HAVANA MARATHON TOUR Nov 2023
MARABANA Cuba RUNNING TOUR
RUN WITH US IN HAVANA THIS NOVEMBER – 5k, 10k, HALF, or FULL MARATHON
Join us for Marabana Cuba this November – Havana’s famous Marathon. Whether you choose to participate in the 5k, 10k, half, or full Marathon, this is going to be an amazing running adventure. Havana, Cuba, is a vibrant and tantalizing city with a history, energy, and rhythm of its own.
Led by running enthusiast and tour leader extraordinaire, Carmen Christiansen, who is happy to share her many Cuba experiences with you. During these four days, you’ll learn about Cuban culture, landscape, architecture, and food. You’ll meet local athletes, watch incredible live music and dance performances, a sample from Havana’s burgeoning food scene, and learn about the forces and stories that shaped this city. Our accommodation will be in the heart of Havana in Parque Central which is within walking distance to Old Havana, Central Havana, and the Malecon (Sea Wall).
When Castro pressed the pause button on economic development in the 1960s, he inadvertently saved many endangered traditions. It is the Cuban people who have kept the country alive as the infrastructure has crumbled; and it is also they who have ensured that Cuba continues to be the fascinating, perplexing, paradoxical nation it is.
Cuba is the largest, and least commercialized, island in the Caribbean. It is the Cuban people who have kept the country alive as the infrastructure has crumbled; and it is also they who have ensured that Cuba continues to be the fascinating, perplexing, paradoxical nation it is.
DATES: NOVEMBER 16 to 20th, 2023 (optional extension)
Highlights
STARTS AT
USD per Person
NOV 16-20, 2023
DAY 1: ARRIVAL TO HAVANA
Welcome to Havana! You’ll be met at the Jose Marti airport and transferred to our hotel in the heart of Havana.
Havana has a character all its own: audacious, beautiful, and full of contradictions. It charms visitors with its swashbuckling history, survivalist spirit, indefatigable salsa energy, and vibrant people. Arrive in Havana with an open mind and prepare yourself for a long, slow seduction. Upon arrival in the city, the vibrancy of the people is one of the first noticeable things. Also striking is the fact that day or night, music can be heard and most evenings, somewhere in the city, people can be found dancing in the streets. The rich history of the island is apparent in the faces of the people.
As today is an arrival day, there are no planned activities, but we will meet for dinner and a bit of fun tonight.
- Meals: -/-/D
- Accommodation: Iberostar Parque Central
Day 2: OLD HAVANA WALKING TOUR
After breakfast, we’ll take some time to get to know Old Havana. Habana Vieja, as it’s known in Spanish, features spectacular colonial architecture and certainly beats to its own rhythm. Our walking tour with a local guide takes us along cobbled streets piled with vintage cars to the most important plazas of the old city, where costumed characters and street performers help create a carnival-like vibe.
After the tour, you will have some free time for independent exploration.
At 5.30 pm today, we’ll meet again for a bit of a surprise with some vintage cars to tour Havana before dining together in a locally-owned restaurant.
ACTIVITIES:
Walking tour of Old Havana, including stops at Plaza de la Cathedral, the Plaza de Armas, the Plaza de San Francisco de Asis, and the Plaza Vieja
Free time to visit the Cuban Fine Arts Museum or the Museum of the Revolution (own expense) or just wander the streets.
- Meals: B/-/D
- Accommodation: Iberostar Parque Central
DAY 3: HAVANA – CUBAN BEAT – 5K SHAKEOUT RUN
This morning we head out as a group for a 5k Shakeout Run.
Check out the MARABANA Highlights HERE.
At 3pm today, we’ll drive the marathon route so you have an idea of what to expect. The afternoon we also have the opportunity to meet some local athletes.
- Meals: B/-/-
- Accommodation: Iberostar Parque Central
Day 4: NOV 19 – MARABANA – HAVANA MARATHON RUN
It’s race day!
The start of the marathon, half-marathon, and 10k is located in front of the Capitolio, the national capital building designed after the USA Capitol. You will run through Havana alongside island residents as the course takes you through the streets of the colonial city, passing through its historic monuments. Upon finishing, celebrate your achievement in Old Havana!
