Discovering Cuban Culture and History

Adventure 

 Christopher Columbus discovered Cuba in October 1492, some days after landing on the small island of Salvador, and what he saw around the Bariay area, made him say that ¨this was the most beautiful land ever seen¨. That was the moment when our history started to be written.

This programme offers you the possibility of tracing the Cuban history and culture, visiting the Cuban natives´ villages, our first town (Baracoa), the first Cuban Capital (Santiago de Cuba), the city where  the first fights for independence from Spain begun (Bayamo), the Cuban current capital and biggest city in the Caribbean (Havana), the so-called Pearl of the South (Cienfuegos city), the  living museum of Trinidad city and the central town of Santa Clara, also called The Che´s city, because of the famous guerrilla man.

Day1  Guardalavaca is a 3 kms long beach, located about 40 miles from Holguín international airport, with powdery sand, warm water, colourful scuba sites and relaxing All Inclusive hotels. Cuban biggest hotel: “Playa Pesquero” and the very exclusive Paradisus Río de Oro hotel are also in the vicinity.- Transfer from Holguín airport to the Brisas Guardalavaca All Inclusive hotel (4****) (Brisas Guardalavaca is the best option for a rest, with 437 rooms distributed in a 5 story building and a Villa section which is the reflection of the first villages founded in colonial times)

Day 2, 3   - On the beach

Day 4 Go back to 1492 and experience the Cuba of Taínos (main native’s tribe)09:15 - Departure to the historical park Bariay  (This park is located at the spot where Christopher Columbus first set foot on Cuban soil and celebrates the meeting of Indian and European cultures that took place over 5 centuries ago) - Visit to the Indian Village (replica) and Cemetery Chorro de Maíta 12:30 - Return to the Hotel- Afternoon on the beach- Evening at leisure

Day 5 Porto Santo was the name given by Columbus to the area where the Spanish conqueror Diego Velázquez founded in 1512 the first Cuban Town: Baracoa, famous for its exuberant vegetation, rivers, coconuts and cocoa plantations and the main tourist destination of Guantánamo province.08:15 - Check out at the Hotel desk and departure to Baracoa13:00 - Typical countryside lunch at Finca Duaba(Finca Duaba is a farm turned eco-preserve, located where the river of the same name meets the sea. It's a good spot for lunch and is the staging point for easygoing boat trips along the river)14:30 - Trekking in the area.16:30- Check in at the Hotel Porto Santo (3***)(This modern, airy hotel is 2,5 miles from  the town centre. There are 36 rooms. A stairway leads to the dark sand beach)- City tour of Baracoa 

Day 6 Santiago de Cuba is a very historical place, also known as the cradle of the Cuban Revolution of 1959. It is the second largest Cuban city and the first capital of the Island. It’s still called by its citizens as the Capital of the Caribbean.08:00 - Check out at Baracoa- Departure to Santiago de Cuba13:30 - Lunch at El Morro restaurant(This is a place where you can’t beat the views and the sea breezes that come with your meal here on the terrace perched over the sea. Sir Paul McCartney enjoyed its tasty Creole food here, and Beatle-maniacs can ogle the chair he sat in, now well mounted and autographed) - Visit to the Morro Castle (Built to protect the town from pirate attacks is considered the best-preserved 17^th-century Spanish military complex in the Caribbean)- Check in at the Meliá Santiago hotel (5*****) (On one of the most popular avenues, this striking hotel preserves the legendary and Caribbean atmosphere of its population. It has all the requirements of a first class city hotel. Located 4.35 miles away from Antonio Maceo International Airport, and 0.93 miles from the city centre)- Evening at leisure

 Day 7 09:30 - City tour of Santiago- Walking tour in the town centre- Visit to the Moncada barracks(The Moncada Barracks was the site of an armed attack by a small group of rebels led by Fidel Castro that sparked the Cuban Revolution. The Barracks are now a school and the Museum of the Revolution) - Visit to the José Martí mausoleum (Among the tombs of many great Cuban historical figures is the José Martí mausoleum at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery. There is an impressive changing of the honour guard every half hour here devoted to Cuba’s national hero)12:30 - Lunch at El Zunzún restaurant(Dine in bygone bourgeois style in this place turned restaurant, with professional and attentive service)14:00 - Departure to El Cobre church (The famous sanctuary of the Cuban Patron Saint “Lady of Charity” is Cuba’s most sacred pilgrimage site, located 12 miles northwest of Santiago)16:00 - Return to the hotel- Evening at leisure* The guide will update you about the cultural events in the city

