The Cuban Life Experience
January 13th- 19th, 2024
Although this tour is specially designed to meet U.S. legal travel requirements, travelers from all other countries seeking a fun and unique cultural experience are welcome to join!
Tour Description:
This tour is a fantastic introduction to Cuban Life that gets you out of Havana, so that you can see and experience what many visitors to Cuba do not, that Havana is not Cuba and Cuba is not Havana. The focus on this tour is to learn about ordinary life in Cuba, and how individuals are impacted by the government, social structure, and the embargo. You’ll learn about Cuba’s proud and patriotic culture, its tumultuous history, its thriving arts scene, and its burgeoning entrepreneurial spirit. You’ll meet with locals from different walks of life and learn about family life, favorite pastimes, the school system, and the workplace. You’ll learn about the challenges that Cubans face in getting access to necessities, comforts, and luxuries, and the interesting and often ingenious ways they've developed “resolviendo" (resolving) to get what they need.
Itinerary:
The purpose of this itinerary is to give you an idea of the types of activities you will engage in during the tour, however, it WILL change based on factors such as availability, weather, and time, so as to take advantage of spontaneous activities and events.
Day 1 (Saturday, January 13th): Arrive Ft. Lauderdale
Today everyone arrives at their leisure and checks into the host hotel, Comfort Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport South and Cruise Port. This evening, please join us for a meet-and-greet reception to kick off The Cuban Life Experience Tour. Meals: Welcome Reception.
Day 2 (Sunday, January 14th): Arrive Havana
Welcome to Cuba! Today we fly from Ft. Lauderdale to Havana. We arrive in Havana and settle into our B&B accommodations. We’ll meet our local tour leader and have dinner together at a local paladar (privately owned restaurant). Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Day 3 (Monday, January 15th): Havana
The best place to start any Cuban experience is in the Old City, this morning we take a guided walking tour of Old Havana. In addition to visiting historical sites, we'll visit commercial centers and purchase some local wares It has been more than a year since Cuba has done away with their dual-currency system (yes, they had two!) and we will learn about the effects of currency on their economy and the way different currencies are used now and throughout recent history. Lunch this afternoon is included at a local paladar. After lunch you have time to enjoy culturally immersive activities in support for the Cuban People and this evening you are free to enjoy one of the local paladars for dinner on your own. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch.
Day 4 (Tuesday, January 16th): Viñales (via Las Terrazas)
Today we head to Viñales which is situated in one of the most picturesque parts of Cuba, among the limestone pincushion hills (“mogotes”) of the Pinar del Rio province. On the way to Viñales we make several stops. The first is a visit to the fishing village of Jaimanitas and the home of the famous artist Jose Fuster. Fuster has made his entire home, and much of the surrounding neighborhood, into an artwork using tiles in mosaic forms. We then enjoy a family style lunch on a farm outside of Havana and then continue on to the community of Las Terrazas where we will meet up with our local community leader who will share with us some insight into how the local society works. We will reach Viñales in time to tour an organic farm and learn about sustainable farming in Cuba. Here we meet our local farmer and his family who will show us around the organic farm and explain to us the methods used to cultivate crops without the use of pesticides. Back at the house, lend a hand and learn ‘hands on’ how they farm here. With the beautiful sunset as our backdrop, we will enjoy a deliciously fresh and diverse meal prepared by the family, a truly authentic farm-to-fork experience! Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 (Wednesday, January 17th): Viñales
Today we’ll take a walk to a cigar farm and spend the morning learning the tradition of Cuban cigars from a farmer and expert cigar maker. We will get an insight as to how the communist system works –how much tobacco they produce, how much they retain, how much they give back to the government –and how they make ends meet! You will learn about the process from tobacco planting to rolling the final cigar. In the afternoon private transport will take us to the Valle de Viñales (Viñales Valley), in the Pinar del Río region of Cuba to view a famous 120-meter mural by Leovigildo González Morillo and after that we’ll learn to cook Cuban-style with a cooking lesson from a local chef. Here we’ll gain an understanding and appreciation of the local ingredients for the ‘platos tipicos’ Cubanos like congri, potaje, garbanzo soup, ajiaco, and flan. Fun to cook, but even better to eat! Meals: Breakfast, Dinner.
Day 6 (Thursday, January 18th): Havana
After breakfast we’ll make our way back to Havana. On the way, we’ll stop in Soroa, where we’ll find The Orchid Garden of Soroa a beautiful botanical garden that dates back to the late 19th century This magnificent garden of 35,000 square meters (almost 380,000 sq. ft.!) is dedicated to the preservation of nature and the environment, as well as to the conservation of orchids from all over the world, including unique and protected species. Once back in Havana, we’ll stop in Revolution Square for photos and then cool down with some mojitos in a historical bar. Meals: Breakfast.
Day 7 (Friday, January 19th): Departure Day
Say good-bye to your guide and driver as you head home with your memories (and maybe a few souvenirs), today we will fly from Havana to Ft. Lauderdale. We hope you will return soon!
Group Size:
This travel experience is a private group format and can accommodate up to 24 travelers
Price:
The price is $2395 per person, based on double occupancy for this fabulous 6-night/7-day experience. $100 discount for past QTS tour travelers.
Single supplement is $495
A non-refundable deposit of $500 is due at the time of reservation. Final payment is due 90 days prior to the start of the tour.
