Shortly after this post, Globus Tours announced they were postponing their Cuba Tours until later in 2012 or possibly 2013.
We only work with a handful of reputable tour companies, and there is one other trip we would recommend to U.S. Travelers wanting to visit Cuba in 2012.
Collette Tours is offering a 8 day trip called Rediscover Cuba, A Cultural Journey.
Join Collette on an exclusive journey, spending seven nights in the cities of Trinidad and Havana, soaking in the island’s timeless culture, history, and art. While in Trinidad visit many historic cathedrals and tour the city with your local guide. Visit an orphanage and meet with the nuns who have dedicated their lives to helping the children. Each departure will have a maximum of 24 passengers.
Most days on this program will be jam-packed with activities, many of which provide meaningful interaction with the locals. This is a way to bring the two countries closer together, by not only visiting the beautiful sites and monuments that Cuba has to offer, but by also understanding the challenges and overall way of life of the Cuban people. There will be little time for free time on these tours, but there is so much to see, take in and learn from that we are certain our passengers will come back with a life changing experience!
Please note that a special visa is required to travel to Cuba and is not included in the price. The rate is $55 USD pp. A charter flight from Miami is included in the tour price. There is a departure tax of $25 Cuban Convertible Pesos, roughly $30 USD, but subject to exchange rate and fees that has not been included in the tour cost, payable in cash at the Havana airport. Americans are not allowed to purchase items in Cuba to bring back to the United States. Weight limits on charter flight is 44 pounds. No American credit cards can be used in Cuba, Cash only. ATM cards will not work either.
ITINERARY AT A GLANCE:
Day 1: Fly to Miami – Tour Begins
- Dinner at a popular Cuban restaurant
Day 2: Miami –City tour – Trinidad
- Miami city showcasing the “Little Havana” area and Cuban Heritage
- Flight from Miami to Cienfuegos Airport
- Transfer to Trinidad del Mar Hotel
- Welcome dinner at a local restaurant
- Drink and live traditional music at hotel
- Lecture on the instruments used to produce the distinctive “Sounds of Cuba.”
Day 3: Trinidad – Manaca Iznaga – Palacio Cantero – Trinidad
- Visit Manaca Iznaga’s sugar factory and estate, located in the Valley of the Sugar Mills
- Learn about sugar production and its importance to the Cuban economy.
- Lunch at the estate
- Learn from the residents about their local craft of linen-making.
- Trinidad city tour with a visit to the Palacio Cantero, the city’s history museum, old cathedral and unique houses
- Visit a ceramic studio and participate in a hands-on pottery class
- Dinner at hotel to enjoy some grilled local specialties at its outdoor restaurant.
Day 4: Trinidad – Cienfuegos – La Perla del Sur – Trinidad
- Visit the Cienfuegos Province Botanical Gardens
- Lecture on the garden’s ties with Harvard University and its founding as a research center where a sugar mill once stood.
- Picnic lunch
- City tour highlighting the Catedral de la Purisima Concepcion
- Harbor cruise in Bay of Cienfuegos
- Local fishermen will share their stories and insight into their industry.
- Dinner at Club Cienfuegos, an elegant restaurant in Cienfuego’s marina
Day 5: Trinidad – Bay of Pigs Museum – Havana
- Scenic drive past lush mountains and forests, charming country towns and farms and the pristine Caribbean sea
- Visit the Bay of Pigs Museum in Playa Giron
- Interactive presentation given by museum staff, discover the history behind one of the major events of the Cold War and how the “Victory of Giron”
- Lunch at La Cueva de los Peces, which is named for the nearby “Cave of the Fish,” a sinkhole filled with multicolored sea life
- Travel across the countryside to Havana, Cuba’s energetic capital.
- Dinner at the Divina Pastora Restaurant, overlooking Havana and its harbor
- Visit to La Cabaña Castle and cannon firing ceremony
Day 6: Havana
- Tour of Old Havana with visit to Catedral de la Habana (cathedral)
- Visit the Maqueta de le Ciudad de La Habana Museum, housing a model of the city, and listen to a lecture from a city planner
- Lunch at El Patio, located in an old 18th-century mansion overlooking the cathedral.
