2017 Cuba Adventure: February 24 – March 4

NOTE: now that tourism is open to US citizens in Cuba, things are changing rapidly and we may have updates to this information prior to the trip.

Meeting & Finishing Time & Place We will meet you at 10:00 AM in Havana, Cuba on the first day of the trip (February 24) at Jose Marti International Airport (airport code HAV). Look for your name or “Zephyr Adventures” on a sign as you exit baggage claim/customs. We'll be leaving from the airport and heading directly to Las Terrazas, a small community and nature preserve about an hour outside of Havana. You can also choose to arrive a day early, which we highly recommend (See Extending Your Stay below). Not only will this allow you a day of rest before the tour starts, but it will also allow a time cushion in case you or your luggage is delayed. If you do choose to arrive a day early, we can arrange a room for you at a recommended casa particular in Havana (some say it is even better than staying at a hotel!) In order to get from the airport to your accommodations, there are a few transportation options for you, including a private shuttle where you will be met at the airport by a personal driver holding a sign with your name on it. We would arrange for you 2-3 weeks before your arrival, the approximate cost of this is $60/person. Otherwise a taxi can be hailed just outside of the airport at the taxi stand for $25-$30/person. All taxi cabs in Cuba are run via the government and have set prices for destinations making them both safe and economical. If a majority of the group would like to book a room at the same accommodation the night before our tour, we will pick up everyone from there on the first morning of the tour. You can book your return flight from Havana any time after 1:00 PM on March 4. On the last morning of the tour, we will shuttle everyone back to the airport, arriving by 10:00 AM to allow the recommended three-hour cushion for your flight. We will be staying in Havana the night before and will only be about 30 minutes away from the airport. Again, see Extending Your Stay below if you would like to have additional days in Cuba after the trip.

Flying To & From Cuba There are now several airlines that fly directly from the United States to Havana including JetBlue, American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, Spirit, and United. You may not yet have the option to book a connecting flight from your home airport and may have to book a separate ticket to fly to Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, or New York to then fly to Havana. Things are changing daily in this regard, so please contact us if you want advice or assistance with finding a flight. NOTE: Though some restrictions have been lifted for Americans to visit Cuba, we need to follow an approved people- to-people exchange itinerary. You will need to include “People-to-People Exchange” as your reason to visit Cuba when prompted by the airlines and border control officials.

Requirements For Entering Cuba From The U.S. While traveling to Cuba may not seem as simple as traveling to Europe, for instance, the requirements for entering Cuba aren’t that complicated, given the relative novelty of U.S. citizens being able to enter Cuba! For U.S. citizens, “general tourism” is still not allowed. Your visit must fit into one of twelve special categories in order to legally travel to Cuba from the U.S. Our tour is a people-to-people tour where we will be participating in educational experiences with local Cuban people. As of January 16th, 2015 Americans no longer need to apply for specific licenses if they fit one of the twelve special categories but you will need to indicate that you are participating in a people-to-people exchange when booking your flights.

What you need to enter into Cuba from the U.S.: • Passport • Tourist Card/Visa • Proof of Cuba Travel Medical Insurance

2017 Cuba Adventure: February 24 – March 4

• Certification of Travel to Cuba (included in the Pre-Departure documents from Zephyr)

Passport: To enter Cuba, U.S. citizens must have a valid passport with at least two blank pages. See the US State Department website for more details. If you need to acquire a passport, you should call your local passport agency today as normal processing takes 4-8 weeks (although you can expedite this at extra cost).

Tourist Card/Visa: The required tourist visa, known as a tourist card, allows the holder to stay in Cuba for 30 days and is valid for a single entry and you must purchase this ahead of time. You must provide proof of confirmed return flight and booked accommodation. Depending on what airline you book with, you may have the option to purchase the tourist card when you purchase your tickets. For example, American Airlines charges $85 if you buy a tourist card when you buy your ticket. The tourist card will then be FedEx’d to your home in 5-7 business days. If the airline you choose does not give you the option to purchase the tourist card at the time of your airline ticket purchase, or you choose not to purchase it at that time, you also have the option to purchase your Cuba tourist card at the U.S. airport you will be departing from for $100. You will need to hang on this card as you will need to present it before you leave the country as well. (We find it helpful to put a paper clip in your passport to keep if from slipping out).

Cuba Travel Medical Insurance: All visitors to Cuba are required to prove they have insurance covering medical expenses from approved foreign companies during their period of stay. U.S. insurance policies are not accepted. Accepted medical insurance plans cost anywhere from $20 – $75 USD and can be purchased ahead of time. You may have the opportunity to purchase medical insurance included in your airfare – make sure to check before you purchase separate insurance. Alternatively, you can purchase a policy from Cuban vendors on arrival in Cuba for around $10 per day, but please note that is only if the travel insurance desk is open upon your arrival. We recommend you purchase medical insurance ahead of time. You may wish to combine the mandatory medical insurance with an overall travel insurance plan, but this also must be purchased from a non-U.S. insurance company. Check out the insurance aggregator SquareMouth, or the insurance companies Asistur or InsureMyTrip.

Certification of Travel to Cuba: Though we no longer need to apply for a specific license to enter Cuba under the People-to-People exchange category, you will still need to provide documentation that your trip falls under this category. Please make sure to print and complete the Certification of Travel to Cuba document that can be found on our online Pre-Departure Packet. You will need to present this while going through customs and potentially to purchase your airfare. Since we are part of the General License, you do not need to worry about filling out the bottom of the form under the Specific License section. Just make sure to complete the top portion.

Delays In Your Travel Plans Please be aware we will depart from the airport to head directly into the countryside, rather than staying in Havana that night. If you get delayed and can’t meet us at the appointed time, please contact your guide Beth Peluse in one or more of the following ways with your revised travel information so we can give you information to help get you caught up to the group. We advise you to ask shops/customer service desk staff at the airport to help place a local call in the event that you need to reach us upon arrival. • Text +1-630-204-6494 or email [email protected] or [email protected] • Call our local Cuban partner’s office at 55066933 • We will also be providing you with our local guide’s cell phone numbers If you are unable to meet us at the airport, you will most likely need to hire a cab at your own expense to meet us at our hotel in Soroa. We will be staying at Hotel Soroa, located at Carretera de km. 8., Soroa, Cuba. Copyright Zephyr Adventures Page 2

2017 Cuba Adventure: February 24 – March 4

Hotels and Contact Information Following are the hotels in which we will stay during our adventure. In an emergency, it is also possible to call the Zephyr office (+1-888-758-8687, ext. 1) and we will attempt to reach the group. Night 1 Hotel Soroa +53 5 3853861 Soroa Night 2 Hotel Pinar del Rio +53 48 755070 Pinar Del Rio Night 3 Hotel Riviera +53 78 36 40 51 Havana Nights 4 - 5 Casas Particulares Cienfuegos & Trinidad Nights 6 - 7 Hostal Enrique +53 45 987425 Playa Larga Night 8 Hotel Sevilla +53 78 608560 Havana

Where We Stay We stay in seven separate locations during our nine-day tour. Night 1: Our first night in Cuba will not be in Havana but rather just outside beautiful Las Terrazas. Hotel Soroa is a charming hotel is located in lush natural settings among the Sierra del Rosario, an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. We'll enjoy the diverse flora and fauna for which the area is famous for, right from the hotel - including a renown orchid garden. Night 2: After we’ve spent the day exploring one of Cuba’s best national parks, Valle de Viñales, and touring a local tobacco factory, we’ll head to the small town of Pinar del Rio and check into the Hotel Pinar del Rio. This hotel provides laid-back lodging. After a long day of hiking, we'll be able to relax with a refreshing dip in their newly refurbished pool or with a nice massage. Nights 3: As soon as you step foot in this historic hotel, you are transported you back in time. Ginger Rogers inaugurated the hotel in December ’57, playing the legendary Copa Room of this seafront hotel built by mobster Meyer Lansky. Though the mafia have long since left, the hotel staff have preserved that 50s vibe ever since. Located across from Havana’s famous seaside promenade in the Vedado district and near the Old Havana and Miramar neighborhoods. Night 4 - 5: For the next three nights, we’ll be staying in casa particulares in the towns of Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and Play Larga. Cuba’s smaller cities and villages do not offer larger hotels that you may be accustomed to in your travels to other countries. Casas particulares are private accommodations similar to a typical bed and breakfast. Depending on group size, we may not be staying all together, but certainly within the same neighborhood. Nights 6 - 7: Hostal Enrique is a highly rated, comfortable private lodging located just one block from the beach. We'll enjoy breakfasts each morning on their veranda overlooking the water. Night 8: Located in the heart for Havana's social and cultural scene, Hotel Sevilla opened its doors in 1908 with architecture inspired by the Moorish lines and motifs of the entrance to the famous Court of the Lions in the Alhambra Palace. In the 1940s, mobsters who had dealings with Lucky Luciano and Al Capone ran the Hotel Sevilla. But it is most famous for welcoming singer and dancer, Josephine Baker, when the Hotel Nacional de Cuba denied her entry due to the color of her skin. Today, the hotel boasts well-appointed rooms, a luxurious lobby, and a palm-lined pool.

Extending Your Stay If you have the time, it is certainly worth extending your vacation in Cuba. If you decided to extend your stay, you may want to research other day tours or excursions to add on to the Zephyr tour as you may need to account for these days in your itinerary to comply with the U.S. regulations. We will only be covering a portion of the Western and Central sections of the country during our tour. It may be helpful to book day tour trips to other areas of Cuba. There are many other beautiful natural areas, national parks, and historical sites to explore. Here are a few ideas for you to consider: • Che Guevara’s Memorial: Located in the middle of Cuba in Santa Clara, The Che Guevara Mausoleum houses the remains of the revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara and twenty-nine of his fellow combatants killed in 1967 during their attempt to create an uprising in Bolivia. Guevara was buried with full military honors on 17 October Copyright Zephyr Adventures Page 3

2017 Cuba Adventure: February 24 – March 4

1997 after his exhumed remains were discovered in Bolivia and returned to Cuba. At the site, there is a museum dedicated to Guevara's life and an eternal flame lit by Fidel Castro in Che's memory. • Gran Parque Nacional Sierra Maestra: This gorgeous park is located in the heart of the stunning Sierra Maestra mountain range, and contains Pico Turquino, Cuba’s highest peak. You’ll find an array of species here, including Sabicu (a West Indian tree commonly used for shipbuilding), and birds such as Carta Cuba, Tocororo and Zunzun. This park contains many sites of historical interest, such as La Plata, which served as Fidel Castro’s headquarters in the late 1950s. • Santiago de Cuba: Cuba’s second-largest city is famous for its rich history, distinct culture, and vibrant music scene. Discover the Archaeological Landscape of the First Coffee Plantations UNESCO site where you can explore ruins that are over 200 years old. Climb the 454-step staircase for an unrivalled view of Santiago atop a 70,000- ton boulder teetering over the ridge of the Sierra Baconao, 1,000 metres above sea level. Go snorkeling to investigate Cuba’s most famous shipwreck. No day spent in Santiago would be complete without checking out the local music scene – you might try heading to Casa de la Trova, famous for great Cuban music. • Baracoa: Baracoa, Cuba’s oldest and most isolated town is located in the Northeastern municipality of Guantanamo (yes, that Guantanamo, which also houses our naval base and detention facility). Many people travel the area to hike El Yunque (The Anvil), the region’s famous tabletop mountain. Though it is a long and most likely humid hike, it is not a technical one. You’ll want to bring your swimsuit as there are river crossings and places to take a dip along the way. While in the area, you can also check out the hike to a 305-meter high waterfall called Salto Fino. It is the Caribbean’s highest waterfall and ranked 20th highest in the world. Since we will be ending our tour in Havana, you may want to consider booking a flight to Baracoa as it is over a 12-hour drive by car.

Currency & Credit Cards Cuba has pretty much a 100% cash economy, and its currency can't be purchased outside the country. Cuba operates on a two-currency system – one for locals, Cuban pesos, and the other for tourists, convertible Cuban pesos or CUC (pronounced ‘cook’). It's unlikely anyone will charge you or mention anything other than the CUC$ option, but be aware it’s around 25 times the price of the local peso (be sure to check your change as the notes look similar). One CUC$ is equal to U.S. dollar (USD). U.S.-issued credit and debit cards do not currently work in Cuba (although American Express and MasterCard announced that their cards can be used in Cuba, their acceptance is not widespread.). While ATMs do exist, they are few and far between and can be empty when you do find them. We highly recommend bringing enough cash to cover all the expenses you might incur during your trip. Most of your expenses are pre-paid on this trip, so the only cash you should need will be for purchasing souvenirs, tips and beverages. Cuban businesses will not accept U.S. currency directly. While most hotels will exchange USDs, the rate and commission vary wildly. When exchanging USDs for CUCs you will likely pay a 10% penalty and 3% fee. To avoid the penalty, you could exchange dollars to euros or another currency that’s accepted before leaving the U.S., and then exchange those funds for convertible Cuban pesos. State-run cambios’ opening hours can vary, so if in doubt it's best to change cash when and where you can. There’s an official currency exchange outside the airport in Havana. You can exchange your leftover CUC back to US dollars (or whatever) before you leave the country. Souvenirs: If you are traveling to Cuba under one of the 12 special categories, you are now allowed to bring back $400 worth of souvenirs, including up to $100 worth of Cuban cigars and rum. To help you decide how much cash to bring with you, here are some guidelines of items not included on the tour:

• Gifts/Souvenirs - we recommend $200-$400 per person. If you plan to shop minimally or not at all, adjust appropriately.

2017 Cuba Adventure: February 24 – March 4

• Incidental personal expenses - $100 per person. Plan on unexpected needs along the way, such as laundry, tips for service outside the scope of the tour such as hotel staff, etc. • Beverages/entertainment not included in your tour - $75-$100 per person. We will provide clean drinking water at all times, as well as water with meals and coffee, tea and juice at breakfast. In addition, most restaurants on your tour will include one beverage of your choice with lunch and dinner. However, an included drink is not always the case, and additional beverages will need to be paid separately. In many places, you may take an evening stroll and enjoy some live music in a local bar. At the Casas we stay in along the way, you can buy beer and perhaps other drinks. Drinks range from $2-$4 at most locations. • Guide gratuities (see specifics below in the Tipping Section)

In summary, we recommend a total of $550 - $800 USD per person. If this seems high, we again remind you that it's best to bring more than you think you may need, as you cannot get more cash in Cuba. You can always exchange the money back and take home what you don't spend.

Vaccinations & Health You are not required to get any specific vaccinations prior to entering Cuba, but we would recommend making sure you are up to date on your routine vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus, measles, and polio. You can also find recommendations at the Centers for Disease Control website. If you were to have any additional immunization for travel to Cuba, it would likely be for hepatitis A and/or typhoid. Zika outbreaks have been reported in Cuba. Because of the risk of birth defects in babies born to women who were infected with Zika while pregnant, women who are pregnant should not travel to Ecuador. Tap water is not safe to drink in Cuba, including ice that was made with tap water. Though we try to cut down on the amount of plastic waste on our tours, we will be supplying water during our activities and we recommend purchasing bottles of water wherever possible.

Time Zones & Jet Lag Cuba is on the Eastern Time zone, the same as Miami, Florida, therefore jet lag shouldn’t be a big problem when flying from North America. The best cure for jetlag is to immediately get into your new time schedule, staying awake until your normal bedtime. By going to bed very tired at a normal bedtime in your new time zone, you have a decent chance at avoiding jet lag in future days.

Travel Safety As in most cities, Havana and other more urban areas of Cuba do experience petty crimes like pickpocketing. This is one of the realities of economic disparity in many countries. However, when you are with the group you should be entirely safe and with a little caution you will have no problems at all. Make sure to keep your valuables well concealed, holding your purse or bags in front of you, and don’t leave your luggage unattended.

The Weather We base all our trip dates on two factors: historical weather patterns and tourism seasons. This often leads us to the “shoulder seasons,” when weather is usually good and crowds are at a minimum, and our trips in Cuba are no exception. Cuba’s climate is moderately subtropical and predominantly warm. The island’s average temperature is 77ºF and average relative humidity is 78%. It also sees an average of 330 days of sunshine a year. Cuba’s two clearly defined seasons are the rainy season (May to October) and the dry season (November to April). In February/March, the average temperature is 73ºF

2017 Cuba Adventure: February 24 – March 4

The weather is one element out of our control and you should be prepared for both rain and sun, hot and cold. If it rains, we will adjust our daily schedule, as necessary.

Activities & Equipment We will be mostly hiking and walking during our time in Cuba, but will have several opportunities to swim (once during our hike to a waterfall and another at the Bay of Pigs, plus a good number of our hotels have pools) and also the opportunity to snorkel once toward the end of the trip. Our hikes are mostly easy partial-day hikes a few miles in length with one longer hike of up to 8 miles. The hikes are not flat but will have a bit of elevation gain and loss. Overall, you will likely find this trip is less active than many of our other trips, since we are mixing cultural activities in with our athletic pursuits. No special skills are required to enjoy this trip and everything is optional. As on all of our tours, you can certainly opt out of any planned group activity if you would rather relax and spend the day at our hotel or simply relax. Depending on the day and activity you may not be able to stay at the hotel if you opt out as we may be moving to a new location that night, so you should bring a book to read if we are in a location that doesn’t allow one to wander around on one’s own. To properly set your expectations, “stuff” that we take for granted is not a given in Cuba: the snorkel equipment used in Cuba may be a little “tired.” Remember this is a country that for many years was not able to buy anything new due to the U.S. trade embargo.

Guides & Trip Leader We will have several professional Cuban guides throughout this trip, ranging from our main local guide, a government-mandated guide, and a variety of local experts such as naturalists and historians. You will also have one Zephyr Adventures staff member on your trip as a Trip Leader, if the size of the group is large. It is this person’s job to make sure everything goes smoothly, to solve any problems you might have, and to make sure the groups’ needs are being properly presented to our Cuban staff. Because our local staff is so good, often it seems as if your Zephyr Trip Leader will have little to do! This is the sign of a good trip.

Tipping Tipping is common practice in Cuba and is expected for anyone who helps you, from luggage porters (CUC$1 per person or more if you have a lot of luggage) to toilet attendants (CUC$0.25). At restaurants, it is customary to tip 10% of the bill if no tax/service already added, but make sure to check the bill as many restaurants (state and private) now add 10% service to the bill automatically. For tipping our local Cuban tour guides, guidelines suggest CUC$175 - 200 per person. Our guide will then in turn divide it according to local guidelines, keeping some for his/herself and distributing the rest appropriately among our local Cuban guides and drivers. But again, tipping is up to your discretion. Please only tip what you are comfortable with.

Phone & Internet U.S. phones most likely will not work in Cuba. Some U.S. carriers have or are beginning to make agreements with the Cuban national telecommunications company to provide roaming services in Cuba. Sprint and Verizon, for example, currently offer roaming services in Cuba. If your carrier offers a roaming plan and your mobile phone is capable of roaming in Cuba, you should ask your carrier about any additional charges for voice calls, data, and outgoing text messages that you may incur during your trip. The telecommunications market in Cuba is changing rapidly, so before you travel, be sure to check with your wireless provider for the latest developments. An alternative to using your U.S. mobile phone is to rent a phone upon arrival in Cuba. Once you arrive in Cuba, you can rent a mobile phone from Cubacel. There are Cubacel offices in Terminals #2 and #3 at José Martí International Airport in Havana. Cubacel charges a one-time refundable deposit of CUC$100 (US$100), plus a daily fee of CUC$10 (US$10). Additionally, you should expect to pay all of the applicable per-minute call charges – approximately CUC$0.35 Copyright Zephyr Adventures Page 6

2017 Cuba Adventure: February 24 – March 4

(US$0.35) per minute for calls within Cuba and CUC$1.85 (US$1.85) per minute for calls to the United States. Outgoing text messages cost CUC$0.16 (US$0.16) to send within Cuba and CUC$1 (US$1.00) to send abroad, and data are not available. The Internet exists in Cuba but not the way we’ve become accustomed to here in the U.S. You can get connected through Cuba’s state run ETECSA telecom company. Tourists can buy ETECSA prepaid wifi cards at special kiosks for $2 – $3 per hour of service. These scratch-off type cards provide a username and password for ETECSA wifi networks, which can be found at major hotels or in public parks around the country. It is a very slow connection so we would recommend taking the opportunity to truly disconnect from the outside world. All that said, we recommend trying to unplug and enjoy your Cuba vacation instead of incurring the extra costs and frustration that will result from trying to connect!

Food & Drink “Traditional” Cuban fare usually includes a combination of beans (black beans are served with practically everything!) and rice with chicken or pork. The food supply has been, and continues to be to some extent, controlled by the government so the options have been fairly limited for many years. Beef is a rare commodity and seafood may be hard to get, even in seaside villages – it all depends on the restaurant and how the government regulates that particular one. That isn’t to say that you cannot have a good meal while in Cuba. Their food culture is centered around resourcefulness as well as an organic agricultural industry. In 2010, the government loosened restrictions on businesses, which paved the way for culinary entrepreneurialism in the form of private restaurants called “paladares." Most of these restaurants are family owned and operated affairs patronized by tourists and wealthier Cubans. Although in its early stages, the food scene is full of passionate restauranteurs serving both their native foods and more exotic foreign cuisines. If you are a strict vegetarian you may experience a lack of variety in the food available. You might find that you are eating a lot of rice & beans, or omelets and other egg dishes. If you are vegan, well…even more a lack of variety! As for drinks, Cuba is well known for its silky smooth rums. It is not only home to some of the world’s most respected rum brands, including Havana Club, but it is where the drink, the mojito, was born. Additionally, Cubans are quite proud of their coffee. But be warned though, it is served incredibly strong and usually with a good amount of sugar.

The Cuban People Cubans are some of the friendliest and most honest people on the planet. They will talk to anyone and everyone, and are generous with their time and money. Relationships with family and friends are prized above pretty much everything else. Walking down the street in Cuba, you’ll see people sitting outside their homes talking to neighbors. This can be a refreshing sight to see for most Americans as our society has turned its focus on digital communications and socializing. The Cuban population is diverse with mainly Spanish and African origins, and is far less racially divided than the United States. Despite their economic and political woes, Cubans genuinely love their country and Cubans feel a strong loyalty to their homeland. They generally want visitors to have a positive experience in Cuba and do not think poorly of American tourists or the future governmental partnership with the U.S. The largest organized religion in Cuba is the Roman Catholic Church. Afro-Cuban religions, a blend of native African religions and Roman Catholicism, are widely practiced in Cuba. Officially, Cuba has been an atheist state for most of the Castro era. In 1962, the government of Fidel Castro seized and shut down more than 400 Catholic schools, charging that they spread dangerous beliefs among the people. In 1991, however, the Communist Party lifted its prohibition against religious believers seeking membership, and a year later the constitution was amended to characterize the state as secular instead of atheist.

