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Cuba Multi-Adventure Tour

Now is the time to visit Cuba! While new rules issued by the US Treasury Department on June 5, 2019 eliminate the People-to-People group educational travel category, our trips fall under the Support for the Cuban People general license category, meaning we remain legally licensed to run our 2020 and beyond trips as scheduled.
Walk/Hike
Bike

Cultural Connections & Havana Highlights

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Vintage cars, colonial towns, coffee plantations and tropical sun. All set to an infectious rumba beat. Savor the culture and romance of Cuba on unforgettable hikes and remarkable bike rides. Join us! We're one of the few US companies running trips in Cuba, so if you've been thinking about traveling to this enchanting country, now is the time!

We're here to help

Detailed Itinerary Reserve This Trip
Cuba

Start/End Havana

Start/End locations may vary. Do not book flights until your trip details are confirmed.

Cuba Map

Highlights

  • Travel to Cuba on this active and unique US-approved Multi-Adventure Trip—we launched the first trip of this kind!
  • Hike the rarely accessed Santa Catalina Caves—known for toadstool stalagmites—with a famous speleologist
  • Bike through atmospheric colonial towns and rural villages that still seem to belong to another time
  • Discover the stirring history, beautiful architecture and seductive vibe of Havana, creating lifetime memories
Cuba

Start/End Havana

Start/End locations may vary. Do not book flights until your trip details are confirmed.

Cuba Map

Itinerary

Days 1-3 Enjoy a special performance of danzón, the native Cuban dance, at a hilltop chapel | Trace the roots of Cuban baseball to the nation's first stadium | Uncover architectural treasures in Matanzas, known as the Athens of Cuba | Hike a subterranean wonderland of limestone formations | Prepare a typical Cuban farmer's meal with a family at a community project | Engage with young artists at an escuela de arte (school of the arts) | Follow the lead of expert dancers and learn to salsa | ​Bike through quaint villages and farmland dotting the province of Matanzas | A delicious farm-to-table meal awaits at a family-owned organic farm | Visit a ceramics workshop run by a group of artists.

Days 4-6 Take a dip at Playa Jibacoa's white-sand beaches | Discover the famed Malecón, Plaza de la Revolución and other iconic sites of Havana | Explore vibrant Habana Vieja | Local entrepreneurs and paladar (restaurant) owners share their passions and stories | 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 | Meet an American journalist considered by Cubaphiles to be among the most informed foreign correspondents working in Cuba today | A performance by the young Habana Compás dance group adds a special flourish to our unforgettable week in Cuba.

Please note: Read our Straight Talk for must-read requirements regarding travel to Cuba with Backroads.
Also: Guests who are non-US citizens and without a US passport or US immigration status are required to travel to our trip start via a US city.

Next: Dates & Prices

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. View cancellation policy.

Coming soon! For additional information, please call 800-GO-ACTIVE (462-2848) to speak with a trip consultant.

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.

Private Trip Pricing
  • 10 or more Guests: from $4,799 pp dbl occ
  • 9 Guests: from $5,299 pp dbl occ
  • 8 Guests: from $5,499 pp dbl occ
  • 2-7 Guests: Give us a call or reach out here!

Don't see your ideal travel date? Make a Date

Tell us what your dream trip would be and we'll make it happen! Whether you're looking for a honeymoon trip for 2, a 30-person family reunion or a 100-person corporate trip, we can do it all. A dedicated Custom Trip Consultant will work closely with you to bring your dreams to reality. Call us at 800-462-2848 to speak with your Custom Trip Consultant or click on the button below.

REQUEST YOUR CUSTOM TRIP NOW

Previous: Overview

Dates

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Go Private
Go Custom

Prices

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Reviews

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Casual & Premiere Hotels*

Hotel Louvre
Hotel Louvre

Matanzas (3 nights)

Hotel Parque Central, Cuba
Hotel Parque Central

Havana (2 nights)

* Premiere Hotel

See Lodging Details

Activity Level

This trip is rated Levels 1-2

See Daily Route Options

What's Included

Services and equipment are included.

