Arrive in Havana and settle into your accommodation. If you arrive by 7 pm, you’ll meet your guide and your all-women group then go for an optional dinner in one of the local restaurants.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Guesthouses, B&Bs, casas, casas particulares—these are all names for the same type of accommodation you’ll be staying at. Casas are generally run by local families and located in residential areas, which gives you a great opportunity to interact with local Cubans.
While these guesthouses cannot compare to the comfort levels of a modern western hotel, they’re still comfortable, have modern air conditioning, an ensuite bathroom, and a window to the outside or to an interior courtyard with natural light. They also include modern imported mattresses, and cold and hot water. Many rooms (but not all) have a security box, mini-bar fridge, and hair dryer.
The families who run these guesthouses will try to make you feel at home as much as possible. The level of service and personal attention is generally far superior to the hotels in Cuba. Keep in mind that the group will likely be placed in a number of different houses within a short walking distance. Every day you’ll meet your group at the “base house”, a central one with the biggest capacity.
The standard tour price is based on twin-share rooms (two people per room). If you’re traveling solo, you may be paired with another guest. If no one is available to share, you’ll have the room to yourself without an extra occupancy charge. To guarantee a private room, you can select the single occupancy option when booking.
This women-only Cuba active tour is beginner-friendly, requiring a basic level of fitness! You can check out day-by-day activities in the itinerary, but in general, you can expect a half-day cycling excursion, a 2-day trek in the Sierra Escambray Mountains, and some snorkeling.
There will be more optional activities as well, such as scuba diving, hiking, ziplining, horseback riding, rock climbing, learning to salsa, and more!
The most strenuous thing on this tour is hiking for 6 miles (10 km) for 2 days in a row and a half-day cycling tour. Still, if you’re not up for it, your guides can always arrange some other activities for you—or simply let you chill in the guesthouses or at the beach. Other than that, it’s up to you how you want to spend your free time. You always have the option to tailor this tour to your expectations and wishes.
How you dive into this Cuban cocktail is entirely up to you: you can snorkel with turtles, pedal through tobacco-scented plantations, explore the depths of coral reefs (did you know Cuba is home to a third of all Caribbean reefs?), or simply lounge on those sugar-white beaches. With Cuban live music as our soundtrack, we’ll make sure not to miss out on dancing the rumba, savoring a cup of local robusta coffee, or indulging in the flavors of the ropa vieja national dish. Explore the vibrant streets of Havana and Trinidad, delve into the lush valleys of Viñales, and climb the rolling hills of Escambray—one thrilling day at a time.
Whether you’re craving lazy beach days, mingling with locals in cozy casas particulares, or itching to explore every nook and cranny, this 10-day active tour caters to your vibe. From cycling through scenic routes and trekking picturesque trails to zooming through the air on zip lines and snorkeling in crystal-clear waters, Cuba is a playground for thrilling activities. Expect an immersive dive into the customs, traditions, and everyday life of the Cubans. It’s your ticket to unlock the heart and soul of this incredible island!
Arrive in Havana and settle into your accommodation. If you arrive by 7 pm, you’ll meet your guide and your all-women group then go for an optional dinner in one of the local restaurants.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
After breakfast, head out on a road trip (3–4 hours) to your next accommodation. You’ll spend the next 2 nights in the charming town of Viñales, where there’s plenty of outdoor activities available. On the morning of Day 3, take a half-day off-road cycling excursion through the valley and tobacco plantations with views of pincushion-carpeted hills. It’s possible to arrange a walking tour of the valley for those not who are not up for cycling. Spending afternoons in Viñales is up to you to decide, but here are some options:
Viñales has a great nightlife, partly due to the fact that there’s really only one bar, and all the locals go there. Listen and dance to live music, experience how Cubans enjoy their nights out first-hand and have fun with your group.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast
The drive to the Bay of Pigs will take circa 7 hours, but you’ll stop along the way for some snorkeling right off the coast. Snorkeling equipment is available for hire at a low cost. You’ll stay the night in the town of Playa Giron, boasting a beautiful sandy beach perfect for a glass of wine and conversations under the stars.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast
Use the time you have left in the Bay of Pigs for either scuba diving over spectacular coral reefs or hiking with a national park guide through the nearby Cienaga de Zapata—see the wildlife, caves, and a freshwater sinkhole where you can snorkel with fish and turtles. If you’d like to take it easy today, hang out with your guesthouse family or go to the beach. In the afternoon, take a 3-hour drive to Trinidad. You’ll enjoy the views of Cuba’s Caribbean coast along the way and before you know it, you’ll be in Trinidad, a vibrant, authentic colonial city.
