Cuba: Explore the World’s Best-Kept Secret

Location: Central America & Caribbean
Duration: 9 Days
Price: From $7,345
Activity Level: Moderate

Cuba: Explore the World’s Best-Kept Secret

Location: Central America & Caribbean
Duration: 9 Days
Price: From $7,345
Activity Level: Moderate

Overview

Cuba welcomes you with vibrant art, architecture, and Afro-Latin rhythms! Explore three UNESCO World Heritage cities, each rich in artistic expression. Stay in stylish accommodations, savor meals in family-run paladares, and immerse yourself in daily Cuban life. Begin in Camagüey with salsa lessons and pottery classes, visit Trinidad’s coffee growers, and hike to a waterfall. Continue to Cienfuegos Bay for kayaking, then explore Havana’s culture with classic car rides, cooking lessons, and art market strolls. End your journey with a toast to Cuba and newfound friendships!

Main Attractions

Cuban Cities

Experience Cuba’s vibrant culture in Camagüey, Trinidad, and Havana, enjoying live music, local art, and charming accommodations with traditional meals.

Art & Business

Engage with local businesswomen and artists, learning about Cuba’s rich cultural heritage and entrepreneurial spirit through personal stories and insightful exchanges.

Dance, Kayak & Coo

Unleash your inner salsa diva, kayak through Cienfuegos Bay, and explore Havana with a classic car cruise, cooking lessons, and historic neighborhood strolls.

Map of Cuba showing travel routes by plane and bus between Havana, Trinidad, and Camaguey, with an inset map of Cuba's location in the Caribbean.
Four women pose together inside a rustic restaurant with a long dining table and a bar in the background.
Three women navigate a forest trail with wooden steps surrounded by lush greenery.
A group of people pose and point at a multi-directional street sign on a city sidewalk, with a historic building and parked cars visible in the background.
Ornate metal gate on a bright blue building with white decorative patterns around an arched window.
Two people smiling while riding in a vehicle with a yellow canopy. A pink building is in the background.
A vintage blue car parked on a street with people nearby, in front of a mural featuring abstract art on a building wall.
Two women sit in a yellow three-wheeled taxi, one holding a sunflower. Another person is seated in a similar taxi behind them.
Person in a red shirt standing in an art gallery, gesturing toward a wall display of colorful paintings and one black-and-white drawing. A table with books is in front.
A woman stands beside a pink vintage car in front of an old stone building with ornate columns. A man is visible in the background.

Itinerary

Aerial view of Havana with the Capitol building, historic architecture, and palm trees under a partly cloudy sky.

Welcome to Camagüey: Your Cuban Adventure Begins!

With its dazzling art, architecture, Afro-Latin rhythms, and iconic postcard scenes, Cuba welcomes you! Embrace the future-forward vision of its entrepreneurial people and the spirited energy of this legendary island as soon as you arrive. Your expert national Cuban guide will immerse you in the culture, history, and local lore, while you’ll meet incredible individuals who will make your experience fun and fulfilling, cheering you on as you embrace new challenges. You’ll be picked up at Camagüey airport (CMW) and transferred to your hotel. Enjoy a lively welcome dinner at a family-owned paladar, where you’ll get to know your fellow travelers, share stories, and learn what excites each woman about exploring Cuba!

Meals dinner
A person demonstrates pottery making on a wheel while another person sits nearby, smiling. The room is filled with pottery tools and finished pieces.

Discover the Charm of Camagüey

Begin your day with a walking tour of Camagüey, navigating its abstract, tangled alleyways that reveal endless surprises beyond the popular squares. Visit a local artist’s gallery to explore the vibrant Cuban art scene, then try your hand at pottery in a workshop, crafting your own Camagüey clay pot. Enjoy lunch at a nearby paladar before relaxing and exploring the plazas near your accommodations. Embrace Cuba’s rhythm with a professionally led salsa class, then head out with your group for a late dinner and a night of music and dancing at Camagüey’s Casa de la Trova.

Meals breakfast, lunch, dinner
A group of people seated at a long dining table, raising glasses in a toast, surrounded by plates of food and drinks in a warmly lit room.

Journey from Camagüey to Trinidad via Santa Clara

Depart Camagüey’s charming streets before 8:00 AM for a four-hour drive to Santa Clara, with planned breaks along the way. Visit the Che Guevara Mausoleum, commemorating the decisive Battle of Santa Clara, where Guevara’s troops secured victory on December 31, 1958, leading to the exile of dictator Fulgencio Batista. Enjoy a city tour with a local guide followed by lunch at his favorite paladar, then continue your two-hour journey to Trinidad, Cuba’s colonial gem. Settle into your all-inclusive hotel for the next two nights and enjoy dinner with your group.

Meals breakfast, lunch, dinner
A woman in an orange shirt and straw hat pours liquid from a pot into a filter in an outdoor setting with plants in the background.

