Insight Cuba Brochure

Discover Cuba Through Its People

insightcuba.com

INFORMATION BROCHURE 2012–2013

Insight Cuba Invites You to Experience the True Spirit of Cuba – Its People Vibrant art. Sole-stomping music. Timeless colonial facades. Impromptu street celebrations. Home to a population as warm and scintillating as its Caribbean climate and colorful arts, Cuba—an island seemingly frozen in time— is begging to be explored. Let us introduce you to the warm and welcoming people of this once-forbidden country.

Unique Access to People and Places the Average Tourists Rarely Sees As a result of more than a decade of cultivating partnerships and friendships in Cuba, we’re considered family, and when you travel with us — so are you. Many of our participants have described their Insight Cuba travel program as “the experience of a lifetime.” We believe traveling is about interacting with the local people to share stories and exchange smiles. It’s the discovery of a different culture, seeing how other people live, and the possibility of making new friends. Insight Cuba builds its programming based on this belief.

We pride ourselves in providing you with a program that is different from most tours, offering you authentic access to the people and places the average tourist rarely sees.

The Insight Cuba Difference Since 2000, Insight Cuba has been the largest and most highly regarded provider of legal travel for Americans between the U.S. and Cuba, having brought over 6,000 U.S. travelers legally to this wondrous country.

Travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens is all we do. With over 40 years of combined experience in Cuba, we provide our participants with the best hand-picked experiences and carefully selected accommodations to make for a truly unforgettable experience.

Insight Cuba has been featured in hundreds of media outlets. See what travel expert Peter Greenberg, CNN, The New York Times, Frommer’s and many others have to say about Insight Cuba at InsightCuba.com.

Discover Cuba Through Its People

Havana & Colonial Trinidad 8 Days/7 Nights Havana/Cienfuegos/Trinidad

Havana & Scenic Pinar del Río 8 Days/7 Nights Havana/Viñales/Pinar del Río

Undiscovered Cuba 12 Days/11 Nights Havana/Santa Clara/Remedios/ Camagüey/Santiago de Cuba/ Baracoa

NEW

Cuban Music & Art Experience 9 Days/8 Nights

What’s Included?

NEW • First-class accommodations • Days full of guided activities

Havana/Santiago de Cuba

Havana Jazz Series 5 Days/4 Nights

• All meals • U.S. Treasury Department License and Letter of Authorization

NEW

Havana/Matanzas

Weekend in Havana 4 Days/3 Nights Havana

• Personalized Cuban Host (tour guide) NEW

• Small group size of no more than 24 participants to ensure individual attention • All entrance fees to scheduled activities and events • All in-country ground transportation, transfers, and domestic flights while in Cuba* • Travel health insurance, emergency medical evacuation, and trip cancelation coverage (up to $1000) • Insight Cuba Travel Handbook • 24-hour emergency service hotline *For programs where a Cuban domestic flight is required.

The activities in this brochure provide insight into what a participant may experience. Our programs are customized and many of our visits are not tourist destinations, therefore the activities mentioned should be considered as a sample only.

Insight Cuba’s license to provide legal travel to Cuba as authorized by the Office of Foreign Assets Control is currently pending renewal. We are looking forward to serving you for the upcoming 2012-2013 season with our Cuba travel programs once our license is received.

insightcuba.com • 1-800-450-CUBA (2822)

Havana & Colonial Trinidad

DATES * Upcoming departure dates are pending license renewal.

Havana/Cienfuegos/Trinidad

2012 June

5 – 12 12 – 19 19 – 26 26 – Jul 3

sold out sold out sold out sold out

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September 18 – 25

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October

2–9 16 – 23 30 – Nov 6

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November

6 – 13 20 – 27 27 – Dec 4

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December

4 – 11 11 – 18 23 – 30 30 – Jan 6

2013 January

15 – 22 22 – 29 29 – Feb 5

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February

5 – 12 12 – 19 19 – 26 26 – Mar 5

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March

5 – 12 12 – 19 19 – 26 26 – Apr 2

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April

2–9 9 – 16 16 – 23 23 – 30 30 – May 7

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May

7 – 14 14 – 21 21 – 28 28 – Jun 4

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June

4 – 11 11 – 18 18 – 25

8 Days/7 Nights Insight Cuba’s Havana & Colonial Trinidad program offers various levels of cultural immersion through the exploration of several of Cuba’s most famous destinations.

Steeped in history, this program offers an experience far beyond postcard views.

