Trip to Cuba – April 2024

Arrivals

Welcome dinner

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Cruise from the airport to your accommodations in beautiful Classic cars, and breathe in your first impressions of this wonderful city!

Check in to your boutique accommodation in Havana Vieja.

Time to settle in & freshen up.

Group welcome dinner at a popular Cuban-fusion restaurant nearby.

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Dinner included.

Drinks & tips not included. 

Convertible Car Experience

Havana on Foot

Free time

Group dinner

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After a delicious breakfast on the rooftop terrace with views over the city, we”ll head out in a classic convertible car for a tour of the city. 

We’ll then meet up with a local Cuban (and great friend of mine!) for a walking tour of the Old Town – with a twist!

Since no one likes a boring walking tour that drags on, this will be a tour with a difference:

Enjoy a free afternoon (or we can head into the streets together to take some photos!) before reconvening for a group dinner at one of the cities best restaurants. 

Optional / not included: It’s Friday night, so a trip to Havana isn’t complete without a visit to Fabrica del Arte! 

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Breakfast, lunch, & dinner included.

Drinks & tips not included. 

Road trip to El Nicho waterfalls

Arrive in Trinidad

Free evening

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Buckle up – we’re off on a 6 hour road trip to the East of the island! 

After an early breakfast, we’ll be collected in our classic cars. Our drivers will be with us for the entirety of the trip, and they’ll be joining in on our activities, so you’ll soon become best friends with them! 

It’s a 5 hour scenic journey to El Nicho, stunning waterfalls in the national park of Topes de Collantes. Here we’ll swim in the crystal waterfalls and have a typical creole lunch in an alfresco ‘paladar’ (private restaurant) nearby. 

We’ll then continue 1,5 hours to Trinidad to check in to your casa particular – and relax!

You have a free evening to do as you please. I will provide recommendations of restaurants and we can always go out together if anyone wants to.

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Breakfast & lunch included. 

Dinner, drinks & tips not included.

Hiking in a National Park

Beach

Dinner in a local home

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Hopefully you’re rested after our long day yesterday. Now it’s time to get outdoors and into nature! 

We’ll be collected by our trusty local in Trinidad, a great friend of ours and a fellow ‘guajiro’ (countryman!). 

He take us deep into the national parks of Trinidad. We’ll be hiking, bird watching, sipping coffee with local communities who live in the mountains, finding waterfalls, and enjoying the stunning Cuban landscapes. 

We’ll have a local group lunch before continuing on to the beach – Playa Ancon.

Find me here all afternoon, snoozing under a palm tree, sipping on fresh coconuts (with rum inside, of course). 

Tonight we’re dining with our friends! We’ll be going slightly out of the city to a local resident of Trinidad’s home. She and her daughter will be cooking a huge spread of typical Cuban food, so arrive hungry! This is also a unique opportunity to see life in Trinidad away from the tourists. Trinidad, in general, is incredibly equipped towards tourism these days, and frankly the majority of the restaurants are below par. So trust us – you’ll be receiving the best food in the city, with a unique experience of being in a local’s regular home. 

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Breakfast, lunch & dinner included. 

Drinks & tips not included. 

Delve into the history of the sugar and slave trade

Seaside lunch

Explore Trinidad’s non-touristic side

Free evening

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No trip to Trinidad is complete without learning a little about the rich history of the sugar cane trade and the slave trade during the colonial era. 

Our man-on-the-ground will collect us after breakfast, and together with our trusty team of drivers, we’ll head off on an adventure to explore the Valle de los Ingenios. 

We’ll finish up with a stunning viewpoint and an opportunity to throw yourselves off the mountain (the zip line!), before we head out to an unknown gem of a sleepy, fisherman town. It just so happens to be home to one of our favourite sea side restaurants!

Once we’re suitably nourished, we’ll head back into town for a small walking exploration deep into the non-touristic zones of Trinidad. 

We’ll meet locals and friends along the way, and be invited into their homes for a genuine cultural immersion. We’ll hear about life in Cuba from the mouths of Cubans who don’t live life in the tourism lane. We’ll sip on strong Cuban coffee whilst learning a little more about real life on the island. Another raw and unique experiences, exclusive to my trips.

