Cycling Cuba

Fly to Havana, Cuba's lively capital. Meet your tour leader and fellow passengers today at the start accommodation.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Welcome to Havana, Cuba's lively capital. Meet your tour leader and fellow passengers today at the start accommodation.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

In the morning, we have our bike fitting before we set off on a warm-up ride through residential and modern Havana. Today we are joined by members of the Cuban ‘Masters’ Road Cycling Club. This club is made up of veteran Cuban cyclists who regularly compete in races in their respective age groups and will give us an insight into competitive cycling in Cuba. We cycle through various districts of the city, stopping along the route in the old town for a coffee and fruit juice at a small café run by local residents, located in a typical urban residential community.

From here we depart by bus and drive eastwards to begin our tour of the island. On the way towards Santa Clara, we stop to eat our picnic lunch before continuing to see the Che Guevara memorial site. The pretty town of Remedios is our final stop today. Upon arrival we visit a workshop in which they prepare for the towns’ famous event celebrated every Christmas, ‘Las Parrandas de Remedios’. The event is a lively festival where people from the local community participate. Tonight enjoy a group dinner at a local paladar.

Today's driving time is approx. 4 hours.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we take a short transfer to just outside the town of Caibarien, where we start cycling towards Mayajigua. Along the way we stop for coffee at the home of a Cuban family, where we we can find out about life in rural Cuba. The cycling route today is mostly flat as we head eastwards along a section of the country’s ‘northern circuit’. Despite the ride not being too challenging today, there is the likelihood of encountering a headwind when cycling in this direction. After lunch we transfer to Camaguey, where we check-in to our accommodation located in the centre of town. A local historian will join us for dinner this evening, to discuss the history of Camaguey, the third biggest city in Cuba.

Today's driving is approx. 4 hours.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we depart our accommodation by bus, driving to Puerto Padre in Las Tunas province. Starting from the coastal Malecon road, we cycle out of town heading eastwards on undulating roads. We will be greeted by a Cuban family at the town of Delicias, who will welcome us into their home and offer fresh fruit and coffee. We carry on riding from Uñas to Aguas Claras, experiencing some climbs. Today’s destination is the charming coastal fishing town of Gibara, where we stay at a centrally located accommodation. In the evening we’ll take a short walk before dinner to meet local fisherman and learn about their way of life in this remote coastal town. Dining at a private paladar, we have an array of seafood specialities. The town is also the unassuming destination for an annual film festival, so this evening we will be joined by a local resident involved in the running of the festival.

Today's driving time is approx. 2.5 hours.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast we take a short transfer to the outskirts of Holguin before jumping on our bikes and starting cycling towards Biran. Today’s route covers well-surfaced roads with some undulations and several fast downhill sections. Fans of Buena Vista Social Club will appreciate riding along the route that rose to fame in their song ‘Chan Chan’. In Biran we will explore a famous village with great historical significance as it is the birthplace of Raul and Fidel Castro. A farm visit will give us an insight about the sugar cane industry in Cuba. Afterwards we board the bus and transfer to Santiago. This evening we take part in a salsa class with Cuban dance partners, where each member of the group will have their own dance partner to assist in teaching salsa moves!

Today's driving is approx. 3.5 hours.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Santiago de Cuba is known as the 'City of Heroes' due to the important role it played in the battles for both the independence and the revolution. The morning is spent sightseeing, including a visit to the Moncada Barracks ‐ where the opening shots of the revolution were fired on 26 July 1953 when Castro and his men attacked the barracks. We also visit the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery, where both Jose Marti and Fidel Castro are buried.

Whilst in Santiago we visit Serrano park and join a game of dominoes - probably the most common pastime throughout Cuba. We'll also have the chance to learn how to make quintessentially Cuban cocktails with some young Cuban bar staff given the chance to learn their trade in a new bar/restaurant in Santiago, where we’ll also have lunch. This evening we visit a local paladar for dinner, and visit the Casa de la Trova which is considered to be the cradle of traditional Cuban music.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today we ride through the Sierra Maestra, heading deeper into the mountains, today's route is dominated by Pico Bayamesa - at 1,730m above sea level it is Cuba's third tallest peak. This is an area of stunning natural beauty that is rarely visited by tourists.  We have a packed lunch during the ride, and finish at El Cobre, the most sacred pilgrimage site in Cuba. We'll visit Cuba’s most emblematic church where a local expert will take us on a short tour.

After our visit to El Cobre, we transfer to our accommodation in Bayamo. This city is where the Cuban national anthem was composed in the mid-19th Century and is one of the original 7 'villas' founded by the Spanish conquerors. In the afternoon, we enjoy a tour of the city with the traditional transportation of a horse and cart. During this tour we will have several stops at different sights so you can gain insider knowledge from local Cubans as you enjoy discovering Bayamo. This evening we visit a local paladar for dinner.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

With a long day ahead of us, we start early today, leaving Bayamo by bike. We exit the city passing through agricultural towns and sugar cane plantations, on a fast and flat ride cycling westwards towards the coast. On route we will stop in the town of Yara to find out about Cuba’s national sport, baseball. We will visit the stadium and our guide will explain the importance of the sport in the culture of the island. We carry on cycling to Manzanillo, stopping to have a packed lunch by the water in a small park at the end of the coastal road. From here we transfer to our final location for today, Camaguey – the youngest UNESCO heritage site in Cuba. Characterized by 'tinajones' – large, earthen jugs found in the squares, churches and gardens that were originally used to store water during drought periods. Upon arrival you will be taken on a tour along the four plazas by ‘bicitaxi’, whizzing around in true Cuban style!

