OPTIONAL Malecon & More Havana Walk – 7 km, rated 1A

We rendezvous in sunny Havana today for one of the most unusual walking adventures we’ve yet experienced. We look forward to sharing an unforgettable array of activities with the Cuban people through a cornucopia of cultural connections and excursions into the unspoiled natural wonders of this Caribbean island that seems to be working their way through a late-19th to mid-20th century time warp.

Optional Excursion: Malecon & More Havana Walk Travelers who opt to arrive early (on January 16) are invited to join us this morning for a walk along sections of the 7-kilometer-long Malecon (esplanade) that borders the Atlantic.

The route takes us into Centro Havana for an optional visit to the Museum of the Revolution (about $10 per person) to see the communist revolution from the Cuban government point of view. We finish with a stroll down the Paseo del Prado to Central Park and the Capitolio. Originally the home of the Cuban Congress, it’s currently under renovation to serve as the new home for Cuba’s National Assembly. Estimated price: $50

Later this evening, we join travelers arriving today for a Welcome Orientation and dinner.

Walk #5: Ciénaga de Zapata Walk – 6 km, rated 1A

We leave western Cuba this morning for a lengthy but interesting drive to the Bay of Pigs, stopping en route for a no-host lunch.

Our home for the next two nights is Playa Larga, a serene seaside village on the shores of Bahía de Cochinos, known to Americans as the infamous Bay of Pigs. Our private guesthouses for the next two evenings allow us the delightful opportunity to stroll the village and the dreamy, palm-lined Caribbean beach.

Political reminders of the unsuccessful, American-backed 1961 invasion by Cuban exiles are strewn throughout this part of Cuba, but today’s beautiful beaches and natural setting bely the violence and political turmoil of this chapter of the Cuban story.

The optional afternoon activity from Playa Larga is an expedition on our coach through Zapata National Park. At the far end, we stroll along a narrow access road bordered on both sides by a remote lagoon where we hope to find flamingos and other wetland birds.

Walk #7: Zapata National Park Walk – 5 km, rated 1A
Walk #8: Cienfuegos Bay Walk – 5 km, rated 1A

Our third optional Bay of Pigs walk requires another early morning start (bird activity is much better in the early morning). We visit our final corner of Zapata National Park on an early morning trail in the company of an informative park ranger.

This is an easy route through a type of subtropical forest we’ve not yet seen. It’s a showcase for Cuba’s colorful endemic birds and it’s likely that we’ll see several species, possibly even the world’s smallest bird – the bee hummingbird.

After rendezvousing with travelers who opted out of the “up with the birds” walk, we depart for Cienfuegos, a city with a UNESCO-listed colonial core set on one of Cuba’s larger bays.

Following time for lunch, we start today’s second walk from Parque José Marti, lined with an impressive grouping of restored 19th centuries monuments, including Tomas Terry Theatre, Museo Histórico, and Cuba’s only triumphal arch, evidence that Cienfuegos is Cuba’s solitary French-founded city.

Our route takes us along the Malecon (waterfront esplanade), with nearly non-stop views of the harbor, to Punta Gorda, a narrow spit of land poking south into Cienfuegos Bay. We finish with a break for refreshment on the terrace of Palacio de Valle, an eclectic blend of Gothic, Venetian and Neo-Moorish motifs funded by one of Cuba’s wealthiest sugar magnates in the early 20th century.

Walk #9: Topes de Collantes Walk – 5 km, rated 2B

Today’s drive takes us into the mountains of Topes de Collantes National Park. Coffee is Cuba’s second major export crop, after tobacco, and we stop en route to the National Park at a humble coffee farmhouse to have lunch served by the family.

The simplicity of the kitchen and home, set on a hillside along a mountain stream, and the hospitality of our hosts, make this one of the more memorable stops on our journey through Cuba.

The walk of the day is in the national park, and features a pair of delightful waterfalls, a rich variety of vegetation, and more opportunities to enjoy Cuba’s aviary abundance.

As we descend through Topes de Collantes to Trinidad, we take in some of the loveliest panoramas of our trip. Trinidad is Cuba’s third oldest town, and after checking into our private guesthouses, we stroll into the oldest parts of town for tonight’s dinner in yet another UNESCO World Heritage setting.

Walk #10: Historic Trinidad Walk – 2 km, rated 1B
OPTIONAL Cubano National Park Walk – 4 km, rated 2B

Trinidad was one of our favorite place to explore when planning this Cuban adventure. Today is set aside to experience the town in a number of ways. We start with a guided walk, enjoying several stops along the way and delving deeper into the 500-year-old story of Trinidad.