Enjoy a free evening to do as you please, or we can head out to dinner together (salsa, anyone?!).

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Breakfast & lunch included. 

Dinner, drinks & tips not included.

Road trip to Las Terrazas

Afternoon at the local river

Dinner in the casa

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We’re up early today to get a head start on the day. 

We’ve got a 6 hour road trip to Las Terrazas, with plenty of stops on the way. 

Once we check in to our casa particular hidden in the mountains, we’ll pack a bag and head down to the local river. We’ll be joined by some of Ronnie’s friends & family from his home town and we’ll have a typical Cuban afternoon, guzzling rum, eating great food, swimming in the clear waters, and enjoying each other’s company.

This is a time to switch off, entirely. There is no WIFI and no phone signal. You have no choice but to be fully present and it will be one of the best moments of your trip.

We’ll have dinner in our casa particulares, and spend the evening gazing at the stars, sharing conversation, or getting an early night – you do you. 

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Breakfast, lunch, dinner & drinks included. 

Tips not included.

Explore Las Terrazas

Visit the rural village where Ronnie grew up

Donation/give back opportunity

Lunch with family

Arrive in Viñales

Dinner in your casa

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After breakfast in the casas, we’ll take a stroll into the town of Las Terrazas. It’s a sleepy town with gorgeous scenery and truly incredible wildlife (the birds!). We’ll visit an art gallery of a local Cuban artist who has travelled the world showcasing his talents but who decided to return to his beloved home of Cuba. 

We’ll then pack up and head a couple of hours west to a very rural village where everyone knows Ronnie. Be prepared to stop every 2 seconds whilst people greet us – King Ronnie has arrived! 

We’ll visit some of Ronnie’s nearest and dearest in their homes. This is such a unique experience for you to see what real life in the countryside of Cuba is truly like. 

This is also the chance to give any donations that you have bought with you. I’ll have plenty of things to give out too, so no pressure on you to bring things. 

We’ll continue to some very close friend’s of Ronnie’s house where we’ll be greeted with warm smiles, a shot of Cuban coffee (and likely some rum, too), and we’ll help with the final preparations for lunch. 

Lunch is al-fresco in their garden under the mango tree. 

We’ll spend a short while here, chatting and seeing their land/animals (possibility to ride their horses, too!), before continuing to our final destination: Viñales. 

Just an hour’s scenic drive and we’ll be checking in to our casa particulares. 

Free time to relax, settle or enjoy a drink on the rooftop terrace looking out over the valleys. 

Dinner is in the casa tonight – I hope you’re hungry!

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Breakfast, lunch, dinner & drinks included. 

Tips not included.

Horse riding through the valley of Palmarito

Explore a secret cave + swim inside 

Roll cigars at our family farm

Alfresco lunch in the farm

Dinner in town

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Today is likely one of the best days of your trip. 

After breakfast, a cowboy Tio Changa!) will knock on our door and whisk us off on our strong and well cared for horses. 

Doing this ‘excursion’ with Ronnie and Changa means ALL the other cowboys will likely join us – for old times sake of when we lived here! 

We’ll ride through the jaw droppingly gorgeous landscape, visit a hidden cave where you can swim in the natural pitch black lagoon inside, before arriving at our family tobacco farm. 

We’ll spend a while here with the cowboys. They’ll talk with you about the process of tobacco, how to roll and smoke a Cuban cigar, with tasters of local honey, rum and coffee. 

We’ll dine al-fresco and sip on the best mojitos you’ll ever have, and we’ll likely whip out the dominoes and turn up the music – a party in the middle of the national park is not one to forego!

Whenever you’re ready, we’ll ride home and relax. 

Dinner in the town together at our favourite restaurant. 

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Breakfast, lunch & dinner included.

Drinks & tips not included. 

Beach day – Cuban style!

Picnic lunch with the family and drivers

Free evening

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We’re off on an adventure to the beach today – but Cuban style! 

Cayo Jutias is a slow and bumpy 1,45 minute drive from Viñales. It’s scenic and a great way to see more of the west of the island. 

Most tourists go to the beach in a ‘taxi collective’, sunbathe for a while, then return home. It’s a nice day, but it’s nothing special. 

As Ronnie & I don’t do things by halves, we are going all out today and we’re taking you to the beach, together with all our nearest and dearest – it’s a Cuban style beach party!

