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HAVANA - From $CAD 30.
COLONIAL HAVANA: Visit to the Old
City for a walking tour of the colonial district. Havana preserves
more of its historic colonial legacy than any other city in the
Americas. In 1982, UNESCO declared Old Havana a World Heritage Site,
a veritable living museum, in which no fewer than 144 buildings from
the 16th and 17th centuries are preserved.
Stops include: The Plaza
de Armas, the city's oldest square and for centuries its political
and military center; El templete, a small chapel where the first
mass in Cuba was celebrated; the Palace of the Captain Generals,
converted to the Museum of the City of Havana; the Plaza de la
Cathedral with a cathedral that is the most harmonious architectural
unit in Havana. HAVANA'S MUSEUMS: Visits to museums
that specialize in areas of the arts, sciences and history, such as:
Arms Museum, Literacy Museum, Jose Marti Birthplace, Museum of the
City of Havana, Museum of Colonial Art, Museum of Decorative Arts,
Museum of Natural Sciences, Museum of the People's Struggle, Museum
of the Revolution, Napoleonic Museum, National Museum of Fine Arts,
Numismatic Museum, Postal Museum. (2 hours)
HAVANA PANORAMA: Tour of the main
streets, monuments and forts in colonial Havana, followed by a drive
through modern Havana's residential section and along the Malecon,
with stops at the main points of interest, such as the University of
Havana and Revolution Square. (3 hours)
CIGAR FACTORY: Admire the skill with
which the experts hand-roll the world famous Havana cigars. (1.5
hours)
HAVANA'S CHURCHES: A visit to any of
Havana's churches can also include hearing mass. You have the choice
of the following: Cathedral of Havana, Jesus de Miramar Church, Le
Merced, San Antonio de Padua, San Juan de Letran, Santa Rita. (2
hours)
TROPICANA NIGHTCLUB: This world
famous nightclub offers an extravagant show full of color and the
catchy rhythm provided by Cuban orchestras in its outdoor ballroom -
a veritable paradise under the stars. Two drinks per person are
included. (4 hours)
FARM PARTY: A traditional Cuban farm
feast, celebrated at the Palmar Farm, with music, dancing, games and
plenty to eat and drink. You can go horseback riding, watch a cock
fight, milk a cow, sip a glass of fresh sugarcane juice, see someone
climb a royal palm and knock down coconuts and savoir a succulent
Creole meal. (6 hours on Wednesdays)
VINALES: Located in Pinar del Rio
province, at the western tip of Cuba, Vinales Valley is known for
its picturesque hillocks that jut up sharply from the valley floor.
The trip takes you to the Archaeological Mural painted on the side
of one of those hillocks, to the Indian Cave, with its underground
river, and to an attractive restaurant for lunch. (10
hours).
GUAMA: This picturesque resort in
southern Matanzas province, has cabanas built on stilts along the
banks of Treasure Lake, which you cross by boat to a reconstructed
Taino Indian village, with life-size sculptured figures showing how
those primitive people lived. The trip also includes a visit to the
alligator farm. Lunch is included. (10 hours)
VARADERO - From $CAD 30
BELLAMAR CAVE: Deep in the
cliff-overlooking Matanzas Bay is Bellamar Cave, with its
impressively beautiful galleries and passageways. Enjoy a guided
tour of the cave and a refreshing cocktail. Departure: 2p.m. Return:
5p.m.
COLONIAL HAVANA: Visit Old Havana,
which UNESCO has declared a part of world heritage, stopping a La
Real Fuerza Castle, Arms Square and Obispo Street, Cathedral Square
and other points of interest in the old city. Lunch at the Havana
Libre Hotel, visit the National Aquarium and shop at La Flora and La
Maison. Departure: 8a.m. Return: 4:30p.m.
RANCHO CANGREJO: The excursion
includes transfer to "Gaviota" Marina, during the voyage enjoy the
charm of our seas on new last generation catamarans and French
technology. Visit to "Rancho Cangrejo"
(Crab ranch), where you can
swim with the dolphins and also go snorkeling in the small aquarium.
Visit the coralline reefs while snorkeling (refreshment on board).
Lunch at Cayo Blanco and taste lobster stew with red or green
pepper, tomatoes and onion. Open Bar with local drinks and Cuban
cocktails, be it on board the catamaran or in the key. Free time in
the key for swimming, return to Varadero Marina. Transfer to the
Hotel in Varadero.
TRINIDAD - From $CAD 30
This museum city founded in the 16th
century has narrow cobblestone streets, churches and colonial
dwellings built in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Drive through
Cienfuegos and continue to Trinidad for lunch at the Las Cuevas
Motel and a tour of the colonial city, stopping at the Romantic,
Natural Sciences and Archaeological Museums. Departure: 7a.m.
Return: 4:30p.m.
TRINIDAD: Topes de Collantes In the
mountains some 20 kilometres from Trinidad, is one of Cuba's main
ecotourism centres.
VALLE DE LOS INGENIOS: East of
Trinidad are the ruins of some 70 centuries-old sugar mills. The
stunning, 146-foot-high Iznaga Tower, built around 1840, looms over
the valley as a reminder of days when slaves worked the cane fields
and the mills.
SANTIAGO DE
CUBA - From $CAD 30
NUESTRA SENORA DE LA CARIDAD DEL COBRE
NATIONAL SANCTUARY: The Cuban patroness' temple is located in a
small village west of Santiago. Pope John Paul II crowned the virgin
during a religious ceremony held here on occasion of his visit to
the city in 1998, and Hemingway left his Nobel Prize
here.
GRAN PIEDRA: A Lookout in Eastern
Cuba: The Gran Piedra (The Great Stone) is an enormous monolith
of volcanic origin, which is 51 meters (167 feet) long, 25 meters
(82 feet) high and 30 meters (98 feet) wide, and weights over 63,000
tons sits on top of a high mountain (1,226 metres high), is one of
the most outstanding geological values of Santiago de Cuba province.
Visitors have access to Gran Piedra through 452 steps, where they
enjoy adventure amid exuberant vegetation of ferns, orchids and
other species growing in the region.
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