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| Program features |
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| Cities and provinces you'll visit |
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Havana City and Havana Province |
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Viñales Valley and Pinar del Río |
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Cayo Levisa, a tropical islet, and Las Terrazas eco-community |
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Cienfuegos and Trinidad |
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Santa Clara and Che's memorial |
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Click here for Tour Map |
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| Some trip highlights |
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Visit the Scale Model of Havana |
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Walking tour of Old Havana and a coach tour of Modern Havana |
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Visit organic farms and urban organic markets |
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Explore evening venues where the best Cuban music is performed |
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See the mausoleum where the body of Che Guevara is entombed |
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Go to the Afrocuban community of Regla and meet a santaría priest |
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Tour a rural agricultural collective and talk with its members |
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Visit a centuries-old family-run pottery workshop |
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Son, salsa, cha cha cha dance lessons taught by Cuban pros |
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Memories of Cuba last forever. Discover the island on routes less traveled. |
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Travel dates: Saturday 17 May to Saturday 7 June 2008 |
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This summer session program offers up to nine credits |
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$900 discount for non-credit participants – ideal for faculty and student research projects, and professional development opportunities (licensable for US educators) |
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Witness Cuba for three weeks on the most thorough academic short term study abroad program ever offered by an institution of higher learning in North America |
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Program designed and led by Malaspina University-College Professor Catherine Schittecatte |
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Explore Cuban history, culture and interact with its people |
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Meet your faculty tour leader. This field school was inspired and created by Malaspina Professor Catherine Schittecatte. Read her special invitation to students, faculty and lay persons to participate in this exceptional program. |
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Malaspina University-College Study Abroad website provides a program overview, as well as specific information on academic courses, terms and conditions, cost, financial assistance, payment and refund policy, application process, visiting students, passports and visas, and contacts. |
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José Martí icon indicates academic activities related to course theme Cuba Then and Now.
Fidel Castro icon indicates academic activities related to course theme Cuba in the World.
Che icon indicates activities academic related to course theme Ernesto Che Guevara.
Youth icon indicates general activities related to Cuban Culture (and having fun!).
Owl icon indicates activities and opportunities to explore Natural Cuba. |
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| Hint BLUE text links throughout offer more details and pictures. |
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| Travel for change. Malaspina's Study Abroad travel partner for this program is Cuba Education Tours. This Vancouver-based notforprofit is dedicated to experiential, green, ethical travel that benefits Cubans and their island guests. |
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| Included in costs are all activities listed below unless noted otherwise. |
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| Island transportation is in a private luxury air-conditioned tour bus. |
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| Fully escorted. From the minute you arrive until you return home, you're in the conscientious care of an expert multilingual Cuban guide together with a professional bus chauffeur, and your Malaspina faculty leaders |
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| Meals B=breakfast L=lunch D=dinner indicates meals included. Your guide is glad to suggest eateries for every taste and budget for meals not included. |
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| Getting to Cuba. Flights are available through Cuba Education Tours. |
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| WEEK ONE |
DAY :: 01 :: 02 :: 03 :: 04 :: 05 :: 06 :: 07 :: |
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| WEEK TWO |
DAY :: 08 :: 09 :: 10 :: 11 :: 12 :: 13 :: 14 :: |
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| WEEK THREE |
DAY :: 15 :: 16 :: 17 :: 18 :: 19, 20, 21 :: 22 :: |
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Music is pervasive across the city. |
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Arrival at Havana's José Martí International Airport.
Collect your bags and go through customs. See What to take to Cuba.
You're welcomed at the airport by your Cuba Education Tours guide and professional bus chauffeur.
Your Cuba Education Tours guide will direct you to a bank or exchange bureau (CADECA) to purchase Cuban Convertible Pesos.
Group transfer to the Hotel Saint Johns located in the heart of Havana's cultural district: Vedado.
Private check-in with assistance from your guide.
Evening is free for you to settle in, rest up, dine out and explore Vedado's vibrant music milieu or the notorious Malecón seafront.
All breakfasts are complementary daily from 07:00AM to 10:00AM. |
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TIME AND CLIME IN HAVANA NOW
Island-wide annual averages
Summer temp average: 81F | 27C
Winter temp average: 72F | 22C
Ocean temp average: 78F | 25.5C
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Havana's famed Malecón seawall is just three blocks from your hotel. |
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| Most common questions 1 Is Cuban food good? It's healthy and simple but not spicy. 2 Am I free to ask any question? You'll insult your island hosts by being less than candid. 3 Is the water safe? Yes, but we suggest bottled water for peace of mind. 4 Are vaccinations needed? No. 5 Can Americans join? They are especially welcome to do so! 6 Can I stay in Cuba after the tour? Absolutely and we are glad to help. |
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| CUBA IS THE LARGEST and least commercialized island in the Caribbean. It hosts 6000 plant species, half of which are endemic. There are 20 million palms in Cuba comprised of 30 species. Other flora includes the rare cork palm, a holdout from the cretaceous period; the jagüey, a fig with aerial roots; the palma barrigona (pot belly palm); the ceiba (the sacred silk-cotton tree); and the national flower, the mariposa (butterfly jasmine). The most abundant land fauna is reptilian: crocodiles, iguanas, lizards, salamanders, turtles and 15 species of nonpoisonous snakes. The biggest land mammal is the jutía, a tree dwelling rodent the size of a cocker spaniel. The bee hummingbird or zunzún is the worlds smallest weighing between 1.6 and 1.8 grams. The tocororo is the national bird – its red, white and blue plumage reflecting the colors of the Cuban flag. |
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| URBAN PLANNING, CITY TOUR AND DANCE LESSONS |
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Small section of the incredible Scale Model (second largest in the world) of the City of Havana used for urban planning. |
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Havana's former capitol buidling. |
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Interior of former capitol building. |
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Fresh from urban organic gardens: farmers market in Havana. |
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Morning visit to the Scale Model of Havana and a private meeting with world-renowned architect Dr Miguel Coyula, director of the Group for the Integral Development of the Capital. His organization hosts a museum that contains a model of the entire city of Havana. The model took nine years to build and is the second largest in the world after one of New York. Havana's 727 square kilometers are represented in an area of 22 meters of length and 10 meters of width. City planners needed to see and have a tactile sense of the impressive physical and cultural patrimony of Havana, spanning five centuries as a port city, island Caribbean capitol, and launching pad for the conquest of the Americas.
Historical periods of construction are displayed through the use of different colors. Brown represents the colonial period, ochre the republican period, ivory the revolutionary period, and white represents new projects, sculptural monuments and cemeteries. With the use of textures and colors similar to the natural ones, the vegetation, parks, beaches and plazas are distinguished. This virtual tool enables city planners practical and realistic planning. They experiment by placing miniature buildings in the peewee metropolis to see how they fit within a specific area and architectural context. If planners don't like a proposal, they can move it somewhere else, demand a design change, or nix it. You'll learn how each part of the city has developed historically, and the tough challenges each district faces today.
Get ready for an air-conditioned luxury coach tour of the most important sites of Modern Havana such as the Capitol building, the Grand Theatre, Central Park, Prado promenade, Revolution Square, Coppelia Ice Cream Park, Plaza José Martí (in front of US Interests Section), Monument to the Battleship Maine, Hotel Nacional, University of Havana, Cemetery Colon, Malecón seawall, and the Miramar, Central Havana and Vedado neighborhoods.
Afterwards we'll explore the Museum of Revolution, the former Presidential Palace. Today it exhibits the history of the Cuban Revolution through documents and objects among which we find the famous Yacht Granma that returned Fidel and his 82 guerilla fighters from México to Cuba to launch the struggle for liberation from the Batista dictatorship.
Tonight we'll enjoy the best Cuban jazz in Havana at Club La Zorra y El Cuervo [The Fox and the Raven] (optional participation, not included in cost, 10 CUC entrance fee). |
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You'll meet with renowned architect Dr Miguel Coyula, a leading member of the Group for the Integral Development of Havana. |
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Ceramic art on lobby walls of the Scale Model of Havana. Photo Alma Garcia. |
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Enjoy the best Cuban jazz in Havana at Club La Zorra y El Cuervo. |
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| Cuban eggplant, ha ha. Eggshells are placed on leaf tips of medicinal aloe vera plant to prevent birds from roosting on and eating them. |
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Mosaic sidewalk art in front of the Hotel Ambos Mundos in Old Havana. |
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| GETTING TO KNOW THE CARIBBEAN'S LARGEST CAPITAL |
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Example of restoration in Old Havana. |
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Street pantomime in Old Havana. |
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Decorative mail drop box in Old Havana. |
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Inside view of the dome of El Capitolio. |
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| Exterior and interior of the Cathedral of Havana initiated by Jesuits in 1748 and completed in 1777. |
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Grupo Dulce María members will teach all the necessary moves for you to dance like a Cuban! |
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Ornate filigree and statuary adorn Havana's Gran Teatro where the National Ballet performs. |
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Morning walking tour of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We'll visit four of the five historic plazas that make Havana unique in the western hemisphere. It contains the largest collection of remaining colonial-era architecture.
Cathedral Square, the most beautiful and private 18th century colonial plaza on the island. Named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Cathedral of Havana built by the Jesuit order.
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| Square of Arms, an ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers, surrounded by impressive buildings such as: |
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Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, former seat of colonial government. Today the building houses the Museum of the City. |
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Palacio del Segundo Cabo, seat of the second authority of the island. Today it houses important publishing concerns. |
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Museo de Artesania at Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the second oldest fortress built by the Spaniards in the West Indies. Today it displays treasures of artistic ceramics by the most prestigious Cuban artists from the middle of the last century to present. The institution is host to the Ceramic Biennial. |
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We continue onto San Francisco Square, one of the oldest plazas in the historical quarter.
And later onto Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Absent are churches and government buildings. We'll visit an important center for the visual arts.
Next we visit the Museo Casa de Africa (Africa House Museum). Here we'll learn about the enormous role played by slaves in shaping Cuba's society, culture and religions.
After lunch we'll hear an overview of the situation in Cuba today from the esteemed statesman Orlando Fundora López, president of the World Peace Council.
Enjoy some free time in the famous open-air handicraft market of Old Havana where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.
Followed by visit to Fábrica de Ron Bocoy (Bocoy Rum Factory). Cuban rum is considered a liquor for special occasions. Its origin goes back to the time when Columbus introduced sugarcane to Cuba just after his "discovery."
Tonight we have a Cuban band playing for us. You'll learn how to perform and dance to Salsa, Son, Rumba, Mambo and other popular Cuban rhythms from the band members of Grupo Dulce María. |
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| UNIVERSITY OF HAVANA, FOLK ART AND LITERACY DAY |
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University of Havana historian and professor of law Dr Delio Carreras, right, renowned for his sense of humor, will lead tour of campus below.
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Moviemaker Michael Moore visits the home of Cuban artist José Fúster while filming "SiCKO" in March 2007. |
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Museum of Literacy at Liberty City near Havana. |
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Plaque at Literacy Museum: "Yo Sí Puedo" means "Yes I Can" learn to read. |
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Cubans come in all colors and are proud of it! Many mixed color couples brag on the unique color of their kids. |
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Morning visit to the University of Havana. Led by its distinguished official historian and professor of law Delio J. Carreras Cuevas, we'll tour the campus, the beautiful Aula Magna where opening ceremonies for conferences and other important functions are held, the law library and meet students from that faculty. Dr Carreras has hosted world leaders such as Hugo Chavez, Pope John Paul II and Jimmy Carter, among other luminaries. The University of Havana, founded in 1728, is an esteemed institute of higher learning with academic ties to venerable universities in Canada, Europe and Latin America.
Lunch (included in cost) hosted by José Fúster, one of Cuba's most important ceramists and painters at his whimsical studio in Jaimanitas, just outside of Havana.
Afternoon visit to Museo de la Alfabetización (Museum of Literacy) that exhibits relics of the 1961 literacy campaign. Prior to the Revolution a quarter of adult Cubans were illiterate and another million were semiliterate. Ten thousand teachers were unemployed and 70% of the rural population had no schools. After 1959 all private schools were nationalized and education became free and universal. Former military garrisons were turned into schools. In 1961 all schools were closed for eight months and some 250,000 students and teachers were sent to rural areas to teach reading and writing, laying the foundation for Cuba's stellar literacy rate today. This campaign brought tens of thousands of city youth into contact with the country people, breaking down racial barriers and instilling a spirit of national cohesion.
