Description
Invite you to discover CUBA
On a People to People Licensed Cultural & Educational journey
Land portion 5 days/ 4 nights in Havana. Accommodation in a superior class hotel in Havana. Depending on dates/ days of the week some activities may change.
When traveling to Cuba, a developing country with an economic embargo on for over 50 years, guests should adjust their expectations accordingly. Hotels, although comfortable, tend to be modest and do not typically meet international luxury hotel status. Variety and ability to meet special dietary requirements is generally limited due to the restrictions on trade Cuba still experiences. Delays and/or changes in the itinerary may happen. However, the Cuban people will share with you the best they have and your experience will be very rewarding, and possibly even life changing.
Day 1 – Welcome to Cuba!
Subject to flight schedule, we depart for Cuba in the morning or the afternoon. Your Tour Director/guide and driver await our arrival at the Havana airport.We stop briefly at the Revolution Square for photos and to see this iconic plaza where some of the longest speeches in human history were given by Fidel Castro, rallies involving over 1 million Cubans have taken place, and three Popes have celebrated Mass in recent history. Havana unfolds as we drive through the city. Our next stop is Cuba’s tallest building. Built in 1956, this 37 story tower is considered one of the seven wonders of Cuban civil engineering. On the 33rd floor, we revel in the panoramic views of Havana and toast to a fantastic journey ahead.
We check into our accommodations for the next 4 nights: a superior hotel in Havana. You have time to unpack, relax and freshen up. In the evening, your guide will be waiting to take you to dinner at a paladar, the name given by locals to privately owned restaurants, a new emerging form of private enterprise in Cuba. The rest of the evening is yours to enjoy at leisure. You can make your way back to the hotel to rest or you can continue to check out the city on your own. Perhaps you want to sit on the Malecon –seawall- where locals head most nights to socialize and cool down. Or maybe you want to check out a trendy spot where the Cuban youth gathers: F.A.C. –Fabrica de Arte Cubano– in Vedado district, a 15 minute drive from Old Havana and a great place to interact with talented musicians, artists, students. Fabrica de Arte has it all: an art gallery, concert venues, and a theater.
Day 2 – Old Havana
Early mornings in Havana are worth experiencing. We begin our day as the city comes to life. Walking through the streets while locals are getting ready for the day, children are heading to school, and tourists are still sleeping gives a truly unique perspective. Wearing comfortable walking shoes today is highly recommended. Our exploration of Old Havana includes the four main squares: Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza de Armas, the site where Havana was born in 1519. On our way to Plaza de San Francisco de Asis, we visit Hotel Ambos Mundos to explore Ernest Hemingway’s favorite room, today a museum. Last we visit Plaza Vieja, today a vibrant square where children play, quinceaneras get their pictures taken, and marble and metal sculptures catch our eye. Here we visit Camara Oscura as well. A stop at Cuba’s only microbrewery Factoria Plaza Vieja may be a good idea, to try the light or dark beer made with imported components from Austria. Lunch today will be at a popular paladar in Old Havana. In the afternoon we explore Havana’s largest arts and crafts market, Los Almacenes San Jose. This is an excellent opportunity to see Cuban modern art and talk to the artists selling their work. Dinner tonight is at another trendy paladar. Feel like catching some live music, jazz, salsa, traditional? Perhaps a show at world famous Tropicana Night Club? Havana has it all. Ask your guide and he will help you arrange.
Day 3 –The Countryside: Valle de Viñales
We are leaving Havana for the day to venture into the countryside in Pinar del Rio, Cuba’s western most province with its breathtaking landscapes and the best tobacco in Viñales Valley welcomes us. We take in the views from Los Jazmines lookout: the rugged mogotes –limestone karst outcroppings with caves and rivers running through–, the red soil, and the lush vegetation in perfect harmony create a magical landscape that images fail to replicate. The perfect soil and climate make Viñales the area where the island’s best tobacco is grown. A must in our day is a visit to a farm to learn more about the cigar making process from where it begins. A visit to the Cueva del Indio is a little adventure through a cave where we board a boat to navigate an underground river; stalactites and stalagmites take shapes that leave room for the imagination. Lunch today is true farm-to-table. We savor an authentic Cuban lunch at Rachel’s farm, where the vegetables are locally grown and everything has her distinctive sazon, personal culinary touch. Before returning to Havana, we take a walk around the town center of Viñales to see a Cuban bodega, a ration book store where locals buy subsidized goods in Cuban pesos, and a CUC store to understand the contrast between the two currencies and the products you can buy with each. After a plentiful lunch, we suggest a light dinner at a café in the vicinity of your hotel.
