Western Cuban Nature Photo Tour - 9 days

List of Activities

• camera_enhanceDay 1
  Following your arrival in Havana's Jose Marti Airport, you will be transported in the very heart of the Island: Viñales Valley, one of Cuba's most recognizable and photogenic places in the whole of Cuba. The valley itself is defined by lush tobacco plantations and endemic, flat-topped mountains known as "mogotes".
  
  On the way to hotel Los Jazmines, where we will be staying for the first 2 nights, you will get your first impressions of Cuba and by all means feel free to request a quick stop should you see a good shot. Check in at the hotel and meet us a little later for a welcome cocktail and orientation talk. During this time, your tour leader(s) will provide essential information on the activities scheduled and the country itself, and will also answer all of your questions.
  
  There are no activities scheduled in the evening or nighttime so you can relax after the journey by the pool immersed into a stunning landscape. Feel free to ask your tour leader for advice on the best places to eat and drink nearby. There are a great many of suitable paladares serving local dishes in the nearby towns and villages.
• camera_enhanceDay 2
  Straight after breakfast, we will start our all day visit of Viñales. Nature and landscape photographers will thrive on their way through day's schedule. Lush fields growing tobacco and a very unique set of towering mogotes add to the pristine charm of this area.
  
  Among the highlights of the day, there will be visits of a peasants village, rustic tobacco plantation and several tobacco-drying houses, where you can linger and photograph the making and makers of Cuban cigars in the very core of it. You will also have the opportunity to buy your quota of the real thing at rock bottom prices, directly from producers. Bare in mind that a Cuban professional photographer-guide will always assist you in exchanges with local farmers and provide helpful tips and insights to improve on your experience. We will also see and photograph the massive Mural de la Prehistoria, a 120m-long painting, symbolizing the theory of evolution, designed in 1961 by Leovigildo González Morillo, a follower of Mexican artist Diego Rivera. For lunch, we have reserved at a local, country-style type of restaurant. During the afternoon we will visit the handicraft market, where we will be able to meet with more locals. You’ll notice many Cubans speak English and make for some interesting conversation as they are not shy, not to mention they are great subjects for a photo or two, so make them feel comfortable and you'll get interesting portraits to bring back home. Dinner will be at a local restaurant and in the evening you can relax by the pool, sharing a cocktail with fellow CubaFotografia adventurers and flicking through your camera roll.
• camera_enhanceDay 3
  A shuttle departs from the hotel early in the morning, will take you to the gorgeous natural area of Soroa, also known as the rainbow of Cuba. It is a site of breathtaking natural beauty, with a 22-meter waterfall that invites visitors to take a refreshing swim any time of the year. One big attraction of Soroa is the nearby botanical gardens which contain an excellent orchidarium, home to more than 700 different types of orchid. The surrounding countryside is lush, hilly and very pleasant to wander around. There's time allotted for photos as landscape photographers are guaranteed to thoroughly enjoy the experience and outstanding mountain landscape. After this visit, we will take a short drive to Las Terrazas community, where we will check-in at Hotel Moka and have lunch at La Casa del Campesino restaurant. We will spend the afternoon at the local community, which is characterized by beautiful white houses with colorful roofs, surrounded by ponds and gardens. Local Cubans living in the community are used to foreign travellers and you will be able to share an experience with them. Dinner and evening at the hotel.
• camera_enhanceDay 4
  After breakfast a little over 2 hours drive brings you to the Parque Nacional Ciénaga de Zapata, a huge natural reserve for all manner of wildlife including local and migratory birds, lizards, crocodiles and rock crabs. Plenty of time will be guaranteed during the day for you to get the best pictures of this unique location and landscape. From the Zapata Swamp we will carry on to the Hatiguanico river, where birdlife is abundant and you may also see turtles and crocodiles. During the journey, we will also take you Caletones village, where we will have lunch at a local restaurant.
  
  In the afternoon, we will carry on our journey in the nature and have a trekking through Enigma de la Roca trail. This whole area is a true paradise for birdwatchers and nature photographers and you will soon discover that. One of the endemic species of the ares is the hummingbird, so make sure you have your full camera gear always ready.
  
