Our 2024 Bike Tours
This newsletter will focus on sharing information on our winter 2024 tour season which will be based in Holguin. We will be returning to two of our favourite tour routes both in eastern Cuba, Guantanamo Mango and Celia Sanchez - registration is now open.
But first, let me share some of the photos of the Fat Mary Tour we led last winter. This was the first tour of 2023 for us during our two glorious months in Cuba leading 2 different bike tours with 25 riders.
This bike tour began with us meeting with the Matanzas youth cycling club on the first day of our tour. Bicycle Breeze donated custom team jerseys for the club, and our riders donated 2 large bags of bicycle equipment to keep these kids riding. Then we cycled on to Havana which is a truly exceptional experience with so much restoration having taken place in recent years. Next, we continued west to the Town of Soroa, in the low hills west of Havana, and walked quiet paths through a massive orchid garden.
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Matanzas cycling club with new jerseys and lots of equipment donated by tour riders
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One of our vintage cars during our time in Havana
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Havana Vieja - feels like Europe
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| Walking Tour of the Orchid Gardens in Soroa |
Our journey carried us farther west to the Valle Viñales with its soaring mogotes (small hills) and tobacco lands. We made time for some spectacular beaches and walks in pretty towns.
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| Relaxing ride passing a horse-drawn cart on the way to Cayo JutÃas |
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| Lunch at Cayo JutÃas after a refreshing swim in the crystal clear water |
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| Sunset from our seaside hotel at MarÃa la Gorda |
Our tour bus took us back to where we began at Varadero, where we continued our relaxed pace adventure with a final two nights at an all-inclusive hotel on the soft white sands of the area. We had a lot of free time to walk the touristy streets of V-Town and ride along the 20 kilometre length of the peninsula. We had a final farewell dinner at the Xanadu Mansion, which was the former estate of the Dupont family. The meal and the view over the sea were a luxurious end to our 15-day bike tour.
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| Living large with an excellent meal looking out over the beach at Varadero |
I'm confident that those photos have completely whetted your appetite to join us during the winter of 2023-24 for a similar experience in the eastern part of Cuba known as the "Oriente". We will ensure your safe enjoyment of Cuba as we enjoy a healthy and relaxing bike tour exploring this beautiful island.
So let's go and explore the two tours that Beth and Lee will be leading next season!
First 2024 Tour - Guantánamo Mango
This tour will run from January 27 to February 10, 2024.
You will ride through the coastal lowlands and scenic mountains of eastern Cuba in the historic Orient province, the birthplace of Cuba’s revolution and earlier wars of independence and where Fidel Castro was born and raised.
Beginning in Holguin, a city of leafy parks and plazas, the ride will head east to explore a wild game reserve at Cayo Saetia, and the next day farther east to a secluded and spectacular cove at Villa Maguana.
We continue into the world-renowned biosphere surrounding Baracoa, Cuba’s oldest city, famous for its chocolate, unique cuisine, and beautiful bay. We will visit a wonderful beach, take in the city and enjoy a short boat ride up the unspoiled Toa River to a riverside restaurant for lunch.
Following a climb into the majestic Sierra Maestra mountains, the tour will follow the coastal road to the easternmost part of Cuba and a small settlement called Punta MaisÃ. The Faro (lamp) de Maisà consists of the lighthouse and the small hotel beside it.
The scenic coastal highway which we ride to the City of Guantánamo is a memorable ride with great views. Going on to Santiago de Cuba, Cuba’s liveliest and most Caribbean city, the tour will linger for three days to explore the sights and absorb the rhythms of the city known as the Cradle of the Cuban Revolution. From Santiago, the tour will stop at the BasÃlica de la Caridad del Cobre, the home of Cuba’s patron saint, la Virgen de la Caridad, before heading into the picturesque hill country making up Cuba’s back and beyond.
Two days will be spent even farther from civilization at a charming rustic hotel among the pine forests of the Cristal Mountains, with the second day dedicated to riding to Cuba’s highest waterfall. From this high mountain retreat, the tour will descend to the beautiful rolling green hills and visit Birán, the homestead of the Castro family and Fidel’s birthplace. Finally, we will stay in Guardalavaca with its white sand beaches for two days of relaxation at an all-inclusive resort before heading home.
For more details and to register for this tour head to the website. Registration is free and holds a spot for you until we confirm the tour in the Fall and require bookings with a deposit.
Guantanamo Mango Tour Website
Second 2024 Tour - Celia Sánchez
This tour will run from February 17 to March 2, 2024.
With this tour, you will enjoy a great ride, through some of the most beautiful and historic parts of Cuba – where revolutions are born. Enjoy a walking tour in the mountains where coffee, fruit, and cocoa are grown. See the City of Santiago de Cuba and ride the coastal road where the Sierra Maestra falls to the sea. The breathtaking vistas will stay with you forever. Walk to La Plata, Fidel’s hideaway camp, high up in the mountains, and see where the Granma boat disembarked the rebels to start the armed struggle.
Celia Sánchez for whom this tour is named, was the heroine of the revolution. She was a girl from the Sierra Maestra and knew the area well and she was acquainted with the mountain people because she assisted her father in his medical practice serving the poor people who lived up in those high mountains. Not only did the locals know Celia well, but they also loved her for her kind work helping the people as she worked with her father, who had his practice in the small town of Pilón at the western end of these famous mountains.
In the City of Las Tunas, we will be hosted by a youth cycling team and donate bicycle equipment. Our involvement with this club has produced a number of regional and national champions. These achievements would not be possible without your help. Your support for this group keeps its high school cycling program alive and well.For more details and to register for this tour head to the website. Registration is free and holds a spot for you until we confirm the tour in the Fall and require bookings with a deposit. Celia Sanchez Tour Website
What’s Happening in Cuba Right Now?
Cuba depends on tourism to obtain hard currency from developed countries to buy food for its people on the world market. Our tours directly support Cubans who work in the tourism industry through wages and tips from clients. Our tours also support Cuban youth cyclists as we along with our clients bring thousands of dollars of cycling equipment to the school programs in each province of the country, along with medicine and clothing.
Cuba is a safe destination for travel, with good roads, and excellent Covid safety as 92% of Cubans over the age of two are fully vaccinated.
Food for tourists has been readily available and meals at restaurants, hotels, and casas particulares (Cuban B&Bs) have been simple but tasty. We wish it was easier for Cuban Nationals to obtain their own groceries in the abundance we enjoy outside this small island nation. More tourists are the biggest opportunity to help Cuba financially.
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| Hearty breakfast at a casa particular |
Final Words
Thanks for reading my blog! If you have any questions reach out to us and we can review the options. We can also send you a brochure of any tour with daily itineraries and photos.
Bicycle Breeze offers customized tours for 10 or more riders.
Best wishes,
Lee & Beth Orphan
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