THE PLANETARY SOCIETY DISCOVER CUBA & THE TRANSIT OF MERCURY! A People-to-People, Astronomical Exploration of Cuba May 4 - 10, 2016 Join us to see the Transit of Mercury on May 9, 2016 on this people-to-people, astronomical exploration of Cuba! Learn about the history, traditions, politics, and astronomy of our island neighbor with leadership by popular Betchart naturalist Bob Nansen and Cuban astronomers. For the Transit of Mercury, we will be hosted by members of the Arroyo Naranjo Observatory outside of Havana. As the planet Mercury passes between the Earth and Sun, it will appear as a slow moving black dot crossing the face of the Sun. In addition to the Transit of Mercury, we visit visit observatories and a planetarium in Havana. We'll also explore the picturesque Vinales Valley and Sierra del Rosario. We’ll see Hemingway’s house, explore historic Havana (a UNESCO World Heritage site), and visit fascinating museums. Mercury and Venus are the only planets which can pass between the Earth and Sun to produce a transit. Mercury is the planet closest to the Sun, and was visited by the Mariner 10 space mission in 1973 and 1974. The Messenger robotic NASA spacecraft went into orbit around Mercury March 17, 2011 . It launched August 3, 2004 and did 3 flybys of Mercury in 2008 and 2009, before going into orbit . The initial mission determined Mercury has no atmosphere and is dotted with impact craters. The European and Japanese BepiColombo mission to Mercury is set to launch in July 2016. It will study Mercury’s magnetic field, interior, and surface. It will do Mercury flybys in 2019-2023 and then orbit Mercury starting in January 2024. Missions pass by the planet Venus en route to Mercury. Our groups observed the Transit of Venus in 2004 at Lake Baikal and in 2012 at Lake Baikal and in Hawaii. This is a wonderful opportunity to see the Transit of Mercury and to put Cuba in your sights! We invite you to join us! DAILY ITINERARY

PRE NIGHT HOME TO MIAMI, FLORIDA Tue May 3 Independent arrival in Miami, FL. Upon arrival at the Miami International Airport take the Holiday Inn hotel courtesy shuttle. 6:00 pm Meet your expedition leader for the trip orientation meeting. 7:30 Dinner on your own. The Holiday Inn Miami Int’l Airport (1 night). DAY 1 MIAMI TO HAVANA, CUBA Wed May 4 Breakfast at Holiday Inn. 9:00 am Group transfer by hotel shuttle from the Holiday Inn to the Miami International Airport. Group check-in for our Marazul Charter flight to Cuba. Lunch on your own at the Miami Airport. 12:50 pm Depart for Havana, Cuba on our MARAZUL Charter Flight. 1:50 Arrive in Havana. Transfer to Hotel Capri (3 nights). 5:00 Have a walking city tour of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Accompanied by our local guide, mingle with the local Cuban people. 7:30 Dinner at La Morealeja Restaurant. 9:00 See the colonial Cannon Firing Ceremony at the “San Carlos de la Cabana” Fortress in Old Havana. (B,D)

Day 2 HAVANA PLANETARIUM & OLD HAVANA Thu May 5 Breakfast at the hotel. 8:30 am Visit the Havana Planetarium for a welcome lecture, tour the educational facility and see a planetarium program. 12:30 pm Lunch in Old Havana. Visit the Scale Model of Havana, a project of the Group for the Comprehensive Development of the Capital. Walk through plazas of Old Havana to see centuries old cathedrals, lively and colorful plazas, and experience the bustle of the reconstruction of Old Havana. 7:30 pm Dinner at Cafe Taberna followed by the Buena Vista Social Club. (B,L,D)

Day 3 HAVANA OBSERVATORY MUSEUM & HEMINGWAY Fri May 6 & NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF HAVANA Breakfast at the hotel. 9:00 am Welcome and visit with staff of the University of Havana’s Observatory, now an astronomy museum. Meet with astronomers and learn of their projects. Late morning walk the grounds and peer through the windows of Ernest Hemingway’s home of 21 years. Lunch at EL Morro Castle Restaurant. 2:30 pm Walk through the early Spanish fort overlooking the mouth of the Bay of Havana. Return to Havana. Visit the National Museum of Natural History. See the best collection of natural history in the entire county of Cuba. A local astronomer will take you through the astronomy section. 7:00 Dinner at El Litoral. (B,L,D)

Day 4 LAS TERRAZAS & SIERRA DEL ROSARIO TO VINALES VALLEY Sat May 7 Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the Las Terrazas Eco-Tourism complex and reforestation project and meet with staff to learn about their work. Visit the museum. Lunch at Casa del Campesino. See the hundreds of orchids at the Orquideario Soroa surrounded by the Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve. Continue to the Vinales Valley. Hotel (1 night). Evening star gazing below 23 degrees North Latitude. (B,L,D) Day 5 PINAR DEL RIO-VINALES VALLEY Sun May 8 Breakfast at the hotel. Today we will explore the famous Vinales Valley which is famed for its mogotes, picturesque limestone formations dating back to the Jurassic. The valley is surrounded by mountains and is farmed by traditional agriculture techniques, primarily cultivating tobacco. The culture in the valley is a blend of the indigenous people, Spanish conquerors, and black slaves. Lunch. Return to Havana and the Hotel Capri (2 nights). Afternoon briefing on the Transit of Mercury. Dinner. (B,L,D)

Day 6 TRANSIT OF MERCURY AT THE ARROYO NARANJO OBSERVATORY Mon May 9 Breakfast box. 6:00 am Arrive at the Arroyo Naranjo Observatory and view the Transit of Mercury. First contact is at 6:12 am, greatest eclipse is at 9:57 am and it is complete at 1:42 pm. Visit with astronomers, listen to informative lectures and experience the Transit of Mercury. Picnic lunch at Arroyo Naranjo Observatory. Return to Havana. Farewell dinner and celebration of the Transit of Mercury. (B,L,D)

Day 7 HAVANA TO MIAMI & HOME Tue May 10 Breakfast at hotel & bags out. Transfer to the Havana Airport for our return flight to Miami. Visit Revolution Square en route. 1:30 pm Depart for Miami on our MARAZUL Charter Flight. 2:30 Arrive Miami. Take independent flights home or transfer by hotel shuttle to the Holiday Inn for an optional post night. (B)

COSTS & CONDITIONS

Expedition Fee: $3,595 per person twin share + air fare from Miami to Havana, Cuba, RT approximately $650 & visa $75. This is based on a minimum of 18 paying participants. For single accommodations, the supplement is $695. Expedition Fee Includes: Group transfers in Havana, transportation by air conditioned motorcoach or vans, accommodations twin share with private bath in 3-star or country style hotels which reflect the culture of Cuba; all meals from dinner on Day 1 until breakfast on Day 7; entrance fees; gratuities to bellboys and waiters; leadership by an excellent naturalist; special meetings with Cuban astronomers; leadership, administration. Expedition Fee Does Not Include: Air fare and Cuba visa (quoted separately); pre-night in Miami, gratuities to your expedition leader, guide and driver; excess luggage charges; items of strictly a personal nature (passport, phone calls, alcoholic beverages, laundry, internet, phone, fax, snacks or sodas); personal insurance; foreign airport departure tax. Air Fare & Airline Ticketing: All passengers fly together from Miami to Havana on charter flights May 4 and return together on May 10, 2016. All passengers should book independent flights to arrive in Miami by 4:30 pm on May 3, 2016 and to depart Miami after 7:30 pm on May 10 or overnight in Miami. Ticketing fee is $50 additional. AIR FARES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE UNTIL TICKETED

Reservations, Deposits, & Payments: Please complete the reservation form and mail along with a deposit of $500 per person and the info page of your passport to: Cuba May 2016, Betchart Expeditions Inc. 17050 Montebello Road Cupertino, CA 95014-5435 The balance is due March 4, 2016. . Questions: Please call Taunya at Betchart Expeditions Inc. Telephone: (800) 252 4910 or (408) 252 4910 Fax: (408) 252 1444 Email: [email protected] Cancellations & Refunds: The initial deposit is refundable up to 60 days before departure less a $100 handling fee per person. There is no refund after March 4, 2016 unless your place is resold, then a $100 per person handling fee is withheld. There are no refunds for unused meals, or other expedition features.

------RESERVATIONS #1414 YES! I/We want to join the Cuba Transit of Mercury, May 4-10, 2016. Please reserve _____ space(s). As a deposit, I/we have enclosed a check for $______($500 per person), payable to Betchart Expeditions Inc. Trust Account. Name(s) ______Birth Date ______Sex ______Birth Date ______Sex ______Address ______City ______State ______ZIP ______Phone: Home (____) ______Work (____) ______Email #1: ______#2: ______Membership (please circle): AAAS Sigma Xi ACS Planetary Society Accommodations Preference: _____ Twin _____ Twin share _____Single _____ Nonsmoker _____ Smoker Signature: ______Date: ______Signature: ______Date: ______Please mail with deposit to: Cuba May 2016 Betchart Expeditions Inc. 17050 Montebello Road Cupertino, CA 95014-5435 Responsibility: Marazul Charters Inc. is a licensed Travel Service Provider (TSP) and Carrier Service Provider (CSP) for Cuba by the US Treasury Department. Betchart Expeditions Inc. is a licensed TSP and administers this program under a General License with services provided by Marazul and Havanatur. Betchart acts as agent for the passenger with respect to transportation and hotels, and exercises every care possible. Betchart can assume no liability for arrangements by Marazul or Havanatur, or for injury, damage, delay, loss, accident, or irregularity in connection with the services of any airplane, ship, motorcoach, or any other conveyance used in carrying out the arrangements of the tour. We cannot accept any responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, terrorism, quarantine, acts of God, or other causes beyond our control. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger, as tour rates provide for arrangements only for the time stated. We reserve the right to substitute another leader of similar expertise or to cancel any tour prior to departure in which case the entire payment will be refunded with no further obligation on our part. The right is also reserved to decline to accept or retain any person as a member of the tour. No refund will be made for the unused portion of any tour unless arrangements are made in sufficient time to avoid penalties. The price of the program is based on current tariffs and rates, and is subject to change. Any tariff, exchange rate, or fuel increases will be passed on to participiants. Baggage is carried at the owner’s risk entirely. It is understood that the air ticket when issued shall constitute the sole contract between the passenger and the airline concerned. c 2015 Betchart Expeditions Inc. All rights reserved. CST#2036304-40