White-sand beaches and turquoise waters. Lush Viñales farmlands. Historic Havana, biospheres and national parks. See it all riding side by side with the locals. We're the first US active travel company to offer biking trips in Cuba. And no one immerses you into this country's natural beauty, culture and history like we do.
Days 1-2 Cycle through Viñales National Park amid dramatic domed hills, or mogotes | Get to know a family at their prize-winning farm and enjoy a farm-to-table feast | Visit a tobacco farm and learn how the leaves are rolled into cigars | Bike to the miles-long white-sand beaches of Cayo Jutías and dine on fresh fish | Expert salsa dancers teach you how to move to the rhythm | In the evening, join the locals for more music.
Days 3-4 Bike with members of the Cuban Masters Cycling Club from the Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve to Havana | Artists welcome us to Las Terrazas, a sustainable eco-village within the reserve.
Days 5-6 Discuss art and its influence during a visit to the studio of José Fuster, dubbed Picasso of the Caribbean | Join an award-winning journalist who has lived in Cuba for over 20 years for an informative Q&A session | We're treated to a performance by the young Habana Compás dance group | Starting in the Plaza de Armas, Havana's oldest square, explore vibrant Habana Vieja with an expert from the city's Historian's Office and witness the preservation efforts firsthand | Local entrepreneurs and paladar owners share their passions and stories of how they launched their businesses | Meander through lively plazas and side streets including Callejón de los Peluqueros, home of a community project centered around one of Cuba's most famous hairdressing salons.
Please note: Backroads is licensed by the United States Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to engage, organize and conduct authorized People-to-People group travel to Cuba that engages participants in meaningful interactions with individuals in Cuba. Our license will not be affected by the new travel restrictions announced June 16, 2017 by the U.S. government. This means our trips will run as usual and we'll continue to deliver high quality experiences in Cuba. For more information on the new guidelines, please refer to OFAC's FAQs. Because the June 16, 2017 regulations affect individual travel to Cuba, feel free to contact us with questions or concerns about your travel arrangements for the days before or after your Backroads trip.
We are very excited to announce this People-to-People Bike trip in Cuba. In between opportunities to engage with artists, musicians, students, educators and community leaders, you'll have the opportunity to bike multiple days through beautiful national parks, out to stunning white sand beaches and among architectural gems and cultural treasures. Each day of this amazing itinerary is filled with insightful interactions with local Cuban people and the chance to exchange ideas and learn about each other's culture and traditions.- Latin America
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception. Read the Straight Talk
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
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Accommodations may vary based on departure date. Any difference from what is listed below can be found by clicking on your desired date on the Dates & Prices tab.
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Lodging for our first two nights will be at Hotel Los Jazmines, Hotel La Ermita, Villa Rancho San Vicente or similar—each situated in the lush Viñales Valley.
A unique hotel designed to blend with the forested surroundings of the Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve. (pool)
Originally built between 1894 and 1917 as the first European-style shopping center, this lovingly restored Old Havana building is now Cuba's first "true luxury" hotel and includes a modern revival of upscale shopping. Set in an ideal location overlooking Parque Central, the Kempinski celebrated its grand opening in summer 2017. (pool, spa)
There's no better way to find out about Backroads than by hearing it from the people who have traveled with us. For more about the Backroads Experience, read our Guest Testimonials.
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We are very excited to announce this People-to-People Bike trip in Cuba. In between opportunities to engage with artists, musicians, students, educators and community leaders, you'll have the opportunity to bike multiple days through beautiful national parks, out to stunning white sand beaches and among architectural gems and cultural treasures. Each day of this amazing itinerary is filled with insightful interactions with local Cuban people and the chance to exchange ideas and learn about each other's culture and traditions.
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The earlier you book, the more choice you'll have and the lower your price. And you can always change your mind—you won't be charged to transfer to a different trip before your final payment is due.
Please click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
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AVAILABLE TO BOOKi GOING FASTi CONTACT USi PRIVATE TRIP - RESERVEDi
Interested in a Private Trip? Check out the Make It Private tab for private dates available, or call us at 800-462-2848.
Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next—and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.
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| Daily Route Options | ||||||||||
| Day | EASYGOING | ACTIVE | AVID | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | ||||||
| miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | |
| 1 | 17* | 800 | 23 | 1350 | ||||||
| Tobacco Farmer Cultural Interaction (30 Minutes) | ||||||||||
| Agricultural Community Project & Dinner (2 Hours) | ||||||||||
| 2 | 13* | 700 | 25* | 1300 | 35* | 1500 | 44* | 1700 | ||
| Educational Exchanges near Viñales (1 Hour) | ||||||||||
| Evening Salsa Class (1 Hour) | ||||||||||
| 3 | 18* | 900 | 29* | 1900 | 48 | 3000 | ||||
| Exchanges at San Diego de Los Baños (1 Hour) | ||||||||||
| Las Terrazas Community Interactions with Artists (1 Hour) | ||||||||||
| 4 | 24* | 1700 | 35* | 2200 | 52 | 3400 | ||||
| Cuban Masters Cycling Club Members Q&A Exchange & Dinner (2 Hours) | ||||||||||
| 5 | 26* | 1400 | 37* | 2100 | 47 | 2400 | ||||
| Exchange Ride with Cuban Masters Cycling Club Members (3 Hours) | ||||||||||
| Fuster Community Project Visit (1 Hour) | ||||||||||
| Compás Dance Performers & Exchange (2 Hours) | ||||||||||
| 6 | Historical City Walking Tour (2 Hours) | |||||||||
| Exchange with Cuban Entrepreneurs & Arte Corte (2 Hours) | ||||||||||
Note: Humidity and heat can make routes feel more challenging than the mileage may suggest.