See how we include more

Why Backroads

Why Travel with Backroads in Cuba

Find out What sets us apart

More On This Trip

Watch videos
Detailed Itinerary Reserve This Trip

Reviews by Power Reviews ®

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Next: Lodging

Casual & Premiere Hotels*

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 View Scheduled Dates or Private Dates tabs.

Hotel Louvre

Hotel Louvre

Matanzas (3 nights)

In the center of Matanzas, Cuba's city of poets, culture and dance, this elegant 19th-century hotel faces the Plaza de la Libertad.

Hotel Parque Central, Cuba

Hotel Parque Central

Havana (2 nights)
* Premiere Hotel

Set in an ideal location overlooking Parque Central, this lovingly restored Old Havana building is steeped with history and has fantastic views from its rooftop pool. (pool, spa)

Previous: Reviews

Next: Activity Level

This Trip Is Rated Levels 1-2

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.

Daily Route Options (drag to see full )

Daily Route Options
Day Activity 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 Walking/Hiking 3 100
Other Cultural Exchanges at Ermita de Monserrate (1.5 Hours)
Other Matanzas Historical Town Walk & Cultural Exchanges (1.5 Hours)
Other Palmar de Junco Cuban Baseball Stadium Cultural Exchange (1.5 Hours)
2 Walking/Hiking 1 100
Walking/Hiking 3 400
Other Underground Cave Hiking Exploration (3 Hours)
Other Bellamar Community Project Cultural Exchange (2 Hours)
Other Individual Cultural Exchanges with Music Students
Other Evening Salsa Class (1 Hour)
Other Cultural Exchange with Cuban Masters Cycling Club Members (1 Hour)
3 Biking 9* 700 21 700
Other Cultural Exchange with Cuban Masters Cycling Club Members (1 Hour)
Other Finca Coincidencia Farm & Ceramics Workshop Tour (2 Hours)
4 Biking 16* 200 22* 400 30 1400
Other Morro Castle Visit (30 Minutes)
5 Walking/Hiking 2 100
Other Havana Historical City Walking Tour (2 Hours)
Other Arte Corte Community Interactions (1 Hour)
Other Q&A with Journalist Marc Frank (1 Hour)
Other Habana Compás Dance Performance (1 Hour)
Other Daycare Center Visit (30 Minutes)
6 Walking/Hiking 3 200
Other Vedado Market Visit (30 Minutes)
Other Vedado Neighborhood Walk (2.5 Hours)
 

Note: Most of our activities involve easy to moderate walking distances on dirt hiking trails and city streets with uneven surfaces (cobblestone, etc.). On two days, our activities include moderate hiking on rocky (and potentially muddy) trails. Our biking will be on paved roads with occasional potholes and bumps. To fully enjoy this trip, you should be comfortable walking several hours daily.

* Includes shuttle.

Learn more about how we determine our activity level and fully support a range of abilities and interests.

Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies and other external factors.

Previous: Lodging

Next: What's Included

Meals

All breakfasts, 6 lunches, 4 dinners

Available Bike Options

The key to a stellar day’s ride is a bike that’s perfectly in tune with your cycling style… Backroads has you covered with the best bike fleet in the world! Read on for your available bike options for this trip.

Backroads Titanium Bikes (Included in your trip price)

Our custom-built titanium bikes are specially designed for you—and we offer different models for varied terrain so your bike is ideally suited to the region. Our custom-made bikes are included in your trip price.

Please note that we use locally rented aluminum mountain bikes on this trip.

