Beautiful Cuba
Tour Leader
Cost
N/A. Should you register looking to share with an another and we are not able to find an acceptable companion, you will need to pay the Single Supplement charge.
N/A
Tour Details
- Destination: Cuba, Central Cuba.
- Duration: 11 days.
- Arrives: 04/08/2023
- Departs: 04/18/2023
- Days of cycling: 7
- Usual daily distances: 70.8 Km.
- Terrain: There are hills and rolling countryside on this tour, so a reasonable basic level of fitness is recommended.
- Support vehicle: 100%
- Tour staff: Guide/ leader/ mechanic/ driver(s).
The Lonja del Comercio (Commerce Market) building in Old Havana, Cuba served as the stock exchange in the capital until the 1959 Cuban Revolution a place where they sold futures on the cargos of pillaged gold taken by the Spanish from their exploits in south America. Spanish convoys would assemble in the harbour before sailing to Spain and hopefully avoiding Drake, queen Elisabeth’s Bucanero boyfriend, some did not make it, hence the existence of the stock exchange!
Of course there is far more to Cuba than the Plaza de San Francisco de Asís and Havana is well stoked in Baroque architecture more so than any city in Spain. There is so much to see in Havana Vieja and our guide will show you the hi spots such as Calle Obispo and the squares in the old city. Not the oldest City in the Americas, but so much more to show than Quebec; Havana is just like our girls, Beautiful.
This tour will take you on a journey to a number of Cuba’s famous cities. Cienfuegos is a city on Bahía de Cienfuegos, a bay on Cuba’s south coast. It’s known for its colonial-era buildings. Cienfuegos, was founded by French settlers in 1819, who constructed a European style holiday town with a backdrop of the Sierra Escambray, On the central square, called Parque José Martí, Tomás Terry Theater has gold-leaf mosaics and ceiling frescoes. The Provincial Museum explores the city’s colonial history. The Arco de Triunfo commemorates Cuban independence. Ferries cross the bay to Castillo de Jagua, an 18th-century fortress.
Moving down the coast to Trinidad .The entire city of Trinidad is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Frequently described as a “living museum”, Trinidad is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Caribbean. Its rich historical and architectural offering earned the city UNESCO World Heritage status in 1988.
Next along our journey through these gem-like cities of Cuba is Santa Clara, capital of the province of Villa Clara, is a must-see stop on your way through this region of central Cuba. The city was founded in 1689 by several families commemorated by a monument formed by columns located in the plaza of the Iglesia del Carmen (Church of Carmen).
TOUR GALLERY
DAY BY DAY SCHEDULE
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1
April 8th.
Arrive at Jose Marti airport in Havana and be met by the bus and guide. Depending on the arrival time, we’ll gather at Café Rueda in Vedado for orientation, and bike fits. After dinner at the hotel, you may enjoy a walk along Malecon.
Accommodation: Hotel Presidente.
Meals Included: Dinner.
2
April 9th.
After breakfast, go to Café Rueda to check the bikes if the arrival time was late. and then, continuous to the sugar town called Australia, and we will have a lunch in Finca Fiesta Campesina before riding to Playa Giron, The hotel is a Russian designed resort, with both a pool and a beach area, a great place to begin our adventure and get to know each other over Mojitos and Cuba Libres.
Cycling:63 km (39 miles).Flat ride.
Accommodation: Hotel Playa Giron.
Meals Included: Breakfast, lunch, dinner.
3
April 10th.
Before leaving Playa Girón, we will assemble in the town center to visit the Museum recounting the failed attempt by Cuban exiles in 1961 to overthrow the Castro regime. Our ride east to Cienfuegos is along fairly flat roads through the farmlands north of the city.
Cycling: 78 km (48.4 miles).
Accommodation: Hotel Casa Verde
Meals Included: Dinner/Breakfast.
Route:
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/47025699?privacy_code=ZBMih4efyi7w7fxL
4
April 11th.
We will start our ride by following the main road to Trinidad, and will stop after about 18 km to visit the Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos, an outstanding botanical garden stocked and maintained for many decades by Harvard University that is home to 285 types of palm trees and 2,400 species of plants. It is well worth the short detour down a tree lined road. Beyond the garden, we will ride to Yaguanabo for a seaside lunch not included. Beyond there we will ride into Trinidad . After dinner, we will be able to enjoy Cuban music, dancing and mojitos at Café de la Música.
