The most popular excursions in Varadero

Price January 2020

A varied offer

Several excursions are available from Varadero. They can be purchased with the tour operator when booking or on site. Sunwing also sells them on the plane (the link to the article with the catalog photos is at the end of this article).

But which is THE best? Just like hotels, it depends on our tastes and our realities. Are you looking for a “nature” discovery that can be done with children or a motorized excursion?

Here is a presentation of the excursions most often recommended by our members with some comments. For others, I will place the links to the Sunwing and Air Transat sites where we find descriptions of these excursions at the end of this article.

Cayo Blanco by catamaran

The excursions are called Seafari Cayo Blanco Plus or Seafari Cayo Blanco (catamaran excursion – with or without interactions with dolphins)

This is probably the most popular excursion. The island of Cayo Blanco is superb! But make sure you choose the excursion that takes you to the right side of the island: the one that leaves from the Chaplin Canal marina and not the one that leaves from the marina at the end of the peninsula.

Minimum age: 2 years
Duration: 8 hours
Every day
Multilingual guides

We will pick you up from your hotel and take you to one of the marinas where you will board the catamaran. There is a small toilet on the catamaran, but let's just say it's not easy to access! And be sure to bring toilet paper with you! Another tip: avoid sitting under the loudspeakers which are very loud, which is very tiring...The excursion is "open bar".

On the way out, if you have chosen the Seafari Cayo Blanco Plus option, you will stop at a place where you can see a dolphin show and touch them from a platform that descends into the water. The next stop is for snorkeling. This is the first and only if you take the regular excursion.

For the stop on the island, I must specify that I went there before Hurricane Irma (September 2017) and on the side that seems the most interesting, especially now.

Facilities include lounge chairs, palapas, access to non-motorized water equipment (pedal boats and kayaks), a large cafeteria for the buffet, a bar with free drinks and another for paid cocktails, toilets (bring toilet paper with you!!!) and a small souvenir shop.

The buffet is good but let's admit that it's not 5*! ;-) It is possible on certain excursions to reserve a grilled lobster meal in advance by paying a supplement.

What is most impressive in Cayo Blanco is the sandbank that allows us to walk “on” the sea for meters and meters. But let’s let the photos do the talking!

On the way back, there is no stopping. It’s time for… entertainment: competitions of all kinds, games, etc. The alcohol having flowed freely all day, it's sometimes "not easy" ;-)

To see beautiful photos: https://passionvaradero.wixsite.com/passionv/post/excursion-en-catamaran-%C3%A0-cayo-blanco

Jeep Safari

An excursion very popular with our members too.

Louis-François Carrière: “There are 2 day trips that go to roughly the same place. Each includes lunch, snorkeling (to see the fish and corals) and swimming in the cool, clear water of the “Cueva Saturno” caves. If there is time, we are also entitled to a short tour of the City of Matanzas. There is: Jeep Safari - with "speedboat" tour (not very fast motorboat...) and usually visit to a farm.

Here is the description given by Sunwing:

"Visit unexplored Cuba on this jeep adventure. Drive your own jeep in the province of Matanzas, to places inaccessible by car: pass sugar cane fields, peaceful villages and rolling hills in the stunning Valley of Yumuri.

Our first stop will be at Coral Beach, a beautiful bay. Swim and snorkel around the reef teeming with colorful corals, sponges and fish. Then experience an unforgettable speedboat adventure along the Canimar River. Drive into the city of Matanzas, the provincial capital. With its pastel-colored houses and colonial squares, it gives a glimpse of the real Cuba. Afterwards, you will leave the beaten track again towards the Yumuri Valley, to visit a ranch where you will enjoy a traditional Cuban dinner. Your day will be completed with a visit to the one-of-a-kind Saturno Cave. This enormous flooded cavern is full of stalactites and stalagmites. Grab a snorkel and dive into the deep waters to swim among fish and rock formations. A fabulous adventure! Jeep safari in Yumuri Valley, snorkeling in a reef, boat ride on the Canimar River and visit to the wonderful Cueva Saturno included. Plus, enjoy a traditional dinner at Rancho Gaviota.

Included

• Transportation • English and French speaking tour guide • Life jackets and safety equipment provided • Tour to Saturno Cave and Rancho Gaviota in Yumuri Valley • Dinner with 1 drink included • Horseback and boat ride

Duration

all day (around 11 hours)

Departure time and place

hotel lobby (varies depending on the hotel)

Return time and location

hotel lobby (varies depending on the hotel)

Notes

Jeeps are driven by customers – they must be 18 years or older. A driver's license is required at all times, and drivers must know how to operate a manual vehicle.

Not recommended for people with reduced mobility.

Recommendations : wear comfortable clothes and shoes and a swimsuit. Bring a towel. Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty, since part of this excursion takes place off the beaten track. Espadrilles or sandals. Snorkeling depends on weather conditions. Bring cash in small denominations for souvenirs, drinks and tips, bottled water, toilet paper, sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and insect repellent. Camera: We recommend putting it in a plastic bag. Basic dinner included. Drinks and other optional services offered during the excursion. Snorkelling equipment available at the cave (at additional local charge) – not included.

Frequency

Every day

Photos - Thanks to Cédrik Chartrand, Bianca Hamel and Vicky Bouchard for sharing their photos!

Havana

Several options are offered for excursions to Havana: with or without the show at the Tropicana (Habana Especial), with visit to a cigar factory, with a night in Havana and visit to Pinal del Rio. There are excursions with French-speaking guide to Havana every day. The bus picks you up from the hotel in the morning and brings you back in the evening. It takes a good 2 hours 30 minutes to go there and the same time for the return trip. There is a stop during the journey for a bathroom break (bring your own toilet paper!) and a nice pina colada.

The other option is to book the services of a private guide and get there in a nice old taxi. Choose an air-conditioned taxi! For our part, we did this one by bus but next time, it will be with a private guide for sure. On the tour we took, there were long stops at places we were more or less interested in but we ran out of time in Old Havana. What a desappointment !

Bus excursions include lunch or dinner in the price. If you go with a guide, it is customary to pay for your meal as well as that of the driver.

Some photos (bus excursion):

In addition

Air Transat Excursions: https://www.transat.com/fr-CA/Sud/Tours-et-Excursions-Sud?opentab=photo

Sunwing Excursions: https://www.sunwing.ca/fr/activit%C3%A9s/cuba/varadero

Price of Sunwing excursions in the plane: https://passionvaradero.wixsite.com/passionv/post/voici-le-prix-des-excursions-vendues-par-sunwing-dans-l-avion

Yuri Alvarez Martinez - guide: https://passionvaradero.wixsite.com/passionv/post/yuri-alvarez-martinez-guide-priv%C3%A9-la-havane-et-autre-destinations

Antonio Montano - guide: https://passionvaradero.wixsite.com/passionv/post/antonio-montana-guide-priv%C3%A9-la-havane-et-autre-destinations

Jose Roberto Morales Gonzales - guide: https://passionvaradero.wixsite.com/passionv/post/jos%C3%A9-roberto-morales-gonzales-guide-priv%C3%A9-la-havane-et-autre-destinations

Yenny Perez Pino - guide: https://passionvaradero.wixsite.com/passionv/post/yenny-perez-pino-guide-priv%C3%A9e-la-havane-et-autre-destinations