Touring Bike (Included)

Also Included

  • Expertise and services of our experienced Trip Leaders
  • Snacks and beverages between meals
  • Additional guides and experts from the region on many trips
  • Van shuttles to support a variety of route options
  • Comprehensive Travel Planner with detailed pre-trip information
  • Private guided tours at museums, historic sites, wineries and other select attractions as noted in the Travel Planner
  • All gratuities at hotels and restaurants
  • Special events, including wine tastings and other select attractions as mentioned in the Travel Planner
  • On biking and multi-adventure trips, use of fully equipped Backroads titanium bike plus helmet and accessories
  • Trailercycles, carriers, and kid-sized helmets for Family Trips
  • Equipment and experienced guides for kayaking, rafting, snorkeling, sailing and canoeing as described
  • Park and other entry fees
  • Fares for trains, ferries and other modes of travel as listed in the Travel Planner
  • Select coach transfers
  • Baggage transfers and porterage

Previous: Activity Level

Next: Straight Talk

Next: Why Backroads

Get the Straight Talk about This Trip

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.

The Support for the Cuban People Experience

Backroads remains licensed by the United States Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to engage, organize and conduct authorized Support for the Cuban People group travel to Cuba. These trips engage participants in meaningful interactions with individuals in Cuba. In order to adhere to the US government requirements for travel to Cuba, this trip does not allow for the degree of flexibility we build into all of our other itineraries; as a guest, you will have a full schedule of enriching Support for the Cuban People activities.

New US Regulations for Travel to Cuba—Flights & Hotels

Under new rules issued by the US Department of Treasury on June 5, 2019, the group People-to-People educational travel category was eliminated. However, Backroads trips fall under the Support for the Cuban People general license category, meaning our trips remain legally licensed and we can continue to book guests and run our 2020 and beyond trips. We'll continue to deliver high-quality experiences in Cuba. You can still purchase your own commercial flights to Cuba—when doing so, select that you'll be traveling under the OFAC category of Support for the Cuban People general license. ​Also, if you are subject to US jurisdiction you may extend your stay in Cuba and book your flights according to your added days. If you're not extending your stay before or after our Backroads trip, your flight to Cuba must arrive no earlier than the evening before the Backroads trip start and must depart no later than the morning after the trip end. Beginning November 9, 2017, US policy also prohibits direct financial transactions to entities related to the Cuban military, including various hotels. Please feel free to contact us with questions or concerns about your travel arrangements before or after your Backroads trip. For more information on these guidelines, refer to OFAC's FAQs. For a complete list of restricted hotels and other entities, refer to the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. (You'll notice that Backroads stays in some hotels on this restricted list—we're able to do so since we made our reservations prior to the rollout of the new rules.)

Cultural Travel

The cultural exchanges on this trip allow for as much activity as possible. However, the overall level of physical exertion is less than you may have experienced on other Backroads trips.

Itinerary Changes

When traveling abroad, things don't always go according to plan and, particularly in Cuba, itinerary changes or shifts mid-trip are quite common. In the event of a last-minute change to scheduled activities, your leaders will find alternate activities. Expect the unexpected in this region—it's all part of the adventure!

Accommodations & Meals

As "luxury" accommodations in Cuba can generally be characterized as large all-inclusive, resort-style hotels, our accommodations in the towns we visit outside of Havana are not typical of the Backroads experience. While these hotels are the best available, even the nicest properties in Cuba do not come close to equaling the accommodations on other Backroads trips. Please note that although meals are fresh and tasty, the variety will be limited, with many of the same ingredients featured (such as poultry, pork, beans and rice).

Shuttle Time

Our busy yet compelling schedule involves substantial time in the shuttle, enabling us to add variety of scenery and regional depth.

Local Bikes

Please note that we use locally rented mountain bikes on this trip which are just right for the non-technical paved and dirt road riding we encounter.

Previous: What's Included

Next: Why Backroads

Why Travel with Backroads in Cuba

The Best Leaders in Cuba

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.

The Right Local Pairings

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.