Day 8 The city of San Salvador de Bayamo is Cuba’s second oldest town, and the place where the First War of Independence against Spain started. Because of this and other history-making events that took place here, Bayamo is known as “the birthplace of the Cuban nation” and has been declared a national monument. 09:00 - Departure to Bayamo12:00 - Lunch at the restaurant La Bodega(This place has a rear terrace with river views. You have to try the special honied coffee)13:30 - City tour of Bayamo- Visit to the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes museum(This is the former residence of the First War of Independence hero. Céspedes memorabilia is to be seen here, complemented by period furniture. It’s notable architecturally as the only two-story colonial house remaining in Bayamo)- Visit to the Plaza del Himno (The Anthem square)(This is the spot where the national anthem of Cuba was first sung)15:30 - Departure to Holguín airport17:30 - Flight to Havana in Cubana airline *the flight coming from London - Check in at the Saratoga hotel in Old Havana (5****) (Standing on the western edge of the Historical Centre of the city, its elegant façade overlooks the other nineteenth century architectural glories of the Prado and Parque Central. The interiors, designed by European consultants, are simple, spacious, elegant and exceedingly comfortable)

 Day 9 Havana, Cuba capital city, is still one of the finest examples of Spanish colonial cities in the Americas and more than any city in the world is like stepping back in time. There is little trace of modern global commerce, no burger joints, no neon and not much advertising. There is little traffic and the cars that do cruise the streets tend to be antique models. 09:30 - Special colonial tour with horse carriages- Visit to the city museum(The Museum of the City is housed in the Palace of the Captain Generals, a beautiful example of 18th-century Cuban baroque, and one of the most important and well-preserved buildings in Old Havana. The building now features colonial-era relics and artifacts)12:30 - Lunch at Café Taberna Restaurant(The cafe is where coffee was first served in Havana, in 1772. Restored to resemble a 1950s cafe, its name honours Cuban jazz great Benny Moré and offers live Cuban traditional music. “Buena Vista Social Club” and the “50´s Traditionals” also perform here every Saturday night)14:30 - Visit to The Havana Club rum foundation (salsa lessons)(A visit to the Havana Club Museum of Rum isn't merely a journey back to the origins of Cuba's most famous beverage. From freshly cut stalks of sugar cane to a reconstitution of a distillery and ageing cellars, the museum offers a real-time experience of the rum-making process, as well as a taste of true Cuban culture)
- Evening at leisure 

Day 10 09:30 - Departure to modern Havana city tour- Visit to the cigar factory La Corona- Visit to city cemetery Christopher Columbus(The beauty and magnificence of this cemetery has made it famous throughout Latin America. Established in 1872, it holds nearly a million graves, many of whose headstones have been embellished by major Cuban and foreign sculptors)12:30 - Lunch at El Aljibe restaurant      (This restaurant is famous for its traditional Roast Chicken con Mojo. French fries, beans, rice and plantains accompany every dish. They also offer one of the best wine lists on the island. This restaurant has carved a niche for itself in the hearts of tourists and locals alike, thanks to the efficient staff and delicious food) 15:40 - Departure to Casa de la  Música  de Miramar (This casa dances every night with the rhythm of the best life Cuban salsa) - Evening at leisure

