Day 1
Bienvenidos a Havana
Arrive at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport and transfer to your boutique hotel in Vedado, a historic residential neighborhood filled with elegantly restored mansions. Meet your fellow travelers for an orientation and a welcome lecture by your expert, Fernando Sáez, executive director and founder of the Malpaso Dance Company. Following his presentation, enjoy a performance by the world-renowned Lizt Alfonso Dance Company. Gather for a festive welcome dinner of Cuban specialties tonight.
Included Meals: Dinner
Accommodations: Claxon Hotel Boutique or similar boutique hotel
Day 2
Architecture and History of Havana
Meet with Cuba’s top urban planners this morning to gain insights into the cultural, political, and socioeconomic factors that are influencing the city’s evolution—and the challenges that historic preservationists face bringing this enchanting city into the future. After a traditional Cuban lunch in a renowned paladar, or family-run restaurant, set out on a walking tour of Old Havana. Exploring in small groups, you’ll have a chance to interact with families and entrepreneurs, visiting private homes and businesses to get an inside look at daily life in the city. Later, tour a stunning colonial mansion with the owners and hear about the family’s history and the challenges of maintaining Havana’s historic buildings. Cap off the day at a reception featuring a world-class Latin jazz band, then venture off for dinner on your own—your hosts will have recommendations.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Reception
Accommodations: Claxon Hotel Boutique or similar boutique hotel
Day 3
Hurricanes, Hemingway, and Hip Hop
Begin the day with a panel discussion at the Antonio Nuñez Jiménez Foundation for Nature and Humanity (FANJ), exploring country-wide initiatives to protect the island from the effects of climate change. Then travel to an urban farm on the outskirts of Havana. Sit down to a farm-to-table lunch and learn about the role of small, community-run gardens in addressing food scarcity issues in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union—once Cuba’s main supplier of agricultural products. This afternoon, tour the home of Ernest Hemingway at Finca Vigia, where the author penned For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea. Next, meet La Reyna y La Real, a Havana-born female rap duo that is pushing the boundaries of gender and race in the Cuban hip-hop scene. This evening, gather for a reception at Café Madrigal, the art-filled home of filmmaker Rafael Rosales, where you’ll enjoy cocktails with Cuban writers and participants in the literacy campaigns of the early 1960s.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Reception
Accommodations: Claxon Hotel Boutique or similar boutique hotel
Day 4
Matanzas: Culture Capital
Over breakfast this morning, meet with top Cuban experts in politics, entrepreneurship, and foreign policy for an engaging discussion about Cuba in the 21st century. Then travel to the seaside town of Matanzas, a vibrant capital of music, theater, and literature in the 18th and 19th centuries where dance forms such as rumba and danzón originated. On a tour of the historic city center, visit the first pharmacy in Latin America as well as colonial theaters and the Palmar de Junco stadium, where the first game of Cuban baseball was played in the late 1880s. At San Severino Castle, a Spanish fortress that now houses the Museum of the Slave Route, discuss the role of Matanzas in the slave trade and the evolution of Santeria, a distinctly Cuban religion with roots in West African culture. Enjoy a performance by a local rumba group before returning to Havana for an evening at leisure.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodations: Claxon Hotel Boutique or similar boutique hotel
Day 5
The Arts Revealed
This morning, attend a performance by the Youth Symphony Orchestra. Then head to the Museum of Cuban Art for a private tour led by art historians. Continue your exploration of Cuba’s art scene with visits to the studios and galleries of world-renowned and up-and-coming artists. This afternoon, pay a special visit to the Malpaso Dance Company headquarters with Fernando Saez, meeting with dancers and artistic directors and learning about the global influences that have shaped the style of this renowned troupe. Tonight, toast your Cuban sojourn at a farewell dinner at Fabrica de Arte Cubano, a former cooking oil factory turned creativity hub that was named one of Time magazine’s “Greatest Places” in 2019.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodations: Claxon Hotel Boutique or similar boutique hotel
Day 6
Hasta Luego, Cuba!
After breakfast, transfer to the airport to catch your flight home.
Included Meal: Breakfast