Cruising to Cuba

The hidden gem of the Caribbean

  • Home
  • Cruise Lines
    • Virgin Voyages Cruises to Cuba
    • Royal Caribbean Cruises to Cuba
    • Holland America Cruises to Cuba
    • Norwegian Cruise Lines Cruises to Cuba
    • Oceania Cruises to Cuba
    • Viking Cruises to Cuba
    • Azamara Club Cruises to Cuba
    • Carnival Cruises to Cuba
    • Pearl Seas Cruises to Cuba
    • Fathom Cruises to Cuba
  • Cruise Excursions
    • Havana Cuba Cruise Excursion
    • Hemingway Cuba Cruise Excursion
    • Cuba Cruise Excursion to Las Terrazas
    • Cienfuegos Cuba Cruise Excursion
    • Santiago de Cuba Cruise Excursion
    • El Cobre Cuba Cruise Excursion
  • Booking Form
  • Books for Your Cuba Cruise
  • Cuban Cars
    • Cuban Music
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliate Disclosure Page

Cuba Cruise Excursion to Las Terrazas

While at port in Havana, be sure to take the Cuba cruise excursion to Las Terrazas, a pioneering eco-community often referred to as Cuba’s own Shangri-La. Join us as we give you a tour of just what you can expect from this once in a lifetime Cruising to Cuba excursion.

Las Terrazas is some 40 miles west of Havana, so we will begin our journey by heading north from the port on to the Malecon.

Malecon Havana Cuba Cruising

If this is your first time in Havana, seeing so many 50’s era American cars will fill your heart. To see them on the roads and especially with Havana Bay to your right is a sight to behold. As we head north on the Malecon we will pass the newly reopened USA Embassy, it will be on the left side of the bus, be sure to try get a photo as the bus passes by!

US Embassy Havana Cuba Cruise Excursion

As we begin to head west, we will travel through numerous residential neighborhoods, if you are a fan of architecture, you will definitely get your fill of structures, some having been completely restored.

Havana Architecture Malecon Cuba Cruise

As we leave Havana, we will get on to Autopista A4 southwest towards Sorao, a narrow valley where Las Terrazas lies. The roads are in great shape, A4 being some 6 lanes wide, 3 in each direction separated by a wide median.

Autopista A4 Cuba

The further we travel, the fewer vehicles we will see. The landscape is mostly agricultural with crops on both sides of the Autopista. After an hour or so, we will reach our destination, Las Terrazas, part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve established in 1985.

Las Terrazas Entrance Cuba Cruise

A bit of history is in order here. Las Terrazas is located in the Sierra del Rosario range, a low mountainous area. The area was heavily logged by Spanish Conquistadors and then turned into vast coffee plantations run by French exiles from Haiti. Let’s walk up the road to the Plantation works.

Coffee Plantation Las Terrazas

Remnants including the slave quarters are still preserved, such heart wrenching history here.

Slaves Quarters Las Terrazas

The numerous terraces used for coffee bean drying give an indication of just how much coffee was produced here!!

Coffee Bean Drying Las Terrazas Cuba Cruise Excursion

In 1968, Fidel Castro took his Green Revolution to Las Terrazas. The plan was to build an eco village that would house and provide work for the people in this area living in extreme poverty. At that time, the plantations were long gone and what plant life that had existed was clear cut as the local population relied upon charcoal to eke out a meager existence. Fidel Castro placed architect Osmany Cienfuegos in charge of bringing this area back to life. The plan was to cut terraces (thus Las Terrazas) into the hills using bulldozers. This would give flatter land where some 6.5 million trees of over 35 species were hand planted. You can see an image of these hills before planting on the left of the map of Las Terrazas:

Map of Las Terrazas Cuba Cruise Excursion to Las Terrazas

Suffice it to say, the plan worked on a grand scale. Las Terrazas feels like a rain forest, flush with dense plant and animal life!

Las Terrazas Forest

There are 2 small lakes in the center of the village. Here’s Lago del San Juan in the very heart of Las Terrazas.

Lago del San Juan Las Terrazas Cuba

Housing and facilities for the some 1000 residents are placed around these lakes. A very tranquil place indeed!

Las Terrazas Cuba Home

Time to catch a snack from the local peanut man. I preferred the peanuts with honey, like a Planter’s Peanut Bar but the fresh honey just ups the game. Be sure to have some cash to pick up a bar or two, one of the great treats on your Cuba cruise excursion to Las Terrazas. Get them quick before he sells out!!

Peanut Vendor Las Terrzas Cuba Cruising

As part of the person to person cultural exchange, you will have a chance to ask questions of the Doctor, who staffs the clinic in Las Terrazas.

