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

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Note: This is a basic itinerary - and all our itineraries are adaptable based on your interests.

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Day one

 

          Arrival, check-in Hotel Nacional, late afternoon city tour, dinner at private restaurant

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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

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          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

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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 

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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) 

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           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

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