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| Highlights Learn to dance to Cuban music, swim in the clean warm Caribbean seas, volunteer with island peers on farms, make new friends. |
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Cities and provinces you'll visit
 Havana City and Havana Province
Viñales Valley and Pinar del Río
Varadero Beach
Historic Cienfuegos and Trinidad |
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Awe-inspiring Viñales Valley. |
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Trinidad beach. |
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 Volunteerism, art, music, dance, history and culture
Monday 6 March to Monday 20/21 March 2006
15 days, 14 nights in safe student-friendly Cuba! |
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| SEE TOUR DAY | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | |
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Travel for change. This educational tour to Cuba was initiated and organized by Prince of Wales Mini School teachers Ms Diane Phillips and Ms Stacey Volk. Please read their Tour Overview statement. |
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Safe and educational. Explore the island, meet its people, and enjoy their culture while in the good care of a full time multilingual Cuban guide, a professional coach driver, three Vancouver chaperones, and a representative from the Cuban Movement for Peace (MOVPAZ). |
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| SkyService Airlines schedule and luggage |
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Departing Vancouver Flight 5G5110 – Monday 06 March 01:30PM |
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Arriving in Varadero Tuesday 07 March 01:15AM |
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Departing Varadero Flight 5G5111 – Tuesday 21 March 02:50AM |
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Arriving in Vancouver Tuesday 21 March 05:35AM |
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Stowage luggage allowance is 20 kg (44 pounds) per person, plus two small carry-on items |
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| Included in costs are activities listed herein unless noted as optional. |
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| Island transportation is in a modern air-conditioned tour coach. |
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| Meals B=breakfast L=lunch D=dinner indicates meals included. Your guide is available to suggest eateries for every taste and budget for meals not included. |
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| Memories of Cuba last forever. Explore the island on routes less traveled. |
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Historic Havana. |
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| Hint Blue links below offer more details and pictures. |
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| HELLO CUBA – HELLO HAVANA! |
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Get ready for plenty of entertainment… |
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…and lots of great music. |
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Arrive at Varadero International Airport.
Collect your bags and go through customs. See What to take to Cuba.
You're welcomed at the airport by your Cuba Education Tours guide and coach driver.
Your Cuba Education Tours guide will direct you to a bank or exchange bureau (CADECA) to purchase Cuban Convertible Pesos.
Group transfer to Hotel Saint Johns located in the Vedado neighborhood (Havana's cultural hub) and two blocks from the Malecón seawall.
Private check-in with assistance from your guide.
All breakfasts are complementary daily from 7:00AM to 10:00AM. Dinners outside of Havana are included and served from 7:00PM to 10:00PM. |
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Havana's Malecón seawall: A place for contemplation and new friendships. |
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| GETTING TO KNOW THE CARIBBEAN'S LARGEST CAPITAL |
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Remnant of an ancient wall that protected Havana from prirates and the British. |
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Consider a Cuban flamenco performance while in Havana. |
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Morning walking tour of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We'll visit four of the five historic plazas that make Havana unique in the western hemisphere.
In each of the plazas we'll stop at key attractions including a visit to the Scale Model of Old Havana.
Later we'll explore the of the Museum of the Revolution, housed in the Presidential Palace, displaying the history of the Cuban Revolution.
The balance of the afternoon is free for you to explore Old Havana's famous open air-market, explore other sites, or rest. See 64 Things to do in Havana.
Tonight we have a Cuban band playing for us. You'll learn how to perform and dance to Salsa, Son, Rumba, Mambo and other popular Cuban rhythms from the band members of Grupo Dulce María. |
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Plaza San Francisco in Old Havana. |
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Museum of the Revolution: old car not part of exhibit. One in ten autos are pre-1959! |
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Engage in the island's vibrant culture. |
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| MODERN HAVANA AND PEOPLE'S ORGANIZATIONS |
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Towering monument to Cuba's founding father José Martí is focus of Vedado's Plaza de La Revolución. |
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El Morro guards the entrance to Havana Habor. |
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Morning meeting with your island NGO host the Cuban Movement for Peace (MOVPAZ) at their beautiful Vedado headquarters for a presentation and discussion on the social, economic, cultural and political situation in Cuba today.
Followed by an air-conditioned luxury coach tour of the most important sites of Modern Havana such as the Capitol building, the Grand Theatre, Central Park, Prado promenade, the Revolution Square, University of Havana, Cemetery Colon, Malecón seawall, and the Miramar, Central Havana and Vedado neighborhoods.