The Cubans don’t often get to go to the beach since they don’t have the transport and can’t afford their own taxi, so this is a great opportunity to ‘give back’ and provide some fun for everyone. 

We’ll set up camp at the beach – feel free to wander off and do your own thing for a while – and we’ll set up lunch under the palm trees.

If you want the party – it’s with us! If you want relaxation, there’s a huge beach with plenty of secluded spots to set down your towel. 

Enjoy the sun, sea and sand at this gorgeous and little-known Caribbean gem of a beach. Options to do sea sports are available. 

Once we arrive back in Viñales, you have the evening to yourself. 

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Breakfast & lunch included. 

Dinner, drinks & tips not included. 

Sunrise hike

Horse & cart tour of Viñales – with a twist!

Spend the afternoon at our beautiful homestead

Dinner in a cave restaurant

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We’re up with the birds today for a medium-difficulty level 45 minute hike to the most spectacular viewpoint in Cuba. It’s worth the early morning, trust me. 

We’re back in our casas by 09:00 latest, and breakfast will be on the table. 

Freshen up and prepare for the upcoming day of adventure. 

A convoy of horse and carts will collect us from our casas and head off on a ‘tour of Viñales’. But not the typical touristic one – we’re heading to the outskirts of the town, going off road, and visiting some family and friends for coffee and chats. A very typical Cuban ‘pastime’ is ‘hacienda vistas’ which means ‘making visits’. You drop in, unannounced, and they put the coffee on and have a chat on the porch in the rocking chairs. It’s a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours, seeing ‘real’ countryside in Viñales, being warmly invited into yet more local homes, and passing the time in true Cuban fashion. 

We’ll stop off at a road side kiosk for some ‘guarapo‘ – a delicious typical sweet juice made entirely from the sugar cane (we like to add a dash of rum, too, as it dampens the sweetness and makes your day a little happier!). 

We’ll finally end up at Ronnie’s mum’s house where we’ll set up camp for the day. 

Help prepare lunch, go to work in the fields with Ronnie’s dad, learn how to drive the ox-and-plough, play with the farm animals (goats, pigs, cows, dogs, chickens, you name it), tour Ronnie and my beautiful ‘project’ which lies just behind the family home. It’s a real beauty, and we’ve always got trees to be planted if you want to get your hands dirty with us! 

You can be sure that people will ‘drop by’ for some coffee, rum or even to have lunch with us. 

This afternoon is slow, familiar, and real. This was my life for 6 years and I’m so excited to invite you into it. I know you’ll love it just as much as I do. 

When we’re done here, we’ll head down the road to a hidden restaurant that locals dine at. It’s nestled within a cave and serves deliciously fresh, farm-to-table food. We’re inviting all the family and drivers, so you know it’s going to be fun. 

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Breakfast, lunch, dinner included. 

Drinks & tips not included. 

Free morning 

Return to Havana 

Farewell dinner

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We’ve had a busy and fun-filled few days in Viñales and sadly it’s time to say goodbye. Today is a slow day to reflect on your adventures and time in Cuba. (Though it’s not over yet!).

Enjoy a free morning to do as you please (explore the town, get some souvenirs at the market, pack up and say a fond farewell to your hosts).

At 12:00 our drivers will collect us to return to Havana, approx 3 hours.

Arriving around 15:00, check in to the casa in Havana and enjoy some free time. 

As it’s our final night together, let’s go out in style. Put on your best outfit and we’ll be collected in a local form of transport (Coco taxis!) at 19:30 to head to a wonderful spot for our farewell dinner. 

Let’s sip mojitos, eat good food, reminisce on your adventures over the last 10 days, and savour the final moments together. 

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Breakfast, lunch & dinner included. 

Drinks & tips not included. 

Airport transfers

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Sadly it’s time to check out and head to the airport. 

Our drivers will take you and bid you a very fond farewell, surely with hugs and tears, and make sure everyone gets off safely. 

NOTE: if you plan on staying in Cuba for longer, or you want to spend more time exploring Havana before you leave, I’m more than happy to help you plan any accommodations, transport or activities. 

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Breakfast included for those still here during breakfast hours (8 – 10:30).