Garden Tours

Cuba Beyond the Beaches brings you three exciting garden tours of Cuba. For many years our “gardening” visitors have thoroughly enjoyed exploring the micro-climates, mountains and deserts of Eastern Cuba.

Now, we are pleased to announce our new garden tours of Central and Western Cuba, its plains, mountains, and valleys.

Our lecturers are internationally recognized Cuban experts whose lifework has been their gardens and the search, protection and propagation of the indigenous species of Cuba. All these tours are available year round. Individuals, families, small groups, and gardening club groups.

If you want to see almost everything but don’t have 3 weeks to devote to gardens – talk to us and we will design a medley tour.

If someone isn’t as passionate about gardens – talk to us and we will provide the occasional great alternatives.

If your children have their own garden – please bring photos to exchange with Cuban gardeners!

The Gardens of Eastern Cuba

An exciting tour of Eastern Cuba’s most interesting gardens, its protected forests and mountains. Here on the coastal strip and in the forbidding Sierra Maestras are microclimates which support exotic species and ancient plants. From desert to cloud forest to specialty and species gardens; you will be thrilled by these collections.

Your tour starts and finishes in Santiago de Cuba, a colonial city built on many hills, overlooking a bay which has been a safe harbour for Henry Morgan and Teddy Roosevelt, Spanish galleons and privateers, war fleets and slave ships, oil tankers and luxury yachts.

We start our tour outside the city at one of the world’s most complete collections of tropical ferns; the life’s work of its original director.

A complete contrast the next day finds us in the near desert of the coastal strip enjoying the passions of our expert in cactus.

A nearby cloud forest is a place of dripping trees, brilliant birds and butterflies, tree ferns and simple pines. Here are long ago cafetals and the scarlet trees which mark the canopy coffee of excellence.

Our tour continues with a local farm, a prolific organoponico garden, specialty gardens, and finally a visit into the mountains.

A morning walk takes you to cocoa plantations, small farms and the quiet exploration of a mountain valley.

On the way home we explore a Botanical Garden tucked into the surrounding mountains with many species found only in this area of mountains which benefit from the cold rains of winter.

Seven days of gardens, lectures, and good company; meeting Cuban gardeners in their gardens.

The Gardens of Western Cuba

This is orchid country. National Gardens, private gardens, commercial gardens, and individual aficionados, all of them endeavouring to find the perfect orchid. A black orchid?

Our seven day tour starts and ends in Habana. This city is fast becoming the orchid capital of Cuba; spurred on by the International Orchid Festival held here in May. We visit several private gardens and a large commercial grower.

From Habana we travel west to the country’s outstanding orquidea, and an exploration of the renowned Vinales valley.

A change from orchids, we visit a private nursery which is one of the major reservoirs of heritage fruit trees which are making a comeback throughout Cuba as processing plants demand more and different fruits. Life is more than mangos!

We conclude our week of gardens with a private tour of the Jardin Botanica of Cuba and several private gardens.

Seven days of unforgettable gardens, passionate gardeners, and beautiful landscapes.

Gardens of Central Cuba

In Central Cuba we circle the Escambray mountains, visiting national gardens and private collections, unique living museums and prize winning farms. Spend a day on a lake – enjoy a nature tour and a refreshing visit to some spectacular waterfalls.

The World Heritage cities of Trinidad and Cienfuegos are more than 500 years young. We take an expert led walk in both to enjoy the outstanding architectural restorations, and step back in time.

Your week long tour begins and ends in Santa Clara. We begin with two unique gardens:- a social garden – set up to help recovering addicts through working in with nature. Next a couple dedicated to producing, from age old recipes, natural body and face creams, massage creams, and pain relievers, using the plants grown in their patio and collected in the nearby mountains.

From Santa Clara to Cienfuegos. Our first stop is a major collection of cactus. This is sugar country developed in the late 19th and 20th century when mechanism was taking over and centrals were massive. Cienfuegos was built by expansion of sugar production. We take an architect led walk in both to enjoy the outstanding architectural restorations, and step back in time.

Outside Cienfuegos we visit two outstanding gardens. The first is a Jardin Botanico which was created in the 1900’s by a sugar baron. At his death it was transferred to Harvard University and at the Triumph of the Revolution became one of the early national botanical gardens.

Nearby is an orchid garden where we have lunch. The collection is said to be the second best in Cuba. Meet its creator and visit his passion.

From Cienfuegos we take the beautiful coastal road to Trinidad.

The visit to Valley of the Sugar Mills is to take a visit to another time which is slowly coming alive. Some of the earliest sugar mills were built in this area, long before any of the technological improvement of the 19th century. Slaves and oxen were the motive power, cutting cane, delivering it to the primitive mills, grinding the cane and boiling down the syrup. From planting to harvesting both worked 20 hour days or more. And the owners’ houses, even out on the plantations, were palatial – visiting Italian painters covered the walls with murals, artisans decorated ceilings with plaster embellishments.

From Trinidad we take the route through the mountains. Deep green valleys, patchwork farms, brimming streams and waterfalls. We stop for lunch at a small farm, with an optional swim in a crystal river.

For our final day in Santa Claras. We visit the small, but, important Jardin Botanico. Optional visit to a local farm growing tobacco – lunch, and a chance to make your own cigar!