“HISTORY, LEGEND AND TRADITION. SUGAR MILLS VALLEY TOUR” Tour

“HISTORY, LEGEND AND TRADITION. SUGAR MILLS VALLEY TOUR” Tour

Founded by Spanish colonizer Diego Velasquez as the third settlement of the island, the colonial gem of Trinidad is nowadays one of the best preserved towns of the Caribbean and the second in Cuba to earn a UNESCO listing after Havana. After Hernan Cortes set sail from here to discover Mexico, the city became incredibly wealthy through the sugar trade and the exploitation of slave labor in the cane sugar mills of the Valle de los Ingenios. Much of the heritage remains visible today and can be explored in and around the colorful cobblestone streets of Trinidad.

Trinidad is the best preserved colonial town in Cuba and the Valle de los Ingenios is a living museum of the former sugar trade of the 18th and 19th century. This UNESCO site is located at the southwestern coast of Cuba, in the Sancti Spiritus province, in the center of the island. Originally founded in 1514 by Diego Velazquez, most buildings in Trinidad date from the time of the sugar trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. The UNESCO inscription happened in 1988.

The Valle de los Ingenios is a living museum of the former sugar trade of the 18th and 19th century. The Valley of the Sugar Mills is known as Valle de los Ingenios to the Cuban people and technically is comprised of three different valleys — Meyer, San Luis and Santa Rosa. This region of the country extends more than 100 square miles and contains more than 70 former sugar mills.

The Cuban sugar empire lasted from the late 18th to the late 19th century. At its peak, 50 sugar mills were concurrently in operation, producing 140,000 sugar cane arrobas per 32 acres. Part of the reason the Valley of the Sugar Mills was ultimately named a UNESCO World Heritage Site is because these sugar plantations were closely tied in with the slave trade that was rampant at the time. It's estimated that some 80,000 Africans were brought to Cuba to work specifically on these sugar-producing farms during that time period.

Description:

• Departure by bus from the city with guide service.
• Visit to the Mirador del Valle where you can taste a cocktail.
• Stop at La Hacienda Buena Vista to enjoy its views with a welcome cocktail.
• Visit to the Guáimaro and San Isidro site with optional entrance, both of them consider historical sites of great interest.
• Arrival at the Manaca Iznaga site, where you can taste a delicious guarapo (sugar cane juice).
• Optional visit to the watchtower, built in the 19th century, to enjoy a beautiful landscape.
• Visit to Hacienda Guachinango, where you can admire a cattle ranch from the epoca, with its typical plants and animals.
• Lunch at one of the haciendas.
• Visit to the Pottery workshop to admire one of the oldest traditions of the city.
• Return to Trinidad.

Departure days: DAILY.