1 Tailored Journeys Pty Ltd, WA, 6153. Trading as Experience Cuba Tours. 2018 Your Experts in Tailor Made Cuba Tours experiencecubatours.com.au [email protected]1300 79 55 31 Remember, this is just an idea, a conversation starter. It is a totally bespoke tour for you, so let us know what you think. Come and experience Cuba; a place where time appears to have stood still. Enjoy not just the old American cars in the streets or the colonial architecture in Old Havana, feel the sense that the world of modern tourism has somehow largely bypassed the Caribbean’s largest island. Its isolation from the modern world has perhaps helped to conserve the Cuban society’s personality where you can feel like “the pulsating heart of what it means to be Latino”, with music, dance, and the fiesta being core. Come and Experience Cuba: an undeniably fascinating and unique destination. Inclusions: o Personalised welcome and greeting at Havana airport by ECT representative. Transfers from Havana airport on arrival and departure. o Domestic flight from Santiago de Cuba to Havana. * o Comfort accommodation in "casas particulares" (guesthouses or home-stays) with private bathrooms/ensuites and air-conditioning. ** o Daily breakfasts and bottle of water daily. o Private transfers as specified below. *** o Same private local Cuban guide throughout. o Activities/excursions as specified below. o Travelers Information Package with lots of practical advice (PDF). o DK Eyewitness Travel Top 10 Cuba with a pull-out map (hard-copy). **** o Cuba Tourist Map, advised by MINTUR, Minister of Tourism in Cuba. ***** o All ECT personnel tips. Carnaval – 15 Days - Idea Private Escorted Cuba Tour Program Cuba is not a holiday, it’s an Experience!
Transcript
1 Tailored Journeys Pty Ltd, WA, 6153. Trading as Experience Cuba Tours. 2018
Your Experts in Tailor Made Cuba Tours experiencecubatours.com.au [email protected] 1300 79 55 31
Remember, this is just an idea, a conversation starter. It is a totally bespoke tour for you, so let us know what you think. Come and experience Cuba; a place where time appears to have stood still. Enjoy not just the old American cars in the streets or the colonial architecture in Old Havana, feel the sense that the world of modern tourism has somehow largely bypassed the Caribbean’s largest island. Its isolation from the modern world has perhaps helped to conserve the Cuban society’s personality where you can feel like “the pulsating heart of what it means to be Latino”, with music, dance, and the fiesta being core. Come and Experience Cuba: an undeniably fascinating and unique destination.
Inclusions: o Personalised welcome and greeting at Havana airport by ECT
representative. Transfers from Havana airport on arrival and
departure.
o Domestic flight from Santiago de Cuba to Havana. *
o Comfort accommodation in "casas particulares" (guesthouses or
home-stays) with private bathrooms/ensuites and air-conditioning. **
o Daily breakfasts and bottle of water daily.
o Private transfers as specified below. *** o Same private local Cuban guide throughout.
o Activities/excursions as specified below.
o Travelers Information Package with lots of practical advice (PDF).
o DK Eyewitness Travel Top 10 Cuba with a pull-out map (hard-copy). ****
o Cuba Tourist Map, advised by MINTUR, Minister of Tourism in Cuba. *****
o All ECT personnel tips.
Carnaval – 15 Days - Idea Private Escorted Cuba Tour Program
Cuba is not a holiday, it’s an Experience!
2 Tailored Journeys Pty Ltd, WA, 6153. Trading as Experience Cuba Tours. 2018
Included Activities: o Old Havana walking tour.
o Pinar del Rio: Selection of 2 activities included.
o Bay of Pigs, Playa Giron museum (entry fees included).
o Panoramic and cultural tour of Cienfuegos, Trinidad and
Santa Clara.
o Visit to Che Guevara Mausoleum (entry fees included).
o Panoramic and cultural tour of Camaguey, Bayamo and
Santiago de Cuba.
o Hemingway Tour with visits to Finca la Vigia (entry fee
included).
Not included: o International flights.
o Travel insurances (required to participate in our tours).
o Visas and passport fees. ******
o Meals (except daily breakfasts).
o Drinks (except the bottles of water as specified in the
tour).
o Additional optional activities not specified in the tour
below.
o Tips (except ECT personnel).
Itinerary Highlights: (All times are approximate and subject to change)
Day 1: Havana. Arrival. Greeted and welcome at airport by our Experience Cuba Tours representatives. Look for our
logo and your group leader name, which is usually the person that made the booking. Transfers to your accommodation.
