2017 Cuba Adventure: February 24 – March 4
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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 Copyright Zephyr Adventures Page 1 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.