When you’re staying at one of the all-inclusive resorts on Cayo Santa Maria, on the north coast of Cuba, your excursion options are a minimum 48 kilometres away. The island is connected to the mainland by a lengthy causeway. There is nothing to see on the island but resorts and sandy beaches. Therefore, if you want to see anything of the ‘real’ Cuba, you must pay the price, hop on a bus and get onto the bigger island.
For the most part, all excursions out of Cayo Santa Maria are with a company called Gaviota Tours. This is the same company that brings to and from the airport in Santa Clara. As of January, 2016, there were ten excursion options. Prices range from 59 convertible pesos to 170 CUC. I’ve been visiting Cuba for over a decade and for the first time, the excursions are listed in both convertible pesos and Cuban Pesos. The country does anticipate at some point to drop the tourist only CUC’s and go with a single currency. The CUC is pegged to the value of the United States Dollar.
Keep in mind, with the recent love-in between the United States and Cuba, prices for excursions like this, especially when Havana and Trinidad are the destinations, are bound to increase significantly over the next few years. If you’re visiting Cuba this year, don’t pass up a chance to see the country on the cheap.
Here’s the list of available excursions and pricing as of January, 2016:
Remedios Colonial
Remedios is a city on the mainland, not far from the causeway to and from Cayo Santa Maria. This excursion includes a guided tour through the city, visiting places of historic and cultural significance. The tour also includes a steam train ride that will take you from Remedios back to Marcelo Salido. Marcelo Salido is basically part of Caibarien, the last city before getting on the causeway. Also included is a peasant farm show and lunch.
Pricing is 59 CUC for adults and 44 CUC for children. In Cuban Pesos (CUP), that equates to 1,475 for adults and 1,100 for children.
Santa Clara – Remedios
Like the Remedios Colonial, this tour includes a visit to Remedios and a ride on the steam train. There is a stop at a cigar factory and the Plaza del Che in Santa Clara. The city tour of Santa Clara includes lunch.
Pricing is 75 CUC for adults and 56 CUC for children. In CUP, that would be 1,875 and 1,400.
Jeep Safari
A little deceiving. You do not drive a Jeep. Rather, it’s some sort of Suzuki Samurai type vehicle. No matter, everyone gets in a caravan of these ‘Jeeps’ and heads out to the countryside. There is a cockfight – but no animals are harmed. At Hacienda Los Alamos you get a taste of farm life, milking cows and feeding the birds. There is also time for a walk on a nature trail, horseback riding and swimming in the river.
Pricing is 70 CUC for adults and 53 CUC for children. In CUP, that’s 1,750 and 1,325.
Mountain Adventure
A little adventure into the mountains on board a Soviet era truck. This tour involves time on a nature trail in the mountains with swimming in a waterfall fed river.
Pricing is 65 CUC for adults and 48 CUC for children. That’s 1,625 CUP and 1,200 CUP.
Sugar Tour
The sugar tour is the only excursion we took part in in January. With very young kids, this a nice, short trip with a great ride on a historic steam train. The tour starts with a visit to the Museum of the Sugar Industry, just outside of Caibarien. Attached is a collection of steam trains between the museum and the train station. The tour travels by steam train from Marcelo Salido to Remedios, where you spend time in the historic town square before bussing it back to Cayo Santa Maria.
Pricing is 59 CUC for adults and 44 CUC for children, or 1,475 CUP and 1,100 CUP. Included in your fee is a bottle of rum per adults, an authentic cigar per adult and a buffet lunch at a Playa resort back on Cayo Santa Maria. The Playa brand is a fully Cuban owned group of resorts.
Dos Ciudades Coloniales (Two Colonial Cities)
This is a lot of time spent in a bus but surely worth the price. This excursion takes you from the north side of the island of Cuba, to the south shores of the Caribbean Sea.
The first stop is Sancti Spiritus, a city founded way back in 1514. The land-locked city has a population of just over 130,000 and is located around the middle of the island. There is a brief stop here to tour the centre of town and do a little cocktail tasting.
The highlight is a visit to Trinidad on the south side of the island. Since 1988, Trinidad has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With a population of around 75,000, Trinidad was also founded in 1514. Here, you will have lunch before museum visiting and some free time to explore this historically significant city.
Pricing is a very reasonable 73 CUC for adults and 55 CUC for children. That converts to 1,825 CUP and 1,375 CUP.
Topes Overnight
As the name of the excursion suggests, this is an overnighter. Topes de Collantes is a nature reserve park in the Escambray Montains, a bit west of Trinidad, Cuba.
On day 1, there is a stop at Manaca Iznaga Tower in Valle de los Ingenios, a short distance outside of Trinidad. The tower is yet another remnant of the lost sugar industry in Cuba and is located on the historic plantation of Manaca Iznaga.
After lunch and a museum visit, you are free to roam Trinidad with dinner and accommodations in Topes.
On day 2, there’s a visit to a coffee farm to start the day. Later on there’s some nature time with walking trails, bird watching and swimming in a waterfalls enhanced river.
Pricing is nothing short of incredible with adults paying just 99 CUC and children just 74 CUC. This translates to 2,475 and 1,850 in CUP.
Habana Por Avion (Havana by Airplane)
The driving distance from Cayo Santa Maria to Havana is around 400km, one way. On North American freeways, this might be a doable day trip by bus. However, in Cuba, roads can only be described as slow and not very often straight. There is a small airport on Cayo Santa Maria for domestic flights, making a day trip to the capital possible.
Once in Havana, you get a city tour through the old city and the modern. Lunch and free time are conveniently centered around a downtown craft market. Beware of the ladies dressed in bright colours and fruit basket hats – a picture with them will cost you!
Pricing is at the high end, as expected with a return flight included. Adults pay 170 CUC while children pay 150 CUC. In Cuban Pesos, that’s 4,250 and 3,750. However, compare that to a return flight between Toronto and Montreal, a relatively equal distance, and you’ll see what a bargain Cuba still is.
Tres Ciudades (Three Cities)
The day starts with a journey back to where your Cuban journey started – Santa Clara. Yes, there’s more than just an airport. This is a brief stop with a visit to Plaza de la Revolution Ernesto Che Guevara. If you haven’t stocked up on your cheap Che hats and t-shirts, this is the time.
Next up is the port city of Cienfuegos on the Caribbean side of the island. This involves a visit to the historic city centre and lunch. From past experience, staying at nearby Rancho Luna Resort, Cienfuegos is a bit wild. Ladies, keep your men close as there are ample ‘chicas’ for rent.
After a nice drive through the Escambray Mountains, your third city is Trinidad, the UNESCO Heritage Site and star of many travel shows on television.
Once again, the pricing is at a level that would not make a penny of profit in North America or Europe. Adults pay just 75 CUC and children are 56 CUC. In Cuban Pesos that’s 1,875 and 1,400.
Trinidad Colonial
If your focus is just the city of Trinidad, this is the trip for you. There is a stop at Manaca Iznaga, just outside Trinidad. Once in Trinidad, you will have lunch the do a tour of the town, with the museum visit along the way.
There is a specific stop at the ‘iconic bar’ Canchanchara. Taberna La Canchanchara was built in 1723 with it’s original cedar roof still intact. For 300 years, the cocktail named Canchanchara has been served. This drink is a mix of lemon juice, honey and, of course, Cuban rum, served in glazed pots.
Pricing is very reasonable at 65 CUC for adults and 48 CUC for children. That’s 1,625 and 1,200 in CUP’s.
