PLEASE NOTE THAT AS OF THE 1ST MAY 2010 CUBAN LAW REQUIRES ALL TOURISTS TO HAVE TRAVEL INSURANCE WHICHCOVERS THEM FOR MEDICAL COSTS.

TRAVEL INSURANCE PROVIDED BY UNITED STATES COMPANIES IS NOT ACCEPTED IN CUBA - PLEASE CHECK THAT YOUR INSURANCE WILL BE VALID.

All Cuban airports have insurance office where anyone not in possession of valid insurance can purchase travel insurance upon arrival.

Plaza Hotel
Ignacio Agramonte No. 267
Habana Vieja

Tel: +537-860-8583/89
Fax: +537-860-8869

Please contact Kumuka or your agent should you wish to organise pre toru accommodation.

Havana

After breakfast at the hotel. You will start your tour of Havana. You visit the Morro-Cabaña lookout, do a Walking tour of Old Havana’s Historic City Center, see Plaza de Armas; El Templete where the first mass was offered and the first town’s council meeting held; Mercaderes Street; Palacio de los Capitanes Generales; Ambos Mundos Hotel where renowned American writer Earnest Hemingway lived and the Cathedral Square. You will then return to the bus for a panoramic tour of the Museum of the Revolution, Central Park, Garcia Lorca Theatre, Capitol Building and the Malecon seawall. The tour continues through modern Havana: Revolution Square, Jose Marti Memorial and past the University of Havana campus. Return to the hotel.

This evening, you will have the option of an Under-the-Stars Tropicana Cabaret or the Jazz Café, a venue featuring live Cuban salsa bands. You will be transferred to the show in classic 1950’s American cars.

Meals: Breakfast

Havana to Trinidad

You will depart for Trinidad today. On the way you will visit “Fiesta Campesina”, here you will see up close, the endemic flora and fauna of the Zapata Peninsula. Then it’s back on the road for Cienfuegos. Founded by the French, Cienfuegos is located at a wonderful bay guarded by Castillo de Jagua (Jagua Castle) where the largest coral site ever discovered in Cuba exists. Upon arrival in Cienfuegos, you will tour the city’s main streets and avenues. Included in your visits are: Marti Park, Del Valle Palace, Tomas Terry Theatre, and the Purisima Concepcion Cathedral.

After Lunch and getting a feel for Cienfuegos, you continue your journey to Trinidad.

The evening is free at your leisure. Or you can chose to practice your Salsa at the Casa de la Trova, live music venue.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Ancon Beach Excursion

After breakfast, its time to hit the coast. You will be transferred to the jetty to meet the boat, for the Ancon Beach day trip to Cayo Blanco. A gorgeous strip of sugar white sand and warm Caribbean waters. Opportunities for snorkelling are possible here. A seafood lunch will also be included in your day trip.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

The Caribbean Coast

After breakfast, you are transferred to Guardalavaca. You will have 2 days to do as little or as much as you please. Try horseback riding, or water sports, or just sit poolside with a mojito in hand.

Meals: Breakfast

Santiago De Cuba

Today we you make your way to Cuba's second city, Santiago de Cuba. On the way you will stop at Bayamo city, the capital of the Granma province, and home to Cuba's national Anthem. A stop at 'El Cobre' sanctuary is also a must before arriving in Santiago.

Meals: Breakfast

Baracoa

After breakfast, its time to leave Santiago de Cuba and go to Baracoa. Baracoa is situated at the extreme Eastern side of Cuba. It was once isolated from the rest of Cuba until they built a road to it in the 1960’s, somehow, it still feels pleasantly isolated. A walking tour of the town is scheduled for today. Find out more about the first village founded by the Spanish colonizers, see where they planted the first cross in the Americas at the “Nuestra Señora de la Concepción’. Then it’s time for a local river excursion, on a cayucas, which is a typical boat used by the native population to navigate the river, before heading back to the hotel.

Meals: Breakfast

Santiago de Cuba

You will be transferred to Santiago de Cuba’s airport for your return to Havana. On arrival in Havana you will return to the Hotel, where the tour ends. Please note that this tour is scheduled to end in Havana approximately mid-late evening.

PLEASE NOTE: Flight times from Santiago de Cuba to Havana vary. Please do not book international flights departing Cuba for the last day of this tour. International flights should be booked at least one day after the last day of this tour.

Meals: Breakfast

Please make sure you read this Tour Dossier carefully, as you need to be well prepared for your visit to Cuba, especially with regards to credit cards and foreign currency.

All the below details have been written and detailed in good faith, and with up to date information. All accommodation and services are intended to be carried out according to the itinerary, however, please be aware that due to unforeseen circumstances, climatic conditions and local situations, it may be required or necessary to make minor alterations to the suggested itinerary.

