Self-drive: Havana and Western Cuba

Havana

You are met on your arrival at Havana’s international airport and driven to your chosen hotel for a 3 night stay.

Two free days for you to explore Havana under your own steam. There’s lots to see and do in this colourful and intriguing city–see page 9 for ideas.

In Havana.

Pinar del Rio

Collect your hire car today and set off westwards. If you are starting from Old Havana your route would take you along the seafront on the Malecón and through the western suburbs, to join the start of the East-West highway linking Havana with the town of Pinar del Río (p12). You turn off the dual carriageway into the countryside, where winding roads take you through sleepy farmlands past tobacco ‘vegas’ growing some of the finest leaves in Cuba, into the Sierra de los Organos –a stunning limestone landscape. Here, stubby hills called mogotes rise sheer above a chequerboard of small fields laid out beneath flame trees, and homesteads awash with hibiscus and bougainvillea. Stay at your hotel in the area for 2 nights.

There are quite a few options for you today and the next. You’ll want to visit the small country town of Viñales, where you could pick up basic ingredients for a picnic, then perhaps drive among the hills, perhaps stopping at the nearby caves opened as attractions for visitors but generally just out and about exploring this part of Cuba. Beyond the hills, on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, a narrow stone causeway leads to the coral island of Cayo Jutias where there is a small restaurant that serves a delicious sea-food lunch. You could include that in your first day’s trip, or stop there next day en route (almost) to Soroa along the coast road. There’s also the Alejandro Robaina vega (plantation) to see, or the Cueva de los Portales–the rather spectacular cave where Ché set up his HQ during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.

Touring in Pinar del Rio. End your day at Soroa, which has an extensive orchidarium that you could visit when you arrive or the following morning. Stay the night near to Soroa.

Cienfuegos

From Soroa it is a pleasant few hours’ drive to the colonial port of Cienfuegos (p13), joining for a while the ‘Carretera Central’–the highway that runs from Havana across Cuba to the other end of the island. Cienfuegos stands beside a wide bay that leads to the Caribbean. It was founded by French settlers at the beginning of the nineteenth century and its historic centre retains an air of those times amid the busy streets that have sprung up since. You stay 2 nights in a small restored colonial mansion in Cienfuegos.

ome of your options today include taking a break from driving to explore Cienfuegos itself, perhaps with an afternoon at the beach at Playa Rancho Luna around the bay, or you could backtrack to the infamous Bay of Pigs where the US-backed invasion came to grief, or visit the Zapata peninsula which is excellent for bird life.

Trinidad

Along the coast from Cienfuegos is the quaint colonial town of Trinidad, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You could head straight there on the main road, which runs by the sea, reaching Trinidad in an hour or so, or turn off through the mountains of the Sierra del Escambray, Cuba’s second mountain range, a journey that with stops for walks and a picnic could take much of the day. You’ll stay for 2 nights in Trinidad. You’ll want to spend some time in the town itself, both during the day to explore the streets and squares and visit a museum or two, and in the evening to hear some live music Cuban-style. You might flop at the beach on your second day, or explore part of the Sierra del Escambray.

Beach at Cayo Santa Maria

Across Cuba from the Caribbean to the Atlantic. It’s not very far (120 miles in all), and even if you take your time on the road, with plenty of stops to explore, you would plan to arrive in the late afternoon. Soon after leaving Trinidad you’ll see the turning for the Valle de los Ingenios, where you might stop to explore the pretty little village that stands beneath a derelict tower that was once part of a sugar estate (see p18). Onwards along country roads to Sancti Spiritus and Placetas, before you arrive at the delightfully amiable town of Remedios, one of our favourites. Stop here if you’ve time, before pressing on to the beach at Cayo Santa Maria. For the next 3 nights you stay at your hotel on the gorgeous Cayos de la Herradura, part of the Archipelago de Camagüey.

At Cayo Santa Maria.

At Cayo Santa Maria.

Havana via Santa Clara

This morning you loop back to Havana via Santa Clara (p13), which played an important part in the Revolution. Here you might visit Ché’s mausoleum and the museum dedicated to him, and stop at the wreckage of the Tren Blindado, blown up by Ché’s men while it brought up government reinforcements–a turning point in the campaign. Navigating into Havana can be a challenge, even with the maps and directions we provide, but you should arrive in plenty of time to check in at the Hotel Nacional (something rather grand to round off your trip!), drop off your hire car, and perhaps even take a look at some of the sights in the area.

A morning in Havana for a final museum or two, some sightseeing, strolling or shopping, before you are picked up from your hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight home to the UK.