Afternoon meeting and discussion with members of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) at their national office. Here we'll learn about dozens of FMC programs striving to acheive women's full equality.
Consider a Cuban baseball game this evening (game schedule permitting). Want to do something else? Your guide will keep you posted on entertainment options. |
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Historic facilities of the Cuban Movement for Peace, your island sponsor and host, located in Havana's Vedado neighborhood. |
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Kids start playing their national sport early on. |
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| HAVANA – EDUCATION, GOVERNANCE, AND LIVE MUSIC |
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Music students at the Escuela Nacional de Arte. |
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You'll confront a moat surrounding Havana's Castillo de la Real Fuerza. |
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Morning visit to the School of Music at Escuela Nacional de Arte for an exchange with students and their teachers on arts curriculum in Cuba.
Afternoon meeting with representatives of the People's Power (Cuban national assembly) from the Cayo Hueso district of Central Havana for an explanation of neighborhood projects they oversee. You'll learn about the demanding role and responsibilities of elected (yet volunteer) officials to their voter base – democracy Cuban-style.
Later we'll return to MOVPAZ to enjoy life Cuban music performed by the youth band Grupo Mayohuacan – a great opportunity to practice your new dance steps!
Evening is free to spend time with your classmates and new Cuban friends. |
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Cayo Hueso is home to the famed Callejón de Hamel, an AfroCuban cultural space. |
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| PINAR DEL RIO, NATURE RESERVES AND A COMMUNITY EVENT |
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Farmers markets offer healthy organic produce to Habaneros. |
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Cuba and Canada have the lowest infant mortality rate in the Americas. Both have nationalized healthcare plans. |
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Las Terrazas pool. Be certain to bring a swim suit. |
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Morning departure to Las Terrazas eco-community in the Sierra del Rosario mountain range west of Havana in the province of Pinar del Río.
We'll tour its rural village called Rancho Curujey and enjoy a welcome cocktail while hearing about this self-sustaining community's goals of reforestation, historical preservation, environmental balance and a good life.
We'll visit its school Republica Oriental del Uruguay for primary and secondary children and talk with teachers and students who live in this community.
Next we'll meet with local artists and craft workers in their homes and studios.
Later we'll walk the incredible ruins of a French Coffee Plantation built in 1801 worked by African slaves.
Then we continue on to La Moka, an ecological hotel with trees growing up through its balconies and ceilings.
You'll have free time to swim in the fresh waters of the San Juan River and explore the surroundings of this lush tropical paradise.
We're off to Viñales Valley and check into your Resort Hotel Aguas Claras in Pinar del Río.
Evening festivity at a local Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR). CDRs are responsible for community well-being, education, sanitation and safety. These events are a highlight of any Cuba stay! |
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We'll attend a community CRD party tonight and get to know the extended families at the block level who keep their neighborhoods safe and clean – free of crime and drugs. |
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Once deforested and mired in poverty, Las Terrazas today is a self-sustaining eco-community. |
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| PINAR DEL RIO'S VINALES VALLEY AND COUNTRYSIDE |
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Young person staffs a farmers market. |
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Consider climbing to the top of a mogote! |
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Learn about the cultivation and manufacture of tobacco resulting in the world's most famous cigars. |
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Day excursion to Viñales Valley, containing the most spectacular scenery in Cuba and some of the most interesting and varied geological formations in the Caribbean. The valley is particularly famous for its great freestanding rock formations called mogotes.
We'll visit the Cueva del Indio, used by the Guanahatabey Amerindians as a burial site in ancient time, and as refuge from the Spaniards for both Indians and Black slaves alike. We'll take a short boat ride on the subterranean river running through the cave (included).
Visit to Mural de la Prehistoria, a huge painting on the side of a mogote.
Explore Viñales Village at your leisure: its open-air craft market, Parque Martí, town church, and other interesting sites of this charming colonial hamlet.
Visit Carmen and Caridad Miranda's botanical and herb garden, called the Viñales Botanical Garden. The two widows maintain a garden full of fruits, orchids and medicinal plants.
Free evening at Aguas Claras with your classmates! |
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| Exotic plant and wildlife. |
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Junior learns to ride a horse. Cubans can truly claim that no child is left behind. |
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| Animal partners help out on the farm. Eco-friendly practices result in tasty organic produce and high productivity. |
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| CIENFUEGOS – THE PEARL OF THE SOUTH |
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French-inspired Teatro Tomas Terry, a neoclassical landmark. |
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Morning departure to Cienfuegos, renowned for its wealth of buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Upon arrival we'll have a guided tour of the city and an explanation of the origins of this beautiful cosmopolitan city founded by French immigrants in the early 1800s.
Remainder of the day is free to stroll the city at leisure.
Late afternoon check-in at your Cienfuegos hotel.
Evening is yours to enjoy the amenities of your hotel or check out activities in the city. |
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Former sugar baron's opulent mansion. His wealth was generated by slaves. |
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Classic Cienfuegos edifice. |
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| INTRODUCTION TO CIENFUEGOS |
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Neighborhood clinic staff with humanitarian aid donated by North American friends. The island has the highest percentage of doctors to population in the world. |
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Morning welcome meeting with elected representativesof Cienfuegos at the provincial capitol building.
City tour of Cienfuegos: Your guide will explain the origins of this beautiful cosmopolitan city. We'll explore Cienfuegos' Plaza Martí where the ceremony of foundation of the city took place, and where you'll find a reproduction of the Arch of Triumph of Paris.
Visit neoclassical buildings such as the Cathedral, built with the donation of wealthy families like the Lebrancs, the Albis, the Terrys. Inside are reproductions of the 12 Apostles in stained glass imported from Paris. Also the original machinery of the clock tower - still in place and working - was built in France. We also visit the Tomas Terry Theatre, built at the end of the 19th century, which still displays original elements of construction including wood works, iron works, paintings, etc.
Evening activity: Casa de La Musica in the City. |
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| CIENFUEGOS – VOLUNTEERING WITH PEERS |
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Full Day Working / Exchange Experience with students of the high school in the Cienfuegos countryside. |
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| DAY 10 – WEDNESDAY 15 |
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| CIENFUEGOS – VOLUNTEERING WITH PEERS |
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Full Day Working / Exchange Experience with students of the high school in the Cienfuegos countryside. |
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| ON TO TRINIDAD AND THE BEACH! |
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Half Day Working / Exchange Experience with students of the high school in the Cienfuegos countryside.
Lunch with students and farewells.
Transfer to the historic city of Trinidad and late afternoon check-in to your hotel.
Evening activity: Afrocuban Performance at Las Ruinas. |
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Sunset on Trinidad's Playa Ancón. |
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| TRINIDAD – FIVE CENTURIES OF HISTORY |
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Trinidad's Iznaga tower was built to keep watch over cane-field slaves. |
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Morning departure to Trinidad. Today we explore on foot one of the oldest cities founded by the Spaniards in the West Indies, Trinidad, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
We will visit its Plaza Mayor, Museum of Architecture, Museum of Romance, the main parish and other amazing sites, some dating back centuries.
Evening activity: Cuban popular music live on the steps of Casa de la Trova. |
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| A NATURE RESERVE IN THE ESCAMBRAY MOUNTAINS |
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Peasant hut in the high altitude jungles of Topes de Collantes. |
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This morning we journey on Soviet Army trucks to Topes de Collantes a tropical nature reserve high in the Escambray Mountains. The Escambrays are home to many small villages and are a delight for birders and walkers alike. Steep slopes are swathed in Caribbean pines, ancient tree-ferns, bamboo and eucalyptus.
On arrival at Hacienda Codina, once part of a large Spanish coffee plantation, we'll enjoy a typical Cuban lunch. Later will explore the area and inspect the beauty of the surrounding landscape.
Late afternoon return to your Trinidad hotel.
Your evening is free to enjoy the beach, your hotel's amenities, or the lively streets of this ancient city. |
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The Escambray Mountain Range is Cuba's second highest, reaching 3,700 feet atop Pico San Juan. Below Soviet Army truck.
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Enjoy a traditional lunch at Hacienda Codina, once a Spanish coffee plantation. |
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| TRINIDAD AND THE BEACH |
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Free day to enjoy the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, or explore historic sites of Trinidad. Snorkel equipment rental fee not included in tour price. |
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| Left Hatchling poised to become a gentle giant: Cuba protects endangered sea turtles, along with other marine life, thus all flourish. |
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| DAY 15 – MONDAY 20 /21 |
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| TRINIDAD, VARADERO AND INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURES |
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Free day at the beach in Trinidad.
Evening transfer to Varadero International Airport for your return home.
We'll miss you and hope you'll return soon! |
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