Explore Trinidad’s Natural and Cultural Treasures

Visit a local coffee grower in Topes, sample his internationally renowned coffee, and learn about his life in Cuba. Enjoy a hike through Topes’ tropical forest to a stunning waterfall, with an option to swim in the pool below, followed by a homemade lunch in the coffee grower’s garden. Spend the early afternoon exploring Trinidad on your own or relaxing, then join a walking tour of this historic town, once the center of the world’s sugar production. Conclude your day with a sunset cocktail on a rooftop, dinner at a paladar, and optional evening entertainment at Trinidad’s Casa de La Música.

Meals breakfast, lunch, dinner
A person in a sun hat and life jacket is kayaking on open water with ships in the background on a sunny day.

Trinidad to Havana: Coastal Adventure and French-Colonial Charm

Begin your morning with a kayaking trip along Cienfuegos Bay, enjoying a rare glimpse of Cuba’s stunning coastline from double and single kayaks. Have lunch at a paladar in Cienfuegos, offering breathtaking views of the bay and Escambray Mountains. Explore Cienfuegos’ city center on foot with your guide, admiring its unique French-colonial architecture. Upon arrival in Havana, check into your hotel, relax after a long day of travel, and enjoy dinner at a nearby paladar.

Meals breakfast, lunch, dinner
Person screen printing with guidance in a shop, featuring stacked printed items and two onlookers in the background.

Discover the Allure of Havana

Stroll through La Habana Vieja with your guide, exploring its four main plazas and learning about the rich history, culture, and architecture. Visit female cuentapropistas who specialize in fashion design and participate in a printing workshop at Cuba’s largest arts and crafts market. Enjoy tapas at a paladar owned by a former physicist turned restauranteur. Cruise through Havana’s diverse neighborhoods in a classic car, ending at the iconic 1930 Hotel Nacional, where you’ll tour the grand lobby and Hall of History, and sip cocktails in the gardens overlooking the Malecon at sunset. Conclude your day with dinner at an Italian restaurant featuring live Latin jazz.

Meals breakfast, lunch, dinner
A smiling person holds a drink with a straw in a glass labeled "El Ron de Cuba." They are wearing a floral-patterned shirt.

Unveiling Havana’s Artistic Soul

Begin your day with an art curator at Bellas Artes, Havana’s fine arts museum, exploring its uniquely curated Cuban art collection divided into pre- and post-revolutionary periods. Visit a contemporary studio to meet a local artist and learn about the challenges facing Cuban artists today. Enjoy lunch at a local paladar before touring a local dance company’s studio and watching a short performance. After some downtime, head to a local bar for a cocktail lesson with a professional Cuban mixologist, where you’ll learn to make Cuba’s signature cocktails, including non-alcoholic options. Dinner reservations will be made for you at a paladar inside the famed Fabrica de Arte Cubano, offering dishes from all over the Latin world. Conclude your evening by exploring the vibrant mix of art, music, and dancing at Fabrica de Arte Cubano.

Meals breakfast, lunch
Two women smiling together in an outdoor market, with stalls displaying various items in the background. One wears a white hat, and the other a red headscarf.

Havana and the Fishing Village of Cojímar

Visit Cojímar, a charming fishing village 20 minutes east of Havana, which inspired Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea, and see the bust commemorating the author, fondly remembered by locals. Tour an organoponico (urban garden) that supplies vegetables to a paladar where you’ll enjoy a cooking lesson, learning to make mojitos and a traditional Cuban stew, ajiaco. Spend the afternoon relaxing or shopping for souvenirs before heading to a farewell dinner at one of Cuba’s finest paladars. You’ll have time to catch a show or explore Havana’s nightlife before your departure.

Meals breakfast, lunch, dinner
A vintage blue car is parked on a cobblestone street lined with colorful colonial buildings under a clear blue sky.

Depart Havana

Enjoy a leisurely morning after your late night, with your driver and guide available for any last-minute sightseeing or shopping. Bid farewell to your AdventureWomen friends as you transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Meals breakfast
Cityscape of Havana, Cuba at dusk with illuminated buildings, including the Capitolio, and a waterfront reflecting lights in the foreground, framed by lush greenery.

Accommodations

Please note that all amenities were current when written and are subject to change at any time.

Outdoor courtyard with yellow arches, brown tiled floor, wrought iron furniture, and potted plants, set under a blue sky with clouds.

Local Bed and Breakfast

Guests will be organized into two groups and accommodated in separate hotels: the Hostal San Rafael and Apodaca. Guests of the Hostal San Rafael, a charming bed and breakfast on Plaza San Juan de Dios in Camagüey feature unpretentious but warm rooms. The boutique B&B Apodaca, located in the heart of Camaguey, provides convenient accommodations in a historic home steeped in character.

