Ideas, Arts, and Cultures in Cuba
MacArthur Fellows Trip
October 16-23, 2015
Join us on a MacArthur Fellows trip to Cuba on October 16-23, 2015 for a unique
travel experience. The historic opening of relations between Cuba and the United
States, after a freeze of more than fifty years, makes this a truly exciting moment
to interact with Cubans on the island. Our aim is to engage in socially responsible
travel and come away with profound insights into the diverse stew of ideas, arts, and cultures intersecting in Cuba at this moment of great expectations.
Our focus will be on Cuba’s capital city, Havana, filled with wondrous eclectic architecture and stunning parks and open squares. We will get to know the city intimately through walking tours, visits to museums and artists’ studios, and evening musical concerts. Throughout our days, we will meet with a wide range of scholars, writers, artists, musicians, curators, architectural preservationists, and entrepreneurs. At lunches and dinners, we will enjoy the flavors of Havana’s creative nouvelle cuisine, known as “cocina de autor.”
To expand our understanding of the island, we will travel to the city of Matanzas,
known as the “Athens of Cuba” for its long history as a literary center. We will
spend a day meeting with a brilliant book artist, who is one of the city’s luminaries, and delve into the heart of Cuban music through a gathering with local musicians
renowned for preserving Afro-Cuban sound traditions.
A visit to the shrine of the black Virgin of Regla will give us insight into Cuba’s
beautifully hybrid religious culture. To round out our week, we will go to
Cojímar, where Hemingway fished for marlins and set his novel, The Old Man
and the Sea. We will leave open moments in our itinerary, so you can explore
and wander on your own or meet for small group discussions.
It's now easier to visit Cuba
On January 16, 2015 President Obama liberalized People to People educational travel, which now allows Americans to travel to Cuba without all of the paperwork previously needed. This makes travel to Cuba infinitely easier. People to People travel is not tourist oriented or self directed but it is both rewarding and unique. It allows participants to visit a wide scope of organizations, institutions, and community projects that provide a deeper understanding of Cuba, its people and its culture. This PVAC trip includes a full time schedule of educational exchange activities designed to promote meaningful interactions between Americans and the people of Cuba.
Your trip leader
The trip will be organized and led by Ruth Behar, a cultural anthropologist and
writer, who has worked to create bridges to Cuba for the last twenty-four years.
She is the editor of the pioneering anthology, Bridges to Cuba, and author of An
Island Called Home and Traveling Heavy. Her editorials on Cuba have appeared
in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Huffington Post.
Trip costs
Land $ 2850.00 Per passenger. Hotel Telegrafo ( TBD)
Air $ 545.00
Total $ 3395.00 Per passenger. Double Occupancy
Please add $450.00 for a single room
What's included
The week long tour will include round-trip travel from Miami to Havana, one night
in Miami, seven nights in Havana, all transportation within Cuba, tours, seminars,
lectures, guided visits, most of your meals, and many unique events and
activities. A full itinerary will be available closer to departure time.
PROGRAM PRICE INCLUDES:
* Meet and greet at the Miami International Airport
* Round trip air Mia Hav Mia, Departure Tax in Miami
* Airport departure tax upon departing Havana (CUC 25/ USD 30)
* Arrival assistance at Jose Marti Airport (HAV)
* Cuban Visa
* Transfers in and out from the airport to hotel
* Medical Insurance in Cuba
* Accommodations for 7 nights at four star Hotel Telegrafo (or similar)
* Daily breakfast at the hotel
* 5 dinners * 6 Lunches (Eighteen meals total)
* 5 visits to Museums or organizations that charge an entry fee
* Luxury Motor coach transportation as per itinerary
* Full translation by professional Cuba based guide
* Program Management in Cuba
* Artist studio & gallery visits as required
*Our Cuba Travel Tips publication and extensive traveler guidance
PROGRAM PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
*Passports
*Tips for (Guide and Driver, baggage handlers & waiters)
*Single room differential ( $450 per single traveler)
*Trip Interruption Insurance
*Air from Home City to Miami
*All other items not listed in “PROGRAM PRICE INCLUDES”
For further information
Cuba Tours and Travel
Cuba Tours and Travel has over fifteen years of experience offering expert-driven cultural travel to Cuba. Our management and program-design team, working together with a team of superb Cuban travel associates in both Havana and Miami, are uniquely suited to offer you the finest in-depth travel program to the island. We are licensed by the US and Cuba and are fully insured. Most importantly, we have an abiding love for Cuban art and culture and have strong connections to the cultural institutions on the island.
Cuba Tours and Travel is a full-service agency licensed by the U.S. Government
TSP# CU-077926-b. CST number 2073790-40. Fla. Seller of Travel Reg. No. ST39635
Long Beach, CA. Office
320 Pine Avenue. Suite 503
Long Beach, CA. 90802
Miami, FL. Office
10631 N. Kendall Drive
Suite 1208
Miami, Fl. 33176
For more information please write to customerservice@cubatoursandtravel.com
or call us at 888 225-6439 Ext. 804
Cover Photograph by Ruth Behar