excursions as specified below. o Travelers Information Package with lots of practical advice (PDF). o Cuba Tourist Map, advised by MINTUR, Minister of Tourism in Cuba. *** o DK Eyewitness Travel Top 10 Cuba with a pull-out map (hard-copy). **** o All ECT personnel tips. 1

2 Included Activities: o Old Havana walking tour. o Classic Convertible Car tour of Modern Havana. o Hemingway Tour visit to Finca La Vigia (entry fees included). o Mariel: A taste of Cuba tour. All meals and drinks included. o Rum and Tobacco tour, Havana. Visit to a cigar factory, visit to the Rum Museum and visit to El Cristo de La Havana outlook point (entries fees included). Not included: o International flights. o Travel insurances (required to participate in our tours). o Visas and passport fees. ***** o Meals (except those specified in the itinerary). o Drinks (except the bottles of water as specified in the tour). o Additional optional activities not specified in the tour below. o Tips (except ECT personnel). Itinerary Highlights: (All times are approximate and subject to change) Day 1: Havana. Arrival. Greeted and welcome at airport by our Experience Cuba Tours representatives. Look for our logo and your group leader name, which is usually the person that made the booking. Transfers to your accommodation. Day 2: Havana. Old and Modern Havana Tour: Enjoy a walking tour of the colonial district Havana Vieja (Old Havana) accompanied by your private local guide. Learn about the city s nearly 500-year-old heart, now a pedestrian-only UNESCO World Heritage Site and discuss the city s architecture and historic restoration efforts. a genuine living museum. This colonial and historic centre is a museum at open air of architecture, art and culture. Bask in a beautiful Classic Convertible Car, while you take in the highlights of modern Havana. Visit Central Havana, Cerro and Vedado neighbourhoods, making stops at diverse points of interest. Today s tour is a real treat for history and culture enthusiasts. Tips: Due to its preservation degree and architectural richness of its monuments and buildings, Old Havana was acknowledged in 1982 by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Dress appropriately for the weather, wear sunscreen, and good walking shoes. 2

3 Day 3: Havana. Hemingway Tour: Relive Hemingway s steps in Havana by visiting the Nobel Prize s favourite spots in the city. Ernest Hemingway loved Cuba so much that he considered himself a Cubano Sato - which translates to a garden variety Cuban. Hemingway felt a kinship with the Cuban people and was inspired by many of his experiences while he was in Cuba and on the waters surrounding the island nation. In response, the Cuban people have showed equal admiration. Today a Hemingway industry flourishes in Havana - where his image is seen nearly as much as other famous Cuban icons. 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 4: Havana. Free day. Refer to our Catalogue of Activities for tour ideas. Day 5: Mariel. A Taste of Cuba Tour - Our signature tour: 1 full day tour in Mariel. All meals and drinks included. Get a taste of life in a small Cuban town. Mingle with the locals, be the guest for one full day of an authentic Cuban family, play some dominos, have a go at dancing some salsa, and help to cook your own food. Mariel is a municipality, located approximately 40 kilometres west of Havana City. Its port is the nearest port to the United States. In 1980, some 125,000 Cubans left Mariel and went to the United States in what is known as the Mariel boatlift. While most reached the USA, many died during the journey. Those involved became known as "Marielitos. Overnight in Havana. Day 6: Havana. Free day. Refer to our Catalogue of Activities for tour ideas. Day 7: Havana. The Cigar and Rum Tour: The best way to discover the secrets of an ancient tradition in the land of the best cigars of the world and get to know the origin and development of the rum production in the island. Includes visits to a Cigar Factory, the Cigar s Museum, the Cigar Smoker s Hotel, shopping opportunity at the specialized cigar stores, Rum museum and a tasting of the Havana Club rum. Day 8: Havana. Departure: Transfers to airport. 3

4 Travel Times Summary (approximate): Havana to Mariel: 1:00 hour. Prices (per person) in AUD As shown on our website. * Inquire for an upgrade of accommodation to Select casas, private apartments, luxury villas or hotels (incurs surcharges). ** Transport/transfers are provided in cars or minivans as specified. A mix of classic old cars, more modern cars and minivans may be used *** Map is provided as a hard-copy and on arrival in Cuba. **** Allow 4 weeks for delivery to Australia and New Zealand. (1 per couple). ***** Experience Cuba Tours can arrange yours visas for additional costs. You must be eligible for this service, please refer to our T&Cs for details or ask your ECT travel consultant. 4

5 Additional Itinerary Notes 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 (homestays, B&B s or guesthouses) 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 quite rustic and bare compared to what most international travellers are used to back home. Experience Cuba Tours utilises different categories of casas (Standard, Comfort and Select homestays and guesthouses), private self-contained apartments, villas and hotels stays, so make sure to let us know your preferences to quote accordingly. Cuba as a developing country is subject to power outages and it is common to have low water pressures in the showers and sinks. It is also common for the shower to be electric. 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. Experience Cuba Tours, as other tour operators in the island, 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 Tours but when travelling to other countries it is customary to abide by the local laws. Should you have any issues or concerns regarding your tour or services provided to you by Experience Cuba Tours, Tailored Journeys Pty Ltd while on your tour, you should contact the company s representative Laynet Luna immediately. We will attempt in good faith to resolve the issue. Failure to notify the company at the time may limits Experience Cuba Tour s ability to resolve the matter at a later date. 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. Tailored Journeys Pty Ltd, trading as Experience Cuba Tours. ABN: ACN: , info@experiencecubatours.com.au. 9/20 Kearns Cres, Ardross, WA, Australia. Please refer to our Terms and conditions: ATAS Travel Accredited No. A