Sugar Cane Museum
Sugar Cane Museum
4.2
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.2
79 reviews
Excellent
31
Very good
34
Average
11
Poor
2
Terrible
1
Travelnfoodcriticblogger
99 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
This is an absolute must do tour! It was e highlight of our trip. We chose a group tour and were very pleased with the result. We did many tours to Havana, classic car and Cayo Blanco. But this one is by far exceeds the rest! It was a whole day, we visited the sugar cane plantation, rode the sugar cane train, did a rum tour factory, pottery mill place in Varadero, and the end was a stop to Al Capones house with a jazz band and drinks on the top floor. It was amazing! Loved loved loved it! Make sure the tour you book says sugar cane and Rum factory not just sugar cane. The museum here on this tour in amazing, how well they have preserved this history and how much knowledge the interpreter has about the museum. Truly wonderful experience.
Written March 30, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TheGreatJman
Calgary, Canada22 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
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.
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.
Written April 23, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Florida19
Herts112 contributions
Jan 2018 • Couples
Really enjoyed seeing live history such as the old steam engines, seeing how the sugar cane was cut etc. Its a shame the old factory is almost in ruin but credit to the people who work hard to maintain this attraction.
Written January 15, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sue P
Manchester, England, United Kingdom1 contribution
Sep 2014 • Family
We booked the Thomas Cook recommended tour entitled Guama, Steam & Sugar - the date was 22/09/2014. We were collected on time, no problem, & arrived safely at the Sugar factory. The tour was to be honest quite boring, and the ' you get to taste the sugar cane extract' was of course not a freebie, but yet another opportunity for another peso, and the delightful trio playing Cuban music, again needed a peso contribution & not forgetting the obligatory souvenir shop. Next onto the steam train, which ran on diesel & the locomotive looked very impressive to be fair. It had 2 metal open carriages attached to the back of it, with bench seats in. We then set off out into the surrounding countryside & small village, which also included swamp land = mucho mosquitoes! which feasted themselves on the unsuspecting tourists, & yes we had all come equipped with bands and sprays but were all bitten in equal measure! To then cap it all on our return to the factory the 2nd carriage, which we were in derailed! Yes jumped right off the tracks at the points, the engine & 1st carriage carried on whilst we screamed at them to stop. We were all covered in rust & metal from the carriage roof & watched in horror as the coupling twisted & snapped free, which in hindsight saved us from toppling over completely. The majority of us were shaken up, I suffered a headache, neck ache & nausea, husband back ache, however still not as unfortunate as the elder lady who lost her footing, & spent the rest of the trip with a cold towel to her face, as she had badly bruised & swollen cheek, & also had injured her back. We were hastily ushered onto the other carriage, & returned to the factory, the n boarded the coach & left. The tour guide showed compassion for the injured lady, but no concern to the rest of the party, and we were not offered the opportunity to return to our hotel. The tour guide directed us onto the next stage of our tour, which was a lunch stop, with a meal which by Cuban standards was lovely, however another band played, another hat passed around, & another CD offered for sale, & there was opportunity to pass through the souvenir shops, all the same stuff as at the sugar cane factory ! And on exiting here you could have your picture taken with a baby croc, & a snake for 1 peso! Then onto Guama, for a river boat ride, very good & exhilarating, however slightly marred by the mid lake pit stop, presumably as they had ran out of petrol however it actually was to wait for the other boat to bring us 2 extra passengers, who were transferred from 1 boat to he other in the middle of the lake!! & you guessed no life jackets on. On arrival on the island we passed through 2 souvenir shops, onto the main walk around, very interesting, then into a replica of an Indian home which was unavoidable, where they painted your face, danced with you, brushed you over with some itchy branches, then charged you 1 peso to exit. My husband named this the ancient mugging ceremony carried out by peso hunters. We were then led to the bar area to try the local drink, of coconut water & rum, along with some crocodile meat for a few more pesos. Then we left back to shore to visit the main crocodile farm. There was a further opportunity to part with pesos for croc pics, then we watched the larger crocs being fed, just the other side of a low wall & chain link fence, of which there were visible signs of damage & poor repairs, to be tole these beast can jump their own body length, some of the,easily reaching 8 fleeting, so this just wasn't adequate protection to me. The man feeding the crocodiles did this, then held his hand out for you guessed it 1 peso from all. So in summary, a very long scary day, no health & safety observed, all that was required was a fat wallet & the actual trip had cost us £100s. We did formally complain in resort however we were not offered an apology nor a refund. I would definitely not recommend this day trip.
