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Swing at sunset on the beach at Arenas del Mar Resort | Photo credit: Arenas del Mar Resort
See classic cars on the streets of Havana
Explore the rainforest canopy from Arenas del Mar Resort | Photo credit: Arenas del Mar Resort
See downtown Toronto at night
Soak up the Costa Rican sunshine at Arenas del Mar Resort, Costa Rica | Photo credit: Arenas del Mar Resort
Eat pancakes with maple syrup in Toronto
Listen to live music on the streets of Havana
Explore beautiful Trinidad in Cuba
From: UK – Toronto
To: San Jose - UK
£2,480
See more ideas for: Canada | Costa Rica | Cuba
This multi holiday package offers a unique combination of three totally different countries in just 2 weeks. Start in the cool city of Toronto, where you’ll have a few days to see the sights and visit the foodie markets, before taking in the majesty of Niagara on a day tour.
Next, you’ll head to Cuba, where you’ll join a group tour staying in local casas particulares. Over 8 days, you’ll experience the best of Cuba, from salsa dancing in colonial Trinidad to rolling cigars in Viñales. You’ll finish your trip in Costa Rica, where you can explore the wild beauty of Manuel Antonio National Park or simply stretch out in the sunshine. It’s the ultimate multi country holiday to the Americas!
This itinerary can be tailored to suit your requirements; please contact one of our consultants to start planning your dream trip.
Depart the UK from your chosen airport. On arrival in Toronto, you’ll make your own way into the city and check into your hotel for two nights. Once you’ve settled in, why not head up the CN Tower for spectacular views of the city at night, or enjoy dinner in Chinatown?
Today, you’ll set off on a tour of the city, visiting the Eaton Centre and Chinatown as well as the Old and New City Halls. Afterwards, you can spend the rest of the day getting to know eclectic Toronto, from its modern skyscrapers to its pedestrian-only Distillery District. Along the way, you can taste some local specialities in St. Lawrence Market and head to the Hockey Hall of Fame. This evening, why not try dinner at the harbour under the twinkling city lights?
Today, you’ll be transferred to Niagara Falls, where you’ll spend the rest of the day exploring at your leisure. We’ve included the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass, which gives you entry to the Journey Behind the Falls, a network of tunnels through the bedrock that emerges behind the cascades. Standing behind the falls, you’ll have one fifth of all the world’s fresh water crashing down in front of you! You can also hike along the Niagara Gorge on the White Water Walk or hop aboard the Hornblower cruise (both included with the Adventure Pass). Whatever you choose, be sure to don your poncho and prepare to get wet!
This morning, you’ll be taken back to Toronto Airport in time for your flight to Havana. On arrival into Havana, you’ll make your own way to the hotel where your group tour begins. There are no planned activities today, so you can check in and relax or go and explore the city.
One of the oldest cities in the Western Hemisphere, Havana was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Wander amongst the splendorous crumbling architecture of the streets of Old Havana, sit on the famous sea wall (El Malecon), and meet the friendly 'Habaneros'.
Before departing from Havana, you’ll take a guided walking tour of the historic centre of Havana (approx 2 hours). The drive from Havana to Viñales takes around 3 hours, and you’ll usually stop for lunch on the way. There are quite a few attractions around this heavily forested lunch stop, you can take a short trek to a waterfall, try a steep hike to a lookout, or explore a very impressive orchid garden.
After lunch, you’ll continue to the town of Viñales. Surrounded by picturesque limestone pincushion hills (“mogotes”), Viñales is a small and culturally rich village, with welcoming residents and a wide variety of outdoor activities available. You can spend your time here exploring caves, hiking, biking, horseback riding or simply enjoying the views of the valley and sprawling tobacco fields.
Viñales is one of the more agriculturally productive areas, so an abundance of local seasonal fruit and vegetables is always on offer, such as enormous avocados and mangoes, pineapples, papaya, guava, and sweet potatoes. It’s one of the cooler areas of Cuba, so it’s also a nice escape from the hotter parts of the country.
In Viñales, you’ll also get your first experience staying in a Cuban family home. The nightlife is very active in the village too, and the local residents are always ready to get up and dance to the live music.
