Day 1: Havana
Havana
Welcome at the airport and transfer to a casa particular where your lovely hosts await.
Included services: Transfer.
Day 2: Havana
Havana (Breakfast)
After breakfast, hop on a cocotaxi to go from downtown Havana to Old Havana. Stroll through the streets and alleys taking in icons, such as the Arms Square, El Templete, the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the Cathedral Square, the Old Square and the Bodeguita del Medio, watering hole of American writer Ernest Hemingway. After lunch (not included), enjoy a ride in a 1950s American classic car to the Morro Castle, along the famous Malecón, all the way to the neighbourhood of Vedado. Then, after a safety briefing, pick up your e-bike at the Caribbean Tours office for a tour of modern Havana. Your first stop will be the Revolution Square, where the greatest demonstrations in Cuba have taken place. Admire the imposing José Martí sculpture and “Che” Guevara’s gigantic headshot silhouette wrought in bronze. Continue along the legendary Christopher Columbus cemetery, cross the bridge over the Almendares River and meander through the residential neighbourhood of Miramar to appreciate the magnificent mansions of the old bourgeois families. Later, transfer to your casa particular.
Included services: City walking tour in Old Havana, Panoramic tour in a classic car, City tour by e-Bike.
Total kilometer today: About 15 kilometers by bike, flat.
Day 3: Viñales
Havana - San Juan y Martínez - Viñales (Breakfast)
The tobacco route takes you to Pinar del Río, the greenest of all Cuban provinces, blessed with the best soil for tobacco in the world and spectacular limestone formations called mogotes. Visit a tobacco farm where you will be able to appreciate the entire process, from the cultivation of the crop to the treatment of the leaves, to the rolling of the cigars. Enjoy a typical Cuban lunch and, after coffee, you will have the opportunity to light one of the exquisite puros made in house. Later, continue on e-bike across the city of Pinar del Río and onto the mountainous road leading to the stunning Viñales Valley. The valley and its iconic mogotes, home to a rich biota, will welcome you to the town, just a few kilometers ahead, where your casa particular accommodation awaits.
Included services: Visit to a tobacco production center.
Total kilometers today: About 30 kilometers by bike, hilly (e-bike from Pinar del Rio to Viñales).
Day 4: Viñales
Viñales (Breakfast, Box Lunch)
Today you will visit the valley of Viñales where time seems to have stopped. The almost intact nature in combination with the fauna of the area are witnesses of this. Whilst riding the e-bike you will surely meet some farmer who will tell you about his life and work; You can even see some of them tilling their land in the traditional way with oxen and carts, you will visit the cave of the Indian and the prehistoric wall, iconic places that cannot be missed during a visit to Viñales. Then you continue by bike to the Moncada Community nestled in the Santo Tomas Valley and surrounded by the largest cave system in Latin America, and there you visit the Santo Tomas Cave, one of the most important settlement points for the maroons who escaped from the sugar cane plantations. You will enjoy a box lunch before returning to Viñales.
Total kilometer today: About 40 kilometers by bike, hilly (e-bike from Viñales to Moncada).
Day 5: Las Terrazas
Viñales - Cueva de los Portales - Las Terrazas (Breakfast, Lunchbox, Dinner)
After breakfast, waving goodbye to Viñales your area heading to Los Portales Cave, headquarters of Argentinian guerrilla fighter Ernesto “Che” Guevara during the Missile Crisis. Amidst the natural environment, enjoy some refreshments. Get on the bus to continue to Las Terrazas Ecological Reserve, where your Moka Hotel is found. This environmentally friendly hotel, at the heart of a community created to support a forestry project, was designed to integrate into the landscape. The surrounding forest hills are ideal to relax and stroll around leisurely. In a unique atmosphere, learn about the various community projects and have dinner at a vegetarian restaurant in Las Terrazas.
Included services: Visit of the Cueva de los Portales, de Parque La Güira.
Total kilometers today: about 50 kilometers by bike, hilly (e-bike from Viñales to Cueva de los Portales).