Dance lessons for popular Cuban rhythms such as Son, Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, Afrocuban jigs.
Visit to the Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabaña where Che Guevara established his headquarters after the Revolution came to power, and guided visit to his former office.
Tonight we witness a most dramatic ceremony – El Cañonazo – the Firing of the 9PM Cannon at the Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabaña. |
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| Left University of Havana's Alma Mater statue. Right The University's stunning Aula Magna gallery. |
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1961 Literacy Campaign poster reads: "If you know, teach; if you don't, learn." |
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Fantasy garden and studio of acclaimed artist José Fúster. |
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Cuban children score highest in Latin America in all academic subjects. |
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| JURISPRUDENCE AND JOSE MARTI |
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Cuban graphic titled: Maiz-granada (Corn-grenade) suggests food not bombs. |
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Street signs in Modern Havana are made of granite and placed cater-corner at intersections. This one marks Calles 17 and 28. |
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Morning seminar on an Introduction to the Cuban Legal System. Your learn about island jurisprudence and better understand the central issues that distinguish Cuban and Canadian systems from one another.
Lecture on the philosophy of Cuba's national hero José Martí by a specialist of from the Cuban Centre for Studies on José Martí.
Dance lessons for popular Cuban rhythms such as Son, Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, Afrocuban jigs.
Your evening is free to explore the sights and sounds of the city with your classmates and new Cuban friends. |
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Havana billboard on the Malecón opposite the US Interests Section (quasi-embassy) displays photos of torture at the US prison Abu-Ghraib in Iraq. Similar abuses are regularly reported at the US-run Guantánamo Bay facility (referred to as 'Gitmo' by US soldiers stationed there, they call its detention chambers 'Camp X-ray'). |
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| CUBAN SOCIETY AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS |
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FIRST HERO OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE
Taíno Indian Chief Hatuey from the island of Hispanolia traveled to and warned his Cuban counterparts about the horrific dangers of the impending Spanish invasion in the year 1511. Read about his legendary struggle – that of the premier independence and resistance fighter in our Americas who staked his life for freedom from foreign occupation and thralldom. |
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Marta Núñez center rear lectures at the University of Havana. Núñez has penned many acclaimed theses focusing on gender in modern Cuba. |
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Quince años (15 years old) is a coming of age ceremony all Cubans girls partake in once. A formal event includes a grand dinner with family and friends followed by photos of the quinceañera in different outfits in special locations. An informal celebration might include a pool or slumber party or attending a disco with friends, plus ample pix! |
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Lecture on Cuba Society Today by University of Havana professor Marta Núñez Sarmiento. Ms Núñez holds a Master's in Sociology from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences in Santiago, Chile and a PhD in Economics from the Academy of Sciences in Moscow, Russia and has been a visiting professor at universities in the Dominican Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Spain and Argentina.
Lecture on Cuban Foreign Relations by Dr Manuel Eugenio Yepe Menéndez. Dr Yepe is a lawyer, economist, and former ambassador to Rumania. His affiliations include the Cuban Communist Party (founding member), National Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution, National Association of Economists and Accountants, Cuban National Union of Lawyers. Dr Yepe is a prolific writer and lecturer on topics such as the Cuban Revolution, USA-Cuba Relations, Cuban Foreign Policy, Cuban Economic Policy and Political System, Race Relations in Cuba, Contemporary Cuban Society, Terrorism and State Terrorism, the Cuban Movement for Peace, the Cuban Five, Environmental Issues in Cuba, Cuban Electoral System and Freedom of Religion in Cuba.
Dance lessons for popular Cuban rhythms such as Son, Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, Afrocuban jigs.
Your evening is free to explore the sights and sounds of the city with your classmates and new Cuban friends. |
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Island billboard reads: 200 million kids in the world sleep in the streets, none of them are Cuban. |
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Cuba Education Tour participant poses next to classic car. Photo Alma Garcia. |
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Cuban hip hop performer. |
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| CUBAN IN THE WORLD: THEN AND NOW |
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Cubans enjoy lifelong free healthcare and education combined with inexpensive housing, utilities and childcare. |
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Lecture on Cuba and World Economics by Dr Ivan Marqueti of El Centro de Estudios de la Economía Cubana (Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy) at the University of Havana, will examine the period following the collapse of the Soviet Bloc.
