DESTINATIONS MILLENNIAL TRAVEL | CUBA
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Havana; Trinidad; Vinales PICTURES: Shutterstock
expert ASK THE
Erica Kritikides, senior brand and product manager, Intrepid Group
“Intrepid Travel’s 18 to 29s product range launched in July
2018 following feedback from our youngest travellers, who wanted the option of travelling with people at a similar stage in life. Millennials were a key demographic fuelling our 17% global sales growth last year, with the UK seeing a 14% increase in departures from the 18 to 29 age group.
"These travellers are a diverse
bunch, ranging from first-time to experienced travellers. Our
top-selling destinations among the new range for the first half
of this year are Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Vietnam and Japan, with trip lengths ranging from five to 34 days.
"Overall, our 18 to 29s
travellers are seeking a sustainable travel company, experiences that
get them off the tourist trail, a great group of travel companions, good
value for money and an experience they can make their own."
72 20 JUNE 2019
vines to reach the Javira waterfall – a glittering plume of water that comes crashing into a deep-green, lagoon- like pool below – before hopping over to nearby Playa Ancon, a cut-off beach that’s as Caribbean as it gets – all blindingly bright, chalky-white sand and a long strip of turquoise that looks more Photoshop than reality.
VINALES But the real standout on the nature front was Viñales, a small town in the rural, northwesterly Pinar del Rio region, where the majority of the country’s tobacco is grown. Here copper-coloured dirt tracks, purple lavender
fields and leafy tobacco plantations sit beside huge mogotes (limestone rock formations) rising in bizarre, hump-shaped bulges, and locals in cowboy hats gallop around on horseback (since cars are notoriously expensive in Cuba – some upwards of $50,000 – horse and cart is still the primary mode of transport across much of the country). We explored its smattering of farmhouses on foot on an optional coffee and tobacco farm tour. Head of the farm Fernando showed us how cigars are made – from selecting and drying the leaves to hand-rolling them into a stuffed, plump cylinder – before serving us a freshly- made mojito in silent, peaceful surrounds that made the noise and chaos of Havana seem nothing more than a distant dream. We also checked out Cueva del Indio – an
underground cave and former indigenous dwelling,
where a boat takes you along a pitch-black river beneath a canopy of marbled, multi-coloured rocks. The highlight for me was experiencing the town’s
weekly fiesta. Every Saturday night, the street by the main square turns into one giant party, with locals from the valley coming to sway along to salsa and other Cuban beats, mojitos on tap, churros stands filling the air with the smell of sweet, deep-fried indulgence. It gave me a proper taste of local life – the type of place where everyone knew each other – and it seemed a world away from FAC and its cosmopolitan, iPhone- flashing vibe. But that’s what really got me hooked on Cuba – the
contrasts between old and new, the feeling that you’re stepping back in time but also witnessing a country that appears to be on the brink of change. Stereotypes and cliches around this place abound – some true, some less so – but the only way to really understand it is to go there yourself. Even then, you probably won’t get to grips with it, but that’s all part of the charm of this elusive, often paradoxical, place.
TW BOOK IT
Intrepid’s One Week in Cuba trip for 18 to 29s costs from £665 per person, including accommodation, transport and activities (excluding flights).
intrepidtravel.com
travelweekly.co.uk
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