After a late-morning finish, the balance of the day is free. We strongly encourage travelers to allow time for unscripted strolling: musicians play spontaneously in many corners of the old town; shops and markets offer a plethora of colorful distractions; quiet corners to sip a coffee and people watch abound.

To offer more structure to your afternoon and evening, the following options are also available (pricing to be announced where applicable):

• Salsa Cubano, also known as Casino to distinguish it from other salsa styles, has been an integral part of the daily Cuban social scene and culture since the 1950s. Today is your chance to join us for a fun instructor-led lesson – come feel the rhythm of the music as you learn the steps and experience the joy and spontaneity of this vibrant form of dance. Estimated price: $15 per person
• Enjoy a complimentary walk through Cuban neighborhoods as we make our way to a local pottery shop run by five generations of Trinidad potters. Here we’ll have the opportunity to purchase some traditional Cuban pottery.
• Join us for the Cubano National Park Walk, as we stroll along a lovely forest stream and keep our eyes open for colorful bird sightings. Our trail ends at an enchanting waterfall-fed cavern with the opportunity to take a quick dip, swimming right under the waterfall. Estimated price: $20 per person
• Ancón Beach – Enjoy some hang-loose time on the white sands of one of Cuba’s stunning Caribbean beaches! Just a 10-minute taxi drive from Trinidad, it’s the perfect place for an afternoon of swimming, lounging and relaxation.

Valle de los Ingenios, or the Valley of the Sugar Mills, is just east of Trinidad and was combined with Trinidad in UNESCO’s 1988 World Heritage Listing.

The valley is a living museum, with over 50 former sugar plantations, and provides tremendous insight into the dominant role played by sugar, and by extension, slavery, in Cuba’s history and economy.

Further north, a stop in Santa Clara at the Che Guevara Mausoleum introduces us to the life and times of perhaps the most famous, or infamous depending on your point of few, Cuban revolutionary leader. Argentinian by birth, medical doctor by profession, and Marxist revolutionary in his political views, Che’s image has become a nearly universal symbol of countercultural rebellion in popular culture, and is one more key to understanding the Cuban conundrum.

We finish the day back in Havana in the same hotel, looking forward to a farewell dinner and one final time to share and reminisce.

We return home from Havana today with much to ponder. Cuba has challenged and delighted us.

What a special opportunity to connect with a culture that has been virtually off-limits to Americans for nearly 60 years. We return home enriched and fascinated by this island at the junction of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean, North America and Latin America, Capitalism and Communism.

With help from local experts and walking guides, these itineraries are hand-crafted with the help of trusted in-country partners to tailor itineraries to WAI specifications.

When planning Classic Curated Tours, our objective is to capture the essence of a destination–the history, culture, and natural wonders unique to that part of the world. We then build activities and walks that take us inside these characteristics.

Yes, these tours are educational, but they are also interactive and immersive; walking gets us off the bus and penetrates local cultures to not only see but touch, smell, and feel these special spaces.

Along the way, local walking guides amplify the experience by sharing insights into the magic of that particular location.

“High Adventure” is a tag we add to tours to warn travelers of possible additional challenges. These challenges could stem from a variety of sources including:

• A high percentage of 1-night hotels
• More time driving than usual or challenging traffic settings (e.g. India)
• Walks routes that are more challenging on average (e.g. Appalachian Trail, Swiss & French Alps)
• More walking per day than usual (e.g. Hiking the Camino de Santiago)
• Walks and/or travel at high altitude (e.g. Peru; Colorado)
• A greater number of mid-tour flights (e.g. Chile)
• Cultural factors that can be stressors (lack of public toilets; extra caution required regarding food and gastro-intestinal challenges – e.g. India, Hiking the Camino de Santiago)

In the case of Cuba, the “high adventure” tag is generated by spending several nights in local homes (casa particulares or bed and breakfasts), the lack of public services taken for granted in many modernized countries (public toilets, potable water from the tap), possible interruptions of power, and a generally less-developed and more primitive way of life.

Travelers should read the itinerary and Before You Book sections carefully before committing to a High Adventure tour.

We generally walk at a pace of 2 to 3 miles per hour. Walks that are oriented more towards education may take longer due to stops for guide commentary. Nature walks, on the other hand, generally continue at a steadier pace because we’re stopping less to talk.In most cases, we are not “strolling.” We are walking at a relaxed but steady pace. Your experience will be significantly affected by your level of physical fitness. If not walking regularly at home, we strongly recommend that you make a priority of “training” beforehand to both enjoy the trip and avoid medical issues due to overexertion.

If you have questions about your ability to participate, please contact our office at [email protected].

