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Trinidad | Cienfuegos | Havana (Option 1)
Friday, March 6, 2026 – Sunday, March 15, 2026
1 night in Miami, 3 nights in Trinidad, 1 night near Ciénaga de Zapata National Park, 4 nights in Havana
$4,200/person (includes flight from Miami & travel visa)
Havana (Option 2)
Wednesday, March 11, 2026 – Sunday, March 15, 2026
4 nights in Havana
$2,400 (excludes flight & travel visa)
Ashé Cultural Tours reserves the right to make changes to the itinerary in order to accommodate the availability of artists, lecturers, venues, accommodations and restaurants, and to account for unpredictable weather conditions. We remain flexible to ensure the best possible experience for our participants. This detailed itinerary reflects the experience for participants selecting OPTION 1 (recommended), which is an 9-night tour that includes hotel in Miami (Mar 6), hotel transfer to the airport (Mar 7), round trip flight MIA/SNU & HAV/MIA, and Cuban Tourist Visas.
OPTION 2 begins on Mar 11 in Havana for those participants who wish to enjoy a shorter 4-night stay in Cuba. For this trip, participants organize their own travel and tourist visa.
DAY 1 (Friday) Mar 6, 2026 (Option 1 begins in Miami)
Make your way to Miami by flying into Miami International Airport (MIA). Our stay at Wyndam Garden Miami International Airport is included. Dinner is on your own, but if you arrive by 6PM and want to meet other people on the trip, Ken and Aaron will be at the restaurant a block from the hotel called Old Tom’s Sport Bar.
DAY 2 (Saturday) Mar 7, 2026
Today breakfast is on your own. At 8:15AM, we will gather in the hotel lobby and head to the airport for a 12:40PM flight (American Airlines) to Santa Clara International Airport. Make sure you eat a full breakfast/lunch, and consider grabbing a sandwich for the flight. Dinner will not be until around 7:00PM. Once we clear customs, we’ll board our coach bus, make a quick stop at the Che Guevara Mausoleum to learn about this important icon of Cuban revolutionary history. We will then continue on to Trinidad. After checking into our bed & breakfast, we will head out for dinner at one of Trinidad’s many fine restaurants (very likely Restaurante San Jose). As the evening progresses, you can retire to your homestay and enjoy the night air on the balcony, or wander the historical center seeking opportunities for music & dance!
Dinner included today
DAY 3 (Sunday) Mar 8, 2026
After a delicious breakfast, the morning begins with a short tour of Trindad’s historic old town. Founded in 1514, this Unesco World Heritage Center is brimming with historical importance. Following the tour, we will enjoy a 3-hour horseback ride that skirts the edge of Trindad’s sugar cane fields and ultimately ends up deep within a tropical mountain rainforest. Along the way, there will be opportunities to stop and drink locally grown and roasted coffee and (for the bravest among us) to hop into a crystal clear, refreshing mountainside swimming hole. For those not interested in a horse excursion, we will help find alternative activities such as touring art galleries and museums. Trinidad is a lovely town to just wander and shop! However, be prepared for its cobblestone streets and hilly layout. This town can be a little difficult to navigate for visitors who are unsteady or have difficulty walking. In the afternoon, we will meet with local musicians, with opportunities to ask questions about both music and Cuban life/culture. Dinner will be on your own at one of the many fine dining establishments clustered around the city (we have recommendations like Los Conspiradores & Taberna La Botija) In the evening, there will be ample opportunities to seek additional music/dance.
Breakfast & lunch included today.
DAY 4 (Monday) Mar 9, 2026
This morning we will tour the beautiful countryside and learn about Cuba’s sugar history, while visiting important and scenic plantations, mills, and historic mansions, including an active archaeological site. The tour includes visits to Mirador del Valle de los Ingenios where you can see a panoramic view of the Valley; the San Isidro de los Destiladeros (active archaeological site); and Manaca-Iznaga, a bustling little town with restored plantation buildings, a reconstructed watch tower, and a dark history of enslavement that is followed by social and economic renewal. In the afternoon, we will make our way down to Playa Ancón and enjoy one of Cuba’s many pristine beaches. Here you can buy lunch, enjoy a drink of your choice, and spend some time soaking up the sun, or relaxing beneath one of the large umbrellas along the beach. When we return to the city, be sure to find your way to a balcony for the 7:00PM sunset over the ocean. It is a sight you won’t soon forget! For dinner, we suggest you. head out with the new friends you’ve made and find an exciting spot, like Ambientes At Rintintin Restaurant or Muñoz Tapas.
Breakfast included today.
DAY 5 (Tuesday) Mar 10, 2026
After another fantastic breakfast, we’ll say goodbye to Trinidad and hit the road for our next adventure. About 90 minutes into the journey, we’ll arrive in the charming city of Cienfuegos, famous for its elegant colonial architecture and its stunning bay, often called “The Pearl of the South.” During our short visit, we’ll explore the heart of the city at Parque José Martí and tour the remarkable Palacio de Valle. Built in 1917, this Moorish-inspired mansion sits dramatically on a point of land that juts into the bay—a dazzling mix of colorful tiles, turrets, and scalloped arches that make it one of Cuba’s most photographed landmarks.
