Cuba
The cradle of the revolution and Cuban son music, then the very first city founded by the Spanish in the New World
Cuba
A journey through eastern Cuba, far from Havana and Viñales: Santiago de Cuba, the country's second city and cradle of Cuban son, the direct ancestor of salsa, whose Afro-Cuban atmosphere remains more pronounced than elsewhere on the island, then Baracoa, the first city founded by the Spanish in the New World in 1511, isolated by a mountain range until a paved road was built in 1965 and remaining since one of Cuba's most preserved regions.
When
Nov to April
Price
From 2 400€ excl. flights
(based on 2 people sharing)
How long
6 nights
Ideal length
Days 1-2
The first chapter unfolds in Santiago de Cuba, the country's second city founded in 1515, whose Afro-Cuban atmosphere, more pronounced than in Havana, stems from the massive arrival of enslaved Africans destined for the eastern region's sugar cane plantations. It was here that Cuban son was born in the late 19th century, a musical genre fusing African rhythms with Spanish guitar that would become, a few decades later, the direct ancestor of New York salsa.
Day 1
Casa de la Trova and live music
An evening at the Casa de la Trova, Santiago's historic musical institution where the traditional Cuban son repertoire has been passed down for decades, among local musicians and impromptu dancers.
Day 2
El Cobre and the Virgin's Sanctuary
An excursion to the El Cobre basilica, a sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of Charity, patron saint of Cuba, perched in the surrounding mining hills and a major pilgrimage site on the island.
Days 1-2
The road to Baracoa, founded by Diego Velázquez in 1511 and effectively the very first Spanish city in the New World, today nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and a mountain range that isolated it for over four centuries, until a paved road was completed in 1965. This historical isolation preserved a distinct local cuisine and culture, marked by the use of chocolate, coconut, and fish, ingredients rare elsewhere in traditional Cuban cooking.
Day 1
El Yunque and Baracoa Bay
A hike to El Yunque, a flat-topped mountain overlooking Baracoa that served as a landmark for Spanish navigators, followed by a walk along the bay where Christopher Columbus is said to have landed in 1492.
Day 2
Chocolate and coconut cuisine
A visit to an artisanal chocolate factory in Baracoa, one of the only cacao-producing regions in Cuba, followed by a lunch of cucurucho, a local dessert made from coconut and tropical fruit.
Other trips built in the same spirit — more to draw inspiration from.
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4 nightsCuba: Trinidad, the Colonial Town
A town frozen in time since the collapse of the sugar trade in the 19th century, UNESCO-listed
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