Travel insurance is compulsory for all tours. All clients MUST be insured to cover personal accident, medical expenses, cancellation, curtailment, repatriation, etc. Also, be aware that many activities such as trekking, bungy jumping or white water rafting may not be covered on your insurance policy. If you plan on doing any of these activities please purchase additional insurance. We recommend that you have a photocopy of this document, which you keep separate from the original. If you have not already arranged your own travel insurance then Kumuka can do this for you. Please visit http://www.kumuka.com/Travel-Insurance.aspx for more details or contact your nearest Kumuka office.

Please Note: You will not be permitted to join a Kumuka Tour without travel insurance.

If applicable, it is important that you obtain the appropriate visas before you embark on your Cuba trip. Please consult your Travel Agent or relevant embassy for all details. EACH CLIENT IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR OBTAINING ALL NECESSARY VISAS BEFORE JOINING A TOUR. Kumuka does not accept responsibility for changes in regulations or requirements for visas.

DO NOT TAKE $US dollars. Cuba and the USA have had a very unstable relationship. It is for this reason, that the US dollars is no longer welcome in Cuba, and this has been obvious by the exorbitant commissions and fees charged when tourists try to change their USD into the convertible peso. It is therefore advisable that you carry Euro, Pound Sterling or Canadian dollars before you travel to Cuba. You will be able to change these currencies into the local currency in Havana, Trinidad and Santiago.

Cash: The best way to travel Cuba is to have your money available in cash. The US dollar is no longer accepted in Cuba, please DO NOT bring US dollars. We advise taking your cash in Euro, Pound Sterling or Canadian. You will be able to change these currencies into the local currency in Havana, Trinidad and Santiago.

ATM’s: ATM’s in Cuba are very unreliable and are best avoided.

Credit Cards: Credit cards can be used in certain areas but should not be relied upon. Please check with you bank before considering using your credit card as a means of funding your holiday in Cuba, as your card may not be accepted. Credit cards issued by American Banks will NOT be accepted.

Traveller’s cheques: Changing traveller’s cheques can pose problems. You will need to keep a purchase receipt if you chose to bring these. Please note that the commission on changing traveller’s cheques can be quite high, and places to have them cashed are also limited. AMEX traveller’s cheques will not be accepted at all.

Airport Tax: On departure you will have to pay an airport tax of 25 CUC (19 euros or 14 GBP)

Whilst in Cuba you will find that official restaurants are state owned and the variety is by no means varied or plentiful. You might find that, locating a good restaurant could be quite an adventure in itself. This is why, on this Cuba tour, we provide lunches and dinners where we believe you would have difficulties in finding them. Daily breakfasts will be provided at all our hotels. The official national drink is a Daiquiri, but Mojitos are drunk more widely. Mojitos are a cocktail made from mint leaves, brown sugar, rum, limejuice and soda. You will find that mobile mojito stalls open at 10 am to serve a queue of people who have lined up since 9:30 am

You might like to read up on the destinations that you are about to visit as these cities all have interesting sites and histories. We recommend a variety of guidebooks such as Lonely Planet, The Rough Guide and Footprint Guides. All these publications have good general information as well as more specific country information that will help orientate you in the countries you visit.

For detailed information see www.timezoneconverter.com or www.timeanddate.com

The more you put into your tour the greater the experience you will get from your trip. It is all about participation and mucking in with your fellow passengers!

Whilst on tour you will probably want to stay in touch with family and friends. There are several ways of doing this:

Mobile Phone – Before departing your home country check with your phone supplier to see if it compatible with the mobile phone networks in the countries that you are traveling to, and how much will it cost to use abroad.

Email – Internet Cafes are very cheap and popular, and you are sure to come across several during your tour. If you haven’t done so already, set up a free Google Mail, Hotmail, or Yahoo email account which you can then access from any computer. Internet Cafes will charge a nominal fee for using their computers. Within Europe some hotels charge a wifi connection fee and we cannot guarantee a wifi connection at all hotels we use.

Twitter – A method of communication that is rapidly gaining in popularity on the Internet especially amongst travelers. Twitter allows you to send short messages and update your friends and family with where you are on tour and what you are doing. Create your free account at http://twitter.com. Visit Kumuka’s page on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kumuka

Facebook – Very popular website that allows you to upload stories, get in touch with fellow travellers before and after your Kumuka tour, upload photos and videos to share with other travellers, your family and friends. To create a free account, go to www.facebook.com and then become a fan of Kumuka’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/pages/Kumuka-Worldwide/26617121087?ref=ts

Postcards – The good ol’ fashioned postcard. But you will probably get home before the postcard does!

Under no circumstances are any illegal drugs allowed on any part of the trip. Anyone discovered in possession of any such drugs, will be asked to leave the tour immediately without question or refund.