Day 2: Havana. Old and Modern Havana Tour: Enjoy a walking tour of the
colonial district Havana Vieja (Old Havana) accompanied by your private local
guide. Learn about the city’s nearly 500-year-old heart, now a pedestrian-only
UNESCO World Heritage Site and discuss the city’s architecture and historic
restoration efforts. a genuine living museum. This colonial and historic centre
is a museum at open air of architecture, art and culture. Bask in a beautiful
Classic Convertible Car, while you take in the highlights of modern Havana.
Visit Central Havana, Cerro and Vedado neighbourhoods, making stops at
diverse points of interest. Today’s tour is a real treat for history and culture enthusiasts.
Tips: Due to its preservation degree and architectural richness of its monuments and buildings, Old Havana was acknowledged in 1982 by the
UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Dress appropriately for the weather, wear sunscreen, and good walking shoes.
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Day 3: Pinar del Rio. Travel to the Western province of Pinar del Rio. An area of great importance, though it may not
have the large cities and infrastructure that you would normally associate with importance, to Cuba as it is an area that
produces some of the world’s finest tobacco. Still stereotyped as a simple area with pure country folk it has withstood the
temptation to adopt the big tourist developments and remains an area of simple houses and homes in basic small villages
and towns. Overnight in Havana. Select 2 from the following options:
o Soroa Tour: Soroa is in the western part of the Sierra del Rosario
Mountains in the extreme south-east of the province. Surrounded by
exuberant nature, Soroa owes its name to Frenchman Jean Paul Soroa
who at the end of the 18th century was impressed by the splendour of
the local vegetation, installing his coffee plantations and naming the
place after himself. The area has a mountainous section made up of low
and medium elevations with narrow valleys between the mountains
developed along the rivers. The most famous attraction in Soroa is the
Orchid Botanical Garden which contains more than 700 species from all
over the world, of which 250 are endemic from Cuba.
o Tobacco Plantation: Visit a tobacco plantation in the area, where you
will learn how Cuba’s world-famous cigars are made. The fertile land and favourable climate of this area make for
perfect cigar tobacco growing conditions.
o Viñales Prehistoric Mural: Visit to Mural de la Prehistoria, an outstanding natural and man-made site, which was
given status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999. The mural is the work of the former Director of Mapping
at the Cuban Academy of Sciences, Leovigildo González Morillo. A master of neo-caveman artistry. Morillo
undertook the massive project of portraying world history up until
the age of humans on a rock wall in the Viñales Valley. Spanning
from early molluscs and other ancient sea-organisms, the rock face
mural moves through the age of the dinosaurs and ends with three
giant red human figures.
o Indian Cave: Continue with a visit to “La Cueva del Indio” (Indian
Cave), with a boat trip through a subterranean river. It was here that
the Guanajatabey Indians built their primitive homes in caves
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hollowed out of the limestone mogotes, where relics of this nomadic people have been found
along with fossils of Pleistocene mammals embedded in the rock. Deep inside the caves, albino fish swim and
butterfly bats flit.
o Las Terrazas: Visit this small ecotourism community and nature reserve founded in 1971 in the municipality of
Candelaria, Artemisa Province, Cuba. It has many arts and crafts workshops and a beautifully restored 19th
Century coffee plantation – Cafetal Buenavista it is in the Sierra del Rosario mountains, which was designated a
Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1984.
Day 4: Havana – Playa Giron (Bay of Pigs) – Cienfuegos. Departing from Havana, travel to Playa Giron. One of the two
main landing sites in the ill-fated April 1961 CIA-sponsored
attempt to overthrow the new Cuban government led by Fidel
Castro and was the last occupied area of the invading force.
Located in the beautiful Cienaga de Zapata, this area has become
better known to most as the ‘Bay of Pigs’. Today there is a small
museum dedicated to this pivotal time in modern Cuban history,
the Museo Girón. Continue to Cienfuegos, also known as ‘the
Pearl of the South’. This city earned a UNESCO World Heritage
Site listing in 2005 and owes its founding and large parts of
historical architecture to French settlers from Bordeaux and Louisiana. Founded in 1819 it has a steeped nautical and
musical history with a monument dedicated to one of its favourite sons, Beny Moré who was born in the province. It is also
the site of one of Cuba’s oldest and finest theatres, Thomas Terry. Enjoy a panoramic and cultural walking tour around
this vibrant, eclectic city. Overnight in Cienfuegos.
