Our Trips & Agenda
Group Travel with FocusCuba
Winter 2019—Spring 2020
Want to see Cuba with one of our group itineraries? Choose from these dates:
December 3-8, 2019
January 12-17, 2020
February 11-16, 2020
March 3-8, 2020
Lodging is at Havana’s iconic Hotel Nacional, all program arrangements are made for you, and in addition to the program activities, there is time for other interests – art, shopping, music, dance, baseball, religious visits – that we can help you to arrange.
To comply with U.S. regulations under the “Support for the Cuban people” travel category, we provide a full-time schedule of activities that connect you with independent entrepreneurs, religious institutions, and others in Cuba. We boost the revenue of Cuba’s private sector by visiting restaurants and using transportation and other services, and we assist our travelers in donating goods or funds to Cuban charities. We also offer the option of lodging in private homes for smaller groups and for custom-designed itineraries.
Itinerary
Note: This is a basic itinerary - and all our itineraries are adaptable based on your interests.
Day one
Arrival, check-in Hotel Nacional, late afternoon city tour, dinner at private restaurant
Day two
Morning in Old Havana, the 500-year-old capital city’s colonial core; join local expert to learn about the community and the restoration of centuries-old architecture; visit private businesses throughout
Lunch, private restaurant
Afternoon visits to innovative businesses: a car service that operates with 1950’s Chevrolets that the owners buy and restore themselves; a barbershop in a colonial neighborhood that plows profits into community assistance and youth occupational training
Muraleando - a visit to Havana's Lawton neighborhood to see a community art project that uses the neighborhood's outdoor spaces as its canvas
Dinner, private restaurant
Nightlife options: music, dance, theater
Day three
Full-day excursion to Viñales valley, west of Havana; meet farmers who belong to a private cooperative and grow vegetables, grains, and the world’s best tobacco. Visit to town of Viñales, meet artists and entrepreneurs. Lunch at a restaurant overlooking the valley, operated by the organic farm that surrounds and supplies it.
Return to Havana, evening free, dinner on our own
Day four
In nearby town of Santa Maria del Rosario, visit Cuba's "country cathedral," an 18th century church; discussion with priest and parishioners, opportunity to donate to parish charity
Farm-to-table lunch at nearby organic farm that supplies Havana’s private restaurants; discussion of the farm and restaurant businesses
Afternoon in Havana – visit to market where 300 private vendors and artists sell paintings, prints, clothing, and crafts
Dinner, private restaurant
Day five
Morning visit to the nearby town of Cojimar (setting of The Old Man and the Sea) for an immersion in Cuban food culture: buy supplies at farmers market, join owners of the private restaurant in making lunch (and the perfect mojito)
Visit to Regla, a municipality across the bay in eastern Havana; community visit and discussion to learn about the Afro-Cuban religious tradition of Santeria, its history, and its role in Cuban life today
A visit with local musicians to explore Cuba's musical forms and traditions - son, rumba, salsa
Day six
Departure for airport