National Geographic Expeditions will launch its people-to-people tours in Cuba in November.
National Geographic received its Cuba travel license from the U.S. Treasury Department on Aug. 23. Operators must run educational tours in which participants interact with locals.
“Cuba: Discovering Its People and Culture” is a 10-day tour departing Miami on Nov. 26; Dec. 10, 24; Jan. 7, 21; Feb. 4, 18; March 10, 24; April 7, 21; and May 12.
Lynn Cutter, National Geographic’s senior vice president of travel and business development, said, “We’ve tapped into National Geographic’s network of experts and resources in Cuba to craft an exciting, immersive program that provides a true insider’s perspective and an interactive dialogue through encounters with local Cubans.”
Each departure will be led by a National Geographic expert who will serve as an ambassador between the travelers and the Cubans.
Author and travel photographer Christopher Baker will lead the first tour and several other departures. Author Tom Miller and Elizabeth Newhouse (former National Geographic editor and consultant with the Center for International Policy’s Cuba Project in Washington) also will head up departures.
The tour is $4,995 per person, double (add $560 for single travelers). Air to Miami and charter air to Havana are extra.
The itinerary includes Unesco World Heritage sites of Old Havana and Trinidad; a trip to the Bay of Pigs with Cuban veterans from the 1961 invasion; attendance at music and dance performances; and visits to local farms, parks, fishing villages, homes, schools, street parties, cathedrals, art studios and Hemingway’s rural home Finca Vigia.
Abercrombie & Kent on Monday said it was canceling its new Cuba program after reviewing a clarification on new Cuba travel regulations issued by the Treasury Department.
Expedition Details
Thanks to a special license issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, National Geographic invites you to participate in an extraordinary immersive program to discover Cuba’s fascinating people and culture. Learn firsthand from Cuban locals and experts about their splendid colonial cities, vibrant music and art scene and lush rural landscapes, and experience the timeless beauty and fascinating culture of this enigmatic island nation. Learn about the restoration of Old Havana from local preservationists; visit the Bay of Pigs with Cuban veterans; share readings from Hemingway’s work at his rural home, Finca Vigía. Throughout your journey, exchange ideas and experiences relating to art, education, religion, history, and conservation with Cuban artists, teachers, Santería priests, park rangers, and more.
Trip Highlights
- In the company of Cuban preservationists explore the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Old Havana and Trinidad.
- Visit the Bay of Pigs with Cuban veterans who will share their memories of the 1961 invasion.
- Witness Cuba’s revitalization at music and dance performances and on visits to local farms, homes, schools, and art studios.
- Meet photographer Julio Muñoz, whose family appeared in a 1999 National Geographic article, and learn about his innovative project in promoting equine care.
Itinerary - 10 Days
Day 1 — U.S./Havana, Cuba
Upon arrival in Havana, transfer to our hotel. Gather for a welcome reception and dinner tonight.
Hotel Saratoga, Hotel Parque Central, Hotel Santa Isabel or Hotel San Felipe y Santiago de Bejucal, depending on the departure date
(D)
Day 2 — Havana
Explore Old Havana and discover its beautiful Spanish colonial architecture. Learn about the challenges facing Havana as it struggles to preserve its architectural and cultural heritage in a period of great economic change. On the main commercial street, meet some of Cuba’s cuentapropistas (self-employed), who are part of an expanding private sector. After lunch, enjoy a talk with experts from the Old Havana restoration project. Later, following a presentation on the role of tobacco in Cuban history, watch the intricate work of torcedores, or cigar rollers, at the famous Partagás cigar factory, followed by a discussion with a few of the rollers about their work. Soak up the atmosphere in Parque Central, where baseball fans engage in debates while domino players duel beneath palm trees. Attend a talk on Cuban religion in its many forms—from Catholicism to Judaism to Santería—and then visit the cathedral of San Cristóbal with a remarkable baroque facade that Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier described as “music turned to stone.”
Hotel Saratoga, Hotel Parque Central, Hotel Santa Isabel or Hotel San Felipe y Santiago de Bejucal, depending on the departure date
(B,L,D)
Day 3 — Havana/Cojímar
Begin the day with a presentation on Cuba’s current political and economic landscape. Afterward, set out for Ernest Hemingway’s hilltop home, Finca Vigía, now a museum. Meet with a curator to discuss the author’s enduring legacy in Cuba, followed by a reading of some of his iconic works. Then travel to the seaside village of Cojímar, the setting for the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Old Man and the Sea. Here, meet local fishermen and environmentalists who will discuss conservation measures to protect Cuba’s marine wildlife, including sea turtles. Have lunch overlooking the harbor where Hemingway’s fishing boat was moored. Later, enjoy a talk on Hemingway’s reaction to the 1959 Cuban Revolution and his final departure from Cuba and subsequent death in 1961. Then visit Hotel Ambos Mundos in Old Havana where the author’s room is maintained as a museum. Finish off the day at El Floridita, another Hemingway haunt that provides a unique window into his life in Cuba.
