Your first night’s lodging is in the heart of Old Havana. From there ride west hugging Cuba’s north shore to the country town of Cabañas. Stop in the rural settlement at the port of Palma Rubia for a night (or two if you fancy squeezing in a beach day in Cayo Levisa). Your final destination is one of our favorite rural Viñales properties where you can settle in for your final two nights. The area is a National Park & National Monument and features a wealth of caves, horseback riding excursions, fertile farmland and lush landscapes to explore. Return to Havana via collective bus service.
Self-Guided Bicycle tour FAQ’s
Self-Guided Bicycle Pre-Tour Information

Route | ride ~ kms | Destination | # nights | Lodging Category | |
Havana | 1 | Old Havana B&B | |||
Havana-Cabañas | 75 | Cabañas | 1 | private B&B | |
Cabañas-Palma Rubia | 71 | Palma Rubia | 1 | rural B&B | |
Palma Rubia-Viñales | 54 | Viñales | 1 | nature B&B | |
Viñales-Moncada-Viñales | 34 | ||||
Prehistory Mural-Viñales Bus Station, Havana Bus Station – CicloCuba | 9 | ||||
Total Distance (km): 243 |
Route Statistics & Elevation Chart
Distance | 192.621 km | Total Ascent/Descent | 1992 m / 1858 m |
Lowest Point | 0 m (at 7.83 km) | Highest Point | 178 m (at 188.01 km) |
Uphill | 76.14 km (39.5%) | Downhill | 76.68 km (39.9%) |
Flat | 39.78 km (20.7%) | Height Gain | 178 m |
Steepest Uphill | +42.2% (at 187.84 km) | Steepest Downhill | -33.3% (at 188.64 km) |
Longest Uphill | 2.61 km (at 60.93 km) | Longest Downhill | 1.53 km (at 134.37 km) |
USD per person | ||||||
Group size |
1 pax |
2 pax |
3 pax |
4 pax |
5 pax | 6 pax |
DBL occ | – | $1322.68 | $1118.97 | $1017.11 | $1011.10 | $907.10 |
SGL occ | $2371.83 | $1490.31 | $1286.60 | $1184.74 | $1178.73 | $1074.73 |
- Specialized performance hybrid rental bicycle (up to 6 rental days) equipped with handlebar or trunk bag and helmet. If your head is difficult to fit, we recommend traveling with your own helmet. We are happy to switch out our saddles/pedals for your personal equipment upon outfitting.
- 1 Garmin cycling computer per group pre-loaded with programmed routes
- printed route cards with highlighted map, detailed daily itinerary
- 1 spare tube per bike ($5 /tube if you use it, payable at end of rental period)
- 5 nights lodging in venues hand-selected by our local team
- 5 breakfasts
- collective bus transfer service (Day 6 return from Viñales to Havana)
- luggage transfers (with options for bike pickups/equipment exchange on that schedule). *excludes luggage transfer on Day 6 from Viñales to Havana when you’ll be traveling back to Havana by bus. To avoid inflating tour costs, we suggest coordinating taxis locally between accommodations/bus stations for this route. Your Viñales host can help with arranging a taxi to the bus station for your bags, and official taxis are readily available on arrival in Havana. Just note the license plate/vehicle # when giving the driver the address to deliver your gear. Or book accommodations near the bus station.
- insider tips for meals and activities
- For CicloCuba’s rental equipment, emergency road repair services* are free when a) notified in advance and b) combinable with scheduled luggage transfer services.
*What if you have a mechanical enroute that you can’t fix yourself? We’re on call outside of luggage transfer schedules for a fee. Or if saving $ is a priority and the luggage transfer is already underway/completed for that ride, then if you can hitch a ride to your next destination, just let us know when you get there and we can arrange to have your CicloCuba bike fixed or replaced first thing the next morning.
- $200 USD/bicycle pre-authorization (security deposit) on primary traveler’s credit card
- local payments for meal services not expressly indicated as included
- gratuities, payable locally
- collective bus transfers with bicycles require local cash payment for the bicycle supplement (~10% of passenger fare)
- transport between accommodations and airports/bus stations/CicloCuba
- we recommend you bring your own lock, pump, tire irons & multi-tool for minor repairs.
- Optional bilingual cycling guide services ($100 USD/day excluding guide’s transportation to/from start/end of trip, accommodations &meals)
- Local cell phone SIM card for emergency calls (prepaid phone/message/data credit not included) $3 /day
- Basic rental locks: $1 /day, payable locally
- Emergency road repair services
- Notified in advance and combinable with luggage transfer services:
- Your personal equipment: ∙$10 /hour (roundtrip time) for mecanic (parts not supplied).
- No advance notice &/ not combinable with luggage transfer services:
- CicloCuba equipment: $rate/km based on roundtrip mileage from CicloCuba
∙Your personal equipment: $rate/km based on roundtrip mileage from CicloCuba + $10 /hour (roundtrip time) for mechanic (parts not supplied).
- CicloCuba equipment: $rate/km based on roundtrip mileage from CicloCuba
- Notified in advance and combinable with luggage transfer services:
Total route length | Base Rate* /km | ||
0-99.9 | $1.00 | ||
100-199.9 | $0.75 | ||
200-299.9 | $0.65 | ||
300-499.9 | $0.55 | ||
500+ | $0.50 |
*Base rate excludes transit on any unpaved or poorly-paved roads where the support vehicle cannot maintain 80 km/h i.e. the section of road between La Mulata & Palma Rubia Supplement $1/km (based on return mileage) for rough terrain
Supplement for payment in USD by credit card: $15 administrative fee + 12% banking fees
Itinerary
Overnight in Old Havana at the charming Madero B&B, walking distance to the handcraft fair, beer gardens, Havana Club Rum Museum, restaurants, colonial squares, churches and concert halls. And, of course, CicloCuba!
After breakfast you’ll continue west along the coast to the industrial port town of Mariel and then head inland to the lush Sierra del Rosario mountains and biosphere reserve. Ride past lush farmland and through forested areas. Your destination is the ecolodge La Moka, nestled in the terraced hills of Las Terrazas community, a successful experiment in sustainable development and reforestation. In the biosphere reserve you can enjoy ziplines, boating, hiking to the ruins of French coffee plantations, swimming in rivers, small waterfalls, museums, a variety of restaurants featuring Cuban cuisine, ecological dining, and even a cafe specializing in Cuban coffee.
Distance (km): 74.8

