Cuba

2 Nov–13 Nov 2018

Tour Leaders: Warwick Forge with Susanne Forge

The island conjures images of blues seas, white beaches, fields of tobacco and sugar cane, streets of old buildings, sitting around drinking coffee all in a time warp with yank tanks of the fifties. This is all true, but it is also a country with a deep-rooted complex culture in which old traditions and new ..developments co-exist [and] despite severe economic difficulties, has held on its unique identity.

Itinerary

We spend three days in Havana, once one of the world’s wealthiest ports and which today retains a remarkable collection of nineteenth century architecture of terraces and grand public buildings. The city is to be enjoyed with walks through its historic quarter, parks and artists precincts. The extensive Havana Botanical Gardens is a must and we also enjoy a lovely private garden with its huge cacti collection.

We head east to the beautiful Las Terrazas Biosphere Reserve being developed as a sustainable rural economy for eco-tourism and finally arrive at Viñales with its beautiful valley and mountain backdrops. Residents are thriving on tourism and take great pleasure in taking us on walks through farms and valleys.

Then to Cienfuegos via the Zapata Swamp, some swimming at Caleta Buena before reaching Cienfuegos which retains its exquisite, romantic eighteenth century French architecture an influences – a world heritage site and perhaps the best preserved colonial town in Cuba. We visit the local botanic gardens and private gardens.

We tour to Trinidad and the Sierra de Escambray, home to picturesque mountain villages and Caribbean pines, ancient tee ferns, bamboo, and discover the 25 endemic plants once used for medicinal purposes for slaves. Our walk ends at the former coffee plantation’s hacienda where we lunch. We later return to Havana and visit Che Guevara’s museum and mausoleum and enjoy a farewell dinner in a paladar.

Terms

For Shared Room: $4,600 each
Single Supplement: $540 each

THE THREE TOURS

The three Latin American tours are arranged consecutively so that you may choose one or more. Travel to these countries is expensive but major savings are achieved when combining tours. Where tour places are in demand, travellers taking two tours may be given priority over a person taking only one.

FLIGHTS

Our quoted tour costs do not cover your flights for arrival and departure.
For flights enabling you to go from one tour to the next, you must use our nominated travel agent.
For your overseas flights to and from Latin America we strongly recommend that you use our nominated agent. This provides maximum coordination, secure transfers to and from airports and sometimes significant savings.
Note: Our Latin American flights are not always the cheapest nor the quickest since safety is our first priority.

Our nominated agent for flights:
Sarah Miller
The Journeymasters
74 Paddington Street
Paddington NSW 2021 Australia
p: +61 2 9360 4000
m: +61 417 992 712
e: sarah@journeymasters.com.au

TOUR HOSTS

Tour leaders are Warwick and Susanne Forge for all these tours.

Contact
For information about the tours and to register your interest, contact:
Warwick Forge
Director, ALC Garden Tours
warwick@bloomings.com.au
m: 043 818 2801

Tour Documents – Please click below