Yvonne Goes to Cuba with Intrepid Holidays
In July of 2017, our very own Yvonne Montgomery (Who some of you may have heard of) visited the exotic country of Cuba with Intrepid Holidays. This travel blog helps you to understand the vast range of cultural traditions, we hope you enjoy!
Getting There
I was lucky enough to visit this fascinating country with Intrepid Holidays. We flew from Manchester via Amsterdam to Havana absolutely hassle free.
On arrival in Havana our first experience was to change our money to Cuban pesos, as you are not able to buy them in the UK.
We were greeted by our local guide Alexi, who stayed with us throughout the tour and was the most fascinating person I have ever met. His knowledge and stories were exceptional. He kept us thoroughly entertained through the week we were there.
The Experience
Travelling with Intrepid, is slightly different to most operators, as rather than stay in hotels you stay in local casas, which are in effect similar to b&bs, in some cases it was a room in a local house , where you get to know the family and they make you the most mouth watering breakfast of fresh mango & papaya and anything else that you would like.
Havana is a truly wonderful vibrant city with so much history. As is the rest of Cuba is on the whole. Everywhere you turn there are stunning buildings, old cars and music constantly playing!
From Havana we travelled to Vinales, from here we walked the tobacco farms, rolled cigars ,drank the very strong local coffee and took lots of photos. Once back and refreshed we then took a salsa class! Pure entertainment.
Exploring the local towns and cities of Cuba
The next day we were off again to Cienfuegos, a busier town on the water with lots of opportunity to shop and stop for mojitos.
Cienfuegos is also a good place to try and jump on the wifi if needs be, as throughout Cuba it is impossible to use. You have to by card and are limited to an hour per card, it can prove rather pricey. If you can live without it then Id recommend doing so as you spend far too long trying to connect and miss everything going on around you!
Our last stay before heading back to Havanna, was in the beautiful town of Trinidad, where the buildings are all painted in pastels, the churches are mixed with voodoo, the locals are singing dancing and you become totally immersed in the atmosphere around you.
Of course the history of Cuba is fascinating and I would say visit for yourselves to truly understand this complex country and its way of life. Remember though no visit is complete without a trip to Che Cuerveras mausoleum and the Bay of Pigs.
Take time to relax and dance and drink and immerse yourself into this wonderful country. Give me or one of the Aspen Travel team a call on 0161 755 3081 to discuss your Cuban Adventure today.