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Cuba touring holiday:
Viva La Revolución!
An exciting trip for aficionados of the Cuban Revolution covering most of the key places in the struggles of Castro, Ché Guevara and their comrades, with knowledgeable guides to bring events to life and set them in their context.
Havana
Day 1 You arrive at Havana airport, where you are met and transferred to your hotel for one night.
Day 2 BD n English-speaking Havana guide collects you from your hotel to visit the Museum of the Revolution and see the ‘Granma’, the little boat that brought Castro’s revolutionaries to the island. Later you return to the airport for your flight to Holguín in eastern Cuba, where you are met and driven to the town of Bayamo for one night. You should arrive in the late afternoon with time to see something of the town with your touring guide, who is with you until Day 10.
Granma Landing
Day 3 BLD Today you visit Las Colorados NP and the beach where Fidel, Ché and their band of revolutionaries landed in the ‘Granma’ in 1956. It’s an attractive spot, as well as an evocative one with much to tell. There should be time for a dip in the blue-green Caribbean waters of a nearby beach. Overnight at a functional hotel at Niquero (the best in the area).
Sierra Maestra
Day 4 BLD You cross through scenic countryside to Santo Domingo in the Sierra Maestra, where you stay 2 nights. Your guide takes you on a short tour of this beautiful spot.
Day 5 BLD Deep in the mountains of the Sierra Maestra, you visit La Comandancia, the rebels’ HQ set in hard mountain terrain. You are driven part way, probably in a old Russian truck, with a further strenuous walk to the HQ itself (2hr walking in all).
Santiago
Day 6 BL On to the bustling city of Santiago overlooking the Caribbean, where you stay 3 nights near the city centre. You explore the streets and plazas at the centre of the city and in the evening we’ve included a visit to Santiago’s famous Casa de la Trova, one of the best Cuban music venues on the island (though you may have to pay an extra entry if there is a special concert).
Day 7 BL This morning your guide takes you to the sites from Santiago’s key role in the revolution. In 1953 Castro chose Santiago’s Moncada Barracks for his first attack. It failed, costing many idealistic young lives. Fidel and his brother Raúl were caught but spared execution. On their release they fled to Mexico where they gathered a group, including Ernesto ‘Ché’ Guevara, and prepared to sail back. A group of young revolutionaries attacked Santiago’s police HQ, customs house and harbour on 30 November 1956, to draw troops away from the landing area, and 5 days later ‘Granma’ set sail. The Museo de la Lucha Clandestina, which you visit, evocatively commemorates the group’s heroism.
Gran Piedra
Day 8 BL This morning you drive to the Granjita de Siboney, where Fidel prepared the Moncada attack. The road taken by his group, which you drove in the opposite direction, is now dubbed The Revolutionary Highway. While in the area there is a car museum you might visit, before you drive up to Gran Piedra, walking up the rock itself for spectacular views across to the Sierra Maestra and visit the moving ‘La Isabelica’ slave plantation.
Fidel’s birthplace
Day 9 BLD A free morning to explore Santiago, leaving at noon to drive north to the village of Birán where the Castro brothers were born, where their family home is now a museum. After your visit you continue onwards to Holguín to stay one night.
Santa Clara
Day 10 BD Fly early from Holguín back to Havana, to be met by a new guide and driven to Santa Clara, a key location in the closing phase of the revolution. You visit the Hotel Havana Libre that shows bullet holes from the firefight for Santa Clara and the wreck of the armoured train carrying government soldiers blown up by Ché, that led in a few days to complete victory. You visit Ché’s mausoleum and drive to Cienfuegos for one night.
Cienfuegos and the Bay of Pigs
Day 11 BL At El Museo Historico Naval Nacional you learn about the uprising at Cienfuegos’ naval barracks in September 1957, that was crushed by Batista. You drive to the Bay of Pigs, where another small museum outlines the botched US-backed invasion, and continue to Havana for 3 nights.
Havana
Day 12 BL Today you visit Ché’s family house, where you meet a member of his family or a former comrade to talk about Ché’s life in Cuba. You visit the Plaza de la Revolución with its iconic portrait of Ché, and the Ché student centre in Lenin Park. Heading back, you’ll pass the Russian Embassy and the US Special Interests Section screened by the Wall of Flags, and stop at Hotel Nacional. You visit the La Cabaña fort, the largest Spanish fort in the Americas, where Ché had his office in 1959, to see the Cannon Ceremony.
Day 13 BL More Ché today as you drive to Cueva de los Portales, his base in the Cuban missile crisis. You see where he worked, exercised and planned operations. You could also visit the nearby gardens of Hacienda Cortina before returning to Havana.
Day 14 BL You spend the whole of today exploring Old Havana with your guide.
Day 15 B Free time in Havana before your transfer to the airport in time for your flight home.
Guide prices* from £2,350 to £2,745
15 days / 14 nights
Starts and ends in Havana, Cuba.
Choose to stay in either mid-range hotels or upper range hotels (where available).
Not quite right for you? Contact us to adjust the itinerary, change hotels or how you travel.
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Places visited on this Cuba holiday:
› Havana
› Holguin
› Bayamo
› Havana
› Cueva de los Portales (Soroa)
Also consider the following Cuba holidays:
› Other guided touring holidays in Cuba
› Small group holidays in Cuba
*What do guide prices cover?
Guide prices are per person based on 2 people travelling together and sharing twin/double accommodation.
Please ask us for prices for families, threesomes, singles, etc.
Tour prices include: Cuban visa, all ground transport in Cuba, all accommodation, services of a private English speaking local guide throughout, meals where specified, B = breakfast, L=lunch, D= dinner.
Tour prices do not include: international flights, travel insurance, Cuba departure tax (allow £15pp), drinks with meals or items of a personal nature such as drinks, tips, and laundry, or optional excursions taken locally in Cuba.
Flights: We can arrange your flights from the UK for you. You are free to book your flights independently if you wish - before doing so please talk to us about the flight options that would fit this tour best.
Booking conditions: See the current brochure insert for our booking conditions.
Order a Cuba brochure
› Order or download a Cuba brochure
› Flip through a Cuba brochure now
Contact our Cuba specialists
Geodyssey brings you an exclusive selection of thoughtfully designed holidays in amazing locations throughout our destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our holidays focus on what is natural, authentic, comfortable, stylish and affordable, and on what works best in each country. Our tailor-made holidays are individually designed by our experienced team on the basis of in-depth knowledge, a real enthusiasm for our destinations, and a desire to make sure we get it right for each and every customer. All our customers have 100% financial protection. All the land-based holidays on this website are exclusive to Geodyssey. Geodyssey is an independent company managed by its owners, based in London, founded in 1993.
