12 days 5:58 24-07-2021 We are the UK’s No.1 specialist in travel to Latin As our name suggests, we are single-minded America and have been creating award-winning about Latin America. This is what sets us apart holidays to every corner of the region for over four from other travel companies – and what allows us decades; we pride ourselves on being the most to offer you not just a holiday but the opportunity to knowledgeable people there are when it comes to experience something extraordinary on inspiring travel to Central and South America and journeys throughout Mexico, Central and South passionate about it too. America. A passion for the region runs Fully bonded and licensed Our insider knowledge helps through all we do you go beyond the guidebooks ATOL-protected All our Consultants have lived or We hand-pick hotels with travelled extensively in Latin On your side when it matters character and the most America rewarding excursions Book with confidence, knowing Up-to-the-minute knowledge every penny is secure Let us show you the Latin underpinned by 40 years' America we know and love experience 5:58 24-07-2021 5:58 24-07-2021 This group tour trip begins in Havana, Cuba's inimitable capital, with its faded grandeur enlivened by the sound of salsa and rumba. From here travel on to Santa Clara, home to Che Guevara's mausoleum, and on to the cobbled streets of colonial Trinidad. You then head west to Viñales, a fertile valley punctuated with lumpy limestone mountains in the island's tobacco-growing region. Few would deny that Cuba is a unique holiday destination in a Caribbean Sea rich with gorgeous tropical islands. The turmoil and upheavals of its political and social history are overwhelmed by the sunny friendliness of the people and their love of music and dance. Go now, before the inevitable change happens, and witness the mixed results of a very Latin socialist experiment. The nature of the infrastructure means there may be last minute changes of plan. A flexible attitude is essential if you want to make the most of this holiday. If you are arriving on an international flight, you will be met at the airport by your local tour leader or a representative who will escort you to the group hotel. A guided tour of Old Havana will introduce you to this fascinating city. The streets of La Habana Vieja were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, and the subsequent restoration of this part of town has transformed it into arguably Latin America's finest colonial quarter, in marked contrast to the rambling, potholed streets and crumbling façades around it. After a local cocktail jump in a vintage American car to be driven past some of the highlights of Havana including Revolution Square, the National Hotel, Capitol building and the former Presidential Palace. Between these grand buildings, pass pastel-hued mansions, observe the bustling street life and hear the music seeping out of every doorway. You'll have trouble keeping your hands off your camera as iconic images flash before you around each and every corner. 5:58 24-07-2021 Drive south out of Havana to Santa Clara (2 hours). The capture of the railway here by Che Guevara half a century ago, assisted by just 18 guerrillas, was instrumental in the triumph of the Revolution. Today, this vibrant university town is home to an excellent museum dedicated to the events of the late 1950s and to Che Guevara himself. There is time to visit the museum, Che's mausoleum and a monument and plaza dedicated to the man and the Revolution. In the afternoon you continue to Trinidad (3 hours), stopping en route at an old sugar mill at Valle de los Ingenios. The bell tower here (from which the slaves on the plantation were once monitored) has panoramic views. Trinidad is a picturesque town which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Its popularity has not affected its colonial charm and unhurried atmosphere. Low-rise, brightly painted houses with vast shutters open out onto cobbled streets, palm trees dot the main plaza and life in the evenings goes on into the early hours with dancing and music outside the Casa de la Música. There is a walking tour of the town, and a number of optional excursions are available. Drive up into the shady environs of the Escambray Mountains where you may spot the national bird, the tocororo, along one of the walking trails, en route to a waterfall for a refreshing dip. Alternatively, relax beneath the shade of a palm tree at Playa Ancón (11km from the town), a wide stretch of white sand on the Caribbean, where local people picnic and children play in the warm waters. Today you head west to the elegant city of Cienfuegos, a port founded by French settlers from Louisiana in 1819. This history gives it an air and architectural style that is distinct from that of the rest of the island, and you will have a walking tour of the city led by your tour leader to experience the easy-going ambience of the city, which has well earned its sobriquet ‘Pearl of the South’.En route there is also a stop to visit the Jardín Botánico. Located 15kms outside town, the botanical gardens are home to over 2,000 different species of plants. It is one of the most complete collections of tropical plants in the country, and feels more like a natural forest than a man-made garden. 5:58 24-07-2021 In the morning head out for a tour of the Zapata Peninsula. This region is full of unspoilt nature and luxuriant tropical vegetation, fringed by beautiful beaches. You will also visit the Girón Museum, a collection dedicated to the failed CIA- inspired invasion of Cuba in 1961 which became known as the Bay of Pigs. In the afternoon a drive (5 hours) via Havana, takes you along the country's only motorway, the Carretera Central, which is usually empty of cars, and lined with hopeful hitch-hikers. In the late afternoon you arrive at Las Terrazas, a peaceful biosphere reserve containing acres of natural forest, in the Sierra del Rosario mountains. The reserve was established in the 1970s as a community restoration project and is now one of the most important eco-tourism sites in the country. There is time to explore this beautiful hilly region on foot in the morning. Hike along one of the many trails and spot abundant birdlife in the semi-tropical and evergreen forest. Or wander a few kilometres to a series of water pools, shaded by low foliage, and join local people leaping off rocks and swimming. You then continue by road to Viñales, a small, bucolic town tucked away in the Sierra de los Órganos. The tree-shaded high street is lined with wooden colonnades and one- storey, red-roofed houses. Horse and carts clatter along the main road and local children play baseball with sticks and stones outside the dilapidated whitewashed church in the main square. There is a splendid old chemist's shop and a few other bare-shelved stores, as well as a couple of salsa bars which attract a lively crowd in the evening. 5:58 24-07-2021 You have 2 days at leisure to explore the area. The valley has a distinctive landscape, with domed limestone mountains, known as mogotes, jutting into the sky from a fertile plain. Using oxen and carts, local farmers cultivate the red soil of the valley floor for fruit, vegetables and tobacco, and the countryside is peppered with thatched curing barns for drying the tobacco leaves. You have a guided walk through this beautiful valley. The trail passes alongside fields tilled by straw-hatted farmers and their oxen. You have the opportunity to visit a campesino family in their home and talk to them about life on the land, as well as visiting a tobacco farm to learn about the growing processes of one of Cuba's most important crops. Optional excursions include exploring a number of the caves within the limestone mountains and you can even swim in one, or enjoy the scenery on horseback at a relaxed pace (no experience necessary). Return to Havana (2 hours) for a final mojito cocktail and a chance to sample some of the capital's lively nightlife. 5:58 24-07-2021 Services of local tour leader Havana: guided tour of Old Tips and insurance trained by Journey Latin Havana America Meals other than specified Havana: drive in a vintage All land transport car Optional excursions Accommodation as specified Santa Clara: Che Guevara's mausoleum Meals as specified Trinidad: visit to Valle de los Ingenios Excursions as specified Trinidad: walking tour Cuban tourist card Cienfuegos: Jardín Botánico Cienfuegos: walking tour Playa Girón: Zapata Peninsula tour and Giron Museum Viñales: guided walk in the valley To find out more about how our group tours including group sizes, solo travellers and why to choose us. Please click here. On this tour, you’ll be accompanied from start to finish by one of our exceptional local Cuban tour leaders. Owing to government restrictions on foreign tour leaders working in Cuba, we always use a pool of handpicked and JLA trained local leaders. From the moment you land in Cuba until the day the tour ends they will deal with all the practicalities, expertly adapting to the circumstances and individual needs of the group. Rather than different guides in different cities, your leader will get to know the group and keep you informed and entertained as you go.