Guided tour of Memorial José Martí and the Martí Museum at the Plaza de La Revolución.
Dance lessons for popular Cuban rhythms such as Son, Salsa, Cha Cha Cha, Afrocuban jigs.
Your evening is free to explore the sights and sounds of the city with your classmates and new Cuban friends. |
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Boys learn to ride a bike. |
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Kids at the house of José Fúster. |
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| EXPLORING AFROCUBAN CULTURE AND THE LIFE OF CHE GUEVARA |
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Youth snake dance in the island's annual Carnival – a Latin America tradition – in Cuba with strong African influences. |
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Che died defending no other interest, no other cause than the cause of the exploited and the oppressed of this continent… the poor and the humble of this earth. – Fidel Castro, 18 October 1967.
View a wonderful new photo of Che just released on the 40th anniversary of his execution (9 October 1967). |
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Morning ferryboat ride across Havana harbor to the municipality of Regla. This Afrocuban community has a long, rich and still active tradition of African-inspired religions.
Meeting with Ms Raiza Fornaguera, curator of Museo Municipal de Regla, and specialist in Afrocuban religions. We'll learn of the origins of this unique community and its Afrocuban cultures.
We'll visit Regla's church dedicated to the black "Virgen de Regla" Yemayá, the African goddess of the sea in the Yoruba religion and the patron saint of sailors.
Meet a babalao (highest priest in the Santería religion) in his home.
We'll visit home studio of painter, master printmaker and designer Antonio Canet.
Afternoon visit to Ernesto Che Guevara Studies Center located in the house where Che lived with his family from 1962 until his final departure from Cuba to foment rebelliousness in Bolivia. The director of the Center is Aleida March (Che's wife) and is operated by their son Camilo Guevara.
Your evening is free to explore the sights and sounds of the city with your classmates and new Cuban friends. |
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You'll meet master artist Antonio Canet. |
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Regla's church honors a black goddess who protects fishers and sailors. |
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Ferryboat traversing Havana harbor to the municipality of Regla. |
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| CHE GUEVARA, THE CALLEJON DE HAMEL AND FREE TIME |
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Bicycles remain a common form of island transportation. |
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Lecture on the Life of Che Guevara by Dr Manuel Eugenio Yepe Menéndez. As a young man Dr Yepe served Guevara in Havana. He later received a MSc. in Management from the Higher Institute of Economic Direction (ISDE), Comandante Che Guevara. Havana, Cuba.
We'll attend a Rumba performance at Callejón de Hamel, an alley where all the buildings display murals inspired by Afrocuban culture and religions. Afterwards we'll meet alley artist Salvador Gonzales at his studio.
Your afternoon and evening is free to explore Havana's best music and cultural venues – all within walking distance of your hotel. |
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Youth at a Cuban baseball game. |
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Afrocuban band performs at the Callejón the Hamel. |
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| BEACH DAY AT THE PLAYAS DEL ESTE |
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Sunset on the Playas del Este. |
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Excursion to Havana's Eastern Beaches (Playas del Estes) to investigate the important role leisure tourism plays in the island's economy – first-hand! |
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Consider snorkeling.
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| US-CUBA RELATIONS, MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, PARTY! |
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Entrance to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de Cuba. |
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Morning visit to El Centro de Estudios Sobre Estados Unidos (Center for US Studies) at the University of Havana for a lecture on Cuba-US Relations by a Cuban specialist.
Later we'll visit the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Cuban Collection where you'll see the evolution of Cuba's visual arts over the last 300 years. The collection accounts for the richness of the island's Spanish, French, Chinese, African cultural roots.
Your afternoon is free to pal around with your classmates and new Cuban friends.
Farewell dinner and party with your dance instructors. |
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Farewell dinner and party with your dance instructors. |
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| PINAR DEL RIO, LAS TERRAZAS AND VINALES VALLEY |
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Exotic and unique plants and animals thrive in Cuba. The island has more protected areas than any other country. |
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Gundlach's hawk also thrives in Cuba. |
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Cuban red-legged honeycreeper. |
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Young person staffs farmers market. |
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Morning departure to Las Terrazas eco-community in the Sierra del Rosario mountain range west of Havana in the province of Pinar del Río.
