ITINERARY

The Hemingway's tour allows you to pay tribute to this man who loved the sea, the sun and Cuban way of life. The hotel chosen "The Old Man and The Sea" is located in the Marina Hemingway, a closed community in the southwest of Havana. The Marina Hemingway will be the base using the car rental to follow the path of Hemingway and visit the various sites and locations around the peripherals of Havana and the surrounding areas.

Day: 1 Arrival Havana
Arrival Havana at Jose Marti Int'l Airport. Meet and greet by Alitours' representative. Transfer to the hotel. Check in, pick up the car rental and begin to explore the Marina and the rest of Havana at your own pace. Drive in the evening to the world famous Tropicana Cabaret where you will enjoy front row seating. This musical show full of tropical colours and variety features more than 200 dancers and singers, all under the starry skies!

Day: 2 Havana
Breakfast. Drive to Old Havana along the picturesque Quinta Avenida passing through the Embassy District connecting to the famous stretch of road along the seaboard of Havana called the "Malecon". Park the car near the Old Section of Havana to take a walk to experience the charm of this World Heritage site since 1982. Experience the diverse architecture, avenues, squares, and culture. Visit the Ambos Mundos Hotel where Hemingway stayed in room 511 off and on throughout the 1930s and two other favourite places, La Bodeguita del Medio Restaurant (must taste a Mojito) and the Floridita Restaurant Bar (must taste the Daiquiri). Hemingway favourite saying was "mi mojito en la Bodeguita y mi daiquiri en El Floridita". (B)

Day: 3 Havana - S. Francisco de Paula - Cojimar
Breakfast. Morning drive to visit the Hemingway Museum at the "La Finca Vigía" residence in the picturesque town of San Francisco de Paula. Afterwards visit Cojimar, where you will find the Hemingway monument and "Las Terrazas de Cojimar" restaurant, often frequented by Hemingway as he returned from a sea voyage on his boat the "Pilar" (Displayed and housed at the Hemingway Museum at La Finca Vigia). Experience lunch in Las Terrazas. Drive back to Havana or explore more of the countryside.

Day: 4 Havana - Cayo Levisa
After two days of exploring Havana and its surroundings, it's time to head to the Western part of Cuba. After breakfast, check out. Drive at leisure west to the Province of Pinar del Rio to the town of Palma Rubia in the northwestern coast. Park the car and take ferry to Cayo Levisa a pristine key, where Hemingway hid his boat "The Pilar" while harassing the German submarines lurking in the Caribbean waters during WW II. Although Hemingway did not have the opportunity to engage the enemy, this adventure inspired one of his last novels "Island in the Stream". Check in At the Cayo Levisa Hotel for 1 night stay. The rest of the time is at leisure to explore Hemingway's haunts in the area or relax and enjoy the beach and the water.

Day: 5 Cayo Levisa - Vinales
Today the morning is free. After lunch transfer by ferry back to Palma Rubia to pick the car. Drive to the Valley of Vinales one of Cuba's greatest natural attractions, declared a National Natural Monument for its remarkable landscapes is a part of the Sierra de los Organos. A karst valley where mogotes, knolls with rounded tops and steep slopes, contrast harmoniously with the flat surface of the valley where they stand. Deep in the valley bottom you find cultivated lands - mainly tobacco, taro and bananas - and scattered peasant houses, all forming a rural landscape of great beauty. Check in at La Ermita Hotel perched on the top of the hills overlooking the valley.

Day: 6 Vinales - Los Acuaticos
Breakfast. Today is a day to explore. For those who love nature and outdoor activities the area offers different ecotours of great interest. The wonders of Viñales, a walk along the Sierra del Infierno (Hell Mountains) to see the local flora and fauna, including its birds and a tree dating back to the Jurassic Period (Microsyca calocoma), and visit the Moncada farmers' community; a Visit to Los Acuaticos, a community of people who adore water and live in the mountains nearby. Visit a tobacco plantation and rum factory, the Prehistoric Mural painted on a rock face depicting the evolution of life or the Indian caves and take a boat ride to see the caverns.

Day: 7 Havana
Breakfast. Check out and drive to Havana. Along the way stop and visit La Terrazas Nature Biosphere Reserve. Visit the artisan community and the Ecological Centre to take a walking tour along one of the nature trails to view and see the flora and fauna of the area. Have country lunch at Casa del Campesino. Visit to the Buena Vista coffee plantation. Afterwards continue to Havana check in at Ambos Mundos Hotel and drop off the car. Evening at leisure to see Havana by night.

Day: 8 Depart Havana
Breakfast. Checking out from the hotel depends on the flight departure time. Transfer to Havana's Jose Marti International Airport for the flight home.