9 Days
Destinations Visited
HavanaCienfuegosTrinidad
Local Conditions
73℉ Current Temp
Current Time

Highlights

Travel Route

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Your Adventure, Day by Day

Day 1 Fly to Cuba
  • Depart the United States for Cuba Fly to Miami* en route to Havana.
  • *Alternate flight routes may be used, depending on schedule.
Day 2 Arrive in Cuba!
  • Welcome to Havana, the Country's Capital! En route to Santa Clara, discover Ernest Hemingway's lovingly preserved home with a local curator. The house is just as Hemingway left it, with a large collection of books, records, paintings, and furniture to observe through its open windows (it's not possible to enter the home).
  • Lunch Both lunch and dinner are included today.
  • Che Guevara Mausoleum Stop at the Che Guevara mausoleum, housing the remains of Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Overnight and dinner in Santa Clara.
Day 3 Trinidad
  • Valle de los ingenious Depart hotel and head south toward Trinidad. Learn about its sugar industry and visit Valle de los ingenious, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you will climb the Iznaga Tower.
  • Lunch Both lunch and dinner are included today.
  • Walking Tour of Trinidad Continue on to Trinidad for an in-depth walking tour of a city that is maintained as a living museum, Just as the Spaniards left it in its period of greatest opulence. Discover its many sites, including a visit to Palacio Cantero.
  • LEAP Musica Cubana Learn about Cuban musical tradition during an interactive musical workshop.
  • Daily Life in Trinidad Meet with a prominent local entrepreneur in his home to learn more about daily life in Trinidad.
  • Guajimico Continue on to Guajimico where we will stop on the way at a rural medical clinic to learn about the health-care system in Cuba. Overnight and dinner in Guajimico.

LEAP Activity | Musica Cubana

Learn about Cuban musical tradition during an interactive musical workshop.

Day 4 Cienfuegos
  • Tour Cienfuegos Tour this World Cultural Heritage Site founded by French Settlers in 1819. Visit a cooperative of young Cuban artists.
  • Botanical Research After lunch, drive to Cienfuegos Botanical Garden and learn about its important research focused on tropical botany.
  • Choral Performance Next, attend a performance of Cantores de Cienfuegos choral group.
Day 5 Havana
  • Zapata Peninsula Biosphere Reserve En route to Playa Giron (Bay of Pigs), stop nearby the Zapata Peninsula Biosphere Reserve for a chance to spot the world's smallest hummingbird. The region boasts a great diversity of ecosystems, including mangrove forests and coastal lagoons.
  • Bay of Pigs Museum Visit the Bay of Pigs Museum and learn about the 1961 invasion and failed attempt to overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
  • Lunch Both lunch and dinner are included today.
  • La Maestra Upon arrival in Havana, view the short documentary film, La Maestra, focusing on the stories of young women literacy workers throughout Cuba. You'll also have an opportunity to meet on the women featured in the film.
  • Hotel Nacionale de Cuba After the film, have dinner at Hotel Nacionale de Cuba, a historic luxury hotel location on the Malecón. Afterwards, visit the U.S.S. Maine Memorial before returning to the hotel.
Day 6 Old Havana
  • LEAP Cuban School Visit After breakfast, participate in this LEAP activity, where you will interact with students from a local school.
  • Old Havana Next, go to Old Havana for an in-depth visit with a local guide. Learn about its Spanish colonial architecture, see its many landmark buildings, and learn about its current restoration process.
  • Architectural Orientation After lunch, a local architecture historian and professor will lead an orientation tour of the city, to educate on its many iconic sites. Walk through the Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón before watching a rehearsal of the well-known MalPaso Dance Company.

LEAP Activity | Cuban School Visit

Interact with students from a local school in Havana.

Day 7 Vinales
  • Orchid Farm Stop at the Orchid Farm of Soroa before arriving at Vinales for a full day excursion with a local guide to explore this stunning region.
  • Agricultural Insight Learn about this unique landscape and formations, visit a tobacco farm, and have lunch on a private farm.
Day 8 Havana
  • Round Table Discussion Start the day with a round-table discussion on "US/Cuba Relations" with a professor from University of Havana. Afterwards, visit Vivero Alamar, a state owned research garden, to learn about urban gardening.
  • LEAP Cocina Cubana For lunch, learn about traditional Cuban cuisine as you prepare your own lunch during a Cuban cooking class. Both lunch and dinner are included today
  • Cultural Insights After lunch, tour Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes with an art curator. End the afternoon at Callejon de Hamel, the site of a huge multi-dimensional Afro-Cuban mural. Learn about the Santeria religion from a local practitioner in his home.
  • Meet with a Former Ministry Official Meet for a round-table discussion with a former member of the Ministry of Agriculture to learn about contemporary life in Cuba.
  • Farewell Dinner End your last night in Cuba with a farewell dinner in Havana.

LEAP Activity | Cocina Cubana

Learn about authentic Cuban cuisine as you prepare your own mouth-watering lunch during a cooking class—then sit down and savor your creations!

Day 9 Return Home to the United States
  • Presidential Palace Visit the Presidential Palace and the Granma Memorial, which preserves the vessel that brought Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and other revolutionaries from Mexico to Cuba in 1956.
  • Return to the U.S. Return to the airport for a charter flight to Miami, where you will continue to your chose gateway.
  • *Note Lunches may be substituted for dinner on some days, depending on tour logistics.
Three Free College Credits Included with this Program

Students traveling on a WorldStrides Perspectives program have the opportunity to earn three free college credits through our Discovery for Credit program.  Students who receive college credit gain a competitive advantage on college applications, are distinguished as savvy travelers and online learners, and get a jump start on their path to successful completion of higher education.  Students completing applicable coursework receive an official transcript, issued by our university partner, the University of California – San Diego.  Click here for more details.

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