Get acquainted with the romantic city of Havana and its people through interactions with the residents, visiting communities, and sharing experiences.

After falling in love with Havana, it’s on to Cienfuegos, commonly referred to as “The Pearl of the South,” before settling in to soak up Trinidad’s colonial charm.

While here, you’ll walk the cobblestoned streets, and mingle with the residents, while absorbing the history of this wondrous region. Set amongst the Sierra del Escambray Mountains to the north, where coffee plantations dominate, and the turquoise blue Caribbean Sea directly to the south, for just a moment, you’ll ponder never leaving.

Starting at $3,495 All prices are per person _______________________

For more information, visit us at insightcuba.com or call 1-800-450-CUBA (2822) insightcuba.com • 1-800-450-CUBA (2822)

Havana & Scenic Pinar del Río Havana/Viñales/Pinar del Río

DATES * Upcoming departure dates are pending license renewal.

2012 June

2–9 23 – 30

sold out sold out

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September 15 – 22 29 – Oct 6

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October

13 – 20 27 – Nov 3

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November

10 – 17

December

1–8 8 – 15 15 – 22 22 – 29 29 – Jan 5

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2013 January

19 – 26

February

2–9 16 – 23

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March

8 Days/7 Nights Get acquainted with the romantic city of Havana and its people through interactions with residents, visiting local communities and sharing stories. You’ll have the opportunity to immerse yourself in Cuba’s culture by visiting schools to learn about Cuba’s educational system, participating in a discussion with local artists and musicians, and meeting with island historians along with other memorable experiences.

After enjoying the rhythmic sounds of Havana, you’ll change gears and journey to the western province of Pinar del Río, known for its scenic national park Viñales, its expansive tobacco fields, and intriguing peasant farmers, also known as Guajiros.

Starting at $2,895 All prices are per person _______________________

For more information, visit us at insightcuba.com or call 1-800-450-CUBA (2822)

2–9 16 – 23 30 – Apr 6

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April

13 – 20 20 – 27 27 – May 4

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May

4 – 11 11 – 18 18 – 25 25 – Jun 1

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June

1–8 8 – 15 15 – 22

Undiscovered Cuba

DATES * Upcoming departure dates are pending license renewal.

Havana/Santa Clara/Remedios/Camagüey/ Santiago de Cuba/Baracoa

2012 October

8 – 19

November

5 – 16 26 – Dec 7

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December

10 – 17 – 24 – 31 –

21 28 Jan 4 Jan 11

2013 January

14 – 25

February

4 – 15

March

11 – 22

April

15 – 26

May

13 – 24

June

10 – 18

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NEW

12 Days/11 Nights Join us on a journey for the ages, where you will discover the diversity of Cuba’s people, landscapes, and locales as you meander through its countryside, enchanting colonial towns, and watch the color of Cuba’s culture unfold before you. Get wrapped up in it all on our 12-day Undiscovered Cuba Tour. This exclusive excursion offers travelers unique access to Cuba’s people and places the average tourist rarely goes and is the ultimate journey for those with a real zest for adventure and desire to leave no stone unturned.

From the moment you land in Havana, the iconic capital at the east end of the island, until you depart from Santiago de Cuba, the hub of its eastern tail, you are immersed in culture with the help of an engaging Cuban guide. Discover Havana Vieja, a famous UNESCO heritage area swathed in Hispanic-Andalusian architecture, through the eyes of artists that work there. Continue to the central province of Villa Clara, where Ché Guevara’s legacy lives on; and Remedios, home to striking cathedrals. You’ll delight in the historic, maze-like streets of Camagüey, be lured by the picturesque fishing village of Baracoa, and witness the modernday metropolis of Santiago de Cuba. Every stop leaves a photograph on the mind that won’t soon be forgotten.

NEW

Starting at $3,595 All prices are per person _______________________

For more information, visit us at insightcuba.com or call 1-800-450-CUBA (2822)

Cuban Music & Art Experience Havana/Santiago de Cuba

DATES * Upcoming departure dates are pending license renewal.

2012 June

8 – 16

sold out

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September 28 – Oct 6

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October

12 – 20

November

2 – 10 30 – Dec 8

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December

14 – 22 30 – Jan 7

2013

9 Days/8 Nights Music and art have been called the heartbeat of this seductive and soulful island.

The Cuban Music & Art Experience provides an opportunity to explore the thriving arts scene through performances, discussions, and events in both Havana and Cuba’s second cultural mecca - Santiago de Cuba. In this program, you’ll gain unprecedented insight into Cuba’s fascinating musical and artistic evolution.

