Havana Cienfuegos Trinidad Camagüey Santiago de Cuba Baracoa Varadero A Convivial Cuban Caper! 5 Mar. - 20 Mar. 2015 A Convivial Cuban Caper! Factsheet … Highlights of your trip Havana - One of the oldest Hispanic Cuba is the most populated country in the Caribbean with a cities in The New World (1514), population just short of 11.5 million and is the largest island rich in decaying architecture, in the Caribbean with a sea coast over 5700 kms and a land 1950’s cars, beautiful women, mass of 110,000 sq. kms. From east to west the distance is macho men and intoxicating music. - Warmth and friendliness of its people over 1200kms. Cuba’s population is 51% mulatto, 37% - The Tropicana show is an absolute white, 11% black and 1% Chinese. Latin extravaganza - The Hemingway Tour Christianity is the most prevalent faith professed with - The Museum of the Revolution Santería widely accepted being a mix of African faiths with Catholicism. Cuba is governed on socialist principles and a Cienfuegos - insights into the state controlled economy. Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 1961) – The Fortress of Castillo de Jagua erected in 1745 All major means of any production are government controlled, as is the labor force. At the present time private Trinidad - The colonial Hispanic charm enterprise is miniscule. The Cuban industries include dating from 1514 - The Municipal Museum petroleum, tobacco, nickel, cement, steel, pharmaceuticals, -The Manaca Iznaga sugarcane plantation agricultural, sugar and machinery. Camagüey - The agricultural market Cuba has a growing and flourishing tourism industry with Mercado Agropecuario the number of tourists now exceeding 3 million. This - Dancing with the locals at “La Trova” fascinating country has great diversity of scenery, heart wrenching poverty, the omni present reminders of its Santiago de Cuba - The ingrained former glories & Spanish history. Hispanic flavour of the city and the carnival atmosphere, laced with ancient buildings, revolutionary posters Cuban music is infectious and it will follow you wherever and reminders of Soviet influences you go and always impart enduring memories of a proud - Cradle of the Cuban Socialist Revolution people who do express all their emotions of joy and - Moncada Barracks where it all started! laughter, despite their daily hardships in life. - Samba dancing with the locals Please remember that travel here requires flexibility and Baracoa - Lush setting, feisty music patience. Varadero – Palm fringed beaches, turquoise water & pulsating night life ITINERARY Day 1 Thursday 5 March 2015 Havana (B,D) Arrival Havana airport where you will be met by our local guide from our co-respondant agency - San Cristobal SA - and transferred to your hotel around 40 minutes later from the airport. Remainder of day at leisure with time to explore the nearby old parts of Habana Vieja. In the evening we will have a welcome dinner at the Bodeguita del Medio, hopefully well rested for the start of an eventful 16 days in Cuba. Day 2 Friday 6 March 2015 Havana (B,L, D) 1000 hrs After breakfast we commence our city tour of Habana Vieja (Old Havana) on foot and by coach. 1800 hrs Departure for dinner and show at the Tropicana. Today we will explore the areas of downtown Havana and the focal points of interest in Habana Vieja Habana Centro and Vedado. In the morning we shall concentrate on Habana Vieja with an introduction to its history, a tour of a cigar factory and rum museum.You will see cobbled streets and numerous decaying buildings displaying different genres of architectural influence ranging from Spanish Moorish, French Neo Classical, and Ornamental and Decorative Colonial -Baroque. We will visit the four main squares of Catedral, Armas, Vieja, and San Francisco. Central Havana (Habana Centro) is a working class locality where many buildings are almost in a state of complete collapse. Here you will find “Partagas” one of Cuba’s oldest cigar factories. We will stroll along the Malecon which is the bayside boulevard which will take us back in time to the 1950’s as you see old asthmatic American cars of Ford and General Motors cruise by. Lift the bonnet and you may find Lada or Toyota spare parts. Particularly in the evening, you will find loving couples walking along the boulevard arm in arm and bayside groups meeting to talk and share drinks. Across the harbour entrance you will see the fortress of San Carlos de Cabana and the castle of Los Tres Santos Reyes del Moro built between 1589 and 1630 which guard the entrance to the harbour, the figure of Christ and the military park. All these we will visit. Never far away you will hear the sound of “Trovadores” belting out Cuban rhythms of