EAST GARDEN/CULTURAL TOUR

• NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Take a minute to read the “Cuba Garden Tour – 2023”  article by Tracey Kenning

After many years of exploring the plants and gardens of central/west Cuba, I have decided to let people explore the eastern region of the island, which hosts some very different and interesting locations.  The tour will start in Holguin province and go east into Guantanamo province, with extremely different climates, from the wettest to the driest, in just a matter of some kilometres.  The tour will also take you to several mountainous regions, the oldest town in Cuba and the second-largest city in Cuba.  For those who have enjoyed the central/west tour, now is an opportunity to indulge in more of this fascinating country.

Day 1 – Arrive in Holguin and transfer to the coastal town of Gibara.  Accommodation and dinner at the boutique hotel Ordoño in downtown Gibara.  You will be within walking distance of everything in this small coastal town. (D)

Day 2 –  Breakfast and transfer to the mountainous region of Pinares de Mayari.  Visit the highest waterfall in Cuba and have lunch at the waterfall or the lodge where you will spend the night. Accommodation and dinner at the lodge. (B/L/D)

Day 3 – Breakfast and transfer to Baracoa, the oldest settlement in Cuba.  Lunch will not be included, but we will try to have a picnic en route.  The drive takes you through some very interesting and varied landscapes.  Accommodation and dinner will be at Hotel Porto Santo overlooking the bay of Baracoa. (B/D)

Day 4 – Breakfast and tour of this historic city.  Transfer to ‘Finca Duaba’, where you will go on a tour of the Finca (small farm) with a local guide and discover local plants and the cacao tree (chocolate)…Baracoa is famous for chocolate, coconut, and coffee plantations.  Lunch is included on this day.  We will try to visit a local organic farm after lunch or have some free time.  Dinner will be at the hotel.  (B/L/D)

Day 5 – Breakfast and transfer to Santiago de Cuba, Cuba’s second-largest city and home to the popular Buena Vista Social Club…musicians.  Lunch is not included on this day, but our guide will try to arrange for a special seafood meal at a small seaside village.  Usually, the cost is the equivalent of $15 USD and includes a beverage, and it is amazing!  We will spend three nights in Santiago at the 5-star hotel Melia Santiago with dinner each night at the hotel (B/D)

Day 6 – Breakfast and transfer to Helechos Gardens Santiago, home to 350 types of ferns and 90 types of orchids.  It was a private collection until it was donated to the Cuban Academy of Science in 1984.

After your visit here, you will transfer to the Morro fort, where you have lunch at a restaurant by the same name (Paul McCarney of the Beatles once ate here).  After lunch, a city tour, return to the hotel where you will have dinner. (B/L/D)

Day 7 –  Breakfast and transfer to Gran Piedra (Big Rock) to the east of Santiago and up to about 800 metres above sea level.  You will travel through some very historic areas en route and our guide will explain it in detail.  The climb up to Gran Piedra offers some breathtaking views of the Caribbean and coastal area.  You will visit a small botanical garden with unique plants and flowers and have a local guide to explain everything.  Afterward, you can climb to the top of the ‘Big Rock’ or just relax with a beverage and take in the view. Lunch at a local restaurant and dinner at the hotel. (B/L/D)

Day 8 –Breakfast and transfer to the city of Bayamo, one of Cuba’s cleanest cities.  Before arriving in the city, you will visit another botanical garden again, with a local guide.  Lunch is not included on this day, but we always look for an interesting restaurant.  Accommodation and dinner will be at Hotel Royalton in the central square an easy location to walk the city.(B/D)

Day 9 – Breakfast and transfer to the city of Holguin for a city tour before continuing to the all-inclusive beach resort, Playa Costa Verde. (B/L/D)

Day 10 – Free Day

DAY 11 – Breakfast and transfer to the airport in Holguin for your return to Canada.