Travelling to Cuba is an unforgettable experience, so spend some time planning your trip prior to getting to the island.
Planning your Cuba Tour
When visiting Cuba,
you can choose from a variety of different tours, from local guides, the tour for Cuban Revolution aficionados or self-drive, there is a variety of trips to suit you.
Local guided tours
One great advantage of travelling with a local guide is the first-hand knowledge they have of the island, they’ve lived and breathed Cuba and will provide a unique experience for those choosing this tour. They provide a better understanding of the history and culture and it is a great way to experience the real island of Cuba.
Tour guides receive intensive training in subjects including Cuban history, art, and natural history and are frequently graduates of modern languages – anything you want to know, just ask!
Cuba is proud to offer tour guides that are fluent in a variety of languages and most of the guides speak English, French, Portuguese or Italian. This ensures you get the most from your guided tour, and if anything goes wrong your guide on hand to offer assistance.
Viva La Revolución
This is just one of the tours on offer and is ideal for Cuban Revolution enthusiasts. You’ll follow the struggle of Castro, Che and their comrades.
You'll arrive at Havana Intl airport, where you will be met and transferred to your Havana hotel for one night. Next morning you visit the Museum of the Revolution and the historic Granma boat that launched the revolution, before you transfer to Havana airport for your flight to Holguin Airport Eastern Cuba. There you will be met by your local English-speaking tour guide and transferred to the town of Bayamo to your "revolutionary" Hotel.
You’ll stay here for one night before moving on to Niquero via Las Colorados , the beach where the revolutionaries landed, although in fact Celia Sanchez, close friend and confidante of Fidel until her death in 1980, was waiting to guide them to safety from a much easier landing place at Niquero. Visit Cabo Cruz and perhaps a swim in the blue green waters along the coast close to the national park.
You’re then off to Santo Domingo in the Sierra Maestra mountain range for a couple of nights. Here you will be taken on an orientation tour of the area to take a look at the stunning region set in the valley and surrounded by mountains. You will explore the mountains and experience the hard terrain endured by the guerrillas and you’ll then get to visit Castro's revolutionary headquarters at La Plata.
This tour will also give you the opportunity to explore then bustling city of Santiago de Cuba which was renowned as a centre of revolutionary activity before the Castro era. Your guide will take you around the city, allowing you to explore the nearby colonial architecture and museums, giving you the chance to ask your guide lots of questions. You’ll then spend an evening in Santiago's famous Casa de la Trova, which is one of the best Cuban music venues on the island.
Along with this you will visit the birth place of Fidel Castro, visit the Floridita the favourite haunt of Ernest Hemingway and visit the site of the armoured train that was hijacked by Che Guevara, plus much more!
This tour is 14 days in total and will give you a thorough experience of the real Cuba.
Self-Drive
If you’re looking to explore Cuba without a guide then opt for a self-drive tour. You can choose from a number of planned itineraries where you will be provided with maps, a guide book, and some driving instructions to help you find your way through Cuba. This type of trip is for the more adventurous traveller, occasionally you might get car trouble, or find yourselves lost – but this is all part of the fun!
There are a number of additional Cuba tours on offer. Choose from walking tours, bird watching trips, beach breaks and even dance holidays; with so much to experience you’ll never get bored in Cuba.