We Invented the Multi-Adventure Trip

After more than 30 years of creating Backroads Multi-Adventures, our trip designers know how to blend the perfect balance of biking and hiking with other activities to showcase the best of a region. And then they arrange the seamless transitions that would be so hard to orchestrate on your own—adding dimensions to your trip that are exciting, inspiring and just plain fun.

Our Cultural Roots Run Deep

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.

Experts with Secrets to Share

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.

We Speak the Language

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.)

Get the Most Out of Each Day

Coordinating multiple activities throughout a single day can be tricky, but with Backroads you'll never know it. When you explore Cuba with us, you switch activities seamlessly without missing a beat. We invented the multi-adventure concept, and we're constantly adding new dimensions and fine-tuning the experience to make it even more enjoyable.

We've Set the Standard

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

Choose Your Fellow Travelers

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.

Quality You Can Measure

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.

We Know Where We're Going

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.  

Previous: Straight Talk

Previous: What's Included

Detailed Itinerary Reserve This Trip

Guest Photo Gallery

Videos

Featured Blog Story

Cuban baseball field b
Common Ground in Cuba

With a love of baseball and travel, Jen booked a Backroads trip to Cuba. This is her story about finding common ground in an unexpected place.

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.

The Support for the Cuban People Experience

Backroads remains licensed by the United States Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to engage, organize and conduct authorized Support for the Cuban People group travel to Cuba. These trips engage participants in meaningful interactions with individuals in Cuba. In order to adhere to the US government requirements for travel to Cuba, this trip does not allow for the degree of flexibility we build into all of our other itineraries; as a guest, you will have a full schedule of enriching Support for the Cuban People activities.

New US Regulations for Travel to Cuba—Flights & Hotels

Under new rules issued by the US Department of Treasury on June 5, 2019, the group People-to-People educational travel category was eliminated. However, Backroads trips fall under the Support for the Cuban People general license category, meaning our trips remain legally licensed and we can continue to book guests and run our 2020 and beyond trips. We'll continue to deliver high-quality experiences in Cuba. You can still purchase your own commercial flights to Cuba—when doing so, select that you'll be traveling under the OFAC category of Support for the Cuban People general license. ​Also, if you are subject to US jurisdiction you may extend your stay in Cuba and book your flights according to your added days. If you're not extending your stay before or after our Backroads trip, your flight to Cuba must arrive no earlier than the evening before the Backroads trip start and must depart no later than the morning after the trip end. Beginning November 9, 2017, US policy also prohibits direct financial transactions to entities related to the Cuban military, including various hotels. Please feel free to contact us with questions or concerns about your travel arrangements before or after your Backroads trip. For more information on these guidelines, refer to OFAC's FAQs. For a complete list of restricted hotels and other entities, refer to the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. (You'll notice that Backroads stays in some hotels on this restricted list—we're able to do so since we made our reservations prior to the rollout of the new rules.)

Cultural Travel

The cultural exchanges on this trip allow for as much activity as possible. However, the overall level of physical exertion is less than you may have experienced on other Backroads trips.

Itinerary Changes

When traveling abroad, things don't always go according to plan and, particularly in Cuba, itinerary changes or shifts mid-trip are quite common. In the event of a last-minute change to scheduled activities, your leaders will find alternate activities. Expect the unexpected in this region—it's all part of the adventure!

Accommodations & Meals

As "luxury" accommodations in Cuba can generally be characterized as large all-inclusive, resort-style hotels, our accommodations in the towns we visit outside of Havana are not typical of the Backroads experience. While these hotels are the best available, even the nicest properties in Cuba do not come close to equaling the accommodations on other Backroads trips. Please note that although meals are fresh and tasty, the variety will be limited, with many of the same ingredients featured (such as poultry, pork, beans and rice).

Shuttle Time

Our busy yet compelling schedule involves substantial time in the shuttle, enabling us to add variety of scenery and regional depth.

Local Bikes

Please note that we use locally rented mountain bikes on this trip which are just right for the non-technical paved and dirt road riding we encounter.

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