Are you an Individual, Corporate or Charity interested in having your own private group departure?
If yes, please email info@charitychallenge.com and one of our team will be in touch to help with your enquiry.
Meet at the airport for our flight to Havana, Cuba’s capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A Charity Challenge representative will be there to assist with check-in. On arrival in Havana, you will be met at the airport by our Charity Challenge expedition leader who will transfer you to a three-star hotel, where you will spend the night and be briefed about the adventure ahead.
Today you have the chance to explore beautiful Old Havana before heading into the Cuban countryside. A city tour will give you an opportunity to learn about Havana’s varied history from war to revolution, including an introduction to its many beautiful buildings and monuments. You then transfer to Playa Jibacoa, where you are introduced to your bikes ahead of the adventure that awaits you.
It’s an early start for your long-awaited cycle ride towards Trinidad. Today’s route is hilly with steep climbs up to 200m and poor road conditions, particularly as you head to Arcos de Canasi. As the route meanders through country villages and pretty scenery, the toughest part of the day awaits at the entrance of Matanzas. The reward is a swim and a comfy hotel bed!
Prepare for a long ride as you bid farewell to Matanzas, home to the infamous Bay of Pigs on the south coast. Overall, today’s ride is flat as it passes through villages and orchards. The only steep hill is a 330m climb at Triunvirato, before you stop for lunch. The ride continues through Saca Piedras, La Luisa, Zapote and Torriente, before reaching your hotel in Cienfuegos.
Cienfuegos was founded on the fortunes of the sugar industry in the 1700s. The roads are generally good and your first climb upwards is just 300m. As you ride the scenic roads that border the city, it’s important to stay together as the traffic becomes heavier. Tonight there will be time to explore this picturesque bay city, which has repeatedly been looted by pirates in the past.
Today is the penultimate day of your ride and the route becomes hilly, curvy and visibility is limited. In addition, there’s the welcome distraction of the lush botanical gardens on the approach to the Escambray Mountains. Lunch is followed by the toughest part of the day – an 8km hilly ride. Dig deep on this tough terrain, while the glorious views of the Hanabilla Reservoir push you onwards.
You will be covering a pedal-pumping 110kms on this grand finale of the ride. You begin with a fun descent before attacking curved roads with potholes, steady hills and limited visibility. After lunch there are tricky hills and a bumpy road. Yet you finish with a thrilling descent down to Trinidad. Spend the evening celebrating at our beach hotel which looks out onto the Caribbean.
Chill out at the beach or in the hotel pool. Alternatively, you can explore the charming town of Trinidad. With its cobbled streets and colonial housing, this UNESCO World Heritage Site has hardly changed in more than 150 years. In the early afternoon you transfer back to Havana for a celebratory dinner and the chance to sample some of Cuba’s finest exports – rum and cigars! Overnight in centrally located hotel.
Spend more time sight-seeing or perhaps take part in a salsa or rumba lesson. And if you’re feeling hungry you could grab a bite at one of Havanas many paladares (local Cuban houses that cater for paying guests). Supper is provided in a restaurant close to the airport, before your evening flight back to the UK via Madrid. (Please note lunch is not included today).
Arrive back in the UK in a whirlwind of emotions as you return to your nearest and dearest, but part ways with new-found friends and trekking partners.
BELIEVE >> ACHIEVE >> INSPIRE
We hold an Air Travel Organiser's Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is 6546. Many of the flight-inclusive challenges on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. This ATOL protection only covers challenges that include flights booked by Charity Challenge and that originate in the UK. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLcertificate
Link to share:
https://www.charitychallenge.com/expedition/itinerary/2843/Cuban-Revolution-Cycle-CANX
Share link via: