Colombia & Cuba Combo – May 2022

Real, authentic and bold – see Colombia and Cuba, the Global Village way!

Cuba – our tour begins in Old Havana, one of the best-preserved colonial cities in all of the Americas. What you will see around you is a Cuban city that was once incredibly rich, as is still evident in its now faded art deco and internationally influenced design – none of which has lost its appeal. Many buildings are now being restored and a stroll around Havana when you arrive for the first day of your tour is a sensory overload. As the tour group will arrive into Havana at different times today, we recommend you sample some Moros y Cristianos (Rice & Beans) or a Cuban espresso with the locals, if you find yourself at a loose end. 

Cuban food sometimes gets a bad rap, and perhaps deservedly so if you remain inside the confines of a tourist resort in and around Havana without the insider knowledge of our guides and our commitment to show you only the best and most authentic, on all of our Cuba tours. So across the five cities you will visit in Cuba, expect handpicked local places that are off the tourist trail not just in terms of food, but nightlife too – with Trinidad being a particular highlight. Cuba is, of course, the birthplace of the Mojito and you haven’t really tried one unless it’s been made with the world’s best rum made with locally grown mint and raw cane sugar, while cooling off in the Caribbean sunshine with pastel colours bouncing off the walls 

Che Guevara, his life and his influence on Cuba is a major theme of this trip. With our own A/C tour bus for the duration of the tour, it means lots of flexibility and opportunities to get off the beaten track. For example, as part of our trip around the Bay of Pigs, close to the UNESCO city of Cienfuegos and where a US-backed land invasion was attempted, there are a few beautiful swimming spots along the route that we can check out including a sinkhole that resembles a tropical fish tank! Visiting Santa Clara, you will see the giant statue of Che Guevara, sitting atop the mausoleum where he is buried. You will see a lot of unique places on our Cuba tour, that are again, off the well-worn tourist trail. If you are looking for a Cuban resort stay – our tours won’t be that interesting for you. But, if you feel more comfortable seeing a secret bunker where the Soviet Union stored their nuclear weapons that precipitated the Cuban Missile Crisis followed by a freshly prepared lunch on a farm in Vinales with a tour group of like-minded travellers, this is most definitely up your street. 

Next up is Colombia! From its ancient Andean archaeological ruins to more recent and still vibrant colonial towns, between snow tipped mountain peaks, vast jungle and incredible beaches along its coast, our tour of Colombia encapsulates much of what makes this one of the best places to visit in South America.

To get started, the Colombia tour takes in much of the best things to do in and around Bogotá, a colourful and historic city that hovers between upmarket, hip districts and barrios of the less well off. Throughout the tour we will hear about the chequered past of Colombia in regard to the conflict between government and FARC forces, with a peace agreement finally being reached in 2016. During the tour, you will learn much about the countries difficult history in conflict between government forces and marxist rebels as well as real insight into the explosion in narco trafficking activity during the 1980’s and 1990’s.

If Colombia was put in the spotlight by the Netflix series Narcos, so too was the beautiful city of Medellin. Once one of the world’s cocaine capitals, the city is a feature of our Colombia tour, a favourite of our own Global Village Tours staff and now a mecca for international remote workers. It’s skyhigh, slim apartment buildings against a backdrop of mountain peaks, electric nightlife and endless cafe culture are just part of what makes people want to stay. We will also take a trip outside of Medellin to  La Manuela estate, Pablo Escobar’s ranch.

Our Colombia tour takes in some incredible landscapes including Tayrona National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountain range including some time spent with the Wiwa indigenous people and a night in an eco resort for some R&R after some amazing hiking and little known swimming spots.

If you cant commit to the full tour for budget or date reaons, check out the Cuba and Colombia legs here.

Cuba May Day Tour Highlights 

• Start your Cuba tour in the capital city Havana, one of the coolest cities on the planet. 
• Visit five Cuban cities during the tour, travelling from Havana on to Cienfuegos,  Trinidad, Santa Clara and Vinales
• At Global Village Tours, we take you to handpicked, authentic Cuban restaurants for the best Cuban food, not limited to a BBQ on a beautiful beach in Trinidad
• This tour is off the tourist trail and we get to check out some amazing beaches and little visited tropical swimming spots
• Get ready for vibrant Cuban nightlife with a lot of cool clubs, bars with a wide variety of music styles

Colombia Tour Highlights

• Extensive tour of Bogota highlighting all the key sites from the time of the war between the Colombian government and marxist rebels as well as checking out what makes the city great in these modern times. 
• Visit to Medellin, Colombia’s second city – former cocaine capital of the world and of course, the former home of Pablo Escobar. We also visit Escobar’s former ranch, La Manuela Estate.
• Spend a night out in the Sierra Nevada national park with the indigenous Wiwa people as well as superb swimming and hiking. 
• Some of Colombia’s best food can be found in the the historic city of Cartagena, you will have a chance to sample a lot of it!