Captivating Cuba
Cuba

Captivating Cuba

from $5,140

Facts

Start / End
La Habana (Havana)
Next Airport
La Habana (Havana)
Tour duration
10 Days vacation, 8 Riding days
Accommodations
Beautiful hotels with the special flair of the region.
Distance
Full distance: 1647-1874 km, 1023-1165 miles
Daily distances: 130-390 km, 81-242 miles
Difficulty
Travel Time / Day
Sightseeing
Further info
CLASSIC tours iconRemote areas iconHygiene / Health care system iconLuggage van iconLuggage transport iconRound trip icon4 star hotel icon
MINIMUM PARTICIPANTS
8

Highlights

Las TerrazasLas Terrazas
Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs)Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs)
Topes de Collantes (National Park)Topes de Collantes (National Park)
Valle de los IngeniosValle de los Ingenios
Monumento-Memorial Che GuevaraMonumento-Memorial Che Guevara
Cayo Santa Maria (beaches)Cayo Santa Maria (beaches)
La Habana (Havana)La Habana (Havana)
Cueva de los PecesCueva de los Peces
CienfuegosCienfuegos
Hanabanilla (dam, lake)Hanabanilla (dam, lake)

This motorcycle tour through Cuba is loaded with culture, great scenery and fantastic roads!

Cuba is the largest and perhaps most interesting island in the Caribbean. Not only famous for its communist government, but also its fascinating old cities, beautiful beaches and the numerous U.S. road cruisers and Harleys from the ‘50s. Not to mention the legendary hospitality of the fun-loving Cubans. This motorcycle tour will introduce you to the secrets of Cuba! We start out from Havana and ride to Viñales, famous for its karst landscape full of caves and its tobacco plantations. Here you can learn everything about the famous Cuban cigars and perhaps even try one.

After a swim in the beautiful basins and waterfalls of the Viñales Natural Park we turn east and ride to Cienfuegos. On the way we visit the famous Bay of Pigs, where the invasion of Cuba failed back in 1961. Next, we spend two nights in Trinidad, considered by many to be the most beautiful of all Caribbean cities. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and well worth the rest day! The twisty roads in the beautiful hills of Topes de Collantes are among the best in all of Cuba. You will find lush rainforests, thunderous waterfalls and incredible views there. In Varadero you’ll find white sandy beaches and crystal-clear turquoise waters; the Caribbean as if straight from a picture book. Enjoy some peace and quiet there before we ride back to Havana along the north coast.

* Ride Cuba with acclaimed moto-journalist and Cuba expert Christopher P. Baker. It’s true to say… no-one knows Cuba as well as Christopher, the Lowell Thomas Award 2008 ‘Travel Journalist of the Year’ and the author of six travel guidebooks about Cuba. National Geographic acclaimed him “one of the world’s leading authorities on Cuba travel and culture.” In 1996, Chris shipped his BMW R100GS PD to Cuba and made a three-month, 7,000-mile journey as a licensed journalist, resulting in publication of his Moon Cuba guidebook and his award-winning travelogue Mi Moto Fidel: Motorcycling Through Castro’s Cuba.

In January 2013, Christopher led the first licensed U.S. motorcycle group tour of Cuba end-to-end since the 1959 Revolution. He has since led numerous motorcycle tours in Cuba on behalf of Edelweiss Bike Travel, Bob’s BMW of Maine, and the BMW Riding Academy of Turkey, etc., as well as almost one hundred tours to Cuba on behalf of National Geographic Expeditions and other tour companies. In addition to riding “sweep,” ensuring the cohesion of the group, and attending to logistics, Christopher brings something unique to these tours… an ability to share a profound knowledge of Cuba, providing unparalleled context for your travel experience. Our tours with Chris are U.S. legal under the “support for the Cuban people” license.

Please be aware that this tour is NOT appropriate for US citizens: If you are a US citizen please note, that US travelers are mandated to adhere to all regulations set forth by the Cuban Assets Control Regulations. These regulations mandate that all travel to Cuba must be in compliance with one of the approved categories for travel. This means that US citizens can only join tours where the accommodations are not state owned. These accommodations are called “Casa Particulares” which are basically simple bed & breakfasts. On our Captivating Cuba Tour we use state owned hotels, so this tour is NOT appropriate for US citizens. Therefore, we designed our Authentic Cuba Tour (link) which is carefully organized according to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations so that US citizens can join.