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast
Your 2-day trek through the mountains near Trinidad takes you through valleys, ridges, mountain streams, and secluded waterfalls. You won’t need to carry your luggage, as national park employees handle the cooking and set up the tents. Meals and camping gear are provided, including sleeping mats and blankets, but it’s recommended to bring your own sleeping bag, as the provided blankets may not be sufficient, and it can get cold at night, especially from December to February. If you don’t have a sleeping bag, a simple sleeping sheet will help keep you comfortable.
All you’ll need are sturdy footwear, sunscreen, a hat, swimwear, and a change of clothes for sleeping. The trek isn’t particularly difficult, but a reasonable level of fitness is required to cover the daily 10km without feeling too exhausted. If you prefer to stay in Trinidad, an extra night of accommodation will be provided free of charge while you wait for the rest of the group to return. On Day 7, you’ll spend the night back in Trinidad.
Accommodation: Tent and guesthouse
Meals: Breakfasts, two lunches, and dinner
Today you have the full day to explore Trinidad! It’s a charming, vibrant city with cobblestone streets and old mansions around the town square. There are optional activities near you, such as scuba diving, ziplining, or horseback riding to a waterfall—or you can just relax on the beach. In the evening, there are several live music performances in the city center, so you’ll have a fun night out!
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast
On your way back to Havana, you’ll stop in the city of Santa Clara to check out the Che Guevara museum. This is the only museum visit of the trip so we recommend visiting it—Che was an important person for Cuba’s recent history and the revolution. Eventually you’ll reach Havana and you can celebrate the last night together as a group. There are plenty of lively spots in the city, so enjoy your last night dancing and singing to Cuban tunes!
Accommodation: Guesthouse
Meals: Breakfast
Today is your last day of the tour. Take a shuttle to the airport—it’s not included in the price of the trip, but it shouldn’t cost more than $20 per taxi—and catch your flight. Alternatively, stay a bit longer in Cuba, just ask your guides for some recommendations!
Meals: Breakfast
Guesthouses, B&Bs, casas, casas particulares—these are all names for the same type of accommodation you’ll be staying at. Casas are generally run by local families and located in residential areas, which gives you a great opportunity to interact with local Cubans.
While these guesthouses cannot compare to the comfort levels of a modern western hotel, they’re still comfortable, have modern air conditioning, an ensuite bathroom, and a window to the outside or to an interior courtyard with natural light. They also include modern imported mattresses, and cold and hot water. Many rooms (but not all) have a security box, mini-bar fridge, and hair dryer.
The families who run these guesthouses will try to make you feel at home as much as possible. The level of service and personal attention is generally far superior to the hotels in Cuba. Keep in mind that the group will likely be placed in a number of different houses within a short walking distance. Every day you’ll meet your group at the “base house”, a central one with the biggest capacity.
The standard tour price is based on twin-share rooms (two people per room). If you’re traveling solo, you may be paired with another guest. If no one is available to share, you’ll have the room to yourself without an extra occupancy charge. To guarantee a private room, you can select the single occupancy option when booking.
Your guides have breakfast arranged for you every single day—you’ll have breakfast at the guesthouses, and you can expect coffee, milk, fruit juice, bread, eggs, and fresh fruit.
In general, many travelers are pleasantly surprised with the quality and variety of food that can be found in Cuba. One of the highlights has to be fresh fruit and vegetables—think mango, pineapple, papaya, guava, coconut, grapefruit, breadfruit, and avocados. And the drinks? Start looking forward to world-famous Cuban cocktails, such as Daiquiri, Mojito, or Ron Collins. Excellent draught beer as well as coffee are also very popular.