Doctor at Las Terrazas Cuba

It is a self sustaining community with daycare for both young children and the elderly. A library is in the main facility square.

Biblioteca Las Terrazas Cuba

This truly is an “Eco-Community” in every way, if you look to the right in the above photo you will see metal protrusions from the area just below the roof. This is part of a shower that utilizes rainwater from the roof, each plate is tilted to fall on the next one down and then they combine and fall on a shower head! What a great idea!

Outdoor Shower Las Terrazas Cuba

Some of the buildings have solar water heaters mounted on the roofs. Why not, with the sun and fresh water, it is a natural.

Solar Water Heater Las Terrazas Cuba

I also saw a brand new solar cooker, with rotisserie at that!!

Solar Oven Cuba

Let’s have some lunch with food grown and raised right here in Las Terrazas. The view is spectacular from the restaurant as is the food. And there is a lot of it too! With music of course.

Lunch at Las Terrazas Cuba

We have plenty of time to walk around and experience how the residents live here. Just imagining what it was like before the Green Revolution and now is quite intriguing.

Las Terrazas Road with Chevy Cuba

Residents have a choice of transportation, vehicles in Cuba are always a joy to look at, a lot of ingenuity at work.

3 Wheel Taxi Cuba Cruise Excursion

The trees are filled with epiphytes, so be sure to look up every once in a while. Oh how I would love to be able to grow such beautiful and healthy specimens in my yard.

Epiphytes Las Terrazas Cuba

And who knows, you just may come across a turkey vulture spreading her wings.

Turkey Vulture Cuba

Time to head back to the ship from our Cuba cruise excursion to Las Terrazas, the bus ride back to port takes us right into Havana and more cars too!!

1951 Chevy Convertible Cuba

Whether you are Cruising to Cuba on board Royal Caribbean, Fathom, Oceania, Norwegian, Azamara, Viking or Carnival be sure to work a Cuba cruise excursion to Las Terrazas into your plans!

Call us to Book Now 661-297-3208

We are here to book trip to Cuba and to answer any questions you may have, so please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here to help you!!! Cruising To Cuba is a Website of the Travel Agency Whodunit Productions, Inc. Whodunit Productions always suggest that you purchase a Travel Protection Plan to help protect you and your cruise purchase.

Whodunit Productions, Inc is a Registered Seller of Travel in the State of California #2003317-40

Travel Protection

We recommend that you purchase a Travelex travel protection plan to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. Travel protection plans include coverage for Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Emergency Medical and Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation, Trip Delay, Baggage Delay and more. 

Please Note: To be eligible for the waiver of pre-existing medical condition exclusion, the protection plan must be purchased within 15 days (Travel Basic) or 21 days (Travel Select) from the time you make your initial trip deposit. However, the plan can be purchased any time prior to departure. 

For more information on the recommended plans or to enroll, contact Travelex Insurance Services at 800-228-9792 and reference location number 05-1479.

Please advise Travelex that Whodunit Productions is the travel company for this trip.

 

Upon request for enrollment Travelex will collect the following information for the traveler(s):

  1. Dates of travel 
  2. Name of traveler
  3. Date of Birth 
  4. Traveler’s phone number, address, city, state, zip
  5. Reason for travel (list reason here)
  6. Name of Travel Agency (Whodunit Productions) and Tour Provider (name of tour provider)

Please note: Insurance for this trip may differ from previous insurance purchases and follows a different process given the destination. In addition, this is a process we must follow as regulated by the Office of Foreign Asset Control for any travel to Cuba.

The product descriptions provided here are only brief summaries and may be changed without notice. The full coverage terms and details, including limitations and exclusions, are contained in the insurance policy. Travelex CA Agency License #0D10209. All products listed are underwritten by, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company (formerly known as Stonewall Insurance Company), 1314 Douglas Street, Suite 1400, Omaha, NE 68102. 11.17 E7N 

Cuba Cruises - Join Us

Cuba Cruises – Join Us

Cuba Cruise Books

Books for Your Cuba Cruise

There are quite a few very interesting and enlightening books for your Cuba cruise that will make your cruise even more … [Read More...]

Havana

Cienfuegos Cuba Cruise

Cienfuegos

Santiago de Cuba

Maria la Gorda

Varadero

Holguin

Baracoa

Trinidad Cuba

Trinidad

Whodunit Productions, Inc is a Registered Seller of Travel in the State of California. #2003317-40
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Member of CLIA-Cruise Lines International

Copyright Cruising to Cuba © 2023