7-Night Tour of Eastern Cuba
A 7-night fully escorted tour that has been carefully designed from over 25 years of experience of tour planning in Cuba.
We have included unique highlights into the tour itinerary that most other tours on the market do not offer. These include:
- Visit the hidden gem of Gibara, according to the Guardian Cuba’s best kept secret!
- A short trek to La Plata, the former HQ of Fidel Castro’s revolutionary heroes, situated deep in the SierraMaestra mountains
- A visit to Santiago de Cuba, a passionate and revolutionary city, home of the Mausoleum of Fidel Castro
- Two nights in Baracoa, one of the best places to visit in Cuba and not on many itineraries!
- Visit the birthplace of Fidel and Raul Castro at their former farm at Biran
Why Captivating Cuba
Tour Highlights
DAY ONE
Welcome to Gibara
On arrival at Holguin Airport you will meet the guide, then there is a short journey to the picturesque small town of Gibara which is located on the north coast of Cuba.
Declared a national monument town, this hidden seaside dwelling is not normally on the tourist trail. Your first night will be in a small boutique style hotel in the centre of this delightful town.
DAY TWO
Gibara & Bayamo
Take a tour of Gibara known in Cuba as the ‘Villa Blanca’, with a unique architectural style and beautiful coastal location. Continue to Holguin, one of the largest cities on the island. Tour the colonial centre of the city.
Continue to Bayamo, a small town known locally as ‘La Heroica’ due to its long history of revolutionary battles against the Spanish in the 19th Century and Batista’s troops during the last revolution.
DAY THREE
Bayamo & Sierra Maestra Mountains
Tour Bayamo then travel deep into the Sierra Maestra Mountains, passing villages and wonderful mountain scenery. Arrive at Villa Santo Domingo, nestled deep in the mountains.
Jeeps will take you higher into the mountains for a walk to La Plata, the former HQ of Fidel Castro’s revolutionary heroes. Discover Fidel’s house and the radio station from where they launched the Revolution. Visit the tiny mountain community of La Platica.
DAY FOUR
Sierra Maestra Mountains & Santiago de Cuba
Visit the picturesque church of El Cobre, and the Castillo del Morro, a historical fortress offering fantastic views. See the Moncada Barracks, the location where many describe as the start of the Revolution and the small Museum that depicts Fidel Castro’s attack.
Visit the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, the final resting place of Fidel Castro, one of the world’s most recognised leaders. See Parque Cespedes, Calle Heredia, and Padre Pico Street.
DAY FIVE
Baracoa
Departing the hotel early in the morning, you will take one of the most interesting and spectacular drives in Cuba along the very south-eastern tip of Cuba where at times the scenery is almost desert- like, and then you will take the mountain road called ‘La Farola’ to Baracoa.
Take an early evening stroll through the picturesque centre of Baracoa, reputedly the place where Christopher Columbus first landed in Cuba.
DAY SIX
Baracoa
Travel to Rio Toa, Cuba’s wildest river which runs through a UNESCO protected reserve. Enjoy an exhilarating boat ride up the river through some spectacular scenery.
Visit Finca Duaba, surrounded by lush tropical scenery and the location of Cuba’s cocoa plantations. Take a guided walk through the farm and learn a little more about Baracoa’s famous chocolate production.
DAY SEVEN
Santiago de Cuba
Head to the city of Guantanamo made famous globally for two very different reasons, firstly the ballad Guantanamera taken from a poem written by Cuba’s national hero Jose Marti and secondly, for the US base and now Camp X Ray. Stop in the city where you can sense the presence of the nearby base.
Visit the tiny island of Cayo Granma where a seafood lunch will be served looking out over the sea.
DAY EIGHT
Biran & Holguin
Visit the tiny village of Biran in the foothills of the Nipe Mountains. Biran is the birthplace of Fidel and Raul Castro who both became iconic world leaders, and you will see the house where the brothers were born, also the final resting place of their parents.
After a tour of Biran, the journey will continue to Holguin where those leaving and those heading to the beaches at Guardalavaca will be transferred.
