Cuba Ride

Accomodations

Hotels

Total Mileage

180

Group Size

Range of Daily Mileage

20-35

Fundraising Commitment

$6,000

Trip Length

8 days

Climate Ride Cuba has it all—rural riding through Cuba’s diverse landscapes by day, and a chance to see its one-of-a-kind cities by night. You can also snorkel among tropical fish in gorgeous marine protected areas.

Through our local guides, we’ve put together an incredible adventure with important sustainability connections built into every day of the trip. We’ll meet local artists, eco-entrepreneurs, organic farmers, and dedicated conservationists.

You’ll have the unique opportunity to explore, up close and slowly, the 500-year-old towns of Sancti Spíritus and Trinidad, as well as French-influenced Cienfuegos, also known as the Pearl of the South.

And, of course, you’ll be able to discover the wonders and nostalgia of photogenic Havana.

Our people-to-people trip meets the legal requirements for Americans who travel to Cuba. Please read the FAQ below for important details on traveling to Cuba. It is important that you arrange your flights immediately (see Arriving and Departing below).

This is a special Climate Ride Funders Trip and the proceeds directly support Climate Ride’s work. Your fundraising will benefit the programs and efforts of Climate Ride including our community scholarships for young sustainability leaders.

You are helping us grow the organization to become an advocacy powerhouse that engages people in the world of active environmental philanthropy and sustainable solutions. Your donations are tax-deductible.

We have daily cycling mileages to suit all types of cyclists. This is a fully supported ride, which means you can focus on pedaling and making connections with your new friends while we take care of overnight details, meals, snacks, luggage, and much more to make your trip as enjoyable as possible.

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Day 1	Arrival Today we arrive in Santa Clara. We'll transfer from the Santa Clara airport to the historic center of town. In the evening, during our bicycle fitting, our local guides will brief you on local etiquette including currency, bathrooms, water, and more. Tonight we'll have dinner at the private rooftop restaurant, Autentica Pergola. The owners were recently recognized for their restoration efforts at the colonial property. Please read the Arriving and Departing information below very carefully. There are only two flights per day from the U.S. to Santa Clara. If you arrive on the earlier flight, we will go on a tour of Santa Clara. If you are on the later flight, we will bring you to the hotel to meet the group for dinner. We advise that you book your travel immediately after registering to make sure you can arrive on March 17.
Day 2	Bike 31 Miles Today we bike to Placetas and Cabaiguan. Then we'll transfer by van to visit Finca del Medio farm in Taguasco where you’ll explore an agroecological family-owned and operated farm of just over 10 hectares. The owner, Casimiro, hosts a local radio program and loves to share his family’s experience of lovingly transforming the land he inherited from his ancestors during Cuba's harsh economic depression known as the Special Period into the sustainable and productive piece of earth that it is today. He built bio-digesters that not only fertilize the farm’s soil, but also provide the family with biogas for their refrigerator, stove, and hot water needs. They are proponents of the slow food movement and will prepare an ecological farm-to-table lunch for the group to savor in the company of the family and their natural surroundings. We continue to the 500-year old colonial town Sancti Spíritus and check into our hotel. Sancti Spíritus is one of Cuba’s oldest European settlements and features a colonial art museum with over 90 percent original pieces on display in the former Valle Iznaga family’s palatial mansion. Dinner is at a local private paladar restaurant (paladar literally translates to 'palate'). Paladares are one of the best ways to enjoy local Cuban cuisine. A paladar is a small, family-run restaurant, usually in a converted part of a home. Many paladares appear and operate much like a normal restaurant. They sprouted up as a reaction to the state-run restaurants.
Day 3	Bike 32 Miles Today we bike to Banao, an agricultural town, and visit a specialist on cattle operations for a brief conference. Our ride ends at the entrance to Manaca Iznaga entrance, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We'll have lunch at one of our favorite Trinidad paladars. Today includes a walking tour of the colonial center including visits to and exchanges with local artists in their private galleries.
Day 4	Bike 20 Miles We’ll ride on a former sugar train through the fields (former plantations) to Manaca Iznaga. Founded in 1750, this estate, now a museum, is located in the Valle de los Ingenios, also known as the Valley of the Sugar Mills. It was once the center of Cuba's thriving sugar industry and also its darker side, slave trafficking. You'll have free time for exploring Trinidad or snorkeling/swimming in the Caribbean at the Ancon Peninsula. We'll have dinner in town at a local paladar, and afterward, soak up an authentic Cuban cultural performance at the Casa de la Musica.
Day 5	Bike 28 Miles Today we shuttle 30 km (18.6 mi) west of Trinidad to begin riding along the coastline to the province of Cienfuegos. We'll have lunch en route near Guajimico. Since we are traveling in late March you may witness the land crab migration on the south shore, one of just two places in the world where this can be viewed (fingers crossed). We'll visit the Cienfuegos Botanical Garden for a guided tour. Founded in 1901 by Edwin Atkins, it’s one of the oldest of its kind in Cuba. Plant enthusiasts, he and his wife began a garden in the backyard of their estate where tropical and rare species were imported and grown. Today it features over 2000 species and collections of orchids, palms, ficus, and bamboo. Tonight we'll stay at the Jagua Hotel in Cienfuegos overlooking the bay and have dinner in town at a paladar. Over dinner, our guides will share some history of the construction of an unfinished nuclear plant in the area, abandoned after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Day 6	Bike 31 Miles After an early breakfast we'll ride southwest towards Montemar Natural Park and Caleta Buena, a natural breakwater with great snorkeling and diving, rife with tropical fish. The Zapata Peninsula, one of the largest wetlands in the Antilles attracting migratory and endemic bird life, is a Biosphere Reserve. The area features one of the largest freshwater reservoirs in the country and is also of historical importance (Bay of Pigs Invasion). We highly recommend the optional purchase of snorkeling or diving packages available on site. We'll have lunch in Caleta Buena. Our guides will provide background on one of Cuba’s staples and primary export products, rum, and lead a sampling session to enable participants to appreciate the various varieties available in the local marketplace and their unique nuances. In the late afternoon we'll transfer to Cuba’s capital, Havana with dinner enroute at El Ajiaco, a Cuban specialty restaurant in the fishing village of Cojimar.
Day 7	Bike 27 Miles After breakfast, we immediately transfer East so that we have a full day to explore Cuba's mesmerizing capital, Havana. With its astonishing combination of past and present, there is so much to learn about its history of resistance and revolution, while engaging with energized locals who are driving its renaissance of art, culture, and cuisine. Tonight, we'll have our farewell dinner at San Cristobal paladar in Central Havana.
Day 8	Bike Miles After breakfast, we'll say 'hasta luego'! Depending our your departure time, you can take a taxi to Havana's airport. (See more in Arriving and Departing below.)

$3000 to be raised by:	December 10, 2018
$6000 to be raised by:	February 18,2019

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Cuba Ride

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Event Itinerary Overview

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