Cuba

CUBA TOUR “Support the Cuban People”

8 days / 7 nights.

March 25, April 20, 2024.

Charity Army Travel, ICF Inc operates under a “Support for the Cuban People” (# 515.574)

General License authorized by the US Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

PRICE:

• $ 2760 - 1/2 Double room, per person;
• $3000 - Single room

*From December 29 * 2023 tour for 7 days/6 nights starts Friday!

Includes: Airfare, Insurance, Private Hotels, Meal (in Havana - breakfasts, in Varadero - All Inclusive 4* Resort) , Transfers,
Excursions, Guides, help in Currency exchange , OFAC affidavit, Cuban Declaration.
For USA citizens visa costs $50.

Daily Experience / Log of Activities
Day 1- HAVANA, Saturday
Arrival at José Martí International Airport, Havana.
Transfer to casa particular (privately-owned hotel). Check-in at 3:00PM
Welcome dinner at a local paladar (privately-owned restaurant.)
Free time.

Day 2 – HAVANA, Sunday
Privately guided –walking tour of Old Havana – La Habana Vieja
Explore the oldest parts of Havana, the Time Machine, back more than 500 years to the city’s founding.
Founded in 1512, visit Old Havana’s most important places, under UNESCO World Heritage Site:
The Plaza de Armas, Plaza de San Francisco, Plaza de Cathedral, Plaza Vieja, San Francisco de la Habana.
Interact with small business owners along Calle Obispo. Shop local food, books, and art, learn about
Cuba’s dual-sector economy, in which private and government-owned businesses operate.
Old Havana, Cuba is a must-see for any visitor. Observe these landmark locations in Habana Vieja:
The Oldest Daiquiri in the World
Among the oldest still-operating bars in Havana, El Floridita is the birthplace of the frozen daiquiri .
Of course, the bar’s most notable occupant was Ernest Hemmingway. And he’s still there – memorialized in a bronze statue at the end of the bar. The feeling of pre-revolution Cuba is alive and well here, complete with bartenders in red coats.
Cuban Congress - El Capitolio
The Cuban Congress used El Capitolio for 30 years until its disbanding in 1959. Built between 1926 and 1929, El Capitolio is among the most magnificent and expensive structures in the entire country – costing over a quarter of a billion dollars when adjusted for inflation. Both the US and Cuban capitals drew inspiration from Paris’ Panthéon, hence their visual similarity.
Cruising in pre-1959 classic American Car
Hop inside one of Cuba’s iconic vintage cars from 1950s America and cruise along the
Famous Malecón Ocean Boulevard in style.
Find 60,000 vintage cars from the 1950s, 40s – and even the 30s. Meticulously maintained for decades, the streets of Havana feel like one, big, classic car show.
Farmer’s Market
Visit a local farmer’s market, where we’ll get a first-hand look at Cuba’s agricultural revolution.
The market stalls of bananas, peppers, and oranges are a rare free-market experiment in Cuba’s price-controlled economy, where food shortages are still fresh in history.
In these bustling markets you’ll find only local food – almost always organic. Local food focuses on fresh, simple combinations influenced by the island’s heritage of Spanish, Caribbean, and African traditions.
Free time.

Day 3- Havana, Monday
Meet the Jews of Havana in Synagogue. ( Optional) Giving humanitarian gifts and religious objects to Jewish people has helped sustain the community.
A tightly-knit Jewish community whose members escaped the Spanish Inquisition and survived Castro’s revolution is there to stay, despite the challenges and uncertain future on the island.
Synagogue and Jewish Community Center, Patronato, the focus of Jewish life in Havana. It is a modern and spacious building, with a facade dominated by a large white arch.
Havana Street Food Tours
Street food is an essential part of Cuban life. We walk through the Havana neighborhood of Vedado as we visit Cuban favorite street food spots. We can expect traditional entrees, desserts, cocktails and juices.
American Embassy in Havana
Walk around the Building of American Embassy, located on Malecon Ocean Boulevard
Exotic Cabaret Show “ Tropicana” - optional.

Day 4- Havana, Tuesday
Transfer to Varadero resort.
Accommodation. In privately owned hotel. Terrain and ocean overview.

Day 5-Varadero, Wednesday
Rumba and Salsa Dance and Drumming Live Performance and joined for a few dancing moves.
The energetic, rhythmic style of Rumba and Salsa is everywhere in Cuba. And with roots in Afro-Cuban heritage, the music and dance is a form of national pride. These dances are intimate, largely improvised dances based on a few basic steps.
After the revolution, Rumba and Salsa became parts of Cuba’s growing government-led culture system. Now, its many derivative forms are deeply embedded in the day-to-day life of Cuba's people. In understanding the role of rumba, salsa you’ll gain a greater appreciation of the island’s pace, rhythm, and community.
Visiting Cuban Cigar factory -
Havana is the birthplace of premium cigars. The world-famous habanos cigars are produced in this factory.
There before you are scores of workers, each making cigars entirely by hand. It’s an unrushed, antique and artisanal process, one that has not changed in any major way for hundreds of years.
Cuban Cooking Class.
Break bread with new-found friends as we take an in-home cooking class from local Cubans.
Get tasteful insights into Cuban culture when we go hands-on and prepare a meal with locals.
We’ll learn every step of authentic Cuban dishes. And finally, we’ll sit down to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Visiting a local village, meeting with peasants, getting to know the authentic Cuban cuisine, rum cocktail training.
Free time.

Day 6- Varadero, Thursday
All day Excursion “People of Villages and Communities”.
-Safari, Coral Beach, cave snorkeling, local attractions,
Free time.

Day 7- Varadero, Friday
Transfer to Havana
Accommodation in a privately owned hotel.
Shopping domestic stores, galleries, restaurants, museums, city walks.
Good bye Havana. Diner.

Day 8- Saturday
Departure to US.




PAYMENT
DEPOSITS:
For this package, a deposit of $600 per person, paid via one of our accepted payment methods,
is required to secure your booking, which will be applied toward the cost of your package.
Deposits are non refundable after 5 days of your booking.
The tour has to be paid in full 2 weeks before the trip.


PAYMENT METHODS:
We accept payments towards your deposit or balance due by the following methods:

• Cash
• Checks, including personal checks, cashier's checks or money orders,
• PayPal

We do not accept any other forms of payment. Payments must be made in U.S. currency

FLIGHTS
We recommend purchasing air tickets as soon as possible. The group departure will be performed by JETBLUE AIRLINES from JFK Airport New York.