Welcome to Cuba!

A complimentary transfer from the airport to the guesthouse is included with your trip to ease you into the life in Cuba. You can check in at any time, your casa hosts will be waiting for you. If you arrive early, enjoy your free time till your welcome meeting at 6pm.

Depending on your arrival into the country and how you feel there are some options for you to discover Havana. Maybe even get your supply of Wi-fi cards sorted for your stay…

Special Information A complimentary arrival transfer is included with your trip. Please ensure you provide your flight details at least 14 days prior to travel so the transfer can be organised.

Please see ‘Joining instructions’ for more information about exiting the arrivals hall and connecting with your arrival transfer driver who will take you to your guesthouse.

It’s very important that you attend the welcome meeting as we will be collecting insurance details and next of kin information at this time. If you are going to be late please let us know.

Today you'll have the opportunity to capture the lively street theatre of Havana Vieja (Old Havana), a World Heritage site since 1982. See the glorious grandeur of this dynamic area, one of the Caribbean’s most impressive historical cities. Wonder through the narrow streets and spacious plazas, admiring the Spanish architecture as you discover the birthplace of Havana - Plaza de Armas, and other iconic sites like Plaza San Francisco de Asis, Plaza Vieja, Plaza de la Catedral. Through this part of the day, you will have the opportunity to photograph colorful street markets, courtyards, and terraces.

Will enjoy lunch at an inner city paladar to recharge for the afternoon classic car cruise that will take you around the bay to admire Havana's inner scape from a new perspective.

Today we are making our way to beautifully rural, Viñales which is endowed in mogotes, large limestone cliffs covered with flat flora and plant life, and is the home of the world-famous Cuban Cigars. It’s one of the cooler areas of Cuba, so it’s also a nice escape from the hotter parts of the country. Viñales Valley is a World Heritage site. It is a fascinating sight, with its amazing “living landscape” of traditional farms and untouched nature. Capture the vibrant scenes of the township after the orientation walk and enjoy a relaxed evening at a local delight after the hard day of photographing, giving you a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the local music of Viñales amongst the warm and friendly locals.

In the morning we’ll take a guided walk through this rich countryside, to discover the life of Cuba’s farmers and learn the secret methods of rolling a Cuban cigar directly from those who grow it. Not only will you get to try one, but you also get to learn how to roll them yourself! You will have the chance to visit a hidden community of farmers, capture the traditional wooden houses with exterior porches and visit the valley itself to shoot the landscapes and its people as well as their relationship with tobacco, their animals, and the land. We will enjoy the sunset at a local farm, capturing amazing sunset shots of the valley.

We'll take a short drive out of town today, to Cuba’s most hidden beach – Cayo Jutias. It’s wild, remote, full of life. Its turquoise waters turn pink at sunset, something that not many people know about. Its white sand is overwhelming at first glance. A Paradise for those who know where to look for it! Whether you want to capture the contract of white sand beach against the azure Caribbean waters or practice taking dramatic monochrome shots of the mangroves reaching the sky this place will have plenty on offer for your. On our boat tour you may even be lucky enough to capture some beautiful sea stars on your camera  here!

This morning will head to Las Terrazas community and nature reserve in the Sierra del Rosario mountains. It is an eco-village built around a creek that has been a UNESCO Biosphere reserve since 1985. It is the country’s best-kept secret! The goal in this village is to integrate tourism into an existing community rather than create artificial tourist experiences. It succeeds by using local farming, energy efficiency, and a focus on the greater good of the community.

There are several photo opportunities here of nature, art galleries, coffee plantations, and the like. In the afternoon we will make our way back to Soroa. A tiny little village hidden in the mountains. Here we will visit the orchid garden, which is not only in a beautiful natural setting but has hundreds of amazingly colorful orchids to photograph.

You may also have time to able to take a stroll among the marvelous tall trees to discover the pristine waters of the local waterfall or climb up to see the Castle in the clouds. And did I mention it is also a perfect spot for birdwatching? You just never know what you will see!

From Soroa we will take a drive to Trinidad, once we settle into our casas here, you will be taken on an orientation tour around the city. It is the perfect spot to master your street photography, offering cobblestone streets, bright-colored colonial buildings, markets, art galleries, museums, people, various modes of transport from horsing carts to classic cars. If you are up for discovery, you can walk up the hill to take in the views of Trinidad.

This is also a great opportunity to view and buy Cuban art direct from the artists themselves, while also offering the chance to identify the many photographic opportunities that mix paintings with people. We'll enjoy dinner at a rooftop restaurant offering great opportunities for sunset shots over the town, capturing the sea or the mountains in the dinstance.

You'll have the morning to wonder the streets and soak the atmosphere before we make our way out to Playa Ancon - a perfect spot for beach sunset shots! With the pinks, oranges, and purples in the sky most evenings it is bound to be a delight.

We will head back to Havana today. On the way through we will visit Manaca Iznaga, an 18th century sugar plantation. The estate’s major highlight is the 149-feet (45-meter) tall Manaca Iznaga Tower where you can admire the sweeping views of a picturesque countryside made up of farmland, forests, patchwork fields and the distant Escambray Mountains. We'll also stop in Santa Clara for a visit at the Revolution Square providing opportunities to get to know the life of Che Guevarra, and capture images of the monuments celebrating his life.

We should be back in Havana on time for capturing amazing sunset shots over the Malecon, before it’s time to say goodbye to this amazing island. 

We have not planned any activity for you on your last day so you can rest and relax.

Your check-out time is 12pm. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we loved showing it to you!

This is where we depart, yet would strongly recommend that you stay a few more days to explore this unique city. If you would like to take this opportunity, please let us know and we can arrange extended accommodation for you for an additional fee