day 1 HAVANA.
Destinations to visit:
Havana
Transports used:
Without transportation
Preparation and indications for the beginning of the tour
- Accommodation in a cozy colonial style private house.
- Pick up at 9:00 am and presentation of the tour guide, this will be recognizable by the logo "Cubyke" that is present on your bike, T-shirt or cap.
- Departure to pick up the bikes.
- Brief introduction about the correct use of the bikes and their individual adjustment, according to your own physical characteristics.
- Explanation about the state of the streets and information about the functioning of the Cuban road traffic.
day 2 HAVANA.
Destinations to visit:
Havana
Transports used:
Electric bicycle (e-bike)
A Classic Day in Havana
- This tour includes the highlights of the Cuban capital, as well as other less known wonders.
- We begin our tour of Old Havana.
- In transit we will pass through the Callejón de Hamel, a place that smells, sounds, tastes and looks like Afro-Cuban culture.
- We will stop at La Guarida restaurant, one of the most recognized in Havana, the location for the filming of the famous Cuban movie Strawberry and Chocolate, nominated for an Oscar (1993)
- We will also visit the San Cristóbal Paladar, where former President Barack Obama dined during his stay in Cuba.
- We continue the tour around the Capitol, the Gran Teatro de La Habana and the Central Park.
- Arrival in Old Havana, tour of the Casa del Perfume and the Castillo de la Real Fuerza.
- At some points we will walk, together with our bikes, through some historical places in this area of the city of special relevance, due to the existence of narrow alleys, generally very crowded.
- We will visit the 4 most important squares of the historical center: Plaza Vieja, Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, Plaza de la Catedral and Plaza de Armas.
- We continue the tour by the Paseo del Prado.
- Lunch in the area
- We will go along the Malecón, and at the height of the impressive Hotel Nacional de Cuba, we will enter the elegant residential neighborhood of Vedado, with its very varied architecture.
- We will pedal along the busy 23rd street, up to Paseo Avenue, to reach the Plaza de la Revolución.
- On our way back to the meeting point of the trip, we will stop for the last time to drink something, maybe a cocktail, a beer or a water, while we exchange about the impressions obtained during this day.
day 3 HAVANA.
Destinations to visit:
Havana
Transports used:
Electric bicycle (e-bike)
Discover the Havana countryside
- The route puts us in direct contact with the way of life in the interior regions of the city.
- Departure at 9:00 am at the lodging towards Jaimanitas.
- On the way we will pass by the embassies, the Convention Palace, where many national and international congresses are held, as well as important political events, and the Club Habana, former Havana Biltmore Yacht and Country Club, a recreational facility built at the beginning of the 20th century in Havana.
- Arrival to Fusterlandia, an architectural dream of José Antonio Rodríguez Fuster, a kind of Caribbean "Guell Park" in Havana
- We continue our journey through Jaimanitas, in the direction of the Hemingway Marina, the largest yachting facility in Cuba, named after the American writer Ernest Hemingway.
- We continue in the direction of Baracoa, during the trip we will be able to contemplate small beaches and the Latin American School of Medicine.
- We arrive at Baracoa, a fishing village, where we will enjoy a spectacular meal in one of our favorite restaurants.
- At the end of the trip we will return, making some brief stops to take an undesired break.
day 4 HAVANA - BATABANO - NUEVA GERONA (ISLAND OF YOUTH)
Destinations to visit:
Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud
Transports used:
Air conditioned bus, Electric bicycle (e-bike) , Ferry
From Havana to Batabanó and then to the Isle of Youth
- We start our journey in the direction of Batabanó, where a fast Russian ferry will take us to the Isle of Youth. Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1494 and named St. John the Evangelist, not being strategically interesting was forgotten what was ideal for major pirates and corsairs in the Caribbean, who did use it from the sixteenth century until the eighteenth century. It also became the ideal place to dock the Spanish Silver Fleet and to have a refuge to which to quickly access. It is supposed that around the island there are more than 200 ships that are full of treasures, but Cuba has not had enough resources to rescue the shipwrecks, however, the place has developed as one of the best diving areas in the world.
- For the journey to the island we recommend carrying a small backpack for basic needs apart from the rest of the luggage.
- Safety check before boarding.
- It is very necessary and important to have your passport at hand.
- Approximately 2.5 hour trip to Nueva Gerona, where you can admire the blue of our seas and the tranquility of our waters.
- At the port of Nueva Gerona, we will disembark our luggage and take our e-bikes to start a small tour of the place.
- We will enjoy a picnic on a black sand beach, and free time for swimming.
- At the end we will drive our e-bikes to the hotel, to settle in and have dinner.
- Free night for your enjoyment, we can sit at the local bar to immerse ourselves in a discussion about our impressions and share them, accompanied by Cuban cocktails or a good shot of rum, with the locals, who also stay there.
- The bikes will go to the charging station to recover their maximum power and be ready for their next ride.
day 5 NEW GERONA (ISLAND OF YOUTH)
Destinations to visit:
Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud
Transports used:
Electric bicycle (e-bike)
Visit to the Model Prison
- Breakfast.