Amenities: private baths, hair dryer, safe, air conditioning, Wi-Fi

Aerial view of a modern resort with multiple pools, surrounded by loungers and palm trees, set by the ocean under a clear blue sky.

Melia Trinidad Peninsula

Overlooking the Caribbean Sea and Sierra del Escambray, Meliá Trinidad Peninsula offers a modern stay with exceptional experiences. Enjoy spacious rooms, diverse dining options, and infinity and swim-up pools. Located near Trinidad’s historical and cultural attractions, the hotel blends relaxation with easy access to the city’s charms.

AMENITIES: complimentary toiletries, hair dryer, minibar, cable/satellite TV, safe, air conditioning, Wi-Fi

Modern hotel lobby with marble floors, blue and white seating, a sleek black and gold reception desk, and decorative lighting fixtures. A bar is visible in the background.

INNSide Habana Catedral by Melia

INNside Habana Catedral is a delightful place to stay featuring bright and comfortable rooms, with a unique design and modern decoration. The rooftop allows visitors to admire Havana from above. The swimming pool has breathtaking views of the lighthouse and the sea.

AMENITIES: complimentary toiletries, hair dryer, safe, coffee/tea, air conditioning, Wi-Fi

Dates & Pricing

Start Date End Date Availability Pricing Booking Link
Feb 15 Feb 23
Sold Out
$7,345*

*Additional Pricing Information: 2025 Optional Single Accommodation: $1,500

Arrival: Arrive in Camagüey, Cuba (CMW) on Day 1 before 3:00 PM

Departure: Depart Havana, Cuba (HAV) on Day 9 before 2:00 PM

What's Included

  • Accommodations as per itinerary based on double occupancy
  • All meals as listed in the itinerary
  • All ground transportation
  • Airport transfers on the scheduled arrival and departure days
  • Guided sightseeing and activities as indicated in the itinerary
  • English-speaking guide(s) throughout the trip
  • Two non-alcoholic drinks (water or soda) per person with included meals at paladares
  • Bottled water in the vehicles
  • Gratuities for local guides and waitstaff

What's Not Included

  • International airfare to and from Cuba
  • Mandatory Cuban Tourist Card (arranged through the airline)
  • Enrollment in Cuba medical emergency insurance (required by Cuban government and provided through US airlines)
  • Optional activities
  • Meals not specified in the itinerary
  • Alcoholic beverages (unless otherwise specified)
  • Fees for passport, visas, immunizations, or travel insurance
  • Cost of hospitalization or evacuation
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Gratuities for head guide and drivers

FAQs

Absolutely! We happily welcome all women regardless of race, creed, or sexual preference, as long as you are physically capable of doing the activities on your chosen trip. Our guests range from 18-85+! It is important to us to talk to each guest to make sure each woman chooses the right trip for her physical ability and interest.

You can process your registration on our online booking system or over the phone. Most deposits are $800. In many cases, and unless otherwise indicated, your deposit is transferable if you notify us in writing 120 before your trip departs.

Be sure to check the ‘What’s Included’ section of the trip you are interested in. Once you get to the departure city and meet the group, we often include most meals, all accommodations, all activities (although there might be an optional activity at an additional cost), transportation while on the adventure, qualified local guide(s) and some trips also include an AdventureWomen Ambassador. Our trips do not include airfare to/from the arrival and departure cities. However, internal flights are included in some itineraries so please read the itinerary carefully.

Absolutely! In fact, we encourage it! Many of the women who travel with AdventureWomen come solo. For those that do not choose a single supplement, we pair you with a roommate. Usually, when we change accommodations on a trip, we will change roommates if we can, so you get a chance to know others in our group. A limited number of single supplements may be available for an additional charge.

That depends entirely on the trip! AdventureWomen adventure travel trips are rated according to the physical fitness level demanded by the included activities.

  • Moderate: These adventures exercise your mind more than your body and are designed for women who prefer a leisurely, less rigorous experience. For example, you could walk up to 2 miles per day through cities and villages, stand in museums for a few hours, relax on a boat, or view wildlife from a vehicle.
  • Active: Adventures that get you on your feet! You should be in good physical condition where you are comfortable walking on uneven surfaces, such as cobblestone streets, biking manicured nature trails or kayaking calm waters.
  • High Energy: These adventures are designed for women who enjoy a physical challenge and crave being on the go! You should be prepared for itineraries that include (but are not limited to): a full day of biking on a rolling terrain, hiking 5-8 miles on moderate to steep trails, being active at high altitudes, whitewater rafting, or skiing.
  • Challenging: Adventures that get your heart rate pumping, these are demanding yet deeply rewarding and designed for seasoned outdoor enthusiasts. You should be in excellent physical condition, and be able to hike up to 10 miles, in steeper, more rugged terrain.