As for special dietary requirements, if you’re vegetarian, you won’t struggle finding a vegetarian meal, though there won’t be much variety. Gluten-free options should also be possible. Tour leaders are trained to assist with dietary needs such as food allergies, and gluten-free, and vegetarian diets. Vegan options are typically limited to rice, fruit, vegetables, and sometimes beans. Travellers with special diets are encouraged to bring factory-packaged snacks, and those with allergies should carry medication in case of a flare-up.
I had the pleasure to take part of the Active Cuba tour and it was excellent. The itinerary is great, if you are into diving it gives you excellent opportunities to do so. Our guide was great, organised all kind of activites for us, such as horse riding, zip lining and so on. The accomodations, the casas, are good, met lots of local people this way who were very kind and welcoming. For me the highlight was the hiking trip and camping in the mountains. It would be great if they add some kayaking to this trip, then it would really be fully active. I can only recommend this tour if you like to do staff during your holiday and not just laying on the beach.
Thoroughly enjoyed this active tour of Cuba. We had a brilliant guide – good fun, knowledgeable and helpful. Loved the cycling in Vinales as well as the horse riding, diving and zip wires. Our guide took us to the Rosalio de Castro club and got us practically the best seats in the house! The trip to the mountains was a real highlight away from the cities. Our local guide here was also very knowledgeable and clearly had a great love of the area. The Casas were great – very varied but always with extremely hospitable hosts. The breakfasts were all excellent. We tied the trip in with a stay on Cayo Levisa which was lovely to relax at the end of a busy tour. Thank you very much – missing Cuba already
I had the pleasure to take part of the Active Cuba tour and it was excellent. The itinerary is great, if you are into diving it gives you excellent opportunities to do so. Our guide was great, organised all kind of activites for us, such as horse riding, zip lining and so on. The accomodations, the casas, are good, met lots of local people this way who were very kind and welcoming. For me the highlight was the hiking trip and camping in the mountains. It would be great if they add some kayaking to this trip, then it would really be fully active. I can only recommend this tour if you like to do staff during your holiday and not just laying on the beach.
Included:
Add-ons:
Not included:
This women-only Cuba active tour is beginner-friendly, requiring a basic level of fitness! You can check out day-by-day activities in the itinerary, but in general, you can expect a half-day cycling excursion, a 2-day trek in the Sierra Escambray Mountains, and some snorkeling.
There will be more optional activities as well, such as scuba diving, hiking, ziplining, horseback riding, rock climbing, learning to salsa, and more!
The most strenuous thing on this tour is hiking for 6 miles (10 km) for 2 days in a row and a half-day cycling tour. Still, if you’re not up for it, your guides can always arrange some other activities for you—or simply let you chill in the guesthouses or at the beach. Other than that, it’s up to you how you want to spend your free time. You always have the option to tailor this tour to your expectations and wishes.
It can get very hot and humid in Cuba in the summer months of June through August, when lightweight clothing is recommended. In the winter months, it can get colder, particularly in the evenings. Although the temperatures generally don’t get very low in Cuba, the cold can be hard to escape from due to the humidity levels and the fact that Cuba houses aren’t set up for cold weather. During the day, the climate in Cuba is hot and tropical.
Clothing:
Personal items:
It’s best to bring a backpack, a duffel bag, or a small travel case with wheels. Our advice is to pack as lightly as possible since you’ll normally have to carry your own luggage from the minibus to the accommodation. It’s possible to leave some luggage in Havana, just ask your guide to help you arrange it—it only costs around 5 euros per week.
Group sizes and pricing
Women-only active Cuba tours can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements
If your group has participants under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
E-visa
Cuba has replaced its old pink and green paper visas with a new e-visa system.
