Discover Cuba
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Includes• 9 Days
• 17 Meals: 8 Breakfasts, 3 Lunches, and 6 Dinners • Roundtrip Airfare from Minneapolis/St. Paul • Everything Listed on Itinerary • Hotels and Transfers • All Taxes and Fees |
Accommodations• Miami Marriott Airport- 1 Night
• Iberostar Ensenachos, Caya Santa Maria All Inclusive Beach Front- 3 Nights • Hotel Nacional De Cuba Havana- 4 Nights *See Pictures Below! |
Price/Rates• Today's Deposit: $250.00 per person (Final due 90 days prior)
• Price: Just Girls Exclusive Rates: $4948 per person based on double occupancy (Originally $5884 per person) • Not Included in Price: Cancellation Waiver and Insurance of $280 per person (optional and highly recommend - with name and date of birth we can price out other options for insurance) |
Beautiful Accommodations:
Miami Marriott Airport 1 night
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Cayo Santa Maria - Iberostar All-Inclusive
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Havana: Hotel Nacional De Cuba
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Itinerary
Day 1: Thursday, March 9, 2017 Miami, Florida - Tour Begins
Come to know the people of Cuba and explore the cultural treasures of this island just 90 miles off the coast of the United States. Fly to Miami, our gateway to Cuba. Tonight, get acquainted with your fellow travelers during a welcome reception and trip briefing.
Day 2: Friday, March 10, 2017 Miami - Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba
Your journey begins as you fly from Miami to Santa Clara Airport, Cuba. Transfer to your hotel on the pristine beaches of Cayo Santa Maria, an island off of Cuba’s north central coast. En route to your all-inclusive resort, stop at the Che Guevara Museum and learn from a local expert about this polarizing figure and the revolution he sparked. Tonight, a welcome dinner at your resort introduces you to the vibrant culture of the Cuban people. Mingle with the locals as you enjoy some live traditional music. Your evening includes a fascinating interactive discussion on the instruments used to produce the distinctive “Sounds of Cuba.” (B, D)
Day 3: Saturday, March 11, 2017 Cayo Santa Maria - Santa Clara - Cayo Santa Maria
Embark on a journey to Santa Clara, a true picture into the heart of Cuba. Your tour starts with a visit to a local art school. Learn about Cuban art as you interact with students and teachers and discuss their techniques. After lunch at a local restaurant, spend time at Los Abuelos de Fiesta, or “the grandparents’ party”. Engage this vibrant retirement community and discover their passion for singing, dancing and music. Enjoy a visit to the local handicraft market where you’ll get to interact with artisans and discover the unique crafts they make. Return to your hotel for dinner at one of the resort’s restaurants. (B, L, D)
Day 4: Sunday, March 12, 2017 Cayo Santa Maria - Remedios - Caibarien - Cayo Santa Maria
Learn from local producers of the rise and fall of the Cuban region on the backs of sugar cane production. Take a steam train to Remedios and learn from the conductors how they maintain and operate these trains. After lunch, enjoy a walking tour of Remedios where you’ll get a chance to learn from a local priest about Christianity during the time of the Revolution. Next, visit a cigar factory where we meet cigar rollers and delve deeper into this product that has become so popular in North America. Continue to Caibarien and drive along the road of artists, pausing along the way at the home of a local artist who uses only recycled materials. (B, D)
Day 5: Monday, March 13, 2017 Cayo Santa Maria - Cienfuegos - Havana
