SUPPORT FOR THE CUBAN PEOPLE TOUR 7 DAYS

SUPPORT FOR THE CUBAN PEOPLE TOUR

INCLUDED ACTIVITIES;

DAY 1 “HELLO HAVANA”

• Depart the U.S. for Jose Marti International Airport in Havana, Cuba.
• Meet & greet with guide at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport.
• Driving City Tour of Havana so you can get a general view of Cuba’s capital, includes a drive along the famous Havana malecon seawall, Vedado neighborhood, 5th Avenue in the suburb of Miramar, and a stop at the Plaza of the Revolution.  (3-4 hours)
• Welcome lunch at private restaurant.
• Transfer to B&B in Old Havana.
• Welcome dinner at private restaurant.
• Live music at venue to be determined.

 

DAY 2 “OLD HAVANA & SANTERIA”

• Breakfast at B&B.
• 9:00am Old Havana Encounter, our walking tour through Old Havana, La Habana Vieja, and its five main plazas, Plaza Vieja, Plaza de Armas, Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza de San Francisco, and Plaza del Cristo, with stops at the residence of the colonial era Captain General of the island, the Havana Cathedral, Obispo Street, and the Cuba’s capitol building. You will stop at the L’Antigua Habana book store, where you just may find a first edition of “The Old Man and the Sea,” or just a simple postcard. Old Havana gives you a taste of the island and will make you feel as if you had travelled back in time. Old Havana has some of the oldest buildings and streets in the Americas, with buildings and structures dating to the 16th century. These ancient buildings still house a significant number of Havana’s inhabitants. Old Havana features the first church built on the island, a street paved with wooden bricks, palatial residences, the hotel where Ernest Hemingway wrote “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” the beautiful Bacardi building, and the Cuba’s former presidential palace. Some of the notable buildings you will see during this tour include the house built by Ponce de Leon’s grandson, a section of Havana’s original colonial era sewer system, and the beautiful Palacio Viena Hotel, which like many structures in Old Havana has been undergoing a never-ending renovation. Our tour of Old Havana includes stops at Ernest Hemingway’s favorite bars, El Floridita and La Bodeguita del Medio. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982, Old Havana is the largest, oldest, and most authentic colonial area in the western hemisphere. (4 hours)
• Lunch at restaurant of guest’s choice. (Not included in tour price)
• 2:00pm Santeria Workshop, this workshop is your introduction to the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria, it covers the basics and includes such topics as the syncretism of Catholicism and African tribal religions, and the role and significance of drums in the religion.  The religion is a syncretism of African tribal religions and Catholicism and is currently practiced by a large percentage of the island’s population.  This workshop covers the main deities of the religion, their origin myths, the colors and vestments associated with them, and their roles in human life.  A visit to the Casa de Africa is included, and there you will see African musical instruments, artifacts, and a room dedicated to the orishas, the Yoruba deities.  Guests are usually amazed after attending this workshop that the multicolored wristbands and necklaces worn by many Cubans are associated with the religion. (4 hours)
• Dinner at restaurant of guest’s choice. (Not included in tour price)
• 9:00pm Live music at La Casa de la Musica or La Zorra y el Cuervo.

 

DAY 3 “REVOLUTION & SUPPORT FOR THE CUBAN PEOPLE”

• Breakfast at B&B.
• 9:00am Museum of the Cuban Revolution Tour, the Museum of the Revolution is housed in the former Presidential Palace of Cuba.  It is in Old Havana across from the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which exhibits works by Cuban artists.  Civilian and military artifacts are on display in the Museum, as are brief written descriptions of the events that led to the overthrow of the Batista regime in 1959. Artifacts from the armed struggle are amongst items on display, and they range from bloody shirts and pistols, to the motor yacht Granma, which ferried Fidel Castro and the members of the 26 of July Movement to Cuba from Mexico in 1956.  Military vehicles that were used during the fighting in the late 1950’s are on display outside of the Museum, and they range from tank and jeeps, to airplanes and tractors that were turned into armored fighting vehicles. (3 hours)
• Lunch at restaurant of guest’s choice. (Not included in tour price)
• 2:00pm Meet with residents of Old Havana and discuss topics relating to daily life in the colonial section of Havana. (3hours)
• Dinner at restaurant of guest’s choice. (Not included in tour price)
• 8:45pm Cannon Blast Ceremony, witness one of the oldest traditions of colonial era Cuba that still takes place, the 9:00p.m. cannon blast at the San Carlos de la Cabana Fortress.  The cannon shot signaled the closing of the city walls during the colonial era.

 

Day 4 “SOROA & SUPPORT OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE”

• Breakfast at B&B.
• Early morning transfer to Soroa, about a one-hour drive from Havana, but a world away.
• Explore Soroa and op, we take advantage of the road time between Havana and Trinidad to provide you with a brief description of the other Afro-Cuban Religion variant that is practiced
• Lunch at private restaurant on the road.
• 2:00pm Rural life in Cuba. Visit several small farms, a carpentry workshop, and several small businesses in rural Cuba. (3-4 hours)
• Transfer to your B&B in Cienfuegos.
• Dinner at private restaurant. (Not included in tour price)

 

DAY 5 “FREE TIME”

• Breakfast at B&B.
• 9:00am Plan your of own activity in Support of the Cuban People, or we will arrange one around your interests.
• Lunch at restaurant of guest’s choice. (Not included in tour price)
• 3:00pm Music Matinee, live performance featuring some of Cuba’s most popular musical groups at La Casa de la Musica, this is the group’s opportunity to practice dance moves with Cubans in one of the best dance clubs in Havana.  This event includes admittance, and bottle service at a table at Havana’s most popular dance clubs.  Unlike the nighttime presentations, the matinee shows at La Casa de la Musica feature an overwhelmingly Cuban crowd, with few tourists in attendance.  Popular musical groups featured include; Azucar Negra, Charanga Habanera, Havana de Primera, Maykel Blanco, Pupy y los que Son Son, Van Van, Yoruba Andabo, and more. (3 hours)
• Dinner at restaurant of guest’s choice. (Not included in tour price)

 

DAY 6 “RESOLVIENDO & SUPPORT OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE”

• Breakfast at B&B.
• 9:00am RESOLVIENDO Workshop, through this workshop we attempt to give our guests a peek into the life of a regular Cuban citizen.   You will see an actual tarjeta de abastecimiento, which roughly translates to provisions card.  These are the small notebooks that every Cuban citizen is given at birth, and which entitles them to five chicken eggs, a quarter chicken, coffee, cooking oil, and other items every month.  The provision card also entitles its’ bearer to purchase select items that are deemed to be necessities at discounted prices.  You will visit what is known in Cuba as an agricultural market, agro, and is basically the produce section of a supermarket, where most people buy their fresh produce.  You will visit a bread distribution point, where bread is distributed through the provision card at discounted prices.  Depending on schedule and other factors you may also visit a grocery store, meat market, and other markets where meats are sold.  This workshop will show visitors some of the daily rituals most Cubans deal with, it will be presented by your guide, and sometimes we have invited guests who are experts in certain areas of the food distribution chain in Cuba.  The history of the provisions card will also be covered.  (4 hours)
• Farewell lunch at private restaurant.
• 2:00pm Small Business Tour in Support of the Cuban People Tour which includes visits to various Havana neighborhoods in a classic Chevrolet or Ford and stops to speak with several private small business owners in areas of urban Havana most visitors to not visit.  You will be able to speak directly with these Cuban entrepreneurs and learn what it’s like to do business in Cuba. (4 hours)    
• Farewell dinner at private restaurant.
• Live music at venue to be determined.

 

DAY 7 “Adios Cuba”

• Breakfast at B&B.
• Transfer to Jose Marti International Airport for return flight, schedule determined by departure time.

 

Price includes all listed activities, Cuban entry visa, full-time English-speaking professional guide, all transportation*, and 6 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners.

DOES NOT INCLUDE YOUR AIRFARE.

Your price per person with Bed&Breakfast DOUBLE OCCUPANCY $1,600

Price per person SINGLE OCCUPANCY $1,800

Nighttime activity schedule subject to change. 

*LATE NIGHT TRANSPORTATION TO RETURN TO B&B NOT INCLUDED.

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