Cuba Bike Tour Blog & 2023 Tour Plans - Winter 2023
Beth and I have been fortunate to get out and travel – it’s not as easy as it used to be but it sure is worth the effort.
This blog shares some information on our recently concluded Fat Mary Bike Tour in Cuba, and announces our three upcoming tours for 2023.
Fat Mary Tour 2022 – The Story
We spent early January 2022, in Varadero Cuba getting back in shape after a few months off the bike, getting tanned, and losing some winter weight. It was all going well until I noticed that my eyesight was getting worse, I was seeing birds flying across my vision at the speed of a UFO, and one day at lunch I realized I could not see in the lower quarter of my right eye. We traveled to Havana and with support from Peter and Ana at Bicycle Breeze I went to a retinal specialist at the world-famous Instituto de Oftalmología Ramon Pando Ferrer (Cuban Institute of Ophthalmology). They confirmed my fear that I had a partial retinal tear. That was the end of my vacation and my plan to lead the Fat Mary Bike Tour that was beginning in a week. I returned home to Canada and had surgery to fix my eye a few days later.
Beth jumped into action and agreed to stay in Cuba and take over the role of the tour leader, with some detailed itinerary notes, a bit of coaching, and a 20-minute lesson on operating a GoPro she was the new tour leader!
I will post a detailed video soon on the Fat Mary Tour – as captured by Beth, with the tour group in the pending academy award-winning acting roles. By the way, Beth had rave reviews for her job as tour leader from the tour group.
Here is a preview video.
What’s in Store for Our Cuba Bike Tours in 2023?
I know next winter seems a long way off but now is the time to consider whether or not to plan to do a tour in 2023. Our approach is to build a list of “penciled in” riders (those who have let us know of their interest), then 90 days before the tour we will confirm people’s intention to join a tour beginning with those who are on our list. The final commitment to join the tour comes about 60 days before the tour when we will seek a deposit. Normally, the final payment is due 30 days ahead. Shoot me an email if you wish to be “penciled in.”
So what are our plans for next season? Beth and I have 3 tours on offer, each with a different focus and covering the three main regions in Cuba. Here is a summary for each of them:
1. Western Cuba Tour – “Fat Mary / María la Gorda” – January 21 – February 4, 2023
This is a very popular route, typically with a tailwind due to the predominant east to west winds in Cuba.
On this route, you will cycle from Matanzas to Havana and beyond, all the way to the western tip of Cuba at María la Gorda (the tour’s namesake). In Havana, we will pause for a few days to explore the capital city, including the old town “Vieja Havana”. The quiet back roads of western Cuba will take you past lush green fields of tobacco through the Viñales Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its unique karst landscape, the indigenous architecture of thatched-roof houses, and traditional crafts and music. Between cycling days, we will rest and restore our energy on several of the most beautiful beaches in Cuba.
2. Central Cuba Tour – “Cayo y Seis Ciudades” – February 11 - 25, 2023
Cuba, with its rich culture, natural beauty, friendly people, and quiet roads is the Promised Land for cyclists. This new tour to take you through a variety of scenic landscapes that include beautiful beaches of Central Cuba on both the south and north coasts.
The tour name comes from our stays in six of Cuba’s most historically significant and interesting colonial cities:
Havana, the large and bustling capital whose well-preserved old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Cienfuegos, the lively, seaside “Pearl of the South” with its French-inspired grand boulevard and colonnades
Trinidad, a living museum of Cuba’s colonial past with its charming cobbled streets and another UNESCO World Heritage Site
Santa Clara, the city famously captured by Ché Guevara to end the Cuban Revolution in 1959 and now the site of his impressive mausoleum;
Remedios, one of Cuba’s oldest and most charming colonial cities that was deservedly declared to be a Cuban National Monument in 1979; and
Matanzas, a city of rivers and bridges, is the former center of the sugar trade now known worldwide for its strong Afro-Cuban music and dance scene.
The other aspect of the tour is the “cayos” whereby the tour will also allow for exploring the varied and often stunning Cuban landscape as we follow the beach-lined shores:
the Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs), site of the attempted invasion of Cuba in 1961 by CIA-trained Cuban exiles all the way to Playa Girón, named after a notorious French pirate from the early 1600s;
the verdant Escambray Mountains through the picturesque Valle de Los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), another UNESCO World Heritage Site made up of three interconnected valleys watered by four rivers;
Hanabanilla, a spectacular and enormous man-made lake surrounded by a pine-studded forest high in the mountains not far from the archeological remains of many Indigenous Taino villages; and
relaxing days at the white sand beaches of Cayo Santa Maria
Cuba, renowned for its beautiful landscapes, glorious beaches, wonderful people, and packed with great cycling routes is a paradise for those seeking a memorable cycling and sightseeing holiday.
3. Eastern Cuba Tour – “Celia Sánchez: The Heroine of the Revolution” – November 8 - 22, 2023
This is the tour that began our cycling adventures in Cuba. Beth and I have done this tour twice already and know many rural Cubans along the south coast.
This route covers my favorite part of Cuba with its quiet rural roads and spectacular scenery and vistas as we circle the Sierra Maestra mountain range. Cleverly, we cycle around the mountains along the edge, so there are no really big climbs. We take advantage of the tour bus and jeeps to explore the highest mountain range in Cuba.
The tour gets its name from the heroine of the revolution, Celia Sánchez. She grew up in the Sierra Maestra and worked alongside her father at his medical practice in Pilon. She became involved in planning the revolution working alongside a well-organized underground the 26th of July Movement. She met coup leaders in Santiago and developed a network of farmers to support the revolutionaries when they landed at Las Coloradas. She went on to fight alongside the revolutionary forces living high in the mountains at La Comandancia. After the revolution, she remained a close confidant of Fidel and became a cabinet minister. Her post-revolution works paved the way for the “new women”, demonstrating women’s strengths in leadership, care-taking, and physical labour. She was a significant figure in promoting Cuba’s arts and culture which continue to thrive.
Our tour route spends time at all these key locations where Celia grew up and worked to fight for, and defend the revolution. We also spend a few days at beaches and ride the South Coast Road, known as one of the most beautiful bike rides in the world.
Final Words
I realize this is all a lot of detail, and if you have any questions just go ahead and reach out to us and we can go over the options. We can also send you a brochure of any tour with daily itineraries and photos. Customized tours are possible with 10 or more riders.
Don’t forget to contact me to be “penciled in” for a tour – as travel restrictions continue to lift, there will be a surge of vacationers.
Best wishes, and stay safe,
Lee & Beth Orphan
Bicycle Breeze Tour Leader
Email: cubalee2@yahoo.com
YouTube Video Channel: Lee's Cuba Cycling YouTube Channel
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