- Meet the students of a primary school in the city’s center and enjoy a talk given by the school administrator
- Visit the Caritas Cuba, a Catholic non-governmental charity focusing on at- risk persons, notably the elderly and physically challenged.
- Later, visit the US Interests Section and learn about US Policy towards Cuba.
- Enjoy Cuban favorites at El Aljibe Restaurant
Day 7: Havana – Collette Foundation – Guanabacoa – Havana
- Visit a Collette Foundation supported orphanage in Havana.
- Visit to Cuban cigar factory
- Lunch at La Torre restaurant overlooking the city
- Visit colonial township of Guanabacoa and learn about Afro-Cuban religion at its museum
- Explore the Cuban Fine Arts Museum and enjoy a presentation given by a local art historian.
- Dinner in one of Havana’s paladars, a small specialty restaurant.
- Meet the proprietors of this family-run and privately owned business as they share their stories
Day 8: Havana – Ernest Hemingway Home – Casa Fuster – Havana
- Visit the home of Ernest Hemingway, Finca Vigía (Lookout Farm)
- Visit the Casa Fuster, the colorful home to Jose Fuster, artist inspired by Gaudi
- Lunch at La Ferminia, a popular restaurant that resides at the end of the legendary 5th Avenue
- Visit to the Latin American Medical School to meet American, Cuban and foreign-born medical students
- Ride in an antique American car to the Plaza de San Francisco de Asis
- Enjoy a classical music concert held inside a local church
- Farewell dinner and drinks at the Cafe Oriente as you celebrate an amazing journey to Cuba
Day 9: Havana – Miami
- Fly from Havana to Miami
Globus Tours announced today that beginning on August 10th, they will accept bookings for a new Cuba tour for 2012 called Cuba: A Spiritual, Historical and Cultural Journey.” Shrouded in mystery for the past 50 years, the island nation of Cuba is waiting to be rediscovered. And now, Globus travelers will be among the first Americans in five decades to visit Cuba. Sponsored by the Center for Caribbean Religion and Culture (CCRC), in 2012, for the first time, Globus will present travelers a rare opportunity to experience the enduring faith, colorful history and lively culture of this captivating nation with this new itinerary.
This 8 day program is priced from $2,899 pp not including airfare. For travelers who book early when the tour is first released, they will save $200 pp.
Spending seven days in Havana, Globus travelers will enjoy a perfect blend of spiritual, historical and cultural sights to truly experience this unique nation. Tour highlights include:
- Enjoying a walking tour along the cobblestone streets of the old town
- Visiting El Templete where Havana’s first Catholic Mass was celebrated nearly 500 years ago
- Learning about Havana’s unique architecture from a local architect, including the religious and cultural aspects that have influenced the structures
- Taking a guided tour through world-famous Colon Cemetery, where an expert will explain the flamboyant chapels, vaults, tombs and galleries
- Dining at a paladar with a local clergy, discussing Cuban life today
- Visiting the Museum of the Revolution housed in the ornate former Presidential Palace
- Attending a private candlelight choir concert at San Francisco De Asis Church with members of the community
- Visiting Finca Vigia, Ernest Hemingway’s beloved home (his fishing boat is still there)
- Touring El Morro Castle, a picturesque fortress that “guards” the entrance of Havana Bay
- Learning about the Black Madonna at the Church of Our Lady of Regla, where Christianity and the Santeria religion are practiced side-by-side
- Driving to dinner on the last night in style – byway of a 1950s car (Cuban law dictates only cars bought before the 1959 Revolution can be freely bought and sold)
The tour will have departure dates from January through May and then again September through the end of the year.
If you are interested in this Globus Cuba tour, please call us at 800-924-3301 and request to be put on a wait list for your preferred date of travel, and then a confirmation will be sent out to you on August 10th.