Today's driving is approx. 3 hours.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast we will travel by bus to Banao. Once we reach Banao, the group will start cycling along a scenic route to the town of Trinidad. On our journey, we stop to visit a group of women from the local community, who are keeping regional traditions alive by teaching textile handicraft making to younger generations. When we arrive in Trinidad, we enjoy a welcome drink at Casa de Alberto & Osmary – our group’s hub for the next two days. In the afternoon explore the town of Trinidad with a local resident, adding a different perspective to the walking tour. Trinidad has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, it is one of the best-preserved colonial towns of the island. Exploring Trinidad is like stepping back in time, the cobbled streets and horse drawn transportation whisks you back to colonial times. The tour of the city will also include a visit to the ‘Casa Templo de Santaria de Yemaya’ where we will find out about the Santeria Afro-Cuban religion. We also have a cookery class today, to try our hand at creating some authentic Cuban dishes in a paladar.

Today's driving is approx. 3.5 hours.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

On today's ride we will be joined by members of the Trinidad Cycling Club, wtih plenty of time to chat and interact as we all cycle to the fishing village of La Boca, a popular spot with local fisherman going about their daily business. Our ride continues to Playa Ancon, a classic white sand Caribbean beach, where weather dependent we have a picnic lunch. For those who wish to, there will be swimming opportunities before we cycle back to Trinidad. On our return, we will visit the workshop used by the Trinidad Cycling Club to learn more about the local cycling culture as well as finding out how they maintain bikes without having easy access to spare parts. In the afternoon we join the Santander family and enjoy a pottery making class. Here we will learn the skills that have been passed down by several generations of this Cuban family before making our very own pottery with the guidance of a family member. This evening we enjoy dinner at a private paladar with a local collective of musicians that will perform interpretations of classic Cuban Trova songs.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we are joined by our new friends from the Trinidad Cycling Club for the first part of our ride on the coastal road. Literally sandwiched by the mountains and the sea, the road clings in sections to the shimmering Caribbean. We stop at Rancho La Vega farm to have fruit juice or coffee. Today's route passes small communities and crosses bridges over picturesque bays with some short sharp hills. The road then undulates through mango groves until it reaches the Botanical Garden of Cienfuegos, where we stop to relax and take a break in the serene, natural environment. Our ride finishes here, just outside the city of Cienfuegos, and from here we will be transferred by bus to our casas. Tonight, we enjoy a Cuban themed evening which will include Cuban music, delicious roast pork, rum and dominoes prepared by our fabulous host Lily.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we depart by bus to the village of Navarra, from where we will start our ride. Today’s route covers a variety of landscapes – this is a day for discovering the rural heart of Cuba as we pass through small communities dedicated to agriculture and charcoal production. We ride through the Zapata Peninsula – the biggest marshland in Cuba, stopping at Playa Giron for a chance to learn about the CIA-backed ‘Bay of Pigs’ invasion in 1961. This region of the Zapata Peninsula is a national park and swamp, providing a habitat for some of the most important bird species of Cuba. Afterwards continuing by bus to Playa Larga, we’ll stay in casas particulares. For our evening meal tonight, we will be joined by a local nature expert who will talk to us about the natural landscapes and characteristics of the area.

Today's driving is approx. 1.5 hours.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, a short transfer to Jaguey Grande takes us to our starting point. Today we ride alongside citrus plantations at the heart of the island, arriving in time for a country lunch at ‘Finca Coincidencia’, an organic farm in the centre of Matanzas province. The property is home to a family venture that combines farming, art and eco-friendly agricultural methods. In the afternoon, we transfer north to the city of Matanzas where we visit a pharmaceutical museum and talk to a local expert to learn how Matanzas was well known for its innovative treatments and the legacy that still exists today.

Today's driving time is approx. 2 hours.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

For the final ride of the tour, we depart directly from our accommodation in Matanzas, climbing out of the city as we leave and head westwards. On the first section of the route we may encounter some road traffic. After we turn towards the town of Ceiba Mocha and begin the climb to Picadura Valley pass, we’ll soon find ourselves in peaceful and beautiful surroundings where we can enjoy valley views and the occasional small village. One of these is an old traditional sugar cane village, where we will stop to learn about the historical importance the industry had on Cuba.

We carry on cycling until we reach a lookout point, from there we are rewarded with a long stretch of flat and downhill roads that take us all the way to the Caribbean coastline. Our ride ends at the beach, arriving in time to have lunch at our accommodation. Make the most of an all-inclusive pool bar and have a well-earned swim and cool down in the water!

From Playa Jibacoa we drive back to Havana in time for a city tour in classic cars. Visiting both the old and new areas of the city, we discover the distinct neighbourhoods of the capital, stopping at points of interest. Feel free to ask questions about why the streets of Cuba are filled with classic American cars manufactured in the 1950’s and how on earth the owners manage to maintain them! Afterwards we will head back to our accommodation to get ready to go out for our farewell group dinner at a paladar in Havana.

Today's driving time is approx. 1.5 hours.

Accommodation: Casa Particulares

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning we have a walking tour of Old Havana – the heart of Cuba's capital and the largest city in the Caribbean. Havana is a busy, bustling, energetic capital, and one of the finest colonial cities in the Americas with narrow streets, spacious plazas and glorious architecture. There is an air of faded grandeur about the place with paint peeling off buildings. The area of Old Havana is often described as a living museum, with its marvellous monuments, cathedrals and palaces. During our tour we visit a ration store, food market and artisan market for a chance to buy some souvenirs. We will finish this tour by visiting the Velo Cuba cycling project which is run by an inspiring group of Cuban women who rent bikes and promote cycling as a form of transport. During our visit we will find out how they use limited resources to help fix people’s bikes up so that they are roadworthy and about teaching children of ‘La Habana Vieja’ how to ride!

It's time to bid your group and leader a fond farewell as this marks the end of our Cuban two-wheeled adventure.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Arrive London.