Son, Salsa, Rumba, Charanga, Reggaeton etcetera. Entrance fees are included in the tour to the Partagas cigar factory, Rum museum, Fortress San Carlos de la Cabana, the Castle of Los Tres Reyes del Morro and Christ Park. Lunch will be at La Dominica Restaurant in Armas Square. This evening we will dine and see an absolutely pulsating show at the Tropicana where over 200 dancers perform nightly. The Tropicana show includes : Dinner, entrance to the cabaret, the show, one welcome drink , 1/4 of a Havana club Gold or Reserve Age rum bottle, 1 mixer, 1 snack and a preferential seat. Comment from your tour leader, Seymour Major… “In all my travels this is one of the finest Latin musical feasts I have ever seen and the exquisite dress, headgear, coiffure of the ladies will not disappoint and… ah the dancing!” There is a small charge for bringing photographic equipment into the venue.. Following the show we will return around 1am to our hotel. Day 3 Saturday 7 March 2015 Havana (B,L,D) 0930 hrs After breakfast we shall visit the Museum of the Revolution, formerly the Presidential Palace, followed by a visit to the nearby Bellas Artes Museum which is one of the biggest art museums in the Caribbean. Following this we will have lunch nearby. Afternoon at leisure to enjoy the sights and sounds of Havana. Your guides have many suggestions as to where to go. Perhaps a visit to Hotel Nacional, or the Hotel Ambos Mundos to visit the room where Hemmingway housed his mistress, now a museum, or checkout the view from the rooftop bar of the Hotel NH Parque Central, a “Bajativo’ at the Floredita, savour the music in one of the many bars in Calle Obispo, join the locals and have a Coppelia ice cream. 1930 hrs We meet in the hotel lobby and go for dinner. Day 4 Sunday 8 March 2015 Havana (B,L,D) 0930 hrs After breakfast we will do the Hemmingway tour followed by a visit to the the artisan market. Then lunch. Afternoon at leisure. 1930 hrs We meet in the hotel lobby to go for dinner. Day 5 Monday 9 March 2015 Havana / Cienfuegos (B,L,D) 0830 hrs. Today we have an early start following breakfast for our drive of around 380 kms to Cienfuegos for our overnight stay, with a number of diversions en route. We shall head eastwards through the citrus and sugarcane plantations onto the Peninsular de Zapata. You will see pools or ‘cenotes’ as the locals say, which have been created over time by underground rivers whose ceilings have collapsed. At Playa Giron we will visit the museum dedicated to the Bay of Pigs invasion (April 1961). In this area, with luck you will see Cuba’s national bird the “Tocororo” and the world’s smallest bird the “Zunzun”. This will be followed by lunch nearby, at La Cueva de los Peces Restaurant. Should you wish you will be able to swim here. En route to Cienfuegos we will stop at Cienaga de Zapata to see the crocodiles and rats and time permitting do a speed boat trip on Laguna del Tesoro. In Cienfuegos we will visit the neoclassical structures and buildings with French overtones around the Plaza de Armas. We will see the statue of Bene Moré, Cuba’s versatile singer and musician of the 1940’s. Cienfuegos is guarded by the Castillo de Jagua fortress erected in 1745 for protection against Caribbean pirates. The fortress is still undergoing repairs and renovations. Cienfuegos is a centre for sugar trade as well as coffee and tobacco. In 2005 UNESCO placed Cienfuegos on the World Heritage list. Dinner will be at our hotel. Entrance fees today include the Playa Giron museum, the speed boat trip on Laguna del Tesoro and entrance to the local Casa de Trova after dinner. Day 6 Tusesday 10 March 2015 Cienfuegos / Trinidad (B,L,D) 0900 hrs Following breakfast we depart for Trinidad (founded in 1514) around 100kms away..Before leaving the city we shall visit the Valle Palace an exquisite building, built between 1913 and 1917 as a wedding gift for the new wife of a wealthy local merchant. The building commands a magnificent view of Jagua Bay and local surrounds. Today we will enjoy the charm and beauty of Trinidad founded in 1514 and explore the city on foot. Trinidad nestles between the Escambrey Mountains and the beautiful Caribbean coast. This city is one of the top tourist destinations in Cuba and hopefully you will see why. It is likened to a huge outdoor museum with cobbled streets, donkeys and Guajiros (cowboys) and roving “ guitaristas”. We will visit the Municipal Museum which has expansive views from the tower, the artisan markets and a pottery business with beautiful displays of their craft.. Note the picture of Fidel Castro with the owner and the vintage Ford at the back, circa 1908. Dinner will be at the hotel followed by a visit to Casa de la Musica to see the 10pm show.