If you already have a paper visa (tourist card), it’s valid until June 30, 2025. Starting in 2025, all visitors—including those from visa-exempt countries like China and Russia—need an e-visa to enter Cuba. The e-visa is valid for 90 days (renewable once for another 90), allows a single entry, and expires one year after issue. It can be extended once in Cuba for a small fee (your guides can assist), allowing you to stay up to 180 days on a single visit.
Apply online through the Cuban government website or via resellers like EASY TOURIST CARD. And for U.S. citizens or travelers coming from the U.S., check out CUBA VISA SERVICES. Your e-visa will be emailed to you. All this applies to most foreigners, but always check with your local consulate for specific entry requirements.
The D’Viajeros Customs & Immigration Form
This is required for all travelers to Cuba. When you receive your e-visa email, you’ll also get a link to the mandatory D’Viajeros online customs and immigration form. It must be completed no more than 7 days before your arrival date to validate your e-visa.
This tour and its itinerary comply with US travel regulations and are legal for both US and non-US citizens. No special OFAC permission is needed. Your guides will provide you with an affidavit to sign as proof of legal travel.
When booking flights, you’ll need to select a permitted travel category—choose “Support for the Cuban People”. Once you get to Cuba and join this tour, all you’ll have to do is use private businesses and interact with locals. Here’s a summary of the 5 requirements:
To get to your women-only Cuba adventure, fly into Havana Airport (HAV). Airport shuttle to Havana is included, even if you arrive in Cuba prior to Day 1 of the tour, as long as you arrange your pre-tour accommodation through your guides. At 7pm, the guide will meet with those who have already arrived and go for an optional dinner.
Be sure to review all visa and entry requirements carefully. A detailed breakdown can be found above.
The local currency is the Cuban Peso (CUP), but exchanging money isn’t necessary—USD and EUR cash are widely accepted (bring small bills, no coins).
Avoid official exchange offices due to poor rates—ask your guide or guesthouse for help if needed. Bring enough USD or EUR cash for your entire stay. Credit cards are unreliable in Cuba, and US-issued cards won’t work at all. Most local businesses only accept cash.
An estimated amount of €320 to €460 EUR ($350 to $500 USD) is recommended for local expenses during this active Cuba tour, including food, drinks, and optional activities, but excluding souvenirs. Meal costs can vary significantly, particularly in Havana, depending on the restaurant chosen.
Medical and travel protection is mandatory. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, simply choose Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner!
Redpoint tailors their protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations. Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.
Once your booking is confirmed and your trip is paid in full, you will be offered to purchase Redpoint’s protection. If you need any help or require more information, let us know and we will be happy to help!
A $100 deposit to secure your place is due upon booking. The remaining amount is paid 2 months (60 days) prior to departure. Once the trip is confirmed by the guide, the cancellation policy stated below applies.
Please note that booking fees are non-refundable in all cases and will be deducted from the refund amount.
Guide reserves the right to cancel the tour due to insufficient sign-up (not meeting the 2-person minimum). In that case, a full tour refund will be issued or 100% of the credit can go towards another tour.
Within 60 days of departure, any amendments to a file depend on availability and will be on a request basis. No changes can be made within 15 days of departure. This includes booking additional accommodations, transfers, or excursions.
If you are prevented from traveling on the tour you booked by circumstances such as those which would permit you to make a claim on a standard cancellation insurance policy, you may transfer your booking to another person, provided they meet all the requirements relating to that tour. More than 60 days before departure, an administrative fee of 10% of the total value of the tour will apply. Within 60 days, name transfers are not permitted.
Thoroughly enjoyed this active tour of Cuba. We had a brilliant guide – good fun, knowledgeable and helpful. Loved the cycling in Vinales as well as the horse riding, diving and zip wires. Our guide took us to the Rosalio de Castro club and got us practically the best seats in the house! The trip to the mountains was a real highlight away from the cities. Our local guide here was also very knowledgeable and clearly had a great love of the area. The Casas were great – very varied but always with extremely hospitable hosts. The breakfasts were all excellent. We tied the trip in with a stay on Cayo Levisa which was lovely to relax at the end of a busy tour. Thank you very much – missing Cuba already