This morning, you’ll head back past Havana to the French-founded city of Cienfuegos, travelling through the densely vegetated Peninsula de Zapata swamplands and along the beautiful Bay of Pigs. The Bay of Pigs is where the counter-revolutionary exile militia landed in 1961. There’s a museum here that recounts the events, which resulted in the first defeat of a U.S backed take-over in Latin America.
During the day, you’ll also make stops at a beautiful swimming hole (cenote) which resembles a huge natural tropical fish tank. If weather conditions are favourable, you can also try snorkelling off the local beach.
Cienfuegos appeal lies partly in its European flavour, with wide Parisian-style boulevards and elegant colonnades. The colonial atmosphere of the city inspired Cuba’s most celebrated Son singer to write the words “Cienfuegos is the city I like best”.
For most visitors to Cuba, Trinidad is a stand-out highlight of the trip. No other colonial city in Cuba is so well preserved, and the locals are extremely friendly and festive. The thing that visitors most love about Trinidad is the nightlife. There are no less than 10 live music venues all within a short walking distance. Many of these venues have lovely outdoor settings in courtyards or within the walls of old colonial ruins.
Trinidad is also near the lovely Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of Sugarmills) and Playa Ancón, where you can enjoy long stretches of unspoiled, white sand beaches. All kinds of activities are possible here, from scuba diving and snorkelling to swimming in waterfalls and horse-riding.
On the way back to Havana, you’ll stop at the town of Santa Clara, a key city in the Cuban Revolution. At the entrance to Santa Clara, there’s a huge statue of Ernesto Ché Guevara, commemorating his death and honouring the revolutionaries who died alongside him in Bolivia. There’s also a museum here dedicated to his amazing life.
You’ll spend the final night of the tour back in Havana, and your tour guide will have some suggestions for a farewell dinner and fun night out.
Today, you’ll make your own way to the airport for your flight to San Jose. On arrival in Costa Rica, you'll be met and taken by private transfer to your hotel in Manuel Antonio.
Nestled in lush foliage next to a white sand beach, Arenas del Mar Hotel is somewhere to finish your trip in style. This luxurious hotel offers the best of both worlds. It’s a beachfront property with ocean views just a stone’s throw from the wild beauty of Manuel Antonio National Park.
You’ll spend 5 nights here and your time can be as active or relaxed as you wish. Search for sloths on a rainforest tour, relax on the sun loungers, paddle through mangroves, take surf lessons and sip cocktails next to the ocean.
After breakfast, you’ll be driven back to San Jose in time for your flight home.
The weather can be variable at all times of the year in Southern and Eastern Canada. The South (including Toronto and Ottawa) is the most densely populated part of the country and the warmest part of Canada, due to its southerly latitude. The Great Lakes tend not to freeze over until mid-December. Winter brings the snow and the weather can be pretty severe.
Like many islands in the Caribbean, Cuba has a tropical climate with a wet season over the summer months and a dry season in the winter. The temperature in Cuba is influenced mainly by the local trade winds, but the weather is usually hot, sunny and relaxed. We recommend visiting Cuba in the spring or autumn, when it’s still still sunny but a little cooler and the crowds have thinned out.
The sun generally always shines in Costa Rica! The seasons are either hot and humid, or hot and dry and this differs depending on location. The Pacific Coast tends to be drier in climate, especially during the summer months (December-April). May to November is slightly wetter in Manuel Antonio, with roughly 15 inches of rain falling per month. The average year-round temperature is 30 degrees Celsius.
It’s important to note that the itinerary for the group tour in Cuba can (and do) change during the year due to a variety of reasons.
We estimate that you’ll need between US$450 and US$600 for local expenses during the tour in Cuba, such food and optional activities (but not including the Local Payment).
*There will be a local payment of 200CUC per person*
If you'd like to get a feel for this trip, read our blog post ‘Why groups trips to Cuba make great sense’ - written by one of our consultants who has been there.
This itinerary is purely a suggestion and can be tailor-made to your requirements, so please contact us with your dates and requests, and we’ll put together a bespoke quotation for you.
