Expedition Details

 

Experience Cuban culture the most authentic way possible—through its people. On this unique and inspiring program, get acquainted with Cubans in diverse settings, from Old Havana to colonial Cienfuegos. Engage Cubans directly in discussions about their lives and work, culture and traditions. Meet with Cuban historians, teachers, students, artists, naturalists, and others, and experience this fast-changing island nation through their eyes.

Trip Highlights

  • Explore the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Old Havana and Trinidad with Cuban experts.
  • Meet with local artists and musicians in the colonial city of Cienfuegos.
  • Witness Cuba’s shifting cultural and economic landscape on visits to schools, churches, art studios, and privately owned restaurants.
  • Meet photographer Julio Muňoz, whose family appeared in a 1999 National Geographic article.

Itinerary - 9 Days

Day 1 — U.S./Havana, Cuba

Depart from Miami on a charter flight. Upon arrival in Havana, enjoy lunch and visit the Plaza de la Revolución before transferring to our hotel. Gather for a welcome reception and dinner tonight.
Hotel Parque Central
(D)

Day 2 — Havana

Learn about the restoration and changing landscape of Havana from preservationist Miguel Coyula. Then, set out to explore Old Havana, stopping in at local businesses and meeting the workers. On Calle Obispo, meet some of Cuba’s cuentapropistas (self-employed), who are part of an expanding private sector.
Hotel Parque Central
(B,L,D)

Day 3 — Havana

Engage in a unique question-and-answer session with a Cuban legal expert, discussing education, economics, the role of government, and other topics of interest. Experience the inspiring Hogar de Ancianos Santovenia, a community project that supports the elderly and disabled. Later, meet the instructors and students at La Colmenita, an after-school program utilizing song and dance performance as a social development tool.
Hotel Parque Central
(B,L,D)

Day 4 — Cienfuegos

Leave Havana and head to Cienfuegos, a port city with architecture that reflects its French colonial roots. Enjoy an orientation tour of Cienfuegos and meet local residents in Parque Martí. See the statue commemorating José Martí, a renowned author and a leader in Cuba’s quest for independence from Spain. Engage local cuentapropistas on Cienfuegos’ main commercial street before enjoying a choral performance and discussion with the Cienfuegos choir.
Hotel Jagua
(B,L,D)

Day 5 — Trinidad

Travel to Trinidad where we explore Cuba’s best preserved colonial city with a restoration expert and interact with local community members, including a Santeria priest. Then meet Julio Muňoz, a local photographer and “horse whisperer” whose wife and niece were featured in an October 1999 National Geographic magazine article. Visit Julio’s colonial-era house and stables, the base for his program promoting equine care.
Hotel Jagua
(B,L)

Day 6 — Cienfuegos

Near Cienfuegos, visit Cuba’s oldest botanical garden with a botany expert. Stop in a former sugar mill town and interact with the town’s present day inhabitants. Later, visit Benny Moré Art School to meet with students studying music, dance, or art and their teachers. This evening, get to know teachers and students in the Casa de la Cultura, a community project providing a positive environment for at-risk children.
Hotel Jagua
(B,L,D)

Day 7 — Bay of Pigs/Havana

Today, head to the historic Bay of Pigs. Set foot on the famous Playa Girón, one of the two landing sites for the 1961 U.S.–backed invasion. Visit Australia, a former sugar mill town and Fidel Castro's headquarters during the Bay of Pigs invasion. There, meet with former mill workers and ride an old steam train through the sugarcane fields.
Hotel Parque Central
(B,L)

Day 8 — Havana/Jaimanitas

Today, explore a community project at Muraleando, where local and international artists have been in formation changing a downtrodden neighborhood into a living work of art. After lunch, head to the charming fishing village of Jaimanitas to visit the workshop and home of ceramic artist José Fuster, called the “Picasso of Cuba.” Toast our new Cuban friends at a farewell dinner tonight, followed by a special musical performance.
Hotel Parque Central
(B,L,D)

Day 9 — Havana/U.S.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flight home.
(B)

National Geographic Expert

Robert Hernandez

Robert HernandezBorn in the U.S. but raised in Spain and Cuba, Rob Hernandez was in Havana during the pivotal early years of the Cuban Revolution. After leaving in 1960, he first returned in 1987 with the hope of gaining access on behalf of the National Geographic to what at that time was largely a closed nation. He has traveled widely throughout the island and will enjoy sharing with you his broad knowledge of the history, culture, and environments of this enigmatic nation that's still struggling to reconcile its past with its future. A 28-year veteran of the Society, Rob first served as a senior editor for the magazine, later becoming Senior Vice President and head of the Society's International Publishing division that produces books, magazines, and other media in more than 35 languages. An ecologist by education, he spent his early career doing field research and documenting through films and photography many of the world's more remote places, work that has appeared in leading global publications. After spending two years circumnavigating the Indian and Pacific Oceans in a small sailboat, he went on to lead many expeditions to Africa, the Arctic and Antarctic, Southeast Asia, and South America, among other regions.

Robert will join the following departure:
Jun 02 - 10, 2013

SEE OTHER EXPERTS »

Dates

2013
  • May 19 - 27, 2013 (waitlist only)
  • May 26 - Jun 03, 2013 (waitlist only)
  • May 30 - Jun 07, 2013 (waitlist only)
  • Jun 02 - 10, 2013 (waitlist only)
  • Jun 09 - 17, 2013 (waitlist only)
  • Jun 30 - Jul 08, 2013
  • Nov 03 - 11, 2013
  • Nov 10 - 18, 2013
  • Nov 17 - 25, 2013
  • Nov 24 - Dec 02, 2013
  • Dec 01 - 09, 2013
  • Dec 08 - 16, 2013
  • Dec 15 - 23, 2013
  • Dec 22 - 30, 2013
  • Dec 29, 2013 - Jan 06, 2014
2014
  • Jan 05 - 13, 2014
  • Jan 12 - 20, 2014
  • Jan 19 - 27, 2014
  • Jan 26 - Feb 03, 2014
  • Feb 02 - 10, 2014
  • Feb 09 - 17, 2014
  • Feb 16 - 24, 2014
  • Feb 23 - Mar 03, 2014
  • Mar 02 - 10, 2014
  • Mar 09 - 17, 2014
  • Mar 16 - 24, 2014
  • Mar 23 - 31, 2014
  • Mar 30 - Apr 07, 2014
  • Apr 06 - 14, 2014
  • Apr 13 - 21, 2014
  • Apr 20 - 28, 2014
  • Apr 27 - May 05, 2014
  • May 04 - 12, 2014
  • May 11 - 19, 2014
  • May 18 - 26, 2014
  • May 25 - Jun 02, 2014
  • Jun 01 - 09, 2014
  • Jun 08 - 16, 2014
  • Jun 15 - 23, 2014
  • Jun 22 - 30, 2014
  • Jun 29 - Jul 07, 2014

Expedition Cost

April - June 2013

$5,795

November 2013 - June 2014

$5,995

Price is per person, double occupancy. For a single room, add $700. Airfare is not included in the expedition cost. On the December 22 and 29 departures, there is an additional holiday surcharge of $600 per person. Round-trip charter airfare between Miami and Havana is $525 per person, or $600 on the December 22 and 29 departures (subject to change).

What To Expect

Please Note: This trip is permitted by a special People-to-People license from the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. This itinerary was designed to provide an immersive experience with numerous opportunities for meaningful interaction with Cubans. Travel restrictions in Cuba, such as limits on how much one may spend and what may be purchased, will be provided in your pre-departure materials.

Travel to Cuba requires flexibility and a sense of adventure. While we will do our best to adhere to the itinerary listed here, changes to hotels and activities may occur.