About Cuba’s Wildlands Cuba boasts the Caribbean’s best-kept wildlands with over 360 protected areas with four UNESCO biosphere reserves. These areas are home to some of the most unusual creatures on earth, including: Copyright Zephyr Adventures Page 7

2017 Cuba Adventure: February 24 – March 4

• The feisty Cuban crocodile • The world’s smallest bird, bat, and frog • Migrating land crabs • Over 400 different species of birds • Varied flora that represents 4% of the total flora of the entire planet Cuba’s diverse wildlife stems from its unique natural history. Cuba was not originally in the Caribbean Sea but in the Pacific Ocean, where the island was situated 100 million years ago, before the forces of continental drift slowly brought it into the Caribbean. As the island migrated over the ages, an astonishing variety of life arrived by air, sea, and possibly by land bridges that may have once existed. Over time, these animals adapted to their new environment. Today, more than half of Cuba’s plants and animals, including more than 80 percent of its reptiles and amphibians, are found nowhere else on the planet. Protected by its isolation, the wildlife of Cuba has remained naturally preserved. On our first day of the tour, we’ll visit Las Terrazas, now a biosphere under UNESCO safeguard. It was originally created as part of Castro’s 1968 initiative to reforest regions that were over-logged since the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors and defaced by miles of coffee plantations. The 11,000-acre nature reserve and eco-village is now home to over 117 different bird species, 12 of which are endemic including the tocororo and zorzal. Additionally, we’ll also explore Cuba’s Valle de Viñales, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the source of several stunningly unique habitats. The valley’s notable bulbous mogotes give this valley an otherworldly quality. They appear like explosions of limestone rapidly rearing from the earth, where in fact they are the remains of limestone hills eroded away by slow rainfall around 160 million years ago. One of the more iconic sites are the Mogote dos Hermanas, or two mogote “twin sisters,” that lie side by side standing sentinel over stretches of flat fields. The limestone mogotes are coupled with Cuba’s limestone karst valley riddled with complexes of caves. The caverns hold underground pools and occasional vegetation as well as anthropological evidence that the cave systems were once used by the indigenous Guanahatabeys as refuge.

A Brief History of Cuba The history of Cuba began with the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 and the subsequent invasion of the island by the Spaniards. Aboriginal groups—the Guanahatabey, Ciboney, and Taíno—inhabited the island but were soon eliminated or died as a result of diseases or conquest. Thus, the impact of indigenous groups on subsequent Cuban society was limited, and Spanish culture, institutions, language, and religion prevailed. Colonial society developed slowly after Spain colonized the island in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; pastoral pursuits and agriculture served as the basis of the economy. For the first three centuries after the conquest, the island remained a neglected stopping point for the Spanish fleet, which visited the New World and returned to Spain with the mineral wealth of continental America. The Ten Years War: The first large-scale war for Cuban independence began on October 10, 1868 with a historic speech known as the Grito de Yara (Cry of Yara) by landowner and slave-owner Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. From his farm, La Demajagua, Céspedes freed his slaves and declared war on the Spanish crown. Thirty-seven other local planters joined in, freed their slaves and donated their property. The first clash with Spanish troops took place at Yara two days later, and by November the rebel army had grown to 12,000 men. The war lasted ten years, but ended in a stalemate. On February 11, 1878, both sides signed the Treaty of Zanjón at a meeting in Zanjón, Camagüey. The agreement established that slaves who fought on either side were freed, but slavery was not abolished and Cuba remained under Spanish rule. The Spanish-American War: The Spanish-American War (1898) was a conflict between the United States and Spain that ended Spanish colonial rule in the Americas and resulted in U.S. acquisition of territories in the western Pacific and Latin America. In 1895, the Cuban revolutionary, José Martí, resumed the Cuban struggle for freedom that had failed during the Ten Years' War. Spain possessed superior numbers of troops, forcing the Cubans to wage guerrilla warfare in the hope of exhausting the enemy. Operations began in southeastern Cuba but soon spread westward. The Cuban cause gained increasing support in the United States, leading President Grover Cleveland to press for a settlement, but instead

2017 Cuba Adventure: February 24 – March 4

Spain sent General Valeriano Weyler to pacify Cuba. His stern methods, including reconcentration of the civilian population to deny the guerrillas support in the countryside, strengthened U.S. sympathy for the Cubans. The U.S. intervened when the battleship USS Maine, which had been sent to protect U.S. citizens and property after anti-Spanish rioting in Havana, was inexplicably sunk. Spain announced an armistice on April 9 and sped up its new program to grant Cuba limited powers of self-government, but the U.S. Congress soon afterward issued the Teller Amendment that declared Cuba’s right to independence, demanded the withdrawal of Spain’s armed forces from the island, and authorized the President’s use of force to secure that Spanish withdrawal while renouncing any U.S. plans for annexing Cuba. Spain declared war on the United States on April 24, 1898. The war ended up being quite one-sided, since Spain had readied neither its army nor its navy for a distant war with the formidable power of the United States. On July 17, 1898, Spain surrendered at the battle near Santiago, and therefore, ending the war. By the Treaty of Paris, Spain renounced all claim to Cuba, ceded Guam and Puerto Rico to the United States, and transferred sovereignty over the Philippines to the United States for $20,000,000. Post Spanish-American War: After the war, the US installed a temporary military government in Cuba. At first, General John Brooks was sent in as leader of the occupation government, but he proved too antagonistic to the Cuban population. The US soon installed a second occupation government under the direction of the former leader of the Rough Riders, the newly promoted General Leonard Wood. Wood's main goal was to improve Cuban life. He modernized education, agriculture, government, and healthcare. Wood also had Havana's harbor deepened, in preparation for a higher volume of trade with the U.S. At the same time, research by Dr. Walter Reed, begun during the war, located the mosquito that carried yellow fever. Wood followed Reed's advice, and destroyed many of the swamps, marshes, and pools of water where these mosquitoes bred, reducing the frequency of yellow fever cases. Although Wood was doing well leading Cuban government, there still was the issue of the Teller Amendment. In 1902, the US did indeed honor its promise in the Teller Amendment, and, while it did not withdraw from the Philippines or Puerto Rico or Guam, it did withdraw from Cuba. However, afraid that another great power might conquer Cuba, the US forced the Cubans to write the Platt Amendment into their new constitution. Among other things, the Platt Amendment gave the U.S. a Cuban base (Guantanamo) that remains to this day. The Cubans, although they always followed the Platt Amendment, deeply resented that the U.S. left a military base behind, which they did not feel truly lived up to the Teller Amendment's promise to withdraw entirely from Cuba after the war. For the next half-century the two countries more or less cooperated, with the U.S. helping to squash rebellions and heavily investing in the economy of Cuba. The American mafia used Havana as a conference center in 1946 and Ernest Hemingway lived there for 22 years; he wrote The Old Man and the Sea at his villa just outside the capital. Cuban Revolution: The 1930s saw a major attempt at revolution. Prompted by the cruel dictatorship of Gerardo Machado y Morales (president, 1925–33), the economic hardships of the world depression, and the growing control of Cuban economy by Spaniards and North Americans, a group of Cubans led by students and intellectuals sought radical reforms and a complete transformation of Cuban society. Following several small army revolts, Machado was forced to resign and flee the country on August 12, 1933. Sergeant Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar joined forces with the militant students on September 4 and overthrew the U.S.-backed regime of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. By making the military part of the government and allowing Batista to emerge as self-appointed chief of the armed forces, the Sergeants’ Revolt marked a turning point in Cuba’s history. Although the reformers attained power five months later and Machado’s overthrow was supposed to mark the beginning of an era of reform, their revolution failed. Batista (president, 1940–44; dictator, 1952–59) and the military emerged as the arbiters of Cuba’s politics, first through de facto ruling and finally with the election of Batista to the presidency in 1940. Batista’s coup d’état had a profound effect on Cuban society, leading to doubts about the ability of the Cubans to govern themselves. It also began a brutal right-wing dictatorship that resulted in the polarization of society, civil war, the overthrow of Batista, and the destruction of the military and most other Cuban institutions. Fidel Castro Ruz, a charismatic, anti-U.S. revolutionary, seized power on January 1, 1959, following his successful revolt against the U.S.- Copyright Zephyr Adventures Page 9

2017 Cuba Adventure: February 24 – March 4 backed Batista government. On Jan. 1, 1959 Fidel Castro and his band of guerillas, including Che Guevara, successfully overthrew the government of President General Fulgencio Batista. The United States — which supported Castro by imposing a 1958 arms embargo against Batista's government — immediately recognized the new regime, although it expressed some misgivings over the revolutionaries' execution of over 500 pro-Batista supporters and Castro's increasingly obvious communist tendencies. As the Castro regime expropriated U.S. properties and investments and began, officially, on April 16, 1961, to convert Cuba into a one-party communist system, relations between the United States and Cuba deteriorated rapidly. Bay of Pigs Invasion: In March 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the CIA to train and arm a force of Cuban exiles for an armed attack on Cuba. John F. Kennedy inherited this program when he became president in 1961. Though many of Kennedy’s military advisors indicated that an amphibious assault on Cuba by a group of lightly armed exiles had little chance for success, he gave the go-ahead for the attack. On April 17, 1961, around 1,200 exiles, armed with American weapons and using American landing craft, waded ashore at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. The hope was that the exile force would serve as a rallying point for the Cuban citizenry, who would rise up and overthrow Castro’s government. The plan immediately fell apart–the landing force met with unexpectedly rapid counterattacks from Castro’s military, the tiny Cuban air force sank most of the exiles’ supply ships, the United States refrained from providing necessary air support, and the expected uprising never happened. Over 100 of the attackers were killed, and more than 1,100 were captured. United States Embargo Against Cuba: By 1960, Castro's government had seized private land, nationalized hundreds of private companies, including several local subsidiaries of U.S. corporations, and taxed American products so heavily that U.S. exports were halved in just two years. The Eisenhower Administration responded by imposing trade restrictions on everything except food and medical supplies. Instead of trading with the U.S., Castro expanded trade with the Soviet Union. The U.S. responded by cutting all diplomatic ties. President Kennedy issued the permanent embargo on Feb. 7, 1962 — right after ordering a shipment of 1,200 Cuban cigars for himself — and within a few years the country, whose economy relied on the use of American-made products, became a shell of its former self. The last decade has seen the U.S. tighten and then relax restrictions depending on the political climate. Cuban Missile Crisis: One of the most volatile moments in the relationship between Cuba and the U.S. came on October 15, 1962, when U.S. spy planes discovered evidence that the Soviet Union was building missile bases in Cuba. For the next 12 days the U.S. and Russia were locked in a nuclear face-off that ended only when Nikita Khrushchev accepted Kennedy's secret proposal to remove U.S. missiles in Turkey in exchange for the de-arming of Cuba. The Soviet missiles were gone within six months, but it would take a long time for America to forgive the nation that allowed them to be placed so close to the American mainland. Embargo Reduction: In 2009, U.S. President Barrack Obama lifted remittance and travel restrictions for those with family still in Cuba and this marked a small but significant change in the U.S.'s position toward the island. Obama also agreed to let telecommunications companies to pursue business in the country. In December 2014, President Obama ordered the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Cuba and the opening of an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than a half-century. The announcement came at the end of 18 months of secret talks that produced a prisoner swap negotiated with the help of Pope Francis and concluded by a telephone call between President Obama and President Raúl Castro, Fidel’s brother whom he named as leader as his health was declining. This new agreement still does not allow general tourism to Cuba from the U.S. but provides twelve categories of legal travel to Cuba, including the People-to-People exchange that we are going on. Washington’s trade embargo against Cuba remains in place, but the new joint initiative has already spurred fresh economic exchanges involving various sectors, including airlines, banks, hotels and agribusiness.