The journey begins in Havana with a visit to Callejón de Hamel (Hamel’s Alley) – a community project promoting Cuban music and culture. Participants will also meet with residents to discuss daily life in Havana, and visit Havana’s Fine Arts Institute to learn about the state of art education. Although many activities are planned, there is always room for an impromptu cumanchas (street parties) or a stop at another live performance along the way.

After experiencing Havana, you’ll fly to Santiago de Cuba, known as Cuba’s most exotic city and the cradle of all musical genres. You might partake in a salsa lesson or two, visit a community music project for children, and then explore the incredible surrounding region. Throughout our journey, we’ll immerse ourselves in the narrow and winding streets of Santiago de Cuba... so rich in history and culture.

Starting at $3,695 All prices are per person _______________________

For more information, visit us at insightcuba.com or call 1-800-450-CUBA (2822)

January

18 – 26

February

1–9 15 – 23

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March

1–9 15 – 23 29 – Apr 6

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April

12 – 20 26 – May 4

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May

10 – 18 24 – Jun 1

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June

7 – 15

Havana Jazz Series

DATES * Upcoming departure dates are pending license renewal.

Havana/Matanzas

2012 September 19 – 23

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October

17 – 21

November

14 – 18

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2013 January

16 – 20

February

13 – 17

March

13 – 17

April

10 – 14

May

15 – 19

June

12 – 16

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5 Days/4 Nights Insight Cuba, in conjunction with JazzTimes Magazine, offers a unique opportunity to combine a love of Cuban jazz with an interest in this fascinating culture.

NEW

Get a rare inside look at the thriving Cuban art and jazz scene. Spend your days walking the streets and neighborhoods of Havana, meeting local Cuban residents and visiting art & music studios.

You’ll also get to visit Guanabacoa, which is just a few miles outside of Havana’s city limits — however you’ll feel as though you are worlds away. Explore a city bustling with the activity of Santería practitioners immersed in ritual, and become mesmerized by manifestations of traditional African faiths involving magic.

NEW

Your next adventure leads you to the town of Matanzas, where you’ll meet with Santería practitioners, drummers, and other musicians. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look as you’ll be granted access to their rehearsals and performances.

The evenings are spent at some of the top jazz clubs including Jazz Café and La Zorra y El Cuervo, where you’ll meet with musicians to discuss the history of music on the island, followed by an intimate jazz session.

Starting at $2,695 All prices are per person _______________________

For more information, visit us at insightcuba.com or call 1-800-450-CUBA (2822)

Weekend in Havana

DATES

Havana

* Upcoming departure dates are pending license renewal.

2012 June

7 – 10 14 – 17 21 – 24

sold out sold out sold out

.................................................

September 20 – 23

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October

4–7 18 – 21

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November

1–4 8 – 11 15 – 18 22 – 25 29 – Dec 2

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December

6–9 13 – 16 20 – 23 27 – 30

2013 January

4 Days/3 Nights For the traveler with little time but a lot of interest, Insight Cuba offers a Weekend in Havana. This program focuses on the cultural mecca that is Havana. Walk the fascinating streets, visit its most historic sites, and share conversation with local residents about daily life in this captivating city. The first time you enter the narrow cobblestoned streets of Havana Vieja, you’ll bask in five centuries worth of majestic Spanish architecture. Romance fills the air of the Colonial plazas, cathedrals and palaces and takes hold of couples sitting along the water at the Malecón. There you will also find the magnificent El Morro Castle looming across the Bay of Havana like an image from a fairytale.

Starting at $1,995 All prices are per person _______________________

10 – 17 – 24 – 31 –

13 20 27 Feb 3

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February

7 – 10 14 – 17 21 – 24 28 – Mar 3

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March

7 – 10 14 – 17 21 – 24 28 – 31

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April

4–7 11 – 14 18 – 21 25 – 28

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May

2–5 9 – 12 16 – 19 23 – 26 30 – Jun 2

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June

For more information, visit us at insightcuba.com or call 1-800-450-CUBA (2822)

6–9 13 – 16 20 – 23

We’ll change how you see Cuba forever

For more information, visit us at insightcuba.com or call 1-800-450-CUBA (2822) Join the conversation at facebook.com/insightcuba Copyright © 2000–2012 by Insight Cuba, a division of Cross-Cultural Solutions