Bicycle off the tourist track and experience the rich culture of western Cuba. We’ll explore some of Cuba’s vibrant towns adorned with neoclassical architecture, see Cuban cigars rolled, savor some of the finest food this country has to offer, and spend time with locals to learn about the rich history of this charming country. The stunning route shows-off the best of Cuba's crystal blue waters and lush forests.
All of our itineraries meet the United States requirements for a Support for the Cuban People licensed trip and we will provide all details necessary for American travelers. Loosening of regulations has allowed airlines to schedule direct flights from Miami and Houston into a variety of Cuban cities making this fascinating country more accessible than ever before.
Please Remember: With over 50 years of a trade embargo by the United States (and sanctions if other countries trade with them) and an economy that has boomed, busted and never truly found its way, Cuba is like no other place you have traveled. We choose to travel by bicycle because we know that getting off the buses and into the heart of a country on two wheels is one of the best ways to truly experience a place. With that said, you will notice that buildings are in need of repair, sometimes including portions of the hotels we use. Air conditioning, though present in 100% of your hotel rooms, may break down. Hot water and water pressure can vary. Internet access is sporadic. And, the people in Cuba are some of the warmest and friendliest people on earth. They genuinely want to share and talk about their lives with travelers from all over the world - especially Americans.
* We are happy to match solo travelers who would like to share a room with someone of the same gender. If no match exists, due to hotel pricing, we will charge 50% of the private room charge. This charge will be collected at the time of the final payment. If a roommate assignment is available it will be refunded at the conclusion of the tour.
** For information about what your tour status means please see our FAQ page.
Cycle To The “Rainbow of Cuba”, Tobacco Plantation/Cuban Cigars , San Carlos Valley, Limestone caves of Vinales, Organic farm visit, La Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve
Keep in Mind: We work hard to maintain consistency across all of our tours, but some trips have unique differences. Here are some things to keep in mind about this tour.
Please remember, Cuba is in a Zika prone area so be aware it is not recommended to travel there if you are pregnant.
We recommend you bring an attitude of flexibility and an understanding that you may not find the amenities that exist in other destinations. A trip to Cuba could be one of the most fulfilling travel experiences you can have.
Includes
7 nights' accommodation, meals as noted on itinerary, full van support, bilingual tour leaders, all activities as described in itinerary - compliant with People to People General License for group travel.
Learn more about what is included and what to expect on your Classic tour at the Classic Tour Style page.
There are additional mileage options available several days. Shuttles are used more frequently than most ExperiencePlus! tours because of lodging logistics.
Highlights: Explore Havana, guided Tour of Old Havana, fit Bikes
Bienvenidos a Cuba! Gather this afternoon at our Havana hotel for an orientation and bike fitting. Once you have satisfied your appetite with a welcome dinner together, you can head back to the hotel, or stay out and take in the sights and music of Old Town Havana.
Meals: Dinner
DAY 2: Transfer and bike to Soroa
Highlights: Bicycle Carretera Central, cycle to the Rainbow of Cuba
We shuttle out of Havana this morning to begin our ride through western Cuba. The bustle of the city fades away as you bicycle quiet roads into the hills toward the UNESCO Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve that surrounds the town of Soroa in the Cordillera de Guaniguanico. Aptly named the “Rainbow of Cuba,” the reserve brims with rivers, waterfalls, and orchid-laden trees. Our hotel is nestled in a lush and tropical garden filled with orchids. Have a cool drink by the pool before dinner.
Distance: 48km (30mi)
Gain: 622m (2040ft)
Terrain:
Day Level:
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 3: Soroa to San Diego de los Baños and Pinar del Rio
Highlights: Learn about Cuban Cigars
Follow Cuba's Carretera Central as you pedal deep into the heart of tobacco country. Coast down to the plains and wind your way through small towns to San Diego de Los Bańos, a once-popular thermal hot springs vacation town. We'll have lunch after our ride and then shuttle to Pinar del Rio. This evening we'll visit a local arts organization that provides much-needed support to adults and kids with developmental disabilities. Dinner is on your own tonight.
Distance: 57km (36mi)
Gain: 308m (1010ft)
Terrain:
Day Level:
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 4: Pinar to Viñales
Highlights: Cycle through the San Carlos Valley, Mogotes and limestone caves.
Today we continue West from Pinar del Río. After a shuttle out of town, you'll cycle the beautiful San Carlos Valley which boasts incredible views of limestone bluffs blanketed in lush forests overlooking isolated huts and rust-colored tobacco fields. The stocky limestone “mogotes” abruptly rise from flat plains, giving the valley a fantastical appearance. Lunch is along the way before shuttling into Viñales. Tonight we have dinner at our hotel.
Distance: 52km (33mi)
Gain: 437m (1433ft)
Terrain:
Day Level:
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 5: Viñales - Rest day
Highlights: Explore the limestone caves of Vinales, visit an organic farm
Take the day to stretch out your legs and explore the wonderful town of Viñales and its surrounding valley, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 for its outstanding natural beauty, unique landscape, and traditional agricultural practices. We'll organize a group hike to explore the mogotes before heading to lunch at a local organic farm where we'll learn about smallholder sustainable agriculture.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 6: Viñales to Las Terrazas
Highlights: Pedal the Carretera del Norte
We pedal north and away from the tourist track today through small rural farming villages en route to the coastal village of Palma Rubia where we'll regroup, have lunch and then shuttle back to the hills for a relaxing stay at Las Terrazas, a small community with a vibrant creative scene within an eco-community and nature reserve.