Cycling: 83 km (51.5 miles).
Accommodation: Las Cuevas
Meals Included: Dinner/Breakfast.
5
April 12th.
We will depart Trinidad through the scenic Valle de los Ingenios to the Torre Manaca Iznaga. The astonishing view from this imposing tower more than justifies a short visit. We will then ride the green lower hills of the Escambray mountains before climbing to the village of Hanabanilla on the banks of Lake Hanabanilla, right in the Escambray Mountains– the main mountain range in the middle of the island. This hotel is perfect to relieve the stress produced by the hustle and bustle of the city. Its vast natural surroundings are rich in flora, where green semi-deciduous woods predominate, as well as vegetation on carso soil. Its fauna is rich in birds, reptiles and mammals.
Cycling: 83 km (51.5 miles).
Accommodation: Hotel Hanabanilla.
Meals Included: Dinner/Breakfast.
6
April 13th.
After yesterday’s climb, we will enjoy a relaxing day at the lake, starting with a guided walk in the morning and followed by a boat trip to the other side of the lake for lunch. Today is a much-deserved rest day.
Cycling: 0 km.
Accommodation: Hotel Hanabanilla.
Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner & Breakfast.
7
April 14th.
Today’s ride is a relatively easy 56 km descent from Hanabanilla on a well-paved road into Santa Clara, a youthful city known for its university and for the mausoleum of Che Guevara.
Cycling: 56 km (35 miles).
Accommodation: Hotel Los Caneyes.
Meals Included: Dinner/Breakfast.
8
April 15th.
Before leaving Santa Clara, we will visit the mausoleum and the battle site where Che Guevara and a small number of men essentially ended the Cuban Revolution by derailing the Tren Blindado (armored train) and defeating the government troops it carried.
We will take the bus to Colon, and after having lunch in the town, not included, we will ride to Matanzas, the former center of the sugar trade that sits on a wide and beautiful bay. We should have the wind at our backs for the entire ride from Colón to Matanzas.
Cycling: 86 km (53.5 miles).
Accommodation: Hotel Velasco.
Meals Included: Dinner & Breakfast.
9
April 16th.
Sadly, today is our last day of riding. We will leave Matanzas and ride alongside the bay before going inland to Via Blanca, the highway connecting Matanzas and Havana. On the way we will cross the Bacunayagua Bridge, Cuba’s tallest suspension bridge at 110 metres (360 feet) above the floor of the valley below. We will stop for lunch Peñon del Fraile before taking the bus to the Old Havana.
Tonight we will visit the famous night Club in Havana, Tropicana.
Cycling: 47 km (29 miles).
Accommodation: Hotel Presidente
Meals Included: Dinner & Breakfast.
10
April 17th.
Be ready with your cameras for a fun drive in vintage American cars through parts of Havana that you may have heard about like the University of Havana where Fidel Castro studied, Chinatown, the National Theater, the well-known hotels frequented by American mobsters before the Revolution, the long and impressive Malecón seaside boulevard and esplanade for which Havana is famous and more. This will allow you to see the modern city.
After lunch, we will go by bus to visit the Hemingway mansion in San Francisco de Paula.
Cycling: 0 km.
Accommodation: Hotel Presidente
Meals Included: Dinner & Breakfast.
11
April 18th.
This is our departure day. We will take the group to Jose Marti airport. We have done our best to show you some wonderful sights here in our home country. We hope you have become enchanted with Cuba and her people and that we see you back soon.
Cycling: 0 km.
Accommodation: Hotel Presidente.
Meals Included: Breakfast.
Cycle Rental
Bicycle Breeze has bike rentals at great prices. For this tour we recommend that you use a hybrid bike. If you required an e-bike we have a limited amount in stock. Should you prefer to bring your own that is fine with us, you will get the same mechanical assistance as the renters.
Check your travel company for costs of shipping your bike. Depending on your country of embarkation you may be better to rent. Renting has other positive aspects. Your bike will not get lost in transit. It is far easier to travel without a bike box and spare bikes are on the bus for renters. The negative side is that this is not your favorite ride.
Customize This Tour
With a group of 10 or more riders, Bicycle Breeze can offer the ability to customize a tour to suit your needs. Contact us to start planning your next great adventure.