Cuba Day 2, Daytour with Cubaoutings Tours Company
Day 2 I had schedule a day tour of Havana with Cubaoutings Tours Company. One part was in a classic American car and one part would be walking around Havana.
The guide picked up us in the morning in the hotel and we started by taking a ride in the car. It was very hot, so the open top car was a welcomed way to start the tour. We went through Havana and to the fort to see some great sights over Havana and the port. We saw one of the huge cruise ships that had docked in the port.
After that vi visited the forests of Havana where they still practice animal sacrifices, and when walking around you could actually see some animal carcasses laying about. It was a little unsettling, but also very interesting to see that they still activly practice it.
The guide was very good and showed us all the important sights. After about two hours car sightseeing we started the walking part of the tour and we got to see many interesting places by foot as well. She took us by some famous bars where Hemingway used to be a customer and we also had a daquari at one of his regular spots. She also took us to a government owned cigar shop where we bought some authentic Cubans and some rum. We had a typical Cuban lunch at a local restaurant, which was okay, not the best meal I’ve had. The tour took all in all about 6 hours, which was plenty.
We very exhausted by the end of the day due to the heat and all the new impressions we had. In the evening we felt confident enough that Havana was safe so we went to one of the bars we went to with the walking bar tour from the night before. We had mojitos and smoked a had a cigar and it felt very Cuban.
Summary of the day:
Start time. 9:00 AM at the hotel
Price for the whole day: 160 CUC for two persons (not including drinks / lunch / tips)
Duration: About 6 hours in total (including sitting down for lunch about an hour and a shorter break at a café and a daquari at Hemmingway’s favorite spot).
The best thing with the tour: The car tour around Havanna
Negatives: A little too croweded at the popular places
Tips: The tour was good, but a bit expensive for what you get. I’m sure that the cheaper alternatives (Strawberry tours, which are free) are just as good, or better. I would recommend their free tours first and save the money.
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