CUBA’S PEOPLE, CULTURE & COLONIAL CITIES

8 Days

CUBA’S PEOPLE, CULTURE & COLONIAL CITIES
8 DAYS FROM HAVANA TO HAVANA

A once-in-a-lifetime experience awaits on this Cuba travel program! Join Globus and be among the first American travelers in five decades to visit Cuba and its most fascinating cities. This special Support for the Cuban People program allows Americans and Cubans to share meaningful interactions while enjoying the rich history and culture of this amazing country. Every day of your travel program is filled with compelling activities and conversations, where both Cubans and Americans can openly share their ideas and opinions. Participate in discussions about Cuba’s history, agriculture, music, religion, and art. You can embrace Cuban culture when you meet and join in a discussion with the interact with local artists and exchange views on the importance of art to a community; engage with musicians discuss private enterprise in Cuba with local restaurant owners and staff; and meet Cuban baseball players to discuss this favorite pastime in both Cuba and the U.S. All Support for the Cuban People interactions weave seamlessly into the daily visits around the country, serving to enrich and enlighten. On this Cuba tour program, you’ll also have a chance to explore some of Cuba’s colonial cities with their cobblestone streets and historic architecture. In fact, the city centers of Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and Havana have all been named UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Fascinating, informative, and insightful discoveries await you on this rare opportunity to visit the “Pearl of the Antilles.” It’s an experience like no other!

Group Voyagers, Inc.* offers this program under the General License for Support for the Cuban People CFR 515.560 authorized by the United States Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Those who register as participants in this program are authorized to visit Cuba legally under the Support for the Cuban People category of travel. Our itineraries provide a full-time schedule of activities that enhance contact with the Cuban people and result in meaningful interactions between our travelers and individuals in Cuba. United States law requires that all participants in our program adhere to the full-time schedule of Support for the Cuban People activities.

*Group Voyagers, Inc. is the company that markets and sells the Globus family of brands.

Headsets throughout the program.


STARTING AT $2,789 PER PERSON * The “Starting at” or listed price is based on the lowest price available to book. Price is per passenger based on double occupancy and does not include airfare; additional fees/charges are not included. Pricing may vary on this date due to hotel availability. Some packages require intra-vacation flights (and in some cases intra-vacation segments must be purchased from Globus). (YS)

Overview

PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS
The following UNESCO World Heritage Sites can be seen or visited on this vacation:

  • Old Havana and its Fortification System
  • Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios
  • Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos

Meals
Breakfast daily; 5 lunches, 5 dinners including a welcome and farewell dinner in Havana.

Tour Notes:

The “Cuba’s People, Culture & Colonial Cities” program requires walking on cobblestone streets and uneven pathways, climbing stairs, and participating in a full-time schedule of Support for the Cuban People activities.
Due to the special requirements to visit Cuba, participants will be required to complete and sign a travel affidavit confirming that they are traveling under the Support for the Cuban People category and will participate in a full-time schedule of activities. Participants are also required to send a color copy of their passport valid photo page (passports must be valid 6 months from the last date of travel). These items must be sent to Globus within 7 days of making a reservation.

In Cuba, activities that have been scheduled far in advance can sometimes become unavailable for a number of different reasons. The purpose of the trip is to have meaningful interactions with the locals and if the planned Support for the Cuban People activity isn’t available, rest assured that another that will be just as enriching will be substituted.

Itinerary

Arrive in Havana, Cuba’s capital city, and transfer to your hotel. Tonight, meet your Globus Group Leader and Cuban National Tour Director for a 7pm welcome dinner. This is a good time to meet fellow program participants, get your questions answered, and prepare for your time in fascinating Cuba.

Day 02 :
HAVANA

Your day begins with a walk through the streets of OLD HAVANA, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discuss with your Cuban Tour Director Havana’s unique architecture, the challenges of renovating the city’s exquisite historic buildings, and the future of these restorations. Enjoy lunch at a local paladar (a special, privately owned restaurant) where you will be treated to a special interactive cooking DEMONSTRATION and discussion. This afternoon, our attention turns to Nobel Prize-winning novelist Ernest Hemingway, who lived in Cuba for more than 30 years and left behind an enduring legacy. From his beloved home, FINCA VIGIA, he wrote several books, participated in fishing contests, and enjoyed the laid-back ambiance and warmth of the Cuban people. Next, visit a COMMUNITY PROJECT and interact with the children and volunteers who run the program. This evening is free to explore Havana on your own. Your Cuban Tour Director will have suggestions for dining and additional activities.