Day 5: Cienfuegos – Santa Clara – Trinidad. Cultural panoramic tour Travel to the rebellious and revolutionary city of
Santa Clara. Now the resting place of one of the most famous of modern day ‘guerrillas’ Che Guevara who in December
1958 led the assault on Batista’s forces and ‘liberated’ Santa Clara. This proved pivotal in the revolution and ended
Batista’s regime. There is now a dedicated memorial/museum to Che Guevara and 29 fellow guerrillas. Many personal
effects of Che’s and the revolution are contained in the museum such as his personal gun, binoculars, water bottle, and
many pictures of times during the revolution. Continue to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Trinidad and enjoy a
panoramic and cultural tour of Trinidad city. Founded in 1514 by the Spanish it was known as the “Villa de la Santisima
Trinidad” but has now just come to be called Trinidad. It has
undergone great restoration and conservation works which
has made it one of the best-preserved colonial cities of the
Caribbean and South America. The oldest part of the city,
comprising of an area of 55 blocks, is one of its greatest
attractions containing some beautiful churches and public
squares. Cuban music fills the streets from the almost
countless cafes, bars and restaurants giving it a very lively
and jovial atmosphere. Overnight in Trinidad.
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Day 6: Trinidad. Free day. Refer to our Catalogue of Activities for
tour ideas.
Day 7: Trinidad – Camaguey. Travel to Camaguey and enjoy a
cultural panoramic tour of this city. Enjoy a stroll along the UNESCO
heritage and rich in colonial-style Camaguey city centre. Learn from
the guide and the local community to uncover its asymmetrical and
complex street web while admiring the architectural attractiveness of
San Juan de Dios Square, Ignacio Agramonte Park and the
Worker’s Square among other local attractions. Camagüey’s historic
centre – considered the largest as well as the best preserved on the
island – has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our
guide will help you to delight in the city’s many lavish churches and the twisted maze of streets, formerly designed to
confound marauding pirates. Camagüey is the birthplace of former National Poet of Cuba Nicolás Guillén and the home of
the world-renowned Ballet de Camagüey. It is full of charming cobblestone plazas, historic statues and intriguing
museums. You’ll find plenty of tinajones [earthenware jars] decorating the streets. The people of Camagüey originally
produced the jars to collect rainwater during a drought. Today, they are one of the city’s decorative hallmarks. Overnight
in Camaguey.
Day 8: Camaguey – Bayamo. Cultural panoramic tour of Bayamo. Learn about the rebellious spirit of Bayamo on a
walking tour offering the city’s highlights. Accompanied by your local guide, stroll around the metropolis centre to learn
about fascinating chapters in the history of Cuba. Regular everyday life in Bayamo rotates around Céspedes Park, the
Hymn Square and Céspedes birthplace. The city has a rich tradition of Cuban national pride and is often referred to as
"the Birthplace of Cuban Nationality" and "the Cradle of Cuban Revolution." Additionally, Bayamo has always been a
centre of philosophy and maintains a rich intellectual and artistic tradition. Gain exposure to its strong base of Afro-Cuban.
It was an early stronghold of revolutionary Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, who freed his slaves and declared war against
colonialist Spain. During the ensuing battles, Bayamo exchanged hands several times and was once burned to the ground
by Cuban rebels as the city was being sacked by the Spanish. Overnight in Bayamo.
Day 9: Bayamo – Santiago de Cuba. Discover Santiago de Cuba and their genuine and welcoming people in a cultural
panoramic tour of the city. Visit Céspedes Square, a lively park named for Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, a Cuban planter
who freed his slaves and declared Cuban independence in 1868. Parque Céspedes is the spiritual centre of Santiago. On
the south side of Parque Céspedes is the handsome Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. The first cathedral in
Santiago was built on this site in 1522, but repeated run-ins
with earthquakes and pirates – in 1606 English privateer
Christopher Myngs even stole the church bells after blowing
the roof off – made their mark, and Santiagueros started
work on a second cathedral on the site in 1674, only to see
the building demolished by an earthquake just three years
later. A third cathedral was erected in 1690 but was wiped
out by another earthquake in 1766. Overnight in Santiago de
Cuba.
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Day 10 and 11: Santiago de Cuba. Free day. Refer to our Catalogue of Activities for tour ideas.
Day 12: Santiago de Cuba – Havana. Domestic flight to Havana.
