MEDIO - 11 Days Small Group Cuba Tour - Escorted Program

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1 Cuba is not a holiday, it s an Experience! MEDIO - 11 Days Small Group Cuba Tour - Escorted Program Your Experts in Tailor Made Cuba Tours experiencecubatours.com.au info@experiencecubatours.com.au Travel as part of a small group of up to 7 PAX maximum. 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. Starting Days: Saturdays End Days: Saturdays Inclusions: o Personalised welcome and greeting at Havana airport by ECT representative. Transfers from Havana airport on arrival. o Comfort accommodation in "casas particulares" (guesthouses or home-stays) with private bathrooms/ensuites and air-conditioning. * o Daily breakfasts. o 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 All ECT personnel tips. 1

2 Included Activities: o Old Havana walking tour. o Classic Convertible Car tour of Modern Havana. 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 (entry fees included). o Viñales Valley orientation tour. o Bay of Pigs. o Panoramic and cultural tour of Cienfuegos and Trinidad. Not included: o Transfers to the airport on departure. o International flights. o Travel insurances (required to participate in our tours). o Visas and passport fees. **** o Meals (except daily breakfasts). o Drinks. 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. Start 09:00. Duration: Walking tour 3 hours. Classic Convertible ride 1 hour. 2

3 Day 3: Havana. Rum and Habano: Visit a cigar factory to learn about the globally renowned and iconic Cuban cigar production. Havana is the birthplace of premium cigars, and the city is dotted with cigar factories of all shapes and sizes. Walk through the doorway with the tropical heat following you inside, and step onto a cracked floor, wondering just how many shoes have walked this weathered path before you. The clamor of workers going about their business reaches your ears and grows in volume with every step: A shout in rapid-fire Cuban Spanish, a call to an amigo, a friendly laugh, the hearty baritone of a golden-throated lector reading the daily news. Shopping opportunity at the specialized cigar stores. Visit to the Rum Museum to learn about the origin and development of the rum production in the island and enjoy a Cuban cocktail. Shaped by Cuban climate, geography, history, and people, rum is an essential part of the nation s culture. As its finest expression, the rum range represents this rich heritage. It contains the true spirit of Cuba. Start 9:00 am. Duration. Visit to the factory of tabaco Partagas: 30 to 45 min, visit to the Villanueva store: 30 to 45 min, visit to the Ron Museum: 1 hour. Day 4: Pinar del Rio. Viñales Valley Tour. Today you travel with your local guide 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. Viñales in the Viñales valley where you will be based has an almost prehistoric feel to it thanks to the Mogotes, or flat-topped mountains. The Valle de Viñales is a fabulous national park abundant in fertile red soil, incrusted in green fields of tobacco plantations. Viñales offers Cuba s best hiking, mounting, caving and landscapes views, based around the serene farming town on the edge of the park. This is Cuba at its most attractive. Refer to our Optional Services for activities ideas. Overnight in Viñales. Start: 9:00 am. Transfer 3:30 hours. 3

4 Day 5: Pinar del Rio. Viñales Valley. Free day. Refer to our Optional Services for activities ideas. Day 6: Pinar del Rio Playa Larga (Bay of Pigs). Travel to Playa Larga in Bay of Pigs. This is a cute little, for tourists growing, cosy village. It s small but lovely beach has casas particulares right on the beach in some instances. There are some restaurants too where you can have breakfast lunch or dinner with your toes in the sand. Very chill relaxed destination for those who want to mingle with locals. Playa Larga was one of two beaches invaded by US-backed exiles on April 17, 1961 (although Playa Girón, 35km further south, saw far bigger landings). Nowadays, it's the best base for exploring the Zapata peninsula, Cuba's largest wilderness area, and is also known for its diving. Overnight in Playa Larga. Start: 9:00 am. Transfer 5:00 hours. Day 7: Playa Larga Cienfuegos. Continue to Cienfuegos and enjoy a cultural tour of the city known as well as the Pearl of the South. Founded in 1819 by French settlers from Bordeaux and Louisiana, the city is arranged around the country's most spectacular natural bay. Cienfuegos is a nautical city founded in 1819 by French émigrés, whose homogeneous grid of elegant classical architecture earned it a Unesco World Heritage Site listing in The city is split into two distinct parts: the colonnaded central zone with its stately Paseo del Prado and graceful park; and Punta Gorda, a thin knife of land slicing into the bay with a clutch of outrageously eclectic palaces built by the moneyed classes in the 1920s. Wander along the avenue to visit Beny Moré s monument, one of Cuba s most treasured musicians. Visit the Cathedral as well as one of Cuba s oldest and most beautiful theatres: Thomas Terry. Overnight in Cienfuegos. Start: 9:00 am. Transfer 2:30 hours. Day 8: Cienfuegos Trinidad: Continue to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Trinidad and enjoy a Cultural tour of Trinidad city. The Villa de la Santisima Trinidad was the third village founded by the Spanish Crown in Cuba in early 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. Trinidad possesses a strong colonial architecture, which dates from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. The oldest part of the city (55 blocks in size, with 1211 buildings) is one of its greatest attractions. It contains beautiful churches (such as the Great Parish Church, a neoclassical edifice built in 1892) and public squares, the most important of which is Main Square-surrounded by buildings of great beauty and historic and architectural interest and considered the second most important square in the country, after Havana's Cathedral Square. Overnight in Trinidad. Start: 9:00 am. Transfer 2:30 hours. 4

5 Day 9: Trinidad: Free day. Refer to our Optional Services for activities ideas. Day 10: Trinidad Havana. Transfers. Refer to our Optional Services for activities ideas. Start: 9:00 am. Transfers 4.30 hours. Day 11: Havana. Departure. Travel Times Summary (approximate): Havana to Viñales: 3.30 hours. Viñales to Bay of Pigs: 5 hours. Bay of Pigs to Cienfuegos: 2.30 hours. Cienfuegos to Trinidad: 1.30 hour. Trinidad to Havana: 4.30 hours. 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. ** 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. **** 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. 5

6 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. Casas 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 comfort accommodations as their entry level in these tours. All of our comfort bedrooms have air conditioning and a private bathroom. 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