Take a trip back in time to Cuba!
Arriving in Havana prior to our Cuba Scuba liveaboard is the perfect opportunity to spend a week exploring Havana, Cienfuegos, and colonial Trinidad!
Enjoy your first weekend in Havana at the brand-new Grand Aston La Habana. By day, walk the enchanting streets of Old Havana, visit Hemingway's country home, and explore the Cuban art scene on this legal visit in support of the Cuban people. By night, meet gay Cubans in a local bar or strolling on the seaside Malecon, or check-out the Afro-Cuban jazz clubs or the world-famous Tropicana.
After four exciting nights in Havana, we'll head southeast to the Bay of Pigs to learn about the unique nature of the area, including the world's smallest hummingbird! Then travel back in time, to colonial-era Trinidad, the Valley of the Sugar Mills, and historic Cienfuegos, a lively city filled with French-inspired architecture. Our tour ends in Júcaro, Ciego de Avila province, where guests can board the Avalon III liveaboard to dive the Gardens of the Queen marine park.
E-mail us now to experience Cuba!
Planned Itinerary:
- Day 1: Saturday, November 16, 2024 Arrive Havana (D)
Arrive Jose Marti International Airport (HAV) around noon. Meet our English-speaking guide and driver and depart to City Center or Hotel. Group transfer to hotel will be arranged
3:30 PM Check-In Grand Aston La Habana hotel + Welcome drink
6:00 PM Meet private owners and taxi drivers of classic American cars and learn about their daily challenges to keep these relics running as you cruise the streets of Havana in pre-1959 Classic American cars. Pick up at the hotel, and drop off at restaurant.
7:00 PM Welcome dinner at local private restaurant Casa Mia or similar
Overnight at Grand Aston La Habana.
- Day 2: Sunday, November 17, 2024 Havana (B, L)
8:00 AM Breakfast at the hotel
9:00 AM Visit Community Project Beyond Roots and engage in an Immersion in Afro Cuban Culture
10:30 AM Depart for the Antique Car Club “A Lo Cubano”
11:00 AM Visit with the President of the Antique Car Club “A Lo Cubano” from the popular Series “Cuba Chrome” Enjoy some time to interact with the Club members and ask questions regarding the challenges they face as being part of the new emerging entrepreneur sector in Cuba nowadays. Visit the body shop where they do miracles fixing and restoring these relics to their former glory
12:00 PM Dining Experience at private restaurant Rita y Champagne or similar
2:00 PM Visit Vi Humos, a private project focused on the manufacturing of purses out of recycled cigar wood boxes, along with guayabera dresses designed by Vivian Acosta, the project owner.
Enjoy a cigar rolling and tasting experience, while you listen to Vivian’s personal story in the world of high-end habanos
3:00 PM Salsa Time! Learn how to dance different Cuban rhythms with private professional instructors
4:00 PM Return to hotel
7:00pm Dinner on your own (the guide will provide options). Rest of the evening at leisure.
Overnight at Grand Aston La Habana.
- Day 3: Monday, November 18, 2024 Havana (B,L)
8:00 AM Breakfast at the hotel
9:30 AM Depart to Havana Compas Dance
10:00 AM Visit Havana Compas Dance project. Discuss about their project and see a demonstration of dance, music and art followed by an interaction with the dancers and instructors
11:00 AM Depart for Interactive guided walking visit through Old Havana with your Cuban guide to learn about recent restoration projects as well as the history of the city, as you visit the four colonial plazas. Interact with private artisans and small business owners along Calle Obispo. As you shop local food, books, and art, learn about Cuba’s dual economy, in which private and government-owned businesses operate.
12:30 PM Dining Experience at private restaurant Le Petit
2:30 PM Visit San Jose handcraft market, a 19th century storage house by the harbor turned into a huge indoor craft market. Time to explore and interact with various private local artists. A good opportunity to purchase souvenirs and help artisans!
3:30 PM Return to hotel
7:00pm Dinner on your own (the guide will provide options). Rest of the evening at leisure.
Optional Evening Entertainment: Attend a show at world-famous Tropicana or Le Parisien cabaret in Hotel Nacional. Or enjoy a performance by Buena Vista Social Club at Havana Café for some excellent traditional Cuban music. Or watch world-class jazz at La Zorra y el Cuervo.
Overnight at Grand Aston La Habana.
- Day 4: Tuesday, November 19, 2024 Havana (B,L)
8:00 AM Breakfast at the hotel
9:30 AM Depart for Hemingway Museum at Finca Vigia
10:00 AM Visit the museum which is supported by several non-governmental and independent organizations. Interact with local caretakers of Hemingway’s former home and learn about the life and work of the writer when he lived in Cuba
10:45 AM Continue to YES Ambiente agroecological farm.
11:15 PM Short walk around the farm followed by “Mojito” making and tasting experience with ingredients from the farm
12:00 PM Farm to Table Dining Experience at the farm
2:00 PM Depart for Fuster community art project
2:15 PM Meet with Fuster and other local artisans from the village of Jaimanitas
3:00 PM Return to hotel
7:00 PM Dinner on your own (the guide will provide options). Rest of the evening at leisure.
Optional Evening Entertainment: Attend a show at world-famous Tropicana or Le Parisien cabaret in Hotel Nacional. Or enjoy a performance by Buena Vista Social Club at Havana Café for some excellent traditional Cuban music. Or watch world-class jazz at La Zorra y el Cuervo.
Overnight at Grand Aston La Habana.
- Day 5: Wednesday, November 20, 2024 Bay of Pigs and Trinidad (B,L)
7:00 AM Breakfast at the hotel
8:30 AM Depart to Trinidad, via Bay of Pigs and Cienfuegos.