Travel schedule

Day 1: Arrival in La Habana (Havana)

Day 2: La Habana (Havana) - Viñales

Day 3: Viñales - Las Terrazas

Day 4: Las Terrazas - Cienfuegos

Day 5: Cienfuegos - Trinidad

Day 6: Trinidad

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Download Tourbook

Media

References

Cuba libre - Wohin geht die Reise?

vielen Dank Reiner für die schöne Reportage!

– Reiner H. Nitschke | Tourenfahrer

Classic Cuba

This Cuba tour must be one of the best Edelweiss tours. Excellent riding, varied scenery, history, culture, vibrant colour and vintage cars just everywhere. We even swam in the ocean. The highlight for us was to visit Havana with all its wonderful old buildings and bright 1950's cars. That ride along the Malecon is unique. We also enjoyed riding through the old colonial towns full of colour and character, the roads lined with revolutionary slogans and images of Che Guevara. We spent a few days in old Havana before and after the trip taking in the atmosphere, visiting the museums and having salsa lessons. Cuba is a unique destination - thank you Manuel (our tour guide) for your excellent guiding!

– Vivien & Paul Newrick, Great Britain

Klassik Kuba

Kuba zu erleben war eine Erfahrung die wir nie vergessen werden! Schon bei der Landung in La Havana hatten wir das Gefühl, eine Zeitreise in die 50er Jahre gemacht zu haben in ein Land, wie es kaum ein schöneres gibt. Man merkt auch, dass Kuba sich allmählich von den Fesseln des Komminismus löst, und unsere Motorradtour war auch gleichzeitig eine Reise durch die Geschichte des Landes. Wir hatten die netteste Gruppe, die man sich wünschen kann, mit Teilnehmern aus aller Herren Länder und unser Tour Guide Jens war nicht nur ein Reiseleiter, sondern ein Freund, mit dem es Spaß machte zu touren. Wir Jungs aus Südafrika freuen uns, ihn und den Rest der Gruppe bald wiederzusehen.

– Tony Cimato, Rod Wooldridge & Dave Leyshon, Südafrika

Classic Cuba

This was our first motorcycle holiday with Edelweiss. Words can not describe how unbelievably impressive this journey was with our guides Domenico Schiano, Christopher Baker and Anivar Falcon Hayes! Not only is Cuba a country which is incomparable concerning its special character, it is also a perfect motorcycle touring destination, because we felt thrown back in time for a hundred years. There is nearly no car traffic – horses, oxen and carriages dominate the streets. For us it was a perfect combination of riding and an educational journey! Every day, Christopher Baker, a well-known American journalist and travel book author, gave us an understanding of the people, the political system and the characteristics of this country. Through his decade-long experience and his numerous contacts, no matter if sports legends, artist or private contacts to the people who live there, we had the chance to experience this country in a way we have never done before! Domenico Schiano shared his enthusiasm for motorcycle touring from the first moment and understood how to bring harmony to a group of bikers from many different countries with his kindness. His experience and the joy he shared every day created an absolutely harmonic and happy atmosphere among the bikers. Never before have we experienced so little problems and disharmony! Anivar Hayes is the good soul from Cuba who always took care for everything by managing all the technical stuff at various places without any problems and without us even noticing. His contacts to the people of Cuba made many things easier and gave us a first-hand experience. All 3 together made it possible to not only experience a motorcycle holiday in a foreign country, but also to have an adventurous and educational journey, which truly is something special in its combination. Last but not least we would like to say a big thank you to Edelweiss’ product management. A perfect travel preparation, great organization and many, super friendly phone calls and e-mails before our tour contributed to making our trip a perfect one – exactly the way we experienced it.

– Oliver & Kathrin Gerber, Germany

People to People, Ride magazin

Thank you Thorsten Dentges for your contribution in Ride Magazin.

– Thorsten Dentges

Classic Cuba onTwo Wheels

Thank you Jorge and Anabele for the great article at your Diaries of magazin!

– Jorge & Isabel Valente