  At the end of the evening, we will have a transfer to Guajimico village, where you will check-in at Campismo Villa Guajimico. Here you can relax and enjoy a quiet dinner and evening.
• camera_enhanceDay 5
  First thing after breakfast, we'll be off on a road trip to the nature reserve Topes de Collantes, in the Escambray Mountains, Cuba's second-largest mountain range. The beautiful crenellated hills are rich in flora and surprisingly isolated. Nature lovers are guaranteed to enjoy this expedition into the wild.
  
  We'll spend the morning in a photo-safari expedition through different trials. We'll visit and photograph the El Cubano and Codina parks and after a hearty lunch at a ranchón-style restaurant, we'll be back on the road as we head to Guanayara park.
  
  After late afternoon check-in all-inclusive Hotel Brisas Trinidad del Mar, diner and night time will be left free for you to relax by the beach and get some rest after such intense previous days.
• camera_enhanceDay 6
  After breakfast, we'll take a 20 minutes bus ride to the centre of Trinidad for a more architectural oriented part of the tour. Trinidad is a preferred destination for a true experience in the allure of a well-preserved, colonial city. It is amongst Cuba's oldest cities and subsequently holds a vast, gripping history and, of course, a myriad of photogenic places. There's so much to see in the streets of Trinidad, which are to be regarded as a good example of colonial, maze-like city layout, from elegant buildings and villas that were at some point turned to museums to spacious cobblestone plazas with a certain nostalgic feeling. We will be on a route to make sure you don’t miss out on landmarks and all main streets.
  
  For lunch we'll be back to the nature, as we have reserved a ranchón-style restaurant in the ecological reserve Lomas de Banao (Banao Hills), where we'll also spend the afternoon. This is a protected area, distinguished by its values concerning flora and fauna. In fact, over 260 endemic species are found in this reserve and some of them are said to be native of the Escambray Mountains. We'll take plenty of time to make sure you can capture at least some of this uniqueness. As was the case in previous days, a local photographer-guide will join you during this excursion out of the city and ensure you enjoy your experience.
  
  After a very productive day, we'll go back to our hotel and spend the evening there. We scheduled time for camera roll review with your photographer guide and expedition companions.
• camera_enhanceDay 7
  As usual, the day starts early, as we'll be heading to Hotel Hanabanilla, in the province of Villa Clara. After check-in and lunch, we'll go on a boat ride across the Hanabanilla dam and lake onto El Nicho, a natural, unpolluted heaven with a myriad of astonishing waterfalls and lush vegetation. This whole area is comprised within a protected national park that treasures a huge biodiversity, a true paradise for birdwatchers and nature photographers. You will be left plenty of time to take photos of this unique location and landscape. Nature lovers are guaranteed to enjoy this expedition into the wild.
  
  Evening and night will be spent at modest yet comfortable Hotel Hanabanilla, where you might get the chance to get few great night shots.
• camera_enhanceDay 8
  After an early breakfast at the hotel, we'll head back to Havana and check-in at the renowned Hotel Capri, located on the Havana Malecon, an evocative 7km-long sea drive.
  
  We'll spend lunch and afternoon outside the city at Jardín Botánico Nacional' Havana's curiously under-visited 600-hectare botanical garden. Opened in 1984, the gardens host a collection of 250 species of palm trees. The greenhouses are a real highlight, housing everything from arid cacti to tropical celebrations. The Japanese garden is both beautiful and the place where you can get the best value lunches in Havana. As we'll spend the whole afternoon here, plenty of time is allotted for photos.
  
  In the evening, we'll visit world-famous Tropicana club and cabaret, where you will be able to witness the acclaimed Diosas de Carne -flesh goddesses- dancers and the Paraíso Bajo las Estrellas late-night show. Dinner is included for your Tropicana night.
• camera_enhanceDay 9
  It's been well over a week of new, amazing experiences in soulful Cuba. Your last day with us will show some room for a final camera roll review with your photographer-guide, as well as some time for you to spend on your own, whether it is by going out to the streets one last time or simply staying at the hotel and prepare for your flight back home. Bare in mind, it is never too late for a quick getaway to Havana's seafront Malecón.