Sugar Cane Museum, Santiago de Cuba Province, Cuba

4TheGreatJman 5:00 PM Apr 22, 2014

Sugar Cane Tour is Sweet
We went on the 1/2 day Sugar Cane tour and I thought it was worthwhile, for about $45 pesos per person. First the bus will pick you up at your resort from Varadero & the guide will tell you about the history of Cuba and point out interesting landmarks along the way. It's about a 40 min ride to the cane fields. Then another guide will tell you about the history of the Cane, how it was planted and processed. We had a worker cut some cane with a machete and you could try the fresh cut sugar cane yourself which was good. After leaving the cane fields, you go to an abandoned sugar cane factory so you can tour it and see how it was processed. At the factory they also give you a glass of the raw sugar cane juice. In addition, you get to pick up your tour gift - adults who attend get 2 bottles of rum (one white/ one dark) which makes the tour worthwhile. After the factory you take a steam locomotive ride to a museam in Cardenas city. The museum didn't have a lot that interested me a whole lot, but it was a nice break from the heat in any event. After this the bus will take you back to your resort. Really I think the gift and the information you get make this tour worthwhile. If you consider the rum would probably cost you about $10-$20 peso to buy anyway, you're basically getting a tour for $25 pesos. Without the rum gift, it probably wouldn't be as good, but still informative and a good way to see a lot of the nearby countryside and areas around Varadero.

3Lisajsch 5:00 PM Dec 3, 2013

Sugar Cane tour is fine
The tour is interesting. They try their best to provide you with lots of information and history. Cuba doesn't seem to offer active tours, just walk around museum types. The rum gift is pretty nice, however you pay for it in the price anyway. My tip is to take tips, everyone wants one. It gets a bit much. Take candies and little extras such as small (hotel) shampoos, soaps, school supplies, pencils, balls, etc for the kids that gather around you at the end of the tour. I actually wished I packed kids shoes that we no longer need and passed them out. Personally, I think little gifts are much better than peso's that the kids really have no use for or turn over to their parents. Overall, we have visited Cuba once and that is enough for us. I don't mean to offend the Cubans, but its a bit much to be expected to tip everyone all the time, in addition to the cost of the tour we've already paid.