We'll tour its rural village called Rancho Curujey and enjoy a welcome cocktail while learning about this self-sustaining community's successes in reforestation, historical preservation, environmental balance, and a good life.
Next we'll meet with local artists and craft workers in their homes and studios.
Later we'll walk the incredible ruins of a French Coffee Plantation built in 1801 worked by African slaves.
We have lunch at a traditional Cuba restaurant (optional).
You'll have free time to swim in the fresh waters of the San Juan River and explore the surroundings of this lush tropical paradise. Don't forget your swimming suit.
Late afternoon continue on bus drive to Viñales Valley and check in at your Hotel Los Jazmines.
Evening is free to rest up, enjoy your hotel, or local entertainment opportunities. Your guide will keep you posted on local activities. |
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 In the countryside many youth are engaged in organic agriculture combined with rigorous academics. Animal partners help out on the farm. Eco-friendly practices result in tasty produce and high productivity. |
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We'll swim in this heavenly pool at Las Terrazas. |
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| PINAR DEL RIO'S DRAMATIC VINALES VALLEY |
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Consider climbing to the top of a mogote! |
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Viñales is perfect for trekking, bird watching and horseback riding. |
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The jutía, native to Cuba, is a large rodent the size of a cocker spaniel. They dwell in trees and are vegetarians. Jutías are the preferred breakfast of crocodiles. |
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| Cuba is recognized as the global leader in environmental sustainability. It has 300 ecologically protected areas comprising 30 percent of its territory. Six of these areas are UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves. Over half the island's diverse flora and fauna is indigenous – existing nowhere else – and is guarded from exploitation. The World Wildlife Federation (WWF) declared Cuba the only country with a planet friendly economy. |
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Morning excursion to the rural agriculture-based Viñales Valley. You'll be in awe of its spectacular natural landscape featuring the most interesting and varied geological formations in the Caribbean. The valley is particularly famous for its great freestanding rock formations called mogotes. Viñales is the heart of tobacco cultivation on the island.
Visit local farms and meet with local farmers that grow tobacco and other crops. Learn first hand about their life and work.
Free time to explore Viñales Village (photo below) at your leisure. Examine its open-air craft market, Parque Martí, main parish, and other interesting highlights of this charming colonial hamlet.
Visit Carmen and Caridad Miranda's magical mini-paradise, known as the Viñales Botanical Garden. These two elderly widows maintain a little Eden full of fruit trees, orchids and medicinal plants nurtured lovingly and organically.
Your evening is free to rest up or go out on the town. Your guide keeps you posted on local events.
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Cuban SUV! Horses and cattle provide substantial transportation alternatives in the countryside. |
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Learn about the cultivation and processing of tobacco from seed to leaf culminating in the world's most famous cigars. |
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Downtown Viñales. The village is an historic 19th century agricultural settlement. Colonnaded red-tiled houses flank its main street. |
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| Left Viñales' main street. Right Viñales church in the town's Plaza Martí. Viñales Valley was declared a World Heritage Site by the (UNESCO). |
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| FREE EXPLORATION DAY PINAR DEL RIO AND VINALES VALLEY |
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| Left Cork palm flower, right cork palm tree. It is not a real palm, instead a member of cycads family. Viñales Valley's flora is closely linked to its ancient past, and holds 17 endemic varieties found nowhere else on earth, including the cork palm (Microcycas calocoma), a living fossil from the cretaceous period. |
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Morning fog over Viñales Valley as viewed from your hotel. |
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Free day for trekking, bird watching, horse back riding and other outdoor activities around the hotel (all activities are optional to be arranged on site with the hotel tour desk with assistance from your tour guide).
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Sacred ceiba tree. |
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Cuban polymita snail lives in and on vegetation. |
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| VINALES VALLEY is a picturesque town in the heart of Cuba's prime tobacco-growing region. The town itself sits in the center of a flat valley surrounded by stunning karst hill formations known locally as mogotes. The mogotes are irregularly shaped steep-sided hills that can rise as high as 300m (985 ft) and have bases ranging from just a few hundred yards in diameter to as much as a couple of kilometers in length. The mogotes comprise part of the Sierra de los Organos mountain chain, and were formed by eons of erosion. Many consider this the most naturally beautiful spot in Cuba. |
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| Some among many Cuban staples grown organically in Viñales: Left to right Bananas, coffee beans, cucumbers, pineapple, and sweet potatoes. |
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| DAY TRIP TO PINAR DEL RIO'S NORTH COAST AND CAYO LEVISA |
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Cayo Levisa beach. A cayo (key) is a small island. |
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Early morning departure to Palma Rubia Pier for boat ride to Cayo Levisa. Enjoy the day on this islet with snorkeling and catamaran activities. Seafood lunch (included).
Late afternoon return to Los Jazmines Hotel.
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Baby barracuda off the shores of Cayo Levisa. |
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| THERE ARE NO poisonous plants, bugs or animals in Cuba. Tropical diseases are nearly vanquished. No vaccinations are required to visit the island. Visitors don't return home with mysterious maladies. |
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| PLAYA GIRON (BAY OF PIGS) AND TRINIDAD |
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Cuban Army tank used to defeat the US invasion forces in 1961. |
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Wild baby pigs. The region of the attack is Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs). The most important battles were fought on the beach: Playa Girón. |
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Morning departure to Trinidad. En route we'll visit the Museo Playa Girón and surrounding area where the infamous 1961 US-led Bay of Pigs invasion took place.
While in Playa Girón we'll time for lunch and to explore the beach and surrounding area.
We continue onto to the historic city of Trinidad and check to your all-inclusive Hotel Resort Costa Sur. You'll have time for dinner and a swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Evening free. Your guide will keep you posted on entertainment options. |
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Cuban Gunlash butterfly. Cuba hosts 177 species of butterflies, although only 18 are exclusive to the island. Endemic species include the Hazel Phoebis, the large and magnificent Metamorpha Stelenes, and the Cuban Greta, with transparent wings. The King butterfly and Senegalese Coffee butterfly travel back and forth from Africa to Cuba annually. |
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| SANTA CLARA, CHE MUSEUM, CIENFUEGOS, TRINIDAD |
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Che Guevara: dad, doctor, military leader, writer, thinker, humanist and baseball fan! |
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The most famous face in the world after Jesus Christ.
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Cienfuegos also has a Malecón (waterfront drive). |
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Exquisite architectural detailing on Cienfuegos heritage building. |
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Morning departure to Cienfuegos – founded by French immigrants at the beginning of the 19th century – renowned for its wealth of stunning historical buildings.
En route we'll visit we'll stop in the city of Santa Clara and tour the Plaza de La Revolución Ernesto Che Guevara, the Che Museum and the Che Memorial containing his remains and those of his fellow freedom fighters struck down in Bolivia in 1967.
Visit to the Armored Train Museum in Santa Clara. The Battle of Santa Clara was a series of events in late December 1958 that led to the capture of the Cuban city of Santa Clara by revolutionaries under the command of Che Guevara. The battle was a decisive victory for the rebels fighting against the US-backed regime of Fulgencio Batista: within 12 hours of the city's capture Batista fled Cuba and Fidel Castro's forces secured overall victory.
Upon arrival in Cienfuegos, known as the "Pearl of the South," your guide will review the origins of this beautiful cosmopolitan city. You'll walk the main Plaza Martí where the ceremony of foundation of the city took place.
We'll visit such neoclassical buildings the Cathedral built with donations from wealthy slave owning families like the Lebrancs, the Albis, and the Terrys. Inside the Teatro Tomas Terry you'll see the Twelve Apostles beautifully rendered in stained glass imported from Paris. The original machinery of its clock in the tower was also manufactured in France and keeps on ticking to this day.
Evening activity: Afrocuban performance at Las Ruinas (optional). |
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Display of the Batista train Che wrecked – the final decisive battle for the victory of the Revolution. |
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A view of Santa Clara's main plaza. Santa Clara was founded by 175 people on July 15th, 1689. One hundred and thirty-eight of them were represented by two large families already living in the area and, therefore, owners of the land next to the new city. The other 37 came from 7 other families, a priest and a governor, all of them originating in the coastal city of San Juan de los Remedios. The population of Remedios was torn between the option of leaving their city, constantly besieged by pirate attacks, or staying in place. |
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Cienfuegos, founded by French colonists, sports a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in its central plaza. |
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| THE HISTORIC CITY OF TRINIDAD DE CUBA |
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Live music at one of many venues in Trinidad. |
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Trinidad's Manaca Iznaga tower was built to keep watch over cane-field slaves. |
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Cuban iguana sun tans on beach. They are not poisonous nor they bite. |
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Sixth generation member of the Santander family spins decorative pots at centuries-old workshop. |
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Today we explore on foot one of the oldest cities founded by the Spaniards in the West Indies, Trinidad, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
We visit its Plaza Mayor, Museum of Architecture, Museum of the Romantic Era, the main town parish and other amazing sites, some dating back centuries.
We stop at a mirador (lookout) over the Sugar Mill Valley, where sugar barons constructed their opulent countryside mansions and mills – also an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We'll visit Museo de la Torre Manaca Iznaga. Pedro Iznaga built a sprawling hacienda in the middle of the San Luis Valley with the fortune he made from the slave trade. He erected a 44 meter watchtower with 184 steps, some 50 meters from his main house, to control his slaves who were more than eager to escape. He would mark the hour by tolling a bell.
Trinidad is well known for its pottery makers. We meet with a family that has been passing on the tradition for generations: the Santanders.
Free time to wander the streets of historical center – a great occasion to examine the oldest architecture in the Americas, inspect local art and shop for souvenirs.
Return to your hotel for lunch.
Your afternoon is free to enjoy your hotel, its all-inclusive amenities and the beach.
Evening venue: Live Cuban popular music on steps of Casa de la Música – a great opportunity to dance with Cubans and your classmates (optional). |
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Sunset on Trinidad's Playa Ancón. |
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| Cuban reef fish. Consider snorkeling at your resort hotel on Trinidad's Playa Ancón. |
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An alternative to 7-Eleven: Fresh fruit stands stocked with organic produce ensure good health. Cuba is one of the few countries without McDonald's and Starbucks – yes! |
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| FREE DAYS IN TRINIDAD, NATURE AND THE BEACH! |
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This Cuban frog is the worlds smallest (shown here at 2.5 times life size). |
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Enjoy a traditional lunch at Hacienda Codina, once a Spanish coffee plantation. |
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Cuban pygmy owl. |
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The bumblebee hummingbird perched atop a pencil (zunzún in Spanish) gets it name from the insect that is only slightly smaller. |
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| Topes de Collantes National Park in central Cuba's Escambray mountains is the perfect environment to spot the Cuban parakeet left, Fernandina's flicker center, and the Cuban parrot right. |
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Ancón beach at your all-inclusive resort hotel in Trinidad. |
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These days are your well-deserved time to explore the natural and historical areas surrounding Trinidad de Cuba. Consider an optional excursion on Soviet army trucks to climb the peaks of Topes de Collantes in the Escambray Mountains. The Escambrays comprise the island's second highest range, reaching to 3,700 feet atop Pico San Juan. The Escambrays are home to small villages and a true delight for birders and naturalists alike. Dramatic slopes are swathed in Caribbean pines, ancient tree ferns, bamboo and eucalyptus.
Of course your days are also free to enjoy the beach, hotel amenities, and the lively streets of Trinidad. Your guide will keep you posted on local excursion and entertainment options. |
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Peasant hut in the high altitude jungles of Topes de Collantes. |
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A Soviet Army truck is deployed to fight for nature. You'll ride to the mountains in it today. |
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Fresh waterfall and pool (El Nicho) near Cienfuegos. |
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| GOODBYE CUBA – HELLO CANADA |
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We'll miss you and hope you return soon! |
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Morning transfer to Havana's José Martí International Airport for your return home. Want to stay longer on your own? Contact us and we will help make it happen.
Keep in touch with your new Cuban friends – exchange email addresses! Bring some business cards to pass out on the island. Take pictures and keep a journal. Upon your return, we'll post them on this website for all to see and enjoy. |
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Old Cuban saying, "a true friend remembers the song in your heart when you have forgotten the lyrics." |
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