THE HEMINGWAY EXPERIENCE
8 Days • 7 Nights • Discover Cuba by Car

Day: 1 Arrival Havana
Arrival in Havana at Jose Marti Int'l Airport. Meet and greet by Alitours' representative. Transfer to Hotel Occidental Miramar. Check in, pick up the car rental and begin to explore the Marina and the rest of Havana at your own pace. Drive in the evening to the world famous Tropicana Cabaret where you will enjoy front row seats. This musical show full of tropical colors and variety features more than 200 dancers and singers, all under the starry skies!

Day: 2 Havana
Breakfast. Drive to Old Havana along the picturesque Quinta Avenida passing through the Embassy District connecting to the famous stretch of road along the seaboard of Havana called the "Malecon". Park near the old section of Havana to take a walk to experience the charm of this World Heritage site since 1982. Experience the diverse architecture, avenues, squares, and culture. Visit the Ambos Mundos Hotel where Hemingway stayed in room 511 off and on throughout the 1930s and two other favorite places, La Bodeguita del Medio and Floridita Restaurant Bar. (B)

Day: 3 Havana - S. Francisco de Paula - Cojimar
Breakfast. Morning drive to visit the Hemingway Museum at the "La Finca Vigía" residence in the picturesque town of San Francisco de Paula. Afterwards visit Cojimar, where you will find the Hemingway monument and "Las Terrazas de Cojimar" restaurant, often frequented by Hemingway as he returned from a sea voyage on his boat the "Pilar" (Displayed and housed at the Hemingway Museum at La Finca Vigia). Lunch in Las Terrazas. Drive back to Havana or explore more of the countryside. Dinner at the Floridita Restaurant Bar. (B/D)

Day: 4 Havana - Cayo Levisa
After having explored Havana and its surroundings, head to the Western part of Cuba. After breakfast, check out. Drive at leisure west to the Province of Pinar del Rio to the town of Palma Rubia in the north western coast. Park the car and take a ferry to Cayo Levisa, a pristine key, where Hemingway hid his boat "The Pilar" while harassing German submarines lurking in the Caribbean waters during WWII. This adventure inspired one of his last novels "Island in the Stream". Check in at the Cayo Levisa Hotel for one night stay and dinner. Time at leisure to explore Hemingway's haunts in the area or relax and enjoy the beach. (B/D)

Day: 5 Cayo Levisa - Vinales
Morning is free. After lunch transfer by ferry back to Palma Rubia to pick up the car. Drive to the Valley of Viñales one of Cuba's greatest natural attractions, declared a National Natural Monument for its remarkable landscapes is a part of the Sierra de los Organos. A karst valley where mogotes, knolls with rounded tops and steep slopes, contrast harmoniously with the flat surface of the valley where they stand. Deep in the valley bottom you find cultivated lands - mainly tobacco, taro and bananas - and scattered peasant houses, all forming a rural landscape of great beauty. Check in at La Ermita Hotel perched on the top of the hills overlooking the valley. (B)

Day: 6 Vinales
Breakfast. Today is a day to explore. For those who love nature and outdoor activities the area offers different ecotours of great interest. The wonders of Viñales, a walk along the Sierra del Infierno (Hell Mountains) to see the local flora and fauna, including its birds and a tree dating back to the Jurassic Period (Microsyca calocoma), and visit the Moncada farmers' community. Visit a tobacco plantation and rum factory, the Prehistoric Mural painted on a rock face depicting the evolution of life or the Indian caves and take a boat ride to see the caverns. (B)

Day: 7 Havana
Breakfast. Check out and drive to Havana. Along the way stop and visit La Terrazas Nature Biosphere Reserve. Visit the artisan community and the Ecological Centre to take a walking tour along one of the nature trails. Lunch at Casa del Campesino. Visit the Buena Vista coffee plantation. Then continue to Havana check in at Ambos Mundos Hotel and drop off the car. Evening at leisure to see Havana by night. (B)

Day: 8 Depart Havana
Breakfast. Check-out from the hotel depends on the flight departure time. Transfer to Havana's Jose Marti Intl. Airport for the flight home. (B)