The excursions available at the hotel

In Cayo Ensenachos and Cayo Santa Maria, there is a wide variety of excursions. These destinations are islands, so there are several marine excursions. A great opportunity to discover the beauty of the « Jardines del Rey ». The excursions by boat or catamaran are from the Marina in Cayo Las Brujas (15 minutes from the hotels).

New excursions have been added since 2002 and others are no longer available. All these excursions are offered by foreign tour operators (Canadian, European, etc.) as well as Gaviota Tours, the exclusive tour operator in Cayo Ensenachos and Cayo Santa Maria.

You are not required to purchase your excursion from the tour operator who sold you your travel package, but it is suggested. Representatives who sell these trips are paid by a commission. If you do not like the services of the representative, you are free to buy from other tour operators. It is always recommended to book your excursion early, as some are very popular and places are limited.

To pick your excursion, you have three choices ...

  • Attend the meeting by the Tour Operator representative, which is usually the day after your arrival at the hotel.
  • Talk with a representative of the Cuban tour operator Gaviota Tours. They sometimes offer excursions that foreign tour operators do not have. There is no problem to book your excursion with Gaviota Tours. We did that several times in Cuba.
  • Browse the excursion books that are located near the lobby. The description of the excursions is in Spanish, English and French (sometimes German and Italian).

    • Click HERE to vote for your favorite excursion. This will help people to decide which one is the best excursion. You may change your vote at any time!

    For excursions outside Cayo Santa Maria, it is advisable to bring your passport and your tourist card. You can pay either in cash (CUC) or credit card. Note that there is no ATM in Cayo Santa Maria and the price does not include the tips for guide and driver. For a full day excursion, the average tip is 5 CUC for the guide and 3 CUC for the bus driver.

    VISA and MASTERCARD credit cards are accepted in Cuba, except those issued by U.S. banks such as American Express, Citibank, Capital One and MBNA. The excursion is charged in USD rather than CUC because it is not a currency that exists in the international market. The transaction is converted into USD at a ratio of one to one.

    You cannot get Convertible Pesos outside Cuba. Always bring with you Canadian dollars (or Euros) but NOT USD dollars because you will have to pay an extra 10%.

    Tips? Pesos? Money exchange? Electricity? Customs? Formalities? etc... We invite you to visit our cubainfos.net website to learn what you should know efore a trip to Cuba.

    WARNING! If you want to cancel your excursion, it must be done 24 hours in advance. Otherwise, you will be charged a penalty fee, which could be up to 50% of the price. You must go to the lobby 10 minutes before departure time with your voucher in hand. DO NOT leave your room without the voucher as you may be refused to get onboard. Some excursions like the catamaran are weather permitting.

    NEW! The dolphinarium is now open! It is located near Cayo Ensenachos (5 km from Cayo Santa Maria). Previously, you had to go in the province of Cienfuegos (three hours by bus). You may visit the dolfinario Cayo Santa Maria for 5 CUC per person.

    This website is personal, the information which is ensued there is simply from our experience and appreciation as travelers and lover of Cuba. Our sites are non-officials and opened to general public. In spite of we did our best to share the most exact informations, we cannot be held responsible for changes, errors or omissions. No part of this website may be reproduced, modified, distributed, published, broadcast, retransmitted or circulated in any form without our prior consent.