Breakfast, Lunch
Hotel

Today, travel through the countryside passing sugar cane and banana plantations. Arrive in Cienfuegos often referred to as the “Pearl of the South” because of its impressive beauty and colorful history. After time for lunch, take a walking tour around the historic center of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and learn more about the immigrants from France and Louisiana that settled here more than 150 years ago. Later, enjoy a performance and interaction with the Cienfuegos ORCHESTRA. Dinner tonight is at a local paladar.

Breakfast, Dinner

Travel to Trinidad, the crown jewel of Cuba’s colonial cities, founded in 1514 and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon arrival, enjoy lunch at a paladar and discuss private enterprise in Cuba with the owners and staff. This afternoon, stroll the streets of Trinidad, a cobblestone showcase of colonial architecture and pastel-colored houses decorated with wooden shutters and wrought-iron grilles. Spend time at CASA CHICHI POTTERY STUDIO to learn more about the unique wares made here, the family that runs the studio, and the connection to Spanish colonialists. After dinner tonight, enjoy a rum and cigar pairing.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel

Today’s travels bring us to PLAYA GIRON, site of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Discuss with your Cuban Tour Director the history of this event and the role it played in the Cold War. Over lunch, meet a Naturalist from the local Zapata National Park and join in a DISCUSSION about the concerns we all have for our environment. Continue to the white sand beaches of Varadero.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast, Lunch
Day 07 :
HAVANA

This morning, enjoy a workshop at HAVANA COMPASS DANCE COMPANY. Watch one of their rehearsals, then take some time to speak to the dancers and teachers about their training, daily lives, and future careers. Next, visit JOSE FUSTER’S STUDIO; cleverly nicknamed the “Picasso of the Caribbean.” Here, you will discover a surreal world-like nothing you have seen before. Interact with members of the neighborhood to discuss the project’s impact on the surrounding area. Over lunch, meet a former Cuban baseball player for a DISCUSSION about the history and the love of this favorite pastime in Cuba and the United States. Then it’s on to the SAN JOSE MARKET where you can interact with local artists and perhaps find a favorite souvenir. Before your farewell dinner this evening, enjoy a ride in a classic 1950’s OLD STYLER car – the perfect ending to your time in Cuba.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel
Day 08 :
HAVANA

Your program ends after breakfast with guests departing on individual schedules. Airport transfers are provided.

Breakfast

HAVANA

MELIA COHIBA HOTEL

The Melia Cohiba is a modern five-star property featuring 462 rooms. It is located in the El Vedado district, facing the famous Havana Malecón and is near Havana’s historic center. The hotel has an outdoor pool, fitness center, sauna, squash court, spa services, hair salon, business center, gift shop, five restaurants, coffee bar, cigar bar, lobby bar, nightclub, and 24-hour room service.


CIENFUEGOS

JAGUA HOTEL

Built in the modernist style of the 1950’s, and recently renovated to new levels of sophistication, the Jagua hotel features a lobby with contemporary art, avant-garde furniture and three sides of glass walls. The hotel also has a pool and spacious pool-deck overhanging the bay, as well as a lobby bar. Rooms are comfortable with clean lines and modern colors. Jagua´s unique setting allows you to enjoy the ocean landscape of the bay as well as great restaurants and city activities.


VARADERO

MELIA VARADERO HOTEL

Spectacular building in the shape of a flower with six petals in the style of a pyramid. Rooms and suites with terraces and stunning views of the Caribbean Sea and the Varadero peninsula.


TOUR DIRECTOR
With GLOBUS, there’s no better way to get to know your destination than through the eyes of a Tour Director. We’d like you to meet one of our Tour Directors, who average over a decade of experience and are representative of the type of expert that will be with you on your vacation.

MR ELDIS
Escorting tours for more than 15 years

“Eldis has been working as a Tour Director and guide for more than 19 years and really enjoys sharing his country’s traditions and beauty with visitors. He particularly loves architecture, history, music, and nature and ensures every visitor to Cuba experiences them too. He is committed to being an “ambassador” of Cuba and strives to create lasting connections under the Support for the Cuban People programs which help bring both his travelers and Cubans closer together.”

You can send your enquiry via the form below.

CUBA’S PEOPLE, CULTURE & COLONIAL CITIES