How to explore Cuba.

Cuba is best checked out in the hands of a professional trip operator, a personal guide and motorist, and your own regional concierge for constant support.

Getting to Cuba.
The paths to get to Cuba are diverse, with Delta, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Frontier Airlines among the carriers running flights to the nation. Arrive direct to Havana from New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Houston and naturally, Miami. There are direct flights from Miami into several smaller sized cities too, consisting of Cienfuegos: they just run once a day so connections can be challenging, but starting here allows for more rural exploration before heading to the Havana city lights.

Topes de Collante.
Via personal 4x4 car, make your way into the Escambray Mountains for a day of hiking. There are a range of courses to the covert waterfalls, each with a revitalizing swim as your reward. Spot humming birds, Cuban Trogan and Cuban toddy among other birds as you explore. Also concealed in the hills: a personal modern art museum featuring sculptures and other works from the 1980s.

House of Music in Trinidad.
Music and dance specify the essence of the island and its culture, and our preferred place to experience it is in Trinidad. Grab a table or a seat on the actions and watch as the residents socialize and move. The mojitos, cervezas and laughter are plenty while a live local band carries out, and the dancers are ever excited to teach the actions of salsa to visitors.

Vi'ales Valley.
Follow a local guide on a walking trip into the most fertile tobacco-growing country in Cuba. Visit a tobacco farm to learn more about the cigar making process from the start from its happy owner. Continue on to take in the views from Los Jazmines lookout: the mogotes, the red soil and the lush plants paint a beautiful landscape.

La Fabrica de Arte Cubano.
Conceived as a multipurpose arts and home entertainment venue, the FAC is a three-level capital for creativity in Havana. Fashion shows and live music, film screenings and dance efficiencies, artists and DJ battles, the space is big enough to host them all concurrently, with well-stocked bars dispersed throughout. Arrive early to stroll around the art and photography exhibits, or stay all night to join individuals from all over the city. However strategy your trip ahead of time: shows change quarterly and the space will close for as long as a month while it is refashioned.

Hershey Town.
Established in 1916 by sweets magnate Milton S. Hershey, in its heyday Hershey was a self-reliant neighborhood with a successful sugar refinery as its focal point. Today the factory is gone and the industry has actually vanished, however the community remains, warm and unfaltering. In Hershey you'll satisfy a local household, share a meal in their house (and some fresh fruit from their backyard garden, if you are lucky) and get a glance into life in the town and in Cuba. It's a direct observation of the obstacles and ingenuity that have ended up being quintessentially Cuban.

Crash out in Trinidad.
It's an impressively-preserved colonial city and we recommend investing two days here instead of its bigger next-door neighbor, Cienfuegos. Connect with the charm of the town. From here, go to your likes of Music, a regional pottery studio and discover harmony in among the city's park areas.

Stay in Havana.
In Havana, we recommend the stylish and intimate boundaries of Paseo 206. Placed in Vedado and a comfy distance from the Malecon, visitors of this shop hotel are surrounded by fine antique home furnishings from France and contemporary finishes. Privately operated casas particulares abound in Havana too, from modern-day houses to converted colonial homes.

Why Go Now.
The private sector is prospering, and our method of experiencing Cuba is a direct pipeline to its remarkable people. Lots of young Cuban entrepreneurs are realizing the benefits of tourism and making sure that each experience keeps its credibility. You won't see huge brand names throughout Cuba today, but modification is unavoidable.