Day 13: Havana. Free day. Refer to our Catalogue of Activities for tour ideas.
Day 14: Havana. Hemingway Tour: Relive Hemingway’s
steps in Havana by visiting the Nobel Prize’s favourite spots
in the city. Ernest Hemingway loved Cuba so much that he
considered himself a “Cubano Sato” - which translates to a
garden variety Cuban. Hemingway felt a kinship with the
Cuban people and was inspired by many of his experiences
while he was in Cuba and on the waters surrounding the
island nation. In response, the Cuban people have showed
equal admiration. Today a Hemingway industry flourishes in
Havana - where his image is seen nearly as much as other
famous Cuban icons. Visit where he lived at the "Finca La
Vigia" and Room 511 at the Ambos Mundos Hotel. Stopover
at La Bodeguita del Medio and El Floridita: the birthplace of
the Daiquiry.
Day 15: Havana. Departure: Transfers to airport.
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Travel Times Summary (approximate): Havana to Viñales: 3:30 hours.
Havana to Bay of Pigs: 3:30 hours.
Bay of Pigs to Cienfuegos: 2:00 hours.
Cienfuegos to Santa Clara: 1:00 hour.
Santa Clara to Trinidad: 2:00 hours.
Trinidad to Camaguey: 4:15 hours.
Camaguey to Bayamo: 3:00 hours.
Bayamo to Santiago de Cuba: 2:00 hours.
Santiago de Cuba to Havana flight: 2:00 hours.
Prices (per person) in AUD As shown on our website.
* 20 Kg checked baggage allowance & 5 Kg carry on hand luggage allowance.
** Inquire for an upgrade of accommodation to Select casas, private apartments, luxury villas or hotels (incurs
surcharges).
*** Transport/transfers are provided in cars or minivans as specified. A mix of classic old cars, more modern cars and
minivans may be used.
**** Allow 4 weeks for delivery to Australia and New Zealand. (1 per couple).
***** Map is provided as a hard-copy and on arrival in Cuba.
****** Experience Cuba Tours can arrange yours visas for additional costs. You must be eligible for this service, please
refer to our T&Cs for details or ask your ECT travel consultant.
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Additional Itinerary Notes It is an exciting time in Cuba with rapidly changing legislation and local conditions. Cuba has seen a massive increase in tourism, which
has put a strain on local tourist infrastructure. While we will strive to operate our tours as closely to published itineraries as possible,
conditions often change from one day to the next, and minor tour modifications may be necessary with no advance notice. Casa
Particulares (homestays, B&B’s or guesthouses) are family run businesses that are legal and formalised to provide accommodation to
foreigners in Cuba. Though much nicer than general Cuban homes they can seem quite rustic and bare compared to what most
international travellers are used to back home. Experience Cuba Tours utilises different categories of casas (Standard, Comfort and
Select homestays and guesthouses), private self-contained apartments, villas and hotels stays, so make sure to let us know your
preferences to quote accordingly. Cuba as a developing country is subject to power outages and it is common to have low water
pressures in the showers and sinks. It is also common for the shower to be electric. If understanding and expectations are kept in check
staying at Casa Particulares is a very personal and pleasurable way to accommodate yourself in Cuba.
The transport system in Cuba is in many ways different to anywhere else in the world. Experience Cuba Tours, as other tour operators
in the island, are restricted in a large way by the local transport laws. We use privately owned transport with approved licences to
provide taxi services to tourists and the state-owned transport services of TRANSTUR, the only inter-provincial taxi provider in Cuba.
The privately-owned transports vary between classic vintage cars (hardtop and convertible) and more modern models of cars, all in
good condition. It is not law in Cuba for cars to be fitted with seat belts and neither is it against the law to use a mobile phone while
driving. This is not condoned or encouraged by Experience Cuba Tours but when travelling to other countries it is customary to abide
by the local laws. Should you have any issues or concerns regarding your tour or services provided to you by Experience Cuba Tours,
Tailored Journeys Pty Ltd while on your tour, you should contact the company’s representative Laynet Luna immediately. We will
attempt in good faith to resolve the issue. Failure to notify the company at the time may limits Experience Cuba Tour’s ability to resolve
the matter at a later date.
While it is hard to know what every individual's expectations might be, we do remind travellers that Cuba is in most respects a third
world country and as such considerations should be made and understood.
Tailored Journeys Pty Ltd, trading as Experience Cuba Tours. ABN: 98 612 512 400 ACN: 612 512 400