Day 6: Playa Larga
Las Terrazas - Playa Larga (Breakfast, Lunch)
Today a long bus trip awaits you to the central region of Cuba. Before arriving at the legendary Bay of Pigs, you will visit an oasis of nature at Fiesta Campesina, a pleasant restaurant and farm, where you will enjoy a delicious country lunch. From there you will begin cycling through the Ciénaga de Zapata National Park, a swampy area known for its rich flora and fauna, and through the Bay of Pigs area to your private house in Playa Larga. Playa Larga is a quiet coastal town with few tourists who like authentic experiences. In the afternoon you will have free time to get to know this small Cuban town and walk along the beach that lines it beautiful coasts.
Included services: Visit and lunch in Fiesta Campesina.
Total kilometers today: About 30 kilometers by bike, flat (e-bike from Jagüey Grande to Playa Larga).
Day 7: Cienfuegos
Playa Larga - Cueva de los Peces - Cienfuegos (Breakfast, Lunch)
For e-bikers, the seaside road of Bay of Pigs is particularly fun to go along. It runs between the sea and the dense vegetation of the swamps, linking interesting places, such as la Cueva de los Peces, the largest cenote in Cuba, a heavenly diving spot. After lunch at a local restaurant, the route continues to Playa Girón, battleground of the infamous CIA-supported invasion in 1961. At the latter, visit the local museum to learn about the historic clash through an exhibition that includes a plane used in the battle. After a short break, proceed to Cienfuegos on the bus. The “Pearl of the South” was founded by the French and features a modern urban layout and fascinating neoclassical architecture.
Included services: Swimming in the bay of Pigs.
Total kilometer today: About 25 kilometers by bike, flat (e-bike from Playa Larga to Caleta Buena).
Day 8: Trinidad
Cienfuegos - Trinidad (Breakfast, Lunch)
Today you head for the city of Trinidad, famous for its well-preserved colonial architecture. To your left, appreciate the Escambray Mountain Range, where the National Park Topes de Collantes is. On the way stop in Guajimico before continuing by bus to the La Lima farm where lunch is served and you have the possibility to exchange with the farmers before heading to today's final destination, Trinidad. At the end of a steep hill, a sign indicates you have arrived at your destination: welcome to Trinidad! Here, hundreds of homestays allow you to live with Cuban families. Welcome and check in at your casa particular. In the evening, explore the Trinitarian nightlife enjoying live music and dance at Casa de la Música or Casa de la Trova (optional).
Total kilometer today: maximum 80 kilometers by bus or bike, hilly, later flat (on e-bike From Cienfuegos to Guajimico).
Day 9: Trinidad
Trinidad (Breakfast, Lunch)
This morning you will take a walk through the oldest area of the city, declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO. Starting from the Plaza Mayor, surrounded by majestic antique homes and an ancient church, you will cross the cobblestone streets that were once carriage avenues and retrace the local craft markets and small squares. You will visit a museum to see ancient pieces that tell the history of the city and delight your palate with a typical cocktail from the region. Lunch will take place surrounded by nature at Finca Bárbara, a pleasant ranchón located near the Valle de los Ingenios. In the afternoon, back on the electric bike, you will travel a 12 kilometers journey to Ancón beach, where you can relax for a few hours sunbathing and bathing on the beach.
Included services: City tour Trinidad, museum, Cocktail at the Canchánchara, lunch in an ecological Farm.
Total kilometer today: Maximum 35 kilometers by bike, flat (e-bike to and from Playa Ancón).
Day 10: Santa Clara
Trinidad - Topes de Collantes - Santa Clara (Breakfast, Lunchbox)
Today you cross the Sierra del Escambray, the largest mountain system in the center of the island. The bus will take you to the Topes de Collantes information center where you will taste a nice coffee and receive a brief description of the Topes de Collantes National Park. Then you continue by bus to the Jibacoa curtain where an impressive view of Lake Hanabanilla can appreciate, from here you start pedaling to Manicaragua observing the wonderful landscapes of this mountainous area on the way. After a bus ride you arrive at Santa Clara.
Total kilometer today: Maximum 40 kilometers by bike, hilly (the whole route).
Day 11:
Santa Clara - Varadero - Havana (Breakfast)
In the morning you first visit the city of Santa Clara, which witnessed the most important victory of the guerrilla icon Ernesto "Che" Guevara. You will visit the place where the armored train derailed, a decisive action in the success of the Cuban Revolution, and the mausoleum where Che's remains are found before continuing to Havana via Varadero to leave those who choose an optional beach extension in Varadero (not included).
Included services: City-Tour Santa Clara.