Day 4 – A Grand Finale!
Our senses are flooded with aromas this morning while we tour a cigar factory and learn how the famous Cuban Habanos are hand rolled, one by one, mostly by women. This morning you can choose from the following two visits: for a deeper immersion into Cuban art, visit Museo de Bellas Artes –Fine Arts Museum, Cuban art building. Alternatively you can learn more about Cuba’s recent history by visiting the Museo de La Revolucion, former Presidential Palace. Lunch today is at paladar Il Divino. After a welcoming smile and tropical fruit juice, we can tour the gardens where the restaurant grows part of their vegetables and enjoy a home cooked lunch. In the small town of San Francisco de Paula on the outskirts of Havana we pay homage to “Papa” Hemingway at his former home Finca Vigia, preserved almost as it was on the day of his death. Hemingway’s boat Pilar has been restored and is also on display. Join a Cuban Hemingway expert for a discussion of the history of the home and Hemingway’s time here. Our last evening in Cuba begins in style, with a panoramic tour of Havana by vintage American car! We ride along the Malecon, Havana’s seawall avenue, through old and modern districts of Havana, passing by the US embassy and into Miramar, where the wealthy in Cuba once lived. Our ride ends at the iconic Hotel Nacional, where we enjoy a drink in the gardens overlooking Havana Bay. While there, we visit the Hall of History that showcases all the distinguished visitors welcomed by Hotel Nacional since it opened doors in 1930. From gangsters to movie stars, to presidents and princes... Dinner tonight is at a paladar with an enviable location with breathtaking views of the ocean and the city. For a grand finale, we attend a performance by a Buena Vista Social Club style band tonight.
Day 5 –Farewell Havana
After breakfast, we check out of our hotel. Our guide and driver are waiting to show us a little bit more of Havana before we depart this afternoon. This morning we can choose from one of two interesting activities:
Price Includes:
ïÂÂÂ?· Tour according to program with 2 participants
ïÂÂÂ?· In a modern air-conditioned vehicle with driver
ïÂÂÂ?· English speaking guide as per itinerary from Day 1 to Day 5
ïÂÂÂ?· Excursions, sightseeing and entrance fees according to program
ïÂÂÂ?· Vintage American car ride on Day 2
ïÂÂÂ?· 4 night stay at a superior hotel in Havana
ïÂÂÂ?· Show by a Buena Vista Social Club style band
ïÂÂÂ?· 4 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 3 dinners
ïÂÂÂ?· Emergency Medical Insurance while in Cuba, mandatory by the Cuban
government
Price Excludes:
ïÂÂÂ?· Cuba Airport tax: $25 per person, payable in cash at the Miami airport
ïÂÂÂ?· Meals not mentioned as included in the program
ïÂÂÂ?· Entrance fees to night events. It is recommended to pre-book the shows for
best seat availability.
ïÂÂÂ?· Optional Activities
ïÂÂÂ?· Tips for porters and maids in hotels
ïÂÂÂ?· Tips for waiters and live-music during meals
ïÂÂÂ?· Local driver and guide gratuities
ïÂÂÂ?· Local guide: 10 CUC per person per day recommended
ïÂÂÂ?· Local driver: 5 CUC per person per day recommended
Item Special Note
Dates: April-October, 2016
The air to Cuba is separate and is currently (as of October 5, 2015) $690 per person but includes Cuban visa, documentation, US departure tax, mandatory enrollment in the Cuban health system.