Eastern Cuba Itinerary

Day 1: Meet in Holguín
The U.S. “support for the Cuban people” license allows individuals to travel freely to Cuba as they wish. We’ll meet this evening at our B&B in Holguín, in eastern Cuba (American Airlines flies twice-weekly to Holguín from Miami). Get a first impression of Cuba and some information from your tour guide while enjoying your welcome drink in your private pension. Dinner in one of the many private restaurants in Holguín is included with the tour.
Meals: D

Day 2 (210 km): Via Bayamo to Sierra Maestra
After breakfast we get familiar with our F700GS bikes and begin our first stage. It starts with a well-paved road that leads through semi-arid farmland to Bayamo, a colonial-era city that has a rich history at the forefront of rebellion against Spanish rule. From here, we turn south and head up into the Sierra Maestra mountain range to reach our overnight accommodation in private B&Bs in the remote hamlet of Santo Domingo.
Meals: BD

Day 3 (190 km): Sierra Maestra to Marea del Portillo
We descend the snaking mountain road to Bartolomé Maso, then turn west for Yara and Manzanillo. Time permitting, passing through Campechuela and Medialuna, we’ll ride to the Cabo Cruz lighthouse, at the southwest tip of Cuba, stopping en route at Parque Nacional Desembarcos del Granma to view the site where Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and 80 other revolutionaries landed in 1953 to launch the war to topple dictator Fulgencio Batista. We then skirt the western foothills of the Sierra Maestra to reach the sugar-processing town of Pilón, on the Caribbean shore. We stay overnight in a pension B&Bs a few kilometers away from
here in Marea del Portillo. Depending on our arrival time, you’ll have the opportunity to have a swim in the sea.
Meals: BD

Day 4 (180 km): Mareal del Portillo to Santiago de Cuba
Today we will have a breathtaking ride on one of the most beautiful tracks of Cuba. A narrow, mostly unpaved (and frequently badly damaged) road runs along the Caribbean coast to Santiago de Cuba. Boulders often bar our way! Using our enduro bikes, we can usually easily overcome these obstacles, turning this part of our journey into a true adventure. Meanwhile, the turquoise sea is always at fingertip distance on your right, with the Sierra Maestra mountain range soaring on our left. This is semi-desert, with cacti studding the barren landscape. Rocky coastal stretches alternate with numerous small beaches inviting us to relax and dream. Today’s destination is Santiago de Cuba, the second largest city of Cuba. Depending on our time or arrival, we may divert a short distance to visit the Basilica del Cobre–the holiest shrine in Cuba–before checking into our private B&Bs.
Meals: BD 

Day 5 (60 km): Santiago de Cuba
Today enjoy a riding tour through this historically important and hilly city (founded in 1514 by conquistador Diego Velázquez). We lunch beside the clifftop “El Morro” fortress before heading east, out of town, to Parque Bacanao. We’ll ascend the twisting road that rises to Gran Piedra… a mountain peak at 4.011 feet elevation. Alternately, you might choose to use this as a rest day for independent exploration of the city.
Meals: BD

Day 6 & 7 (210 km): Santiago de Cuba to Baracoa
After breakfast, we depart Santiago and follow a scenic, winding route to the colonial-era (and now heavily militarized) city of Guantánamo, inland of Guantánamo Bay. We’ll stop at a mountainside mirador (viewpoint) to look down over the distant U.S. naval base, before riding one of the most spectacular roads of the country: La Farola. This sinuous and scenic mountain road was built in the mid-1960s and is reminiscent of European Alpine passes. We then descend La Farola dizzyingly, passing in a few kilometers from the semi-arid south side to the humid, lush northern side of the Sierra Cristal mountains and the oldest town in Cuba–Baracoa (founded in 1511). Here, depending on our time of arrival, there’ll be time to explore this fascinating and architecturally distinct city, which enjoys a magnificent setting in the Bahía de Miel (Bay of Honey). We’ll spend two nights in private accommodations.
Meals: BD 

Day 8 (140 km): Excursion to Yumurí and Punta Maisí
After breakfast we ride east along the Atlantic shoreline to the rivermouth of Yumurí and, beyond, to Punta de Maisí, the easternmost point of Cuba. We’ll return to Baracoa through the coffee-country via La Maquina. This mountain zone is the only area in Cuba where the indigenous Taíno peoples managed to escape extermination by Spanish conquistadores and European diseases. Even today, the faces of many people living in this region show facial characteristics of their indigenous heritage. (See Chris Baker’s article on Cuba’s Taíno heritage the BBC Travel.)
Meals: BD 

Day 9 (180 km): Baracoa to Mayarí
Our last full day riding is one for the ages as we ride west along the denuded coast road. After a drive of 40 kilometres on a gravel and stony track, we’ll stop for refreshments at lovely Playa Maguana beach. Passing through Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, we finally reach Moa, “the Ugly Ducking” of eastern Cuba (enormous surfaces torn open by extensive mining and nickel processing give an apocalyptic appearance to the landscape). We then turn south into the Pinares de Mayarí mountains—a cool upland zone of pine forests that were a childhood playground for Fidel and Raúl Castro. We’ll overnight in private B&Bs in the town of Mayarí.
Meals: BD

Day 10: Mayarí to Holguín
After breakfast, we head towards Holguin, with a short diversion to visit Finca Manaca—the birthplace and childhood home of Fidel and Raúl Castro. We’ll continue via Banes and the beach resort of Guardalavaca to arrive Holguín in the afternoon. Here, we’ll return the bikes and finish the tour with a final dinner together.
Meals: BD

Day 11: Depart
Depart Holguín for Miami today (or extend your stay if you desire).
Meals: B