11:00 AM Visit the hummingbird house (Bernabe’s House) near Playa Larga.
12:00 PM Dining Experience at local private restaurant Casa de Enrique (private enterprise featuring rooms for rent and private restaurant) or similar. Meet with a local naturalist to discuss the Cienaga de Zapata Biosphere Reserve
2:30 PM Continue to Trinidad, a charming city settled in 1514 which has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988.
5:00 PM Check-In hotel Melia Trinidad Peninsula.
7:00pm Dinner on your own (the guide will provide options).
Evening free after dinner to enjoy the charming colonial center by night.
Optional Evening Entertainment: Choose from Casa de la Musica, Casa de la Trova, Palenque de Congos Reales and dance the night away over a refreshing Cuban cocktail!
Overnight at the brand-new Melia Trinidad Peninsula.
- Day 6: Thursday, November 21, 2024 Trinidad (B,L)
8:00 AM Breakfast at our hotel
9:30 AM Walking tour of historic Trinidad, a 500-year-old city with Spanish colonial architecture. We learn about the efforts to preserve the city’s heritage as we walk its cobblestone streets, pastel houses with wrought iron grills, and beautiful palaces and plazas.
12:30 PM Dining Experience at local private restaurant San Jose
2:00 PM After lunch, visit Lazaro Niebla private Art Gallery. Lazaro is a native of Trinidad. Interact with the artist and learn about his work and challenges
3:00 PM Meet with the famous family Santander, well-known local potters. Visit their workshop and gallery. These artists have been making handmade pottery for over 100 years.
4:00 PM Return to hotel
7:00 PM Dinner on your own (the guide will provide options).
Evening free after dinner to enjoy the charming colonial center by night.
Optional Evening Entertainment: Choose from Casa de la Musica, Casa de la Trova, Palenque de Congos Reales and dance the night away over a refreshing Cuban cocktail!
Overnight at Melia Trinidad Peninsula.
- Day 7: Friday, November 22, 2024 Cienfuegos (B,L)
7:00 AM Breakfast at the hotel
8:00 AM This morning, we visit the beautiful port city of Cienfuegos, Cuba’s “Pearl of the South".
9:30 AM Interactive guided walking tour around Cienfuegos historic center, including Jose Marti Park, Terry Theater, the boulevard with its small private businesses and other sites
11:00 AM Visit the Cantores de Cienfuegos in Palacio Municipal. Enjoy a performance and interaction with the private artists
12:30 PM Dining Experience at local private restaurant Villa Lagarto
2:30 PM Visit Palacio de Valle. Tour the beautiful building and enjoy a cocktail. Built in 1917 by Acisclo del Valle Blanco, a wealthy Spaniard from Asturias, the structure resembles an outrageously ornate Moroccan casbah, with a mix of Gothic, Byzantine, Baroque influences.
3:30 PM Return to Trinidad
7:00 PM Dinner on your own (the guide will provide options).
Evening free after dinner to enjoy the charming colonial center by night.
Overnight at Melia Trinidad Peninsula.
- Day 8: Saturday, November 23, 2024 Valle de los Ingenios - Júcaro
8:00 AM Breakfast at our hotel
9:00 AM This morning, we depart for the port of Júcaro. On the way, enjoy a visit to Manaca Iznaga, one of several ruined 18th-century
sugarcane plantations nestled amid the verdant landscapes of the Valle de los Ingenios - the Valley of the Sugar Mills. Interact with private street vendors selling beautiful spun tablecloths, or enjoy a glass of sweet and refreshing “guarapo” (sugar cane juice) from the private kiosk on the way out.
Lunch at local restaurant.
Continue to Jucaro to board Avalon III liveaboard.
Itinerary subject to modification.
Non-divers are welcome to join us and will be transferred to the Santa Clara (SNU) airport for departure on November 23, or have the option of an additional night in Havana.
Please contact us for flight information.
Travel to Cuba
- United, American, JetBlue, and even Southwest Airlines all fly to Havana directly from the US.
- Book your flight to Havana (HAV) to arrive anytime on Saturday, November 16. Mid-day or early afternoon arrival preferred.
- Schedule your departure after our Cuba Scuba liveaboard from Camaguey (CMW) on the morning of Saturday, November 30 on American Airlines.
- Flying from the U.S., you'll need to indicate to the airline that you are on an authorized,"Support for the Cuban People" visit. You'll receive a letter authorizing your travel under Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury regulations to print and carry with you while traveling.
- E-mail us for assistance with international flight selection. We'll help you find the best option online for your flights.
Included:
- Four nights at Grand Aston La Habana in Havana, and three nights La Calesa hotel in the heart of old colonial Trinidad, all double occupancy (single occupancy available with a supplement)
- Seven day full schedule of authorized activities in support of the Cuban people
- Seven breakfasts, seven lunches, and five dinners, including a special welcome dinner.
- English speaking gay Cuban guide throughout the tour.
Not included:
- International airfare to Havana, returning from Havana or Santa Clara (SNU).
- Two dinners at own expense, along with any non-included beverages.
- Avalon III liveaboard November 23-30, 2024 ($3595)
- Travel Insurance
- Entrance fees and beverages at nightlife venues
- Tips and personal expenses at the hotels such as internet and laundry
Single rooms are available for a supplement, or we are happy to match you with a roommate.
Deposit:
A $500 deposit is due upon booking. Balance due 90 days prior to departure.
Liveaboard Diving on board Avalon III
November 23-30, 2024 (Saturday – Saturday): including five and half days of diving.
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