Route Statistics & Elevation Chart
Distance | 74.878 km | Total Ascent/Descent | 531 m / 509 m |
Lowest Point | 1 m (at 1.53 km) | Highest Point | 59 m (at 63.45 km) |
Uphill | 27.27 km (36.4%) | Downhill | 26.73 km (35.7%) |
Flat | 20.79 km (27.8%) | Height Gain | 58 m |
Steepest Uphill | +8.9% (at 46.08 km) | Steepest Downhill | -7.8% (at 37.17 km) |
Longest Uphill | 1.35 km (at 34.47 km) | Longest Downhill | 1.26 km (at 58.32 km) |
Continue cycling west, catching glimpses of the coast to your right, and with the backdrop of the Sierra del Rosario mountain range and biosphere reserve off to the left, perched behind farmland and rural landscapes. You’ll ride through small villages and country towns enroute to the small port of Palma Rubia, gateway to the offshore Cayo Levisa island. Overnight at a local bed & breakfast in the rural outpost surrounded by organic farms and orchards.
Distance (km): 70.7

Route Statistics & Elevation Chart
Distance | 70.670 km | Total Ascent/Descent | 777 m / 807 m |
Lowest Point | 4 m (at 0.99 km) | Highest Point | 86 m (at 14.58 km) |
Uphill | 28.17 km (39.9%) | Downhill | 30.24 km (42.8%) |
Flat | 12.24 km (17.3%) | Height Gain | 82 m |
Steepest Uphill | +13.3% (at 13.86 km) | Steepest Downhill | -11.1% (at 10.08 km) |
Longest Uphill | 0.99 km (at 1.80 km) | Longest Downhill | 1.44 km (at 14.58 km) |
Ride west to the country town of La Palma, pass Rancho San Vicente and the Indian Cave with its underground river, and the Palenque Cave that also operates as a popular cabaret at night/on weekends before arriving in National Park & Natural Monument, Viñales. Our preferred accommodations are just a few kilometers west of town, nestled in the fertile valley beside the Prehistory Mural.
Distance (km): 54.2

Route Statistics & Elevation Chart
Distance | 54.202 km | Total Ascent/Descent | 788 m / 662 m |
Lowest Point | 4 m (at 0.00 km) | Highest Point | 174 m (at 44.64 km) |
Uphill | 23.67 km (43.7%) | Downhill | 22.32 km (41.2%) |
Flat | 8.19 km (15.1%) | Height Gain | 170 m |
Steepest Uphill | +36.7% (at 44.37 km) | Steepest Downhill | -36.7% (at 45.18 km) |
Longest Uphill | 1.17 km (at 20.34 km) | Longest Downhill | 1.26 km (at 8.01 km) |
There are any number of excursions that you can take from Viñales and all can be arranged locally through your host. But if you’re interested in riding, then we like the ride west to the Santo Tomas Cave and Moncada Community. There’s a zipline enroute. And if you’re not interested in exploring the largest cave system in Cuba, then just keep riding west to Pons. The scenery is delicious and the road sees little traffic. Later this afternoon you may want to check out local musicians in town, or perhaps the view from the Finca Agroecologica El Paraiso. We love their patented anti-stress cocktails.
Distance (km): 33.8


Route Statistics & Elevation Chart
Distance | 33.826 km | Total Ascent/Descent | 591 m / 593 m |
Lowest Point | 123 m (at 0.27 km) | Highest Point | 223 m (at 9.00 km) |
Uphill | 14.58 km (43.1%) | Downhill | 15.12 km (44.7%) |
Flat | 4.05 km (12.0%) | Height Gain | 100 m |
Steepest Uphill | +22.2% (at 33.03 km) | Steepest Downhill | -25.6% (at 33.12 km) |
Longest Uphill | 0.90 km (at 21.51 km) | Longest Downhill | 0.81 km (at 27.36 km) |
The bus leaves the station in the center of town at 08:00 and arrives in Havana at 11:15. Your Viñales host can assist with arranging for a taxi to take your luggage to town, and on arrival in Havana, taxis are readily available at the station. To avoid unnecessarily inflating your tour costs, luggage transfer services are excluded from your package today. The supplement for transporting your bicycle on the bus service is ~$1 CUC/bicycle. Return your equipment to CicloCuba. WoWCuba’s assistance with trip extensions is available.
Distance (km): 8.7

Route Statistics & Elevation Chart
Distance | 4.502 km | Total Ascent/Descent | 95 m / 70 m |
Lowest Point | 122 m (at 0.27 km) | Highest Point | 155 m (at 0.72 km) |
Uphill | 2.43 km (54.0%) | Downhill | 1.53 km (34.0%) |
Flat | 0.54 km (12.0%) | Height Gain | 33 m |
Steepest Uphill | +26.7% (at 0.63 km) | Steepest Downhill | -22.2% (at 0.72 km) |
Longest Uphill | 0.45 km (at 1.08 km) | Longest Downhill | 0.27 km (at 0.00 km) |