From there, we’ll continue another 90 minutes to the small town of Playa Girón, located on the Bay of Pigs – a beautiful stretch of coastline made famous in U.S. history for the failed 1961 invasion. After a delicious lunch, we’ll head to Caleta Buena, a gorgeous natural cove with crystal-clear waters teeming with fish and marine life. Snorkeling gear will be provided (though you’re welcome to bring your own), and we’ll spend a few leisurely hours enjoying this little slice of paradise. If time allows, we’ll stop by the Museo Girón, a small but fascinating museum that tells the story of the U.S.-backed invasion and the Cuban response. After dinner at our homestay, take the evening to relax, watch the sunset, and soak up the quiet coastal atmosphere. Tomorrow’s an early day so be sure to get a good night’s rest!
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included today.
DAY 6 (Wednesday) Mar 11, 2026 (Option 2 begins at dinner)
This morning we will rise early and head into Parque Nacional Ciénaga de Zapata, one of the most beloved natural reserves in all of Cuba and a Unesco biosphere reserve since 2000. Covering approximately 4,520 square kilometers, the Ciénaga is a marshland inhabited by more than 250 types of birds. We will enjoy a 3 hour guided tour of this region, which will hopefully include sightings of Cuba’s national bird, the Tocororo (Cuban Trogon). After our tour (and lunch) we will stop at the Crocodile Sanctuar. Inaugurated in 1960 to slow the indiscriminate poaching of its kind, this crocodile farm is the second largest in the world and the vastest in Cuba, with more than 10,000 specimens to observe. We will then continue to Havana and arrive at our small, elegant, and beautifully restored colonial style hotel/homestay in Old Havana just in time for a home cooked dinner served on the rooftop patio. We hope you had some time to nap on the bus! After dinner, we will encourage you to explore the old town on foot and lead you to some key spots that are great for evening viewing and local night culture.
OPTION 2 Guests will join us today at dinner. Our team will help you make your way to the hotel/homestay upon arrival in Havana.
Breakfast, lunch & dinner included today (option 1); Dinner included (option 2)
DAY 7 (Thursday) Mar 12, 2026
Today, we will explore Havana. The day begins with a guided tour of the Museum of the Revolution (situated within the former Presidential Palace), just a short walk from our hotel/homestay. From here we will go to the Partargas cigar factory in Central Havana, where we will learn about this iconic industry. Lunch will be at Jardín de los Milagros (Garden of Miracles), known for their delicious traditional preparations of sheep, goat, and beef! Next, we will explore this beautiful city in the back of 1950s classic American convertibles! During our 90 minute tour, we will enjoy panoramic views of the Havana skyline from across the bay, drive the entire length of the famous waterside boulevard (The Malecón), see the mansions on 5th Avenue, and visit the “Forest of Havana”! Our driving tour will end at the most beautiful hotel in Cuba, the Hotel Nacional, known for the historic mid-century gathering of mobsters such as Lucy Luciano, Santo Trafficante, and Meyer Lansky depicted in Godfather 2. From the hotel we will make our way back to our hotel/homestay for a little relaxation before heading out to dinner at La Moneda Cubana. We will surely be exhausted this evening. But, for anyone looking for nightlife, we will send you one of Havana’s best known nightspots, La Zorra y El Cuervo (The Fox and the Skunk) for a 10PM Afro-Cuba Jazz show!
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included today.
DAY 7 (Friday) Mar 13, 2026
Today we have a guided tour of the four main squares in Havana’s Old Town (Havana Vieja): Plaza de Catedrál, Plaza de San Francisco, Plaza de Armas, and Plaza Viejo. We will walk on cobble streets, and see churches, altars, artwork, buskers, and maybe even a little carnival, and take in as much as we can of the 500 years of history of Cuba. After our tour, we invite you to find lunch on your own, and to wander the old town at your leisure. In the afternoon we will enjoy an exclusive private performance by members of the Conjunto Folcórico Nacional (Cuba’s national folkloric dance company). This evening we will have a late dinner and enjoy some of the food vendors at Fabrica de Arte Cuba (FAC), one of Havana’s hippest nightspots. Built inside an abandoned factory, FAC features 4 performance stages, a permanent and ever-changing art exhibit, and a variety of food vendors. We will arrive around 8PM. Shows begin every hour and continue until past midnight.
Breakfast included today.
DAY 8 (Saturday) Mar 14, 2026
This is our last day in Havana and we have options! Weather permitting, we’ll take beach lovers to Playas de Este about 30 minutes east of Havana. Blessed with white sands and ultra clear aquamarine water, the beaches of Cuba are lovely. Alternately, this is also a great day to walk around the old town of Havana and relish in its beauty and history. There are craft markets, shops, and hidden alleyways still to explore. We can point you towards the Paseo del Prado (Havana’s tree-lined pedestrian boulevard), to explore Havana’s best outdoor artist market, which ends with a visit to Parque Central with its beautiful street views & historic hotels, and possible tours of the Capitolio and the elegant Grand Teatro de la Habana (Alicia Alonso). For those who prefer art over the beach, we will arrange for a guided tour of Museo Nacional Bellas Artes (featuring some of Cuba’s greatest artistic treasures) and/or several of the world-class private artist studios spread throughout Havana. In the evening, we suggest roaming around the Old Town in search of local music.
Breakfast and dinner included today.
DAY 9 (Sunday) Mar 15, 2026
Farewell to Havana, Cuba! Option 1 participants will rise early and head to their airport for an early flight to Miami. Option 2 participants can join us on the bus, or make their own arrangements later in the day for their trips home. Safe travels! Thank you for sharing the experience with us.
Breakfast included today.