* Includes shuttle.
Learn more about how we determine our activity levels and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources (such as Map My Ride and Garmin devices) may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies. Readings from a Garmin or a smart phone are influenced by other factors such as air pressure.
Backroads was the first active travel company with an official license to operate tours legally in Cuba – and we were the first U.S. company to offer biking as part of our in-depth exploration of this fascinating and often misunderstood island nation. Our Trip Expert, an avid hiker and biker, has spent most of the past three decades living, working and biking in Cuba. The inside knowledge she's gained while crisscrossing the island has allowed us to create a truly one-of-a-kind trip.
A Backroads Custom Titanium bike is included in your trip price. Our fleet is the best in active travel, so you don't have to roll the dice on this vital trip component. Learn why our titanium bikes are ideal for most riders. See the bike options for this trip.
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in Cuba, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
Our Trip Leaders combine deep local expertise with a firm grasp of North American expectations around quality of service. By the same token, we pair experienced Backroads leaders with local guides who know how to cater to your needs while cracking open the culture or natural history in ways that are meaningful, memorable and often magical.
In choosing the ideal experts to enrich your travel experience, we look for people with a wealth of local knowledge, but also the ability to convey their insights in English. Too often travelers find themselves smiling politely, not quite understanding what they're being told. Our experts share intriguing facts, anecdotes and inside stories that stay with you forever.
Thanks to our extensive connections in Cuba, Backroads takes you off the beaten track and deep into the region's culture in ways that traditional travel can never hope to do. We know the people and their customs, the legacy of art and architecture, the complex history and politics – and if we're not sure, our amazing local experts can fill in the blanks.
If we told you many companies' leaders can't actually speak the language where they lead trips, you'd say incroyable... ridicolo... không the tha thú. At Backroads, fluency in the local language is a given. Find out more on the best leader recruitment, training and development in the business. (And by the way, that was "unforgivable" in Vietnamese.)
For nearly four decades we've worked to earn and maintain our right to call Backroads the world's #1 active travel company. In pursuing that vision on behalf of our guests, we believe we've set the standard for our industry—captured in the Backroads Quality Guide, which clearly sets out the benchmarks of excellence, choice and support that we live by
In addition to the ideal balance of comfort and hospitality in our choice of lodgings, this trip featuring Casual Hotels includes nearly all of your meals, plus everything from cocktail receptions to the best snacks along the road. So there's rarely a need to reach for your wallet – we've got you covered.
With Backroads you won't end up with kids on what you thought was an adult trip; we have exclusive departures for families, so they're off having their own adventures. As you browse our unrivaled selection of trips and dates, you can count on finding a trip in Cuba that's geared exclusively to your choice of traveling companions.
Since 1979, Backroads Founder and President Tom Hale has shown that staying #1 means constantly evaluating our performance using the best possible source of information: our guests. As we systematically analyze your feedback on our trip consultants, leaders, hotels, meals and on-trip activities, we never stop working to make a great company even better.
Tom Hale has been keeping Backroads on track, with one eye on the horizon, since 1979. His passion for active travel, and for ensuring the highest-quality travel experience, is evident in every detail we add to make a guest's trip unforgettable—and the fact he's right there in the office, making it happen. To hear Tom describe his vision, watch our video.
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Gather your favorite people to share a Backroads adventure on a ready-to-book Private Trip - featuring all the legendary Backroads hallmarks from expert leaders to unforgettable activities. You can pick from the selection of dates below for your group of 8 or more. If your party has fewer than 8 guests, or your preferred date is not available, we'll create a departure just for you. Call or email us to reserve your date.
Click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
8 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 8 OR MORE GUESTS 16 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 16 OR MORE GUESTS RESERVED
Don't see your ideal travel date? Make a Date! i
Invite your family and friends on an adventure that's entirely your own - for your group of 8 or more. Find out more
I simply can't imagine a better way to immerse yourself in the life of a region, to explore hidden corners and appreciate nuances while enjoying the benefits and enormous satisfaction of traveling under your own power. These are experiences you cannot have behind the wheel of a car, or on a train or a tour bus. Active travel is, at its heart, a way of connecting more authentically with the world. Sure, Backroads provides amazing leaders, superb accommodations and meals, and opportunities you could never arrange on your own. But all of our comprehensive planning and support is aimed at something far simpler: bringing you the immediate, highly personal satisfaction of discovering a new world on your own terms.
— Tom Hale, Founder & President
