On a Cuba holiday you may be tempted to spend a fortnight lying on the sandy beaches of Varadero, Guardalavaca or other beach destinations enjoying fresh pina-coladas, but the island of Cuba offers so much more than this. Why not take a fly-drive tour to discover so many unexpected parts of the island?

The best place to start your fly-drive tour is in the bustling capital of Havana. The city is steeped in history with the decorative El Capitola building remaining the main focal point. The classical design is similar in style to the Capitol in Washington DC, but there are notable differences that ensure that the building still remains classically Cuban in design.

The Revolution Museum in Havana will definitely prove to be one of the highlights of a Cuba holiday. It offers a hugely personal insight into the story of the revolution and contains aircraft and weaponry that exist from that period. However, for many visitors, seeing the leaky boat that Fidel Castro and Che Guevara first sailed in to the island is an amazing experience that sums up the significance of Cuba’s Communist state.

Leaving the colonial capital, continue your Cuba holiday with a two hour drive to the area of Vinales in the province of Pinar Del Rio. Vinales is famous for the verdant mogotes that dominate the landscape. Agriculture is an important industry here and you will come across crops of tobacco, fruit, vegetables and coffee, which are all grown using traditional methods. The area of Vinales is dotted with dozens of small caves, which were once used as a refuge for runaway slaves. One of these caves is now a popular nightclub, but the most beautiful of these caves, the Cuevo del Indio, should definitely be visited on your Cuba holiday. In the midst of this cave lies a beautiful lagoon which you can visit by boat.

The small town of Pinar Del Rio is the perfect place to purchase some souvenirs of your Cuba holiday. With tobacco as the town’s main industry, here is the perfect place to stock up on traditional Cuban cigars. Pinar del Rio also has several rum factories, so you can also bring the non-smokers you know a small gift from your Cuba holiday.

Your fly-drive continues onwards to the town of Las Terrazas, a UNESCO world-heritage site, where the earth is distinctly red in colour. This area is the perfect place to relax and unwind on your Cuba holidays. You can spend some time horse-riding around the beautiful terrain, or simply chill out next to the hotel pool.

You may not want to relax too much as your final drive is two and a half hours’ away to the beachside resort of Jibacoa. Jibacoa is a white sand paradise, where the pale sands flanked by the lush green hills offer the perfect contrast to the turquoise hue of the ocean. The area is perfect for watersports and the rich marine life attracts divers from all over the world to this area on their Cuba holidays. Jibacoa boasts a 15 mile market and two sunken shipwrecks, although there’s always the option of just relaxing on the beach and ending your Cuba holidays on a sun lounger with a fresh mojito.