Itinerary - Cuba Express: Havana, Trinidad and Santa Clara

Roundtrip flights are not included in the package, so you can decide from where and when you want to leave! This gives you complete freedom of choice to adjust your travel itinerary to your needs.

Check into your local homestay in Havana. Get ready, this is the start of our adventure in one of the most joyful and fun-filled countries on the planet!

Today, we leave Havana and head to the first destination of our journey: Trinidad, a place that will capture your heart in just a few hours. This enchanting paradise is a blend of vivid colours, rich culture, and time-honoured traditions, where the spirit of life is alive in every corner. The streets come alive with brightly painted buildings and the warm smiles of the locals, welcoming us into their world.

We’ll be mesmerised by the breathtaking landscapes that surround us: from lush rainforests to majestic mountains, from unspoiled beaches to charming pastel-coloured houses, this tropical gem showcases Mother Nature’s finest creations.

Tonight, we’ll embrace the magic of Trinidad and let its infectious energy inspire us to live life with joy, unity, and boundless optimism. As the sun sets behind the horizon, the music fills the air, and we’ll dive straight into the vibrant streets of Trinidad, perhaps with a Piña Colada or a Mojito in hand. Let’s celebrate life, Cuban-style!

Just outside Trinidad, we’ll find Topes de Collantes, a natural park of rare beauty nestled in the heart of the Cuban jungle. The air is thick with humidity, but the experience more than makes up for it. We’ll encounter giant butterflies, colourful hummingbirds, and a variety of tropical plants, immersing ourselves in nature at its finest.

Our journey continues to Caburní, a trail renowned for its dense vegetation and stunning views. We’ll pass through coffee plantations and traditional houses before arriving at the breathtaking Salto del Caburní waterfall, surrounded by natural pools. Here, we can take a refreshing dip or simply cool off, soaking up the magic of this serene spot.

In the evening, we’ll return to joyful Trinidad, where we’ll enjoy an authentic Cuban dinner before dancing the night away at La Cueva, an incredible nightclub set inside a vast underground cave. This truly unique venue will leave us speechless and ready to make memories that last a lifetime.

In the morning, we head to Playa Ancón, one of the most stunning beaches along the Cuban coast. With its white sand, turquoise waters, charming kiosks for drinks and snacks, straw umbrellas, and towering palm trees, Playa Ancón is the perfect spot for pure relaxation. If we’re in the mood for adventure, we can set sail on a catamaran to Cayo Iguana, channeling our inner pirates of the Caribbean! Once we return to shore, we’ll gather for the perfect moment: a group photo at sunset over the sea, capturing a memory that will last forever.

This morning, we’ll reluctantly say goodbye to Trinidad and head west. Our first stop is Manaca Iznaga, located in the heart of the Valle de los Ingenios, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This area offers a fascinating glimpse into Cuba’s colonial past, focusing on its sugar industry and the enduring legacy of slavery.

Afterwards, we continue on to Santa Clara, home to the iconic Che Guevara Mausoleum, a sacred site dedicated to the revolutionary spirit of Che Guevara. Che, a Marxist revolutionary, doctor, author, and guerrilla leader, played a pivotal role in the Cuban Revolution alongside Fidel Castro. Today, we’ll have the opportunity to learn more about this legendary figure who became a symbol of revolutionary ideals and anti-imperialism worldwide.

Today we have a day of real relaxation on the beach in Varadero. We wake up relatively early and set off towards one of the most famous beach resorts on the island, to get there we have about 3 hours of transfer. But once we arrive the trip will be worth it, because we will have the whole day at our disposal to customize together with our coordinator based on what we want to do! This city offers a lot of options: diving and snorkeling, wandering around the postcard beaches, diving into the sea, taking a nice break for a nice fish lunch. We will be able to enjoy the sunset from the beach before setting off towards the city that will host us tonight: Matanzas.

Today we can finally wake up calmly and leave without rushing to return to Havana. Once we arrive in the capital, we will dedicate the afternoon to discovering the places and history of the Cuban city. We will start with a guided walking tour of the heart of the city and enjoy the atmosphere of Habana Vieja . The entire neighborhood is a UNESCO heritage site and at every street corner there will be something to photograph: the typical pre-revolution American cars, the hotels that during the American prohibition hosted the parties of the Thousand and One Nights, the Bacardí palace where the famous Rum was invented, the Payret cinema, the legendary Floridita restaurant. After walking through the main streets and squares, immersed in five centuries of colonial history reflected in the various architectural styles of Plaza de Armas, Plaza Vieja and Plaza de la Catedral we can relax sipping a good mojito at the Bodeguita del Medio , an iconic place of the city frequented in the past by Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Neruda.

We continue the day by moving to explore the Habana Nueva area, but not on foot this time. Vintage cars await us that will transport us back in time as we tour the streets of this area of the city for about a couple of hours. In this part of Havana, we certainly cannot miss a stop at Plaza de la Revoluciòn where the faces of two very famous revolutionaries such as Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos stand out and where the majestic memorial to Jose Marti stands, another key figure in the independence of the Caribbean island. From there, we can go out of the city center a little further to reach the very particular Fusterlandia neighborhood created by the artist Josè Fuster, where we will feel like we are entering a fairy tale while we are surrounded by thousands of colorful mosaics. If we are not yet tired of exploring, it might be a good idea to reach the nearby Morro Castle , the highest point in the city, to enjoy the last sunset all together and discover the historic Cañonazo ceremony before reaching the restaurant for the last dinner all together.

Today we have the day at our complete disposal: we can decide to relax in Havana, enjoying the unique atmosphere of this city, or to dedicate ourselves to an excursion out of town, discovering rural Viñales: a village of a few thousand inhabitants surrounded by the majesty of the green nature where the famous Cuban cigars are produced. We can go on a discovery of the tobacco plantations on horseback , accompanied by the local growers... obviously the time will also come to buy and taste them!

What is certain is that in the evening we will all meet again for the last group Mojito: let's toast to us and to this fantastic adventure.

Check-out and goodbye – until your next WeRoad adventure!