A marvelous universe of feelings and adventures are coming to you from the Caribbean and Latin America, if you’re willing to get off the beaten track and get in touch with their peoples’ cultures and whatever adds a singular and differentiating character to your trip. These proposals are just a sample of the kind of offer you can find at Excelencias Travel, an agency with great expertise on the region.

Golf in Varadero with Habanos (8 days / 7 nights)

An exclusive package designed to let you have incomparable feelings by blending tradition and luxury, by having the chance of going into the passionate world of Habanos from the farming and harvesting process in the western province of Pinar del Rio all the way to the hand-rolling of top-notch cigars in Havana. All this much is coupled with the conveniences and attributes famous Varadero Beach has to offer, like its superb golf club and accommodation at the mythical and fancy Xanadu Mansion. The program includes stay and city tour of Havana, the island nation’s capital, with visits to the Partagas Cigar Factory, the Tobacco Museum, the Habano Hostel and the Cabaña Fortress, home to the world’s largest cigar, a 20.4-meter-long Guinness World Record holder. Also included is a trip to Pinar del Rio, the westernmost province and home to the best black tobacco on the face of the earth, with visits to some fine plantations, curing barns and related centers. This part of the tour includes a countryside lunch and a tasting of cigars at a local factory. One of the package’s greatest tips is the meeting with a Habano sommelier or expert to know about the Partagas brand’s vitolas from the selection process to the cutting, lighting and matching of this Habano with meals, spirits and infusions. The practical side of the tour is organized in a gourmet restaurant featuring lunch and tastings of Habanos. To wrap things up, a two-night stay at the luxurious Xanadu Mansion in Varadero Beach, built by Irene DuPont de Nemours between 1928 and 1930, that stands close to the 18-hole, 6,850-yard-long, par-72 Varadero Golf Club, with a green fee per day included. During your stay in Cuba’s most famous beach, you could take a grand tour and pay a visit to a local Habano House. This package is available without a minimum number of people, at variable prices depending on hotel and guestroom preferences, number of nights, travel date, amount of people and complementary activities.

Culture and History in the Dominican Republic (10 days / 9 nights)

This is a way of getting to know this wonderful country from a different perspective, through the history and culture of its cities. This is the land of some major first-timers: the first capital of the Americas where the first cathedral of the New World, the first hospital and the first university were built, as well as where the first Mass was held and where the first Catholic priest was ordained in the Western Hemisphere. The package includes lodging in Santo Domingo, at the Hotel Mercure Commercial, and a grand tour around the city’s old core, with stops at the Fortress of Ozama, the First Cathedral of the Americas, the Alcazar of Columbus, a lunch at El Conuco –a local food restaurant featuring folkloric dancers– and shopping tour at the Modelo Marketplace where you could buy rum, cigarettes, paintings and handcrafts. Dinner will be held at the Hard Rock Café. The third day covers the Chocolate Route with visits to one of the most important factories in the Caribbean and to the Guillen Bros. House to watch chocolate makers doing their job. This is followed by a tour to the La Vega Real ruins and the Santo Cerro Sanctuary, with city tour of Santiago de los Caballeros –the country’s second-largest town– with lunch at the beautiful Camp David restaurant that features a breathtaking view of Santiago. You’ll stay overnight at the Hodelpa Gran Almirante and the following morning you’ll be heading for Punta Rusia, in the north of the country, to enjoy the sea and bottoms of Cayo Arena, a paradisiacal islet where you could tuck in delicious seafood. That night you’ll stay at the Viva Playa Dorada Hotel in Puerto Plata where, on the seventh day, you’ll visit local landmarks and sightseeing spots, like the Rum Museum. The afternoon will be off and the next morning you’ll go to Rio San Juan, a typical fishermen’s village near the Gri-Gri Lake with accommodation at the Bahia Principe San Juan Hotel. On the ninth day, you’ll return to Santo Domingo, with full-fledged accommodation and dinner at the Meson d’Bari restaurant, across from the first hospital built in the Americas. Morning off on the tenth day and afternoon flight to the Havana airport for the return trip to your country of origin.

Grand Central American Route (15 days / 14 nights)

A wonderful alternative to discover some of the great attractions this region, full of natural and cultural values, truly has to offer, a region that boasts some of the best-preserved cities of the colonial past, lavish scenery, the second-largest area of evergreen woodlands in the Americas, just behind the vast Amazon region. There are also lakes, volcanoes, plentiful rivers, archeological sites and spectacular beaches with hotels and infrastructure large enough to meet the most rigorous demands. Your trip kicks off in Costa Rica, with visits to the Poas and Arnela volcanoes, and stay at the Tilajari Hotel. Boat ride down Rio Frio to the Caño Negro Natural Reserve on the second day, plus an afternoon visit to the Hot Springs thermal waters. On the third day you’ll be heading for the active Rincon de las Viejas volcano and a chance to trek down the name-like National Park to spend the night at the Guachepelin Hotel. Some special moments on that day will await at the Manuel Antonio National Park and during the visit to Rio Tarcoles, a river famous for its abundance of crocodiles. The arrival in Nicaragua on the fourth day will open a new chapter in the route with excellent accommodation and interesting moments on the Ometepe Island, the cities of Managua, Leon and Granada –a genuine gem of colonial architecture in this country. Since this is also a land of volcanoes, a trip to the Masaya has been planned. The tenth day will bring you to Panama through the Dracula Farm in the morning and a hike around the La Amistad National Park in the afternoon, with a stop at the Baru volcano. Accommodation at the Bambito Hotel. Once on solid ground, you’ll be off to the Bocas del Toro archipelago for a boat ride to Colon Island and overnight stay at the Swans Key Hotel. A pleasant twelfth day will reserve trips to Coral Cay and Bocarito, with magnificent chance to take a swim in the beach and practice snorkeling. Off Swans Key, you’ll hop on a plane for Panama City. You’ll check in at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in the downtown area, for a two-day stay. There’ll basically be a boat ride to the Canal, a city tour around the old and modern parts of town, a visit to the Miraflores Museum, among other activities. Return on the fifteenth day from the Tocumen International Airport.