ACTIVITIES:
Marabana – Havana Marathon
- Meals: B/-/D
- Accommodation: Iberostar Parque Central
Day 5: Nov 20 – DEPARTURE OR OPTION EXTENSION VIÑALES
After breakfast, bid farewell to your fellow runners.
For those ending their adventure here, you’ll be transferred to Havana’s Airport. (B/-/-)
OPTIONAL EXTENSION TO VIÑALES: For those continuing, we head to the West of Cuba towards Viñales Valley, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site 1999. On the way, we’ll stop at Las Terrazas, a pioneering ecovillage dating back to a reforestation project in 1968. Today it’s a Unesco Biosphere Reserve, a burgeoning activity center (with a canopy tour) and the site of the earliest coffee plantations in Cuba.
The Sierra del Rosario is famed for the diversity of its natural beauty, lush woods, rivers, low waterfalls, orchids and ferns. In 1967 a reforestation program was carried out in a 5,000 hectares area; back then terraces were built in the slopes of the mountains to avoid erosion and thousands of trees such as mahogany, cedar, pine, teak, and carob were planted. At the same time the living conditions of local farmers were dramatically improved by giving them houses in the recently established rural community.
Upon arrival you will have the chance to do some mild trekking in the forest for about one hour, and also to swim in the crystal clear waters of San Juan River.
As we continue further west. travel through the region between tobacco plantations, we’ll discover that it’s the largest producer of tobacco on the island. Tonight we’ll stay in locally owned houses in the beautiful Viñales Valley.
- Meals: B/L/D
- Accommodation: Casa particular (B & B)
Day 6: NOV 21 – VIÑALES VALLEY
After breakfast, we enjoy a guided wander around beautiful Viñales. Embellished by soaring pine trees and bulbous limestone cliffs that teeter like top-heavy haystacks above placid tobacco plantations, Parque Nacional Viñales is one of Cuba’s most magnificent natural settings.
We’ll meet with local farmers as we explore the valley on foot. In the afternoon, we’ll return to Havana where we’ll stay the night in local homes.
- Meals: B/-/D
- Accommodation: Casa Particular Havana
DAY 8: NOV 22 – DEPARTURE DAY
Last moments to soak up this beautifully bewildering Caribbean Island before departure. You will be transferred to the airport to connect with your flights.
- Transfer to the airport and fly back home or ask to extend your stay!
- Meals: B/-/-
Carmen – Cuba Tour Leader
CARMEN CHRISTIANSEN
Combining my love of travel with my passion for running is a dream come true. I have experience leading groups on running tours in Cuba, and have enjoyed a combination of sightseeing and destination races and runs in Utah, Costa Rica, Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Florida, Chicago, and soon Boston.
Close to home, I love running in the Pacific Northwest Rainforest, as well as the mountains on Vancouver Island. My most memorable local trail run was just over 70 km on the rugged Northcoast Trail. My latest goal is to complete the Abbot World Majors Series: I ran Chicago in 2022 and am currently training for Boston in April 2023.
I love sharing the joy and excitement of running in new destinations, and I look forward to the next adventure with you!
Tour Exclusions
IMPORTANT NOTES
PLEASE NOTE: This itinerary is subject to change. Although we always do our best to stick to the itinerary, due to the ever-changing nature of Mother Nature, activities, hotels, and visits are subject to change due to forces beyond our control. Optional extension to Viñales at an additional $525USD.
FLIGHTS: Please do not purchase your flights until this tour is confirmed.
PASSPORTS: Must be valid for at least 6 months upon return date to your home country. Proper documentation is the responsibility of each traveller.
VISAS: (responsibility of the traveller) We are a Canadian-based company and do not facilitate US citizens to “legally” travel to Cuba.
Travel Insurance
Cancellation, Travel, Flight, and Health insurance are required and are the responsibility of the participant to research and secure the appropriate coverage. Click HERE for a Travel Insurance Quote or please email nicola@finisterra.ca for a quote.
Check with your local travel agent /insurance provider/health plan for advice about traveling overseas.
Waiver Form
All participants will be required to sign a Waiver Form prior to departure.
Are you all ready for your next adventure?
Even though we wish you a flawless trip, things can happen, especially nowadays. Make sure you are prepared with a Travel Insurance policy that is right for you. Finisterra recommends Manulife Insurance or John Hancock Please feel free to ask us about Covid-19 Insurance Coverage, Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance, Travel Medical Insurance, or any other questions you may have.
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