Written September 28, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lisajsch
Prince Albert, Canada29 contributions
Dec 2013 • Couples
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.
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.
Written December 4, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dianne M
Kazabazua, Canada125 contributions
Apr 2014 • Family
take this excursion it's well worth the $39.00 CUC PESOS and you receive a bottle of rum. the guide is very knowledgeable and you get to taste the sugar from the sugar cane and hop on a steam train ride
Written April 30, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shidoll
Kelowna, Canada239 contributions
Mar 2018
Learned so much from our tour, our guide (CUBA TOUR) took us to the cane fields first and then the museum....received two bottles of rum as well
Written April 3, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Johnthewhit
Northampton, UK308 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
We travelled down from Varadero on an organised coach trip, that took in the Sugar museum, the train ride, the crocodile farm and the Indian village as well as a traditional Cuban lunch all included.
The trip was called Guama Sugar and Steam and was 61 CUC per head.
It was a very interesting day crossing the country, so you get to see some towns and villages on the way and the tour guide that we had made a full commentary on the outbound trip, which was very informative.
The sugar museum and the train trip was good, the crocodile farm was brilliant as we had not been that up close and personal with crocs before. They are huge and very powerful, not sure the chain link fencing would have slowed them down too much, had they not been well fed !!
The boat trip to the Indian Island museum was exhilarating, but not sure that the Indian museum in the middle of the lagoon was that good, however as part of the overall day it was OK. The boat ride back was superb, as our driver took us down a twisty canal at full tilt.......Brilliant !!
The trip was called Guama Sugar and Steam and was 61 CUC per head.
It was a very interesting day crossing the country, so you get to see some towns and villages on the way and the tour guide that we had made a full commentary on the outbound trip, which was very informative.
The sugar museum and the train trip was good, the crocodile farm was brilliant as we had not been that up close and personal with crocs before. They are huge and very powerful, not sure the chain link fencing would have slowed them down too much, had they not been well fed !!
The boat trip to the Indian Island museum was exhilarating, but not sure that the Indian museum in the middle of the lagoon was that good, however as part of the overall day it was OK. The boat ride back was superb, as our driver took us down a twisty canal at full tilt.......Brilliant !!
Written March 26, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LadyMAO
Mississauga, Canada39 contributions
Dec 2014 • Couples
This visit was great - the bus ride to get there was long from CayoCoco. We enjoyed the tour but not some of the tourists who were pushy and rude. There are some nice trains that you can touch, climb into and take pictures with. Then a refreshing drink (lemon, honey, cuban rum) before a train ride to lunch. BRING MOSQUITO REPELLANT. You are in fields and trees and as we went in December - we were being eaten alive by Mosquitos!
Written February 23, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MeeKees
Edmonton, Canada5 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
We arrived at the museum, which was one of the stops on our bus tour. The guide who works for the museum spoke only in Spanish so our tour guide translated on his behalf. The process of how the sugar cane is refined is interesting. We also took a 15 min steam train ride and there were residents, mostly children, waving to the passing train. There is a sampling of the sugar cane juice and a group of musicians playing music at the museum as well as a small shop selling souvenirs.
We were there for approx. 1 hour in total.
We were there for approx. 1 hour in total.
Written December 7, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ValiSue C
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Does the tour include the history of slavery in Cuba's sugar production?
Written December 1, 2016
not really. the tour does include some information on the work and long hours they had to do and there are statues around too, but not a history as such
Written December 1, 2016
You are picked up from the hotel you book it from.
Written April 15, 2016
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