This morning you embark on a scenic drive to Cienfuegos Province Botanical Gardens, the oldest of its kind on the island. During a fascinating walking tour, learn about the garden’s ties with Harvard University and its founding as a research center (where a sugar mill once stood). After lunch, explore the historic Plaza Mayor in the heart of the city. Peruse the shops, converse with the shopkeepers and get a true taste of the local culture. Learn how Cuba’s ration system works and discover which types of goods are available for Cubans to purchase. Afterwards, visit Tomas Terry Theatre, an impressive opera house on Plaza Mayor. Sit back and enjoy a charming choral performance, followed by time to meet the performers. Next, travel across the countryside to Havana, Cuba’s capital. (B, L, D)
Day 6: Tuesday, March 14, 2017 Havana
Learn about Cuba’s revolutionary literacy campaign of 1961 while visiting the Literacy Museum. Engage with its director who offers his personal perspective into the education system in Cuba and the effort to reach even the most rural communities. Then, visit a local healthcare facility to meet the staff and learn more about the healthcare system in Cuba. Next, savor lunch at a traditional restaurant in Old Havana, the perfect setting to immerse yourself in the culture of the city. You are in for a treat when you visit a local performing arts school and meet its creative students. Tonight’s dinner is included when you visit one of the area’s paladars, a small specialty restaurant with its own organic farm. Meet the proprietors of this family-run, privately-owned business. They will share stories about opening a privately-run restaurant in Cuba. Perhaps you will share stories from your own life. (B, L, D)
Day 7: Wednesday, March 15, 2017 Havana
Explore the fascinating religion of Santeria, developed in the African slave communities of the 18th century, and now a mainstay in Cuba. Discover the strong connections of this community as you spend time visiting the benefactors of a local charity
that focuses on caring for the elderly. Afterwards, visit a local park where local antique car owners gather. Discuss how car ownership in Cuba works, along with the ingenious ways they keep these classics running after all these years. Visit Maqueta de la Cuidad de La Habana Museum and enjoy a lecture from a city planner. Next, visit a historic hotel in Old Havana to interact with some professional dancers. Learn about the Cuban national dance — Salsa. Strike up a conversation with the dancers about their lives and Cuba's dance culture while learning some of the basic steps of this remarkable dance. (B)
Day 8: Thursday, March 16, 2017 Havana - Casa Fuster - Havana
Walk through the dramatic evolution of Cuban art at the Cuban Fine Arts Museum. Enjoy a presentation given by a passionate local art historian. Travel to Casa Fuster for an insider’s look at the work and life of Cuban artist Jose Fuster. One of his apprentices - or even the artist himself - will be on hand to talk about his art, inspired by Gaudi. Later, learn about policies between the U.S. and Cuba during an interesting discussion led by a Cuban scholar. This evening, take a trip around Havana in one of the antique American cars that the city is known for. Finally, savor dinner in one of Havana’s finest restaurants as you celebrate an amazing journey and your new Cuban friends. (B, D)
Day 9: Friday, March 17, 2017 Havana - Miami, Florida - Tour
Ends
Fly from Havana to Miami. Your tour comes to a close today. (B)
Come to know the people of Cuba and explore the cultural treasures of this island just 90 miles off the coast of the United States. Fly to Miami, our gateway to Cuba. Tonight, get acquainted with your fellow travelers during a welcome reception and trip briefing.
