Arrival into Havana’s José Martí International Airport, where your local guide and driver will meet you and transfer you to your hotel for the night.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
• Ascent: 100m

After an arrival briefing and once checked out the hotel we’ll head out for a guided city tour by bike. Our route will take us through the Miramar and Vedado Districts and will include stopping for photographs at Revolution Square. We’ll then carry on to the Old City, before heading along the famous seafront road, the Malecon.

After the City Cycle Tour we collect a packed Lunch and transfer to Santa Clara where we visit the Che Guevara Mausoleum and the centre of the city.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 420m

Today we have a short transfer through the busy centre traffic to a small town on the outskirts of Santa Clara called Miller where we begin cycling.

The Carretera Central is the original Havana to Santiago Road but now that the nearby highway has been built, this road has become a secondary route and traffic is light and local. Expect to share the road with horses, carts, bikes, tractors and the occasional Russian truck! We’ll be cycling through agricultural communities and the road undulates past sugar cane and pasture land. Along the way, we’ll stop for a picnic lunch before carrying on to Sancti Spiritus. Depending on the progress we make during the ride, we might need to transfer the last section into Sancti Spiritus.

This evening we’ll have time to wander through the historic centre of Sancti Spiritus one of the seven original “villas” constructed by the Spanish Conquistadors.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 650m

A lovely ride with plenty of small hills to keep you entertained on the way. Setting off from Sancti Spiritus, we take the main Sancti Spiritus to Trinidad road stopping for lunch in Manacas Iznaga where we visit the remains of a sugar plantation. Previously sugar cane and refining was big business in this area and Trinidad grew extremely rich thanks to this produce.

From Manacas it’s a short ride to Trinidad where we check into our casas particulares and enjoy the experience of staying with a local family. In the evening we’ll eat at the Casa Felix and later have some free time to explore the delights of Trinidad.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 100m

Trinidad, with its Spanish architecture, beautifully preserved cobbled streets, tiled roofs and fine palaces, is one of the loveliest cities in Cuba. Little wonder it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As well as taking time to visit this beautiful city we’ll also cycle to the nearby Playa Ancon beach for lunch and a swim. Following this we return for a guided tour of the city. Or should you prefer you can spend the afternoon relaxing and taking in a slice of Cuban daily life.

This evening we will have the opportunity to have a group meal and enjoy some of the varied cultural music and dance available in Trinidad. A must during any visit is the Casa de la Música – arguably the best music venue in Trinidad. Here you’ll find live music concerts and vibrant Afro-Cuban music and it is a great way to get a taste of local music culture. You’ll also be able to take your two left feet on a salsa dancing journey here too.

Our evening meandering will also take us to Palenque de los Congos Reales. This open patio on Trinidad’s music alley boasts an eclectic menu incorporating salsa and Son (Cuban popular music). The highlight of the night however is the late-night rumba drumming with its smooth African rhythms and energetic dancers.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 500m

This morning, we set off from Trinidad by bike and ride towards Cienfuegos. Along the route we have glimpses of the Caribbean coast to our left and the lush Escambray Mountains to the right. It’s a fairly gentle morning’s ride with lunch taken at the lovely setting of the Botanical Gardens just past Arimao.

It’s from here we then transfer to Cienfuegos Cuba’s ‘Pearl of the South’ a place that has delighted visitors with its French elegance and vibrant Caribbean spirit. Founded in 1819 by French émigrés its architecture has earned it a UNESECO World Heritage Site and is a lovely place to wander around before we continue to Playa Larga.

Once here you’ll have the opportunity to relax on white sands of the beautiful Playa Larga beach and take a dip before your evening meal.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 50m

Depending on the group there may be a change in the early dawn to spend the morning exploring the Zapata Peninsula. This area is a protected nature reserve, famous for being one of the most important sites for birdwatching in Cuba. It is the natural habitat of the smallest birds in the world – the bee hummingbird – and there is a good chance you will see one of these, as well as the Cuban National bird, the Cuban Trogon or Tocororo which can usually be observed along the roadside.

Alternatively we have a relaxing morning before setting off on a gentle bike ride into the Nature Reserve to observe the local flora and fauna and return to the hotel in time to pack our bikes onto the bus and set off back to Havana.

On arrival, we have lunch and then enjoy a walking tour of Old Havana. Described as a living museum with its marvellous monuments, cathedrals and palaces, this is the finest surviving Spanish colonial complex in the Americas.

Preserved by a combination of little war damage, post revolution restoration work and the millions of dollars invested since it was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1982.

The evening together would of course not be complete without a memorable evening meal, mojitos and perhaps a spot of salsa until the early hours of the morning, for those with the energy and the moves.

• Meals: Breakfast

After breakfast you’ll be free to explore Havana, stock up on cigars and souvenirs and take a leisurely lunch.

Early evening we depart for the airport for flight connections arriving back in the UK / Europe the following day.

For those looking to add a little more time in Havana, this can easily be arranged.

This itinerary is a guide to our Cuban Wheels Tour. It is important to note that it may be subject to change in relation to road and weather conditions, etc.