We have adopted a walk difficulty rating system which contains a numeric indicator for trail incline and an alpha indicator for trail terrain. The explanation for this system is presented on the table below:

INCLINE

1. Minimal hills or stair climbing. Cumulative elevation gain: <200 feet.
2. Some moderate hills and stair climbing. Cumulative elevation gain: 200-1000 feet.
3. Some significant hill or stair climbing. Cumulative elevation gain: 1000-2000 feet.

TERRAIN

A. Almost entirely on pavement.
B. A significant part of the route is on well-groomed trails with very few obstacles.
C. A significant part of the route is on somewhat difficult terrain (rocky / rooted paths or soft sand).

This information was current as of 2023 and will be updated as we prepare to depart for our January 2024 tour. We are not currently aware of changes to the information below.

• Entry into Cuba requires a tourist visa or pink Tourist Card. This is easy to obtain and most airlines sell them at the gate of your departing flight on the day of travel. They can also be purchased online ahead of time through Cuba Travel Services (www.cubatravelservices.com), but we suggest checking with your airline of choice to confirm what their specific policy is regarding purchasing the Cuba visa. Cost is between $75 and $100.
• Travel restrictions imposed by the US government in early June 2019 do not affect our group’s ability to travel to Cuba. WAI is visiting Cuba under the Support for the Cuban People (SCP) license, which was not restricted. Travelers will receive, and be asked to carry, an affidavit affirming the license under which we travel.
• Walking Adventures will continue to monitor travel requirements as our departure dates near. In the unlikely event our trip is not possible due to additional restrictions, travelers will receive a full refund of all money paid to WAI for the trip.
• More information will be provided about the visa application after you have registered.

Staying in private guesthouses is a unique aspect of a visit to Cuba. Hotels are owned and operated by the government. Guesthouses, or casa particulares, are privately owned, usually home-based, and generally open 1 to 4 rooms of their home for guests. This is a booming element of the tourism industry and Cuban economy.

One of our objectives is to structure the trip in such as way that most of the money we spend in Cuba is channeled to private individuals and businesses. Staying in guesthouses accomplishes this, and also avoids possible US government restrictions that have the same objective.

We plan to be in hotels for 3 nights and in private guesthouses for 7 nights.

You can expect your room to be clean; each room has its own private bathroom; all rooms should have air conditioning; some rooms will be on second or third floors but hosts are normally willing to help with luggage; breakfast is served in the home in which you stay and generally is lovingly prepared with lots of fresh fruit, baked goods, and an egg or two (which were in short supply when we visited). You won’t go hungry!

Cuba is an enigma, to put it mildly. It is safe; crime is rare; gangs are not tolerated; drugs have a very low profile or are non-existent. Yet Cubans are accustomed to making do with much less than the average American. Expectations for life are remarkably simple.

What we would call poverty seems the norm and people use well-established support networks to live and cope. Varying degrees of this minimalist lifestyle will be visible and will impact us.

Expect to experience scenes of poverty, of overworked horses or draft animals, of conditions that seem blatantly unsafe, and other norms of Cuban lifestyle that would be stunningly out of place in the USA. One of the primary benefits of travel is seeing life through the eyes of a different culture and from differing points of view. This is exceedingly true of a trip in Cuba. Sometimes this can be uncomfortable. Usually it is thought-provoking.

This information was current as of 2023 tour and will be updated as we prepare for our January 2024 tour. We are not currently aware of changes to the information below.

• Every traveler must be covered by non-USA travel-related personal medical insurance. This insurance must cover personal injury, medical expenses, air ambulance, repatriation costs, evacuation expenses and all other expenses.
• By registering for the tour, the traveler agrees to obtain and verify that he/she has sufficient personal medical insurance coverage for the trip.
• This non-USA travel-related personal medical insurance should be automatically included in the purchase of your airline ticket (often listed as an additional fee or tax), but you should confirm this with your airline of choice before purchasing your ticket.

Be aware that some travel insurance policies contain time-sensitive provisions (i.e. some benefits, such as coverage of pre-existing conditions, are available only if the policy is purchased within a certain number of days of the purchase of the travel package). In addition, remember that airfare is not covered by any travel insurance policy you may have purchased for the tour.

Our approach to wellness on tour has traditionally been to encourage travelers to:

• Focus on health before the tour so you start healthy.
• Pace yourself while on tour; travel is inherently stimulating and can produce adrenalin boosts that mask energy drain. Guard your energy reserves and consider the length of the trip and whether to opt out of some activities and/or walks.
• Be self-aware. If you feel yourself tiring or feel a bug coming on, take precautions to block it (e.g. extra rest, extra doses of vitamin C, etc).
• If you feel a bug coming on or if you take ill, distance yourself from others when possible.
• If you feel ill, isolate yourself towards the back of the bus and away from others and please wear a mask.