Day 11 Cienfuegos, known as the Pearl of the South, was founded by French settlers from Louisiana in 1819 and is located on a beautiful bay on the southern coast of Cuba, some 155 miles east of Havana. One of the chief seaports of Cuba, it is a centre for the sugar trade and is surrounded by one of the most picturesque and fertile regions in the country.08:30 - Check out at the hotel- Departure to Cienfuegos city12:30 - Lunch at Palacio del Valle Restaurant(The Palacio del Valle in Cienfuegos is a restaurant and museum, housed in a 1913 neo-Moorish mansion. Terrace with spectacular view)14:00 - Check in at the Jagua hotel (4****) (With its magnificent location in the well-known residential area of Punta Gorda, in the southern city of Cienfuegos, the Jagua is considered one of Cuba's most famous hotels. It offers beautiful panoramic views of the ocean landscape)15:00 - Departure to Cienfuegos city tour- Visit to the Terry theatre(Built in 1889 as the legacy of local sugar baron and slave trader Tomás Terry, this beautiful theatre witnessed performances by Enrico Caruso and Sarah Bernhardt in the early 1900s)20:00 - Dinner at Club Cienfuegos restaurant(This beautifully restored building was Cienfuegos Yacht Club and was the result of the old maritime tradition of Cienfuegos inhabitants.  It was exclusively used by Cienfuegos upper class in former times. Today it offers bar, restaurant service and boasts recreational facilities related to nautical activities) 

Day 12 Trinidad was founded in 1518 by Diego Velazquez as a base for expeditions into the New World and it was from here that Hernán Cortes set out to conquer Mexico. The city became rich due to sugar exportation. However, after the sugar price crashed in the 19th century many wealthy families left and the town fell in to decline. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an excellent example of the early days of the Spanish colonisation, with preserved buildings, cobbled streets and hardly a trace of modern architecture. The centre is only accessible by foot, which makes it a great city to walk around.09:00 - Departure to Trinidad- City tour of Trinidad- Visit to the Romantic museum of Trinidad(Trinidad has a number of museums in colonial mansions, but one of the best is the beautifully renovated Museo Romántico overlooking the main square, Plaza Mayor, which has an excellent exhibition of the paintings, decorative furniture and porcelain that belonged to the wealthy Brunet family in the 1830s)12:30 - Lunch at San Antonio restaurant (Located in an old mansion of the early 20th century, this restaurant is one of busiest in Trinidad)14:00 -Visit to one of the local pottery workshop- Visit to the Sugar Mill valley of San Luis(The valley, which along with Trinidad's historic heart, was declared Humankind's Heritage by the UNESCO, holds several ruins of sugar mills, summer houses, barracks and other facilities used in the sugar-making process)16:00 - Return to the Cienfuegos Hotel           - Evening at leisure 

Day 13 Santa Clara is the Capital city of Villa Clara province, which highlights because of  the sugar production, but historically known for the famous battle of Santa Clara, that was commanded by the famous guerrilla man Ché Guevara in December 1958. 09:00 - Departure to Santa Clara- Visit to Ché Guevara mausoleum and Museum at Santa Clara Revolution square. (This mausoleum is the sacred place where the famous leader’s remains are preserved. The museum has excellent displays about Che’s life and role in the revolution)- Visit to Santa Clara town centre (Park Vidal) and the armoured train monument(The armoured train monument is quite a unique attraction for those lovers of Cuba’s history. It's a park built around the spot where Ché Guevara and his soldiers derailed an armoured train during the critical battles for control of Santa Clara in 1958. It was declared a National Monument in 1990)13:00 - Lunch at La Concha restaurant14:30 - Return to Havana- Stop at Fiesta Campesina farm(The Fiesta Campesina farm is famous among visitors for its sugarcane juice “guarapo”, the Cuban-style coffee, served in a clay with a piece of sugarcane and its samples of autochthonal flora and fauna)  17:30 - Check in at the Saratoga hotel in Old Havana (5*****) - Evening at leisure

Day 14 09:30 - The museums tour (optional)- Visit to the Cuban Fine Arts museum(The National Museum of Fine Arts holds a rich collection of Cuban and universal pieces.  It shows the richness of Cuban plastic arts in all its splendor, its schools, codes and languages)
- Visit to the museum of the Revolution(This beautiful building was formerly the Presidential Palace of Dictator Fulgencio Batista and 20 other Cuban presidents before the Revolution. It presently shows documents, photos and objects about Cuban struggle against colonialist dependence and with special attention to Revolution)13:00 - Late check out at the hotel16:30 - Transfer out to the airport

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