ITINERARY: 10 DAY TOUR

Day 1: Arrive Havana - Tour Havana

Welcome to Cuba! Today we arrive in Havana and settle into our accommodations. We will walk to a restaurant in the neighborhood for dinner and relax after our long journey.

Day 2: Havana - Artist Visits & Tour Havana

In the morning you will visit a large mansion stuck in time with little changed since the Revolution that has slowly aged over the years. After that you will visit the home studio of one of Havana's leading women photographers. Next we you will see the amazing studio of one of Cuba's leading contemporary artists in her beautiful home. After that have lunch nearby and then stop by the legendary mid-century Riviera Hotel formerly owned by Meyer Lansky.

Mid-afternoon you will go for a ride in some of Cuba’s classic cars and tour it's many neighborhoods and along the famous Malecon higway that runs along the ocean at sunset. Before dinner you will stop off at the legendary 1930’s era Hotel Nacional. Dinner will be at a famous restaurant in Old Havana that has a breathtaking roof top view and and wonderful period architecture.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 3: Havana - Havana & Artist Visits

Your first stop will be a the home of a photographer who was there at the outbreak of the revolution and took many of the famous photos you have seen of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. He tells wonderful stories of the time. Then on to meet a sculptor who does whimsimal pieces with ironic political statements. From there you will drive 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 a large art environment of mosaic pieces. Lunch will be at an open air restaurant on the coast. Folllowing you will visit the lovely home of a well know female contemporary artist. The next stop will be the home studio of a very inspiring photographer. For dinner you will eat at one of the restaurants in the neighborhood.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 4: Havana - Old Havana: Artist Visits

First thing in the morning you will have a walking tour of Old Havana and walk in the footsteps of Havana’s colonial past, visiting the main plazas of Old Havana with our Cuban guide. Following that you will walk in the back street neighborhoods of Old Havana where the real life of the city is. Lunch in Old Havana after which you will have a tour of the Revoltion Museum in the old Presidential building. Following that you will stop at the lovely home studio of a well known Cuban painter. After that you will visit an art project where two artists converted an old warehouse/laundry mat into a large art exhibition space in a poor neighborhood and hear their story.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 5: Matanzas

Today you will leave Havana and head to the coastal town of Matanzas. En route you will stop at a former fort which was an arrival port for slaves and wander around taking in the history. Lunch will lbe at a restaurant along thw water front. Following lunch you will explore the town a bit and then check into your houses. Before dinner you will all meet at a house where the hostess will give you a cooking class as she prepares your dinner. Following dinner you will be entertained by a group of 10 musicians and dancers who will perform a Rhumba show on the house's roof top terrace just for us. Cuba and Matanzas is the origin of Rhumba music but it is nothing like the ballroom dance you know in the US. Be prepared to dance this is a lot of fun!

Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner

Day 6: Matanzas

In the morning you will first drive to the site of a slave rebellion in the mid 1800s led by a slave Carlotta. Here the Cuban goverment has created a memorial to her made by a famous Afro-Cuban artist Alberto Leskay. From there you will drive to an amazing an organic farm and learn about sustainable farming in Cuba. The mother of the family is a contemporary ceramic artist so art prevades the whole farm with large sculptures everywhere and their own ceramic studio. The family will show you around the farm and give a tour their ceramic studio. You will enjoy a deliciously fresh home cooked meal, a truly authentic farm-to-fork experience. Following lunch you will drive to a nearby small town that used to be a resort escape in the 30s and wander its abandoned mansion and see the small town rural life. For dinner you will wander down to the river front and eat at one of Matanza's charming cafes.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7: Trinidad

Today you will depart for Trinidad and stop in Cienfuegosfor lunch with a lovely view of the bay. Then you will drive on to Trinidad to check into your house and relax a bit before dinner and an evening of music with musicians playing just for you.

Meals Included: Breakfast and dinner

Day 8: Trinidad

The beautiful colonial city of Trinidad is an UNESCO landmark and it is a joy to walk and explore its cobblestone streets. That morning in Trinidad we will first stop at a ceramic studio of one of Trinidad's leading artists. Today is a relaxation day and you can wander the streets and shops close to the plaza and enjoy the charm of colonial Trindidad. We will eat lunch on the plaza and meet and listen to one of the town's many delightful Cuban groups. Mid afternoon we will go out to Playa Ancon, stop and collect calcified coral on the shore and then relax at the beach and return to town for dinner.

After dinner if you wish you can go to town to listen to music. In Trinidad music is everywhere, with numerous live venues and many dance performances every day of the week, day and night, all amongst the enchanting setting of old colonial buildings and cobblestone streets.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 9: Trinidad

Today you will leave Trinidad to head back to Havana and stop along the way to visit a charming small town that has a large Afro-Cuban population. You will visit a religious temple where they will do a special musical and dance presentation just for you. This is not a town tourists normally visit and it will be an opportunity to see authentic life in small town Cuba. Then you will then head back to Havana where you will have some free time to freshen up before your farewell dinner.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 10: Havana

Today you wave goodbye to the city’s warm waters, colonial palaces and vintage cars before boarding your flights back to the US. Breakfast and Transport to the Airport Included.

Meals Included: Breakfast