Revised October-November Tour of Eastern Cuba

Exploring Cuba’s Roots:

An Independent Travel Collaboration*

in Support of the Cuban People of the Oriente

An opportunity to combine the freedom and spontaneity of the new general license for individual travel with a structured program that introduces you to Cuban history and culture in the country’s vital east end, and the past and current role of the US. 

Bed and breakfast private housing and intercity transportation will be coordinated by the organizers. The majority of lunches and dinners and consumption at evening events will not be included.

October 23:  fly Miami or Ft. Lauderdale to Holguin to participate in Casa de Iberoamerica XIII Congress of Ideas, program here

     or
October 27:  fly Miami or Ft. Lauderdale to Holguin

Holguin 2 nights   October 27-28

Pre Columbus Cuba: Visit the gravesite museum and the replica of a Taino village

Visit the company town of United Fruit and the church in Banes

Visit the landing site where Dynamite Johnny O’Brien brought arms and soldiers for the mambisis

Enjoy the beach with Cubans at Guardalavaca

Two nights of music and dance with Cuban friends (Club Nocturno, Casa de Iberoamerica?)

Santiago  3 nights   October 29-31

Visit Biran, the large plantation owned by the father of Fidel and Raul Castro

Visit el Cobre, home of Cuba’s patron saint

Dinner at Terrazas La Caridad, a paladar that also roasts its own coffee

Visit the Carnival museum for a lecture and performance

Enjoy traditional Cuban music and dance, learn to dance at Artex

Visit the Spanish fortress that protected Santiago; the Maceo Memorial honoring a leader of the mambisi independence struggle, with US supporters like Clara Barton and Dynamite Johnny O'Brien; the memorial at San Juan Hill to Teddy Roosevelt’s casualties;  the museum of the Cuban-Spanish-American war for the other side of the story; the Moncada Barracks (the site of the first stage of the Cuban revolution); the gravesites of Jose Marti and Fidel Castro,

Guantanamo 2 nights  November 1-2

Enjoy the place that Cuba’s traditional music originated, including Tumba Francesa and the Museum of Changui.  We are requesting a visit to Caimanera, the town that adjoins the Guantanamo base, with a briefing on Cuