JC7, JC9 up to 7 and 9 hours Guanaroca Lagoon + Cienfuegos
Tour Overview
Laguna Guanaroca is a mangrove-saline lake southeast of Cienfuegos, 12 km away from the city. It´s second only to Las Salinas on the Zapata peninsula as a third magnet and it´s the province´s only natural protected area. Trails lead to viewing platform where flamingos, pelicans and tocororos (trogons, Cuban´s national bird) are regular visitors. Plant life includes pear, lemon and avocado trees, as well as the guira, the fruit used to make maracas. If you are a nature and bird lover this tour option is good to consider. The park limits the number of visitors - if you have interest in this it needs to be early part of your itinerary. Note: trail can be muddy if there was rain. Mosquito repellent is recommended. Our LC7 or LC9 Guanaroca Lagoon + Cienfuegos Combo tour offers up to 7 hours or up to 9 hours touring the Guanaroca Lagoon and Cienfuegos. We will drive down to the mouth of the bay passing through the beautiful Playa de Luna beach. At the landing next to Hotel Pasacaballo we will take a local boat over to the Castle. The boat ride is an experience by itself. After 2-3 hours with the tour of the castle, we can have lunch at a Paladar and spend the rest of our 7 or 9 hours on our Cienfuegos City and Punta Gorda area portion of the tours.
Itinerary LC7 Lagoon + Cienfuegos
Guanaroca Lagoon (3 to 5 hours)
For the best experience: maximum bird life and early access to the lagoon boats, we need to get started as early as possible for the Lagoon. Also, the park limits admission and boat tickets are first come first served. Please bring your Passport - required for the park. We start our tour picking you and your party up at the cruise terminal or at your Casa Particular in our high quality vehicle. On our ~25 minutes drive to Guanaroca Lagoon we will provide you with a quick introduction of Cienfuegos.
At the Guanaroca Lagoon we will get our boat tickets (we cover the 10 CUC entrance fee). As we walk through the trails you will see and hear the abundance of birds all around. The Lagoon is known to have the best bird watching in Cuba. Note also that the trails can be muddy if there was rain overnight. Mosquito repellent is also recommended. Please Google for more information about the Lagoon. After the Lagoons we can have a quick drive to the Playa Luna area if time permits.
Lunch / snack / beverage break (30 to 60 minutes)
After our Lagoon tour for our 7 hours tour we recommend a quick lunch (e.g. pizza / cuban sandwich). Let us know your preference. We can provide our recommendations and do the arrangements.
Cienfuegos' Punta Gorda and City Center tours (~1 to 2 hours)
We will split the remaining ~1 to 2 hours of our 7 hours tour touring Cienfuegos' Punta Gorda and City Center. We can do a quick pace 1/2 hour panoramic tour of Punta Gorda. We will drive down Malecón, have photo stops at Palacio Azul / Club Cienfuegos, Parque de Las Escultura, then on to the end of the Paseo del Prado (Calle 37) stop and see the "Taj Mahal" of Cienfuegos: Palacio de Valle.
From Punta Gorda, we will drive back up Paseo del Prado (Calle 37) and start our tour of Cienfuegos City Center with our remaining time. Our driver will drop us off at the Statue of Benny Moré. We will have a short a few blocks walk across Ave. 54 (San Fernando) Cienfuegos' shopping street to the city's main square Parque Jose Marti. If time permits and if you have interest we can have a quick stop at the state owned Cigar store for authentic Cigars and the House of Rum. We will then head over to see the historical sights around the square: Tomás Terry Theater, Colegio San Lorenzo, Palacio de Gobierno, Casa Del Fundador, Arch de Triumph, Ferrer Palace. If time permits we can also stop at the 29th street craft vendors and /or go up to the La Union Hotel roof terrace for a panoramic view of the city. Alternatively you wish to do less walking our driver can drop us off at Parque Jose Marti and pick us up again to return to the ship.
See Destinations page for customization suggestions.
Itinerary LC9 Lagoon + Cienfuegos
With our LC9 Tour we will have an extra 2 hours touring Cienfuegos instead of 7 hours with LC7. With the extra 2 hours we can drive down from the Lagoon to Playa Luna area near by for a quick look before heading back to Cienfuegos. On the way back we can pass by the Necropolis Tomás Acea the unique garden cemetery in Cienfuegos. With the remaining time we can do a lot more of what's covered in our Cienfuegos City tours: e.g. longer tour in Punta Gorda, have stops in Punta Gorda instead of just driving through. Go up to the roof terraces to see the amazing view of Cienfuegos Bay. Go inside the Taj Mahal of Cienfuegos Palacio de Valle. Have stops for beverage and music at the many musical venues in Cienfuegos (see Destinations page for a list). We can also just spend more time at the City Center stops e.g. at the 29th street crafts vendors. BTW, we will be happy to help you bargain for souvenirs. Please let us know your interests and we will fit them to our itinerary. Our guide can also make suggestions as we go. We will do so safely. If you are on a cruise excursion we will get you back to your ship at the time you want before sailing.
Please see the Destinations page for customization suggestions.
Other Tour Details
Duration
LC7 up to 7 hours, LC9 up to 9 hours. We highly recommend 9 hours if your schedule allows.
Pricing
LC7 80 CUC per person (2 pax), 65 CUC per person (3 pax), 60 CUC per person (4 pax), 55 CUC (5 pax), 50 CUC per person (6 pax)
LC9 90 CUC per person (2 pax), 70 CUC per person (3 pax), 65 CUC per person (4 pax), 60 CUC (5 pax), 55 CUC per person (6 pax)
Inclusions
Private English speaking local Cuban tour guide. High quality taxi transport licensed for tourists. Pick up and drop off at cruise terminal or Casa particular.
Exclusions
Lunch, water, snacks, museum entrance fees, photo fees - client pays.
OFAC Compliance
Our tours are fully OFAC compliant under "Support the Cuban People" category.
Our competitive advantages
20+ years well connected tourist industry professionals, Cienfuegos native local experts, highly educated Cuban guides, truly private tour, fully OFAC compliant (Support the Cuban category), high quality vehicles and safe drivers, fully custom tour options, honest pricing.
See Info page for additional information.
Sample Schedule LC9 Lagoon + Cienfuegos Combo
7:30 AM Pick up at the Cienfuegos cruise terminal / Casa Particular
Drive to Guanaroca Lagoon, on the way we will have an introductory talk about Cienfuegos and Cuban life
8:00 AM Guanaroca Lagoon tour
11:00 PM Racho Luna beach area scenic drive, drive around the neighborhoods, see a ration store
12:00 PM Lunch / Beverage break / Light snack
1:00 PM Punta Gorda tour
2:30 PM Cienfuegos City Center tour
4:30 PM Drop off at passenger terminal / Casa Particular