Cuba Today On November 25, 2016, Fidel Castro passed away at the age of 90. Many are unsure what this means for Cuba and its people. Since Raul Castro, Fidel’s brother, took over in 2008, there have been significant reforms to the Cuban economy Copyright Zephyr Adventures Page 10

2017 Cuba Adventure: February 24 – March 4 and loosened restrictions on citizens seeking to travel abroad — changes long resisted by Fidel. Raul has also allowed a measure of private enterprise, enabling individual citizens to open small-scale businesses, such as restaurants, beauty salons, spas and car washes. But under current circumstances, many analysts say, Raul Castro would have little incentive to alter Cuba’s political system in a way that would threaten ruling-party hegemony. Repeatedly, he has insisted that there would be no acceptance of multi-party politics or basic freedoms such as the right to assembly. This should not have much impact on our tour though we need to be sensitive to Cuba’s current political situation. And though U.S. president-elect, Donald Trump, has spoken unfavorably about the current Cuba – U.S. relationship, it is highly unlikely it will affect our tour. We will be following a government-approved itinerary and exploring the beautiful Cuban countryside and national parks, as well as the city of Havana. We’ll get to experience the newer changes happening in Cuba but we will also still see the effect of the isolation Cuba has faced.

Sources: History.com, Library of Congress, Time.com, LA Times

Recommended Pre-Trip Readings In addition to a guidebook, you might wish to read about Cuba either before the trip or while on the road (or in the air). Following are some suggested titles: • The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. The story is of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal -- a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Here Hemingway recasts the classic theme of courage in the face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss. Written in 1952, this novella played a large part in his winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature. • The Other Side of Paradise: Life in the New Cuba by Julia Cooke Change looms in Havana, Cuba's capital, a city electric with uncertainty yet cloaked in cliché, 90 miles from U.S. shores and off-limits to most Americans. Journalist Julia Cooke chronicles this last generation of Cubans raised under Fidel Castro in a waning era of political stagnation as the rest of the world beckons. Eye-opening and politically prescient, this book offers a deep new understanding of a place that has so intrigued us. • Explosion in a Cathedral by Alejo Carpentier Carpentier is one of the most influential and celebrated Cuban authors, and his sweeping 1962 historical novel exploring the effects of the 18th-century revolutionary period—especially the French revolution—on Cuba and other parts of the Caribbean digs into the tension between Cuba and Europe that is still present in the modern day. • Trading with the Enemy: A Yankee Travels Through Castro's Cuba by Tom Miller “Havana knew me by my shoes,” begins Tom Miller’s lively and entertaining account of his sojourn for more than eight months traveling through Cuba, mixing with its literati and black marketers, its cane cutters and cigar rollers. Granted unprecedented access to travel throughout the country, the author presents us with a rare insight into one of the world’s only Communist countries. Its best-known personalities and ordinary citizens talk to him about the U.S. embargo and tell their favorite Fidel jokes as they stand in line for bread at the Socialism or Death Bakery. The result of this informed and adventurous journey is a vibrant, rhythmic portrait of a land and people too long shielded from American eyes.