Day 2: Friday, March 10, 2017 Miami - Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba
Your journey begins as you fly from Miami to Santa Clara Airport, Cuba. Transfer to your hotel on the pristine beaches of Cayo Santa Maria, an island off of Cuba’s north central coast. En route to your all-inclusive resort, stop at the Che Guevara Museum and learn from a local expert about this polarizing figure and the revolution he sparked. Tonight, a welcome dinner at your resort introduces you to the vibrant culture of the Cuban people. Mingle with the locals as you enjoy some live traditional music. Your evening includes a fascinating interactive discussion on the instruments used to produce the distinctive “Sounds of Cuba.” (B, D)
Day 3: Saturday, March 11, 2017 Cayo Santa Maria - Santa Clara - Cayo Santa Maria
Embark on a journey to Santa Clara, a true picture into the heart of Cuba. Your tour starts with a visit to a local art school. Learn about Cuban art as you interact with students and teachers and discuss their techniques. After lunch at a local restaurant, spend time at Los Abuelos de Fiesta, or “the grandparents’ party”. Engage this vibrant retirement community and discover their passion for singing, dancing and music. Enjoy a visit to the local handicraft market where you’ll get to interact with artisans and discover the unique crafts they make. Return to your hotel for dinner at one of the resort’s restaurants. (B, L, D)
Day 4: Sunday, March 12, 2017 Cayo Santa Maria - Remedios - Caibarien - Cayo Santa Maria
Learn from local producers of the rise and fall of the Cuban region on the backs of sugar cane production. Take a steam train to Remedios and learn from the conductors how they maintain and operate these trains. After lunch, enjoy a walking tour of Remedios where you’ll get a chance to learn from a local priest about Christianity during the time of the Revolution. Next, visit a cigar factory where we meet cigar rollers and delve deeper into this product that has become so popular in North America. Continue to Caibarien and drive along the road of artists, pausing along the way at the home of a local artist who uses only recycled materials. (B, D)
Day 5: Monday, March 13, 2017 Cayo Santa Maria - Cienfuegos - Havana
This morning you embark on a scenic drive to Cienfuegos Province Botanical Gardens, the oldest of its kind on the island. During a fascinating walking tour, learn about the garden’s ties with Harvard University and its founding as a research center (where a sugar mill once stood). After lunch, explore the historic Plaza Mayor in the heart of the city. Peruse the shops, converse with the shopkeepers and get a true taste of the local culture. Learn how Cuba’s ration system works and discover which types of goods are available for Cubans to purchase. Afterwards, visit Tomas Terry Theatre, an impressive opera house on Plaza Mayor. Sit back and enjoy a charming choral performance, followed by time to meet the performers. Next, travel across the countryside to Havana, Cuba’s capital. (B, L, D)
Day 6: Tuesday, March 14, 2017 Havana
Learn about Cuba’s revolutionary literacy campaign of 1961 while visiting the Literacy Museum. Engage with its director who offers his personal perspective into the education system in Cuba and the effort to reach even the most rural communities. Then, visit a local healthcare facility to meet the staff and learn more about the healthcare system in Cuba. Next, savor lunch at a traditional restaurant in Old Havana, the perfect setting to immerse yourself in the culture of the city. You are in for a treat when you visit a local performing arts school and meet its creative students. Tonight’s dinner is included when you visit one of the area’s paladars, a small specialty restaurant with its own organic farm. Meet the proprietors of this family-run, privately-owned business. They will share stories about opening a privately-run restaurant in Cuba. Perhaps you will share stories from your own life. (B, L, D)
Day 7: Wednesday, March 15, 2017 Havana
Explore the fascinating religion of Santeria, developed in the African slave communities of the 18th century, and now a mainstay in Cuba. Discover the strong connections of this community as you spend time visiting the benefactors of a local charity
that focuses on caring for the elderly. Afterwards, visit a local park where local antique car owners gather. Discuss how car ownership in Cuba works, along with the ingenious ways they keep these classics running after all these years. Visit Maqueta de la Cuidad de La Habana Museum and enjoy a lecture from a city planner. Next, visit a historic hotel in Old Havana to interact with some professional dancers. Learn about the Cuban national dance — Salsa. Strike up a conversation with the dancers about their lives and Cuba's dance culture while learning some of the basic steps of this remarkable dance. (B)
Day 8: Thursday, March 16, 2017 Havana - Casa Fuster - Havana
Walk through the dramatic evolution of Cuban art at the Cuban Fine Arts Museum. Enjoy a presentation given by a passionate local art historian. Travel to Casa Fuster for an insider’s look at the work and life of Cuban artist Jose Fuster. One of his apprentices - or even the artist himself - will be on hand to talk about his art, inspired by Gaudi. Later, learn about policies between the U.S. and Cuba during an interesting discussion led by a Cuban scholar. This evening, take a trip around Havana in one of the antique American cars that the city is known for. Finally, savor dinner in one of Havana’s finest restaurants as you celebrate an amazing journey and your new Cuban friends. (B, D)
Day 9: Friday, March 17, 2017 Havana - Miami, Florida - Tour
Ends
Fly from Havana to Miami. Your tour comes to a close today. (B)
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