- Departure at 9:00 am, beginning our tour of Nueva Gerona, with destination the Presidio Modelo. Former prison where the young revolutionaries who assaulted the Moncada Barracks on July 26, 1953, including the leader of the revolutionary movement, Fidel Castro, were held before leaving for exile in Mexico. The Presidio Modelo was inaugurated on July 30, 1973. It was declared a National Monument in October 1978. It has an area of 400,000 square meters with 34 objects of works (buildings), among all these are erected and distinguished as imposing symbols the circulars that are five (four that were dedicated to the reclusion of prisoners and one dedicated to dining room with capacity for 3,000 guests). The place is so big that we can cross with our bicycles the old spaces where the prisoners were.
- After the tour of the Model Prison, we will go to the Paraiso Beach or Bibijagua Beach where we will have something to eat, returning, after lunch, to Nueva Gerona.
- Tour of Nueva Gerona, where we will have the opportunity to get to know the island's artisan ceramic workshops, walk along the boulevard and stop for an ice cream or drink. before returning to our hotel, where we will have dinner and the night free for our enjoyment.
- Reload the bikes and pack, because the next day we move to the Colony Hotel.
day 6 NUEVA GERONA - EL COLONY
Destinations to visit:
Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud
Transports used:
Electric bicycle (e-bike)
New Gerona at the Colony
- Departure at 9:00 am to the Colony Hotel.
- On the way to the south-west we will stop at the Finca El Abra museum, where in 1870, the young José Martí spent 65 days in this estancia, recovering after being in prison. The farm belonged to José María Sardá. A trip to the Caolín Lake, where some will be able to take a medicinal mud bath.
- We will continue pedaling to a mystical forest. In the forest of La Demajagua one has the feeling of being in a fantasy movie, the immense trees of Jagüey have a magical power of attraction.
- Let's enjoy a small snack.
- Visit to the farm La Victoria, former home of "Ubre Blanca", the most famous cow in Cuba capable of giving 110 liters of milk daily.
- At the end, departure to the Colony Hotel.
- Free time for your enjoyment
- The bikes will be properly stored and recharged until their next use.
day 7 EL COLONY - PUNTA FRANCES - EL COLONY
Destinations to visit:
Isla de la Juventud
Transports used:
Boat
Trip to one of the most beautiful beaches in Cuba
- Breakfast
- Today the bikes will not be used, we will take an early boat to Punta Frances National Park. Here you will find one of the best preserved coastal ecosystems in the country. In the terrestrial zone there is also a lush vegetation with its associated fauna habitat, which includes the Tocororo, the Cabrerito and the Cotorra.
- Transfer in electric boats or catamarans.
- Enjoy one of the most beautiful beaches on the island and an ideal place for snorkeling, as it has one of the best diving areas in Cuba and the world.
- If you wish, you can obtain diving permits; for this purpose La Martina has different package offers, which can be booked in advance through our company. In this place there is a coral reef of extraordinary beauty, virginity and diversity of species, with numerous tubular sponges and abundant caves. It is formed by a large plain of coral limestone, sandstone and dolomite rocks of recent age, of about 84000 hectares, with medium semi-deciduous forests and an average height of 6 meters above sea level, separated from the northern region by the Cienaga de Lanier.
- Return to the Hotel
- Free night for your enjoyment.
day 8 EL COLONY - NUEVA GERONA
Destinations to visit:
Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud
Transports used:
Electric bicycle (e-bike)
La Fé - Nueva Gerona: tour of pure nature
- Breakfast and departure to Nueva Gerona.
- We will visit farmers and agriculturists and, through them, we will know about the agriculture of the Island.
- We will try organic products, which can only be found here, as animal husbandry and natural cultivation are a priority in these communities. We will taste a meal typical in the second largest city of the Island, La Fe, which has approximately 8000 inhabitants.
- Visit the thermal baths in La Fé, founded in 1880. It is said that the springs are endowed with healing powers for skin, kidney, stomach and liver problems and that they can cure rheumatism and asthma.
- Departure to Nueva Gerona where we will settle in our last island accommodation for the next day's departure to Batabanó.
- Accommodation and dinner at the hotel.
- Free night for your enjoyment.
day 9 NUEVA GERONA - BATABANO - HAVANA
Destinations to visit:
Havana
Transports used:
Air conditioned bus, Electric bicycle (e-bike) , Ferry
New Gerona - Batabanó - Havana by night
- Departure to the port of Girona at 6:00 am with our e-bikes.
- Tour in the ferry to Batabanó around 8:00 am.
- Arrival to Batabanó, we will disembark our bikes from the ferry and take a transport to Havana.
- Accommodation in a private house.
- Our proposal is a night tour of Havana, for which we will leave at 6:00 pm.
- We will ride along the Malecón, where you will be able to admire the sunset and contemplate colonial buildings with wonderful lighting, including the Alicia Alonso Theater, the Capitol, the Paseo del Prado, the Museum of the Revolution and the new luxury hotels
- Finally, experience Cuban cuisine, have a farewell drink and talk about our cycling experience.
- End of the program.
Important
If you wish, you can book an extension program that includes other nights in Havana, where you will be able to walk freely, without guides or specific programs. If the additional nights in Havana are not the attractive enough, you can also use this time to get to know other colonial cities. Extensions of stay are also recommended for the enjoyment of the beaches: a complete relaxation before returning to work.
day 10 HAVANA.
Destinations to visit:
Havana
Transports used:
Without transportation
Departure day
- Depending on the time of your flight, you may be able to spend the morning on an independent tour or to buy some souvenirs in Old Havana for family or friends.
- If you wish, we have an optional transport to take you to the international airport or organize an individual transport to your next place of accommodation (price not included).
- We will gladly help you in any way possible, as long as it is in our hands.