What Is Included:
• Roundtrip Airfare between Ft. Lauderdale and Havana.
• 1-night accommodation at Comfort Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport South and Cruise Port (or similar)
• 5 nights’ accommodation in privately owned VIP class Bed & Breakfasts (casa particulares), based on double occupancy.
• Private English Speaking local Cuban guide throughout.
• Escorted by Don Capparella of Quality Travel Solutions.
• Private transportation in an air-conditioned bus.
• All activities mentioned in the itinerary.
• Meals included in the itinerary (5 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 3 dinners, and a Welcome Reception)
• Arrival airport transfer in Cuba.
• Mandatory medical insurance while in Cuba (Comprehensive Travel Protection is not included and strongly encouraged; Don will provide insurance quotes).
• Full itinerary of meaningful activities required to comply with that general license of Support for Cuban People (SCP).
What Is Not Included:
• Meals not included in the itinerary
• Airport departure transfer (approx. 25 CUC/EURO)
• Gratuities for guide, driver, breakfast waitstaff, housekeeping, and optional activities.
• Cuba Travel Visa (Approximately $85; We provide instructions on how to obtain the Visa prior to departure).
Budget for Additional Costs:
Spending money for meals, artwork, souvenirs, additional gratuities: US$500 - $800 per person
Other Important Information:
How is this travel experience different from other tours offered by QTS?
The Cuban Life program is an active tour that requires walking on cobblestone streets and uneven pathways, climbing stairs, and participating in a full-time schedule of Support for Cuban People activities. Due to special U.S. requirements to visit Cuba, you will be required to complete a visa application, travel reservation form, and sign an affidavit confirming that you are traveling under a “Support for Cuban People” license and are aware of the travel rules. In Cuba, activities that have been scheduled far in advance can sometimes become unavailable for a number of different reasons. The purpose of this trip is to have meaningful interactions with the locals and if a particular planned educational exchange isn’t available, rest assured that another will be substituted that will be just as enriching.
What does it mean to travel to Cuba under the Support for the Cuban People - SCP license?
Here are the summarized requirements that Quality Travel Solutions abides by to make your travel to Cuba legal:
1. QTS uses privately owned businesses (e.g. private bed & breakfasts and private restaurants, etc.)
2. QTS maintains a full schedule (considered 6-8 hour daily, or 40 hours per week) of meaningful interactions that: "Enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people's independence from Cuban authorities and that result in meaningful interactions with individuals in Cuba”.
Here are some activities that we include in our travel experiences that are considered acceptable:
• Supporting local artists by visiting galleries and/or purchasing art.
• Conversing with your hosts at your bed and breakfasts.
• Taking lessons (dance, language, music, cooking, etc.).
• Shopping in privately owned businesses.
• Eating at privately owned restaurants.
• Taking guided cultural/historical tours.
• Visiting museums or places of cultural significance.
3. QTS avoids transactions with Cuban Government entities on a prohibited list issued by the U.S. Government.
4. QTS assists you in documenting your activities and transactions in a ledger or travel journal. These journals, records and all receipts must be maintained for 5 years per the U.S. Government.
What are the entry requirements to Cuba? What is the Visa?
Tourists are required to have a valid passport and a tourist visa to enter Cuba. There are conflicting validity requirements for your passport, some sources say it must be valid for three months beyond your dates of travel and some say it must be valid for six months. To be on the safe side, it is better to renew your passport if it will expire within a year. The Cuban Visa or Tourist Card is not unique to US travelers, it is required of travelers from around the world.
Can you tell me more information about the Guesthouses in Cuba?
Guesthouses, bed and breakfasts, B&Bs, casas, casas particulares, family stays, and homestays – these are all the names for the same type of accommodation in Cuba. For most people these accommodations are a major highlight of their visit to Cuba. Typically the casas are run by local families and located in residential neighborhoods, so they provide a great opportunity for travelers to interact with everyday Cubans.
The casa particulares are a form of accommodation for foreigners in Cuba that is legalized and formalized, and the rooms for guests are required to meet a certain standard of comfort for the house to obtain a license to rent. The owners pay a fee to the government for this license, and they also pay tax on their income.
We are staying at VIP Casas! Standard casas are consistently rated by travelers as more enjoyable and the same comfort level as a 3-star Cuban Hotel. Our tour group will be staying exclusively at VIP casas. Every VIP room has air-conditioning, en-suite bathrooms, a window to the outside or to an interior open-air courtyard, modern imported mattresses, and cold and hot water with a separate hot water heater system (no electric element in the shower head). Towels and soap are provided. While these are the minimum requirements for VIP rooms, every VIP casa is different, and has its own unique charms.
The Base House Explained
For the nights on our tours where guesthouse accommodation is included, we will most likely use several different houses depending on the group size. Most guesthouses have 2-4 rooms for guests, however, with the recent changes in laws, some homes now have up to 10 rooms. For our tour group, we will have one or two “Base Houses” (or central house) which typically has more rooms and a nice area for the group to meet. We use this house as an arrival and departure point for the group, and as a meeting point for any excursion or activity with the tour leader. Tour participants are distributed to different casas situated within a short walking distance of the base house. Family members from those houses collect our tour participants from the base house.
To join us on this experience, please fill out the registration here:
https://www.jotform.com/QTSolutions/RegistrationForm
For more information: Don Capparella
don@qualitytravelsolutions.com
602-614-6679
