Cuba Group Trip Highlights 2023
After an amazing trip around Cuba in April in 2022, I was thrilled to be heading back with a group of 16 of you for the first Wanderlust Group Trip to Cuba.
Here’s everything we got up to over 9 days!
You can watch a recap of our trip here:
Day 1: Arrive in Havana
We kicked things off in the beautiful city of Havana.
There is no other city on earth quite like it! The beauty, the decay… the feeling as if you’ve traveled back in time. Not to mention the live music spilling out from practically every street corner.
For those who arrived early, we did a tour of the stunning Gran Teatro de La Habana.
Everyone arrived and checked into their casa particulars. We met at Casa Obrapia for a welcome meeting with our local guide, Alex before heading out for dinner!
That night, some of the nightowls stayed up and went dancing with a live band.
Day 2: Full Havana Day Tour
We kicked off the first full day in Havana with a walking tour. Our guide Alex led us to each one of the main plazas in Old Havana.
After lunch, it was time for our classic car tour!
Just look how photogenic the ladies are!!
In the evening, the group saw another live show and band before calling it a night!
Day 3: Fusterlandia, Salsa Class & Viñales
In the morning, we started with a quick stop to support a small local business.
We thanked our hosts for teaching us about the struggles of opening a business in Cuba then we were on our way to Fusterlandia! This little colorful village is covered in mosaics and art.
For lunch, we stopped at a scenic spot overlooking the Viñales Valley.
In the afternoon, we took a salsa class before heading to my favorite restaurant in all of Cuba. It’s an organic farm where 95% of the food you eat for your meal comes from the gardens right in front of you!
That night, we went out dancing in Viñales!
Day 4: Full Day Viñales
The next morning, we did a tour through Viñales to a tobacco farm. We got to see each step of the Cuban cigar making process with a local family. It’s an absolute highlight of any trip to Cuba!
Our local hosts taught us how to properly smoke a Cuban cigar. The mother of the family, Clara, is 78 and has been smoking 6 cigars a day since she was 10. That’s nearly 150,000 cigars in her lifetime!
We then visited a coffee farm and stopped for cool, fresh coconuts to drink on our way back.
After our tour, we shopped for art in local markets, sipped on daiquiris and watched sunset from a rooftop bar.
Day 5: Snorkel at the Bay of Pigs & Trinidad
It was an early start the next day but the crystal clear waters at the Bay of Pigs beach made it all worth it! The visibility for snorkeling was insane. Not to mention, our beach entrance had an open bar. It was the perfect afternoon.
We continued the drive to Trinidad after the beach!
Day 6: Full Day Trinidad
For our full day in Trinidad, we had a free morning to sleep in and explore the city. Then at 11am we were off to the beach!
It was only $10 an hour to rent a private sail boat. So we all took turns going for a sail!
After the beach, we stopped at a fishing village to pass out some of the donations we brought. I was so proud of the group…we passed out thousands of donations in Cuba! Huge shoutout to everyone who flew down with extra bags and things to pass out.
That night, we got ready for a sunset rooftop dinner overlooking Trinidad.
That evening, we went clubbing in an underground cave. One of the coolest bars around the world!
Day 7: Drive back to Havana
In the morning, we did our final shopping and pictures in Trinidad before beginning the drive back to Havana.
On our drive back, we stopped at this stunning viewpoint overlooking Havana.
Day 8: Free Day in Havana
For our final day together, we shopped for art at the Havana markets before shopping for cigars.
We stopped for drinks and took part in the Havana Club Rum Tasting & Tour. It was a blast!!
That evening we had a farewell dinner with Alex and drinks at a speakeasy before saying our goodbyes!
Day 9: Airport Transfer to home
Thank you to everyone who made this trip so extra special!
To join a group trip, check out the “Travel With Me” section!
Past group trips include: dog sledding in Minnesota, Southwest USA, Sail Croatia, backpacking the Superior Hiking Trail, Christmas in NYC, Iceland, Morocco, Turkey, Ireland, and more!