Distance: 45km (28mi)
Gain: 272m (892ft)
Terrain:
Day Level:
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 7: Las Terrazas to Havana
Highlights: Pedal ridgeline roads
Our ride today takes us through a variety of routes with varying terrains and views. Enjoy some of Cuba's lushest landscapes as we head out of La Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve where stretches of forests and grasslands, rounded hills and waving royal palm trees surround you. The beautiful lush hills then give way to cultivated farmland and small rural towns as we pedal our final kilometers outside Havana. We'll regroup for a picnic lunch before shuttling into Havana. We'll celebrate the end of our tour in style tonight at a local restaurant in Havana for dinner.
Distance: 49km (31mi)
Gain: 537m (1761ft)
Terrain:
Day Level:
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 8: Adios Havana!
Highlights: Explore Havana or head home
We'll have breakfast early before sending you on your way to explore Cuba or head home!
Note: As you are planning, remember that the hotels listed in our itineraries are our primary hotels subject to change. For extra hotel nights please contact, to check with us if your tour departure is guaranteed. If your tour departure is out further than 6 months, please also check with us as there might be slight changes to the itinerary.
The fare and timing information listed below is approximate.
We recommend flying in to the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana (HAV):
Taxi from the airport to the hotel is about a 20 minute drive. It will cost $25 - 30. Taxis are outside the airport.
Please see our Cuba Travel Planning Pages for more information.
Day 8: Departure Information
Adios Havana!
Your trip ends this morning after breakfast.
The below information will help you plan your departure. For more tips or other routes, you might like Rome2Rio. The fare and timing information listed below is approximate.
We recommend flying out of the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana (HAV):
Taxi from the ending hotel to the airport is about a 20 minute drive. It will cost $25 - 30 and can be booked through the hotel.
Keep in Mind
We work hard to maintain consistency across all of our tours, but some trips have unique differences. Here are some things to keep in mind about this tour.
Please remember, Cuba is in a Zika prone area so be aware it is not recommended to travel there if you are pregnant.
We recommend you bring an attitude of flexibility and an understanding that you may not find the amenities that exist in other destinations. A trip to Cuba could be one of the most fulfilling travel experiences you can have.
Pre-Trip Planning Checklist
To do right after you booked!
Read through your Reservation Confirmation and After you Book Information (link sent to you by e-mail), it has important information to help you plan your trip!
Check the date on your passport. The expiration date should extend three months past your date of return to your home country.
Refer to your Tour Packet/Itinerary to see step-by-step arrival and departure information for your tour, meeting place and time, if a reservation on a complimentary ExperiencePlus! Shuttle (if applicable) is required, and other important information to help you plan your arrival and departure.
Reserve your flights after you know you have a confirmed tour departure. Please check with our office if you do not know if your trip is confirmed.
Book your pre and post-tour hotel nights.
Begin your chosen training program.
Final payment is due 90 days (120 days for Bike &Barge/Boat tours) prior to the tour start. Please refer to your Invoice and the Final Payment Reminder e-mail we send 10 days prior to the due date for detailed instructions.
We'll email you your access code to Digital Daysheets, Hotel Itinerary, Participant Roster, names and contact information of your Tour Leaders, emergency phone numbers, and other important departure information about 2 weeks prior to your tour start date. All this will be provided to you via a feature called Experiences via the RideWithGPS App (tracks available but not necessary for navigation on Classic, Expedition and Bike & Boat tours).
Day of Your Flight
Get as much sleep on the plane as you can. Pack your one day of cycling gear in your carry-on. See you soon!
What to Expect on Tour
Classic Tour Style
Learn more about what is included and what to expect on your Classic tour at the Classic page.
Gentle terrain includes mostly undulating/flat sections and a rare longer climb (less than 3 km - 2 miles) with an average grade less than 3%.
Rolling Hills
Rolling hills featuring multiple gentle slopes (average grade of 3-4%) usually less than 3 km (2 miles). There may also be an occasional shorter (less than 2 km -1 mile) but steeper climb. Or a longer climb where the average grade is less than 3%.
Hilly
Hilly terrain has climbs up to 3 km (2 miles) with an average grade between 4% and 6%. There may also be climbs longer than 3 km (2 miles), but with an average grade less than 4%.
Very Hilly
Very hilly terrain includes one or more climbs, some of which maintain an average grade (meaning you will have short sections both steeper and less steep in the same climb) of 7% and 8% for no more than 3 km (2 miles). There will also be some longer climbs, but with a lower average grade.
Mountainous
Mountainous terrain includes one or more climbs with an average grade over 8%. Mountainous rides can also include longer climbs (more than 5 km - 3 miles) with an average grade up to 6%.
Level 1 - 1.5
For those desiring gentle rides with a limited amount of climbing.
Level 5, also known as our Expeditions, are multi-week tours designed for strong riders looking for the challenge of riding across countries or continents.
Gentle terrain includes mostly undulating/flat sections and a rare longer climb (less than 3 km - 2 miles) with an average grade less than 3%.
Hilly
Hilly terrain has climbs up to 3 km (2 miles) with an average grade between 4% and 6%. There may also be climbs longer than 3 km (2 miles), but with an average grade less than 4%.
Very Hilly
Very hilly terrain includes one or more climbs, some of which maintain an average grade (meaning you will have short sections both steeper and less steep in the same climb) of 7% and 8% for no more than 3 km (2 miles). There will also be some longer climbs, but with a lower average grade.
Mountainous
Mountainous terrain includes one or more climbs with an average grade over 8%. Mountainous rides can also include longer climbs (more than 5 km - 3 miles) with an average grade up to 6%.
Tour Levels
Level 1 - 1.5
For those desiring gentle rides with a limited amount of climbing.
Level 5, also known as our Expeditions, are multi-week tours designed for strong riders looking for the challenge of riding across countries or continents.
Very hilly
Mountainous
