Colorful photos of Cuba

Cuba’s Kaleidoscope

December 5–10, 2023 & February 6–11, 2024

Pricing: $5,250 per person; For a single room add $675
Trip is limited to 25 participants

register for February

The December 2023 departure is sold out. Please call 877-298-9677 to have your name added to the waitlist.

Due to overwhelming demand, a new departure of Cuba’s Kaleidoscope with Deborah Sunya Moore, December 3-8, 2024, will be available to book in the coming months. This group will also be joined by Fernando Saez, but will have more of a focus on Cuban music. Sign up now and we’ll let you know when you can book!

Sign up now

For more information, contact ATA at 877-298-9677 or Reservations@academic-travel.com

Overview

Since Christopher Columbus declared Cuba part of the Spanish Empire in 1492, the island has served as a way station of New World wealth on its way across the Atlantic, a playground of American mob bosses and literati, and a tropical outpost of communism. The story of its past is told in the streets of its soulful cities, where Russian-made Ladas buzz alongside classic American cars, and majestic façades now stand in various states of decay or restoration. Amid this tableau that seems frozen in time, Cuban creativity is alive and thriving. Join Chautauqua Institution for an in-depth exploration of contemporary Cuba, hearing the unique perspectives of artists and entrepreneurs, farmers and dancers, urban planners and political experts. During five fascinating days in and around Havana, visit family homes as well as important historic sites, enjoy private performances by renowned musicians and dance companies, and meet artists in their studios. Through panel discussions with local experts and interactions with everyday Cubans, gain insights into a rich and storied culture and the challenges and joys of life in Cuba.

Questions?

Please contact ATA at:
Toll-Free Number: 877-298-9677
Reservations@academic-travel.com

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Trip Highlights

  • Witness private performances of dance, classical music, and Latin Jazz; and meet members of the Malpaso Dance Company with Executive Director Fernando Sáez.
  • Discuss historic preservation with urban planners before a walking tour of Old Havana featuring visits to private homes and businesses.
  • Delve into Cuba’s response to climate change during a panel discussion at the Antonio Nuñez Jiménez Foundation for Nature and Humanity and tour an urban farm before a farm-to-table lunch.
  • Meet with a groundbreaking female rap duo for an inside view of gender and race in the Cuba music scene, and attend a rumba concert in Matanzas, where the dance-and-music form was born.
  • Gather with writers and literacy champions during a reception at an art-filled café, visit Hemingway’s home, and enjoy a festive farewell event at the celebrated Fabrica de Arte Cubano.

Trip Expert

Fernando Sáez
Founder and Executive Director, Malpaso Dance Company
Fernando Sáez graduated from the School of Performing Arts at the Superior Institute of Arts (ISA) in Havana in 1988. He is also a founder and actor of Estudio Teatral de Santa Clara, was the head of the sociocultural development project in Las Terrazas, Pinar del Rio from 1993 to 1997, and has served on the staff of the Ludwig Foundation of Cuba since 1998. He is also a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.

Fernando Saez

Trip Co-Hosts

Deborah Sunya Moore (December Trip Host)
Deborah Sunya Moore is Senior Vice President and Chief Program Officer at Chautauqua Institution. She is a percussionist and arts educator, has a long history as an advocate of performing arts programs for youth and persons with disabilities. Deborah is currently the chief program officer/senior vice president for Chautauqua Institution and a national workshop leader for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She was awarded the designation of Fulbright specialist in arts integration from 2017-2019.

Deborah Sunya Moore

Melissa Spas (February Trip Host)
Melissa Spas is Vice President for Religion at Chautauqua Institution. She is an educator, facilitator and consultant to religious organizations and the people who lead them. Her expertise is in faith and philanthropy, particularly focused on sustainability and the future-orientation of congregations and religious institutions across the breadth of traditions. A graduate of Allegheny College and Harvard Divinity School, she is an active lay person in the United Methodist Church.  

Melissa Spas

Itinerary

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

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

What’s Included?

  • All accommodations for the duration of the tour
  • Meals, as noted in the itinerary (B-breakfast; L-lunch; D-dinner)
  • All sightseeing and visits as noted in each itinerary
  • Expertise of a Chautauqua-selected/ATA-contracted expert, ATA-hired tour manager, and local guide throughout the tour
  • All gratuities for on-tour guides, drivers, hotel, and restaurant staff as part of the group program
  • All on-tour transportation, unless otherwise noted
  • Group transfers between Jose Marti Airport and accommodations in Havana
  • Quietvox/Whispers listening devices to facilitate audibility and social distancing on tour
  • Fully vetted program that meets COVID-19 health and safety protocols
  • The assistance of an ATA professional travel team to assist with pre-trip questions, travel arrangements, including flights, extra hotel nights and other services
  • Comprehensive pre-departure mailings and materials with information about the destination and what to expect on tour, including a suggested reading list
  • Emergency evacuation insurance

Accommodations

Claxon Hotel Boutique, in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana is located in an elegant mansion in Paseo Avenue. Leaning into the theme of classic 1950s American cars, the decor incorporates these details throughout the property. Each room is tastefully decorated, has Wifi, air conditioning, a private bathroom, and room service. Open spaces and patios boast tropical vegetation. (5 nights)