Hotel Saratoga, Hotel Parque Central, Hotel Santa Isabel or Hotel San Felipe y Santiago de Bejucal, depending on the departure date
(B,L)
Day 4 — Pinar del Río/Viñales
Travel into the Pinar del Río Province and Viñales valley, known for its emerald tobacco fields. Visit the legendary tobacco farm of the Robaina family and witness firsthand the cultivation of Cuba’s legendary crop. Meet and talk with those who work the farm and learn about Cuba’s rural culture and economy. Later, explore Viñales National Park with rangers and naturalists who will discuss conservation in this forested region. Meet with rural farmers who still use oxen to till their fields. Continue to the lovely town of Viñales, surrounded by striking limestone hills, or mogotes. This evening, attend a talk by our expert on the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Hotel Los Jazmines or Hotel La Ermita, depending on the departure date
(B,L,D)
Day 5 — Bay of Pigs/Cienfuegos
Set out for the historic Bay of Pigs. On our way, visit the cave where Ernesto “Che” Guevara was headquartered during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Explore Playa Girón, the landing site for the 1961 U.S.-backed invasion, and the Playa Giron museum with Cuban veterans, who will share their memories. Engage them directly on the legacy of the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. Continue to Cienfuegos, a port city with architecture that reflects its French colonial roots. This evening, discover the history and Parisian-style boulevards of Cuba’s “pearl of the South.” Meet local residents in Parque Martí and see the statue commemorating José Martí, a renowned author and a leader in Cuba’s quest for independence from Spain.
Hotel Jagua (B,L,D)
Day 6 — Cienfuegos
Visit the country’s largest botanical garden with a member of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba, who will talk about Cuba’s efforts to maintain the rich biodiversity of its extraordinary plant life. Then travel into the mountains of the Sierra del Escambray and enjoy lunch at a restored sugar hacienda. Afterward, board a 1906 Baldwin steam train once used to transport sugar cane and journey into the lush Valley of the Sugar Mills, where we’ll learn about the historic yet diminished importance of Cuba’s sugar industry. Meet former sugar workers who have shifted to new agricultural employment in an uncertain economic period, as Cuba attempts to become self-sustaining in food production. Return to Cienfuegos this evening and join in a neighborhood street party where you will have an opportunity to meet Cubans in an informal setting.
Hotel Jagua (B,L,D)
Day 7 — Trinidad
Explore Cuba’s best-preserved colonial city with restoration experts. Meander along cobblestone streets past pastel-colored homes and serene plazas. Meet with students at a local art institute, housed in what was once the dragoons’ barracks and discover what fresh contributions young artists are making to Cuba’s shifting cultural landscape. After lunch, meet Julio Muñoz, a local photographer and “horse whisperer” whose wife and niece were featured in an October 1999 National Geographic article. Visit Julio’s colonial-era house and stables, the base for his project in promoting equine care in Cuba. Then join him in visiting a babalawo, a high priest of the Afro-Caribbean religion, Santería.
Hotel Jagua (B,L,D)
Day 8 — Havana/Jaimanitas
Return to Havana, stopping for lunch along the way. Attend a musical performance at a local music and dance school and meet the students. Then head to the charming fishing village of Jaimanitas to visit the workshop and home of ceramic artist José Fuster, called the “Picasso of Cuba.” Talk with residents involved in revitalizing the neighborhood with colorful mosaics.
Hotel Saratoga, Hotel Santa Isabel or Hotel Parque Central, depending on the departure date
(B,L)
Day 9 — Havana
Take a morning walk through the Vedado neighborhood. Then visit La Plaza de la Revolución and Colon (Columbus) Cemetery, known for its elaborate mausoleums, chapels, and tombstones. Meet pilgrims from across the country at the grave of La Milagrosa (The Miraculous One), a woman who died in childbirth in 1901 and who many Cubans believe has the power to grant good luck. Later, meet local artists at “Salvador’s Alley,” an outdoor multimedia space with vibrant murals, Santería shrines, and rumba performances. Learn how these artists refract the realities of contemporary Cuban life through a variety of media. Toast our new Cuban friends at a farewell dinner tonight.
Hotel Saratoga, Hotel Santa Isabel or Hotel Parque Central, depending on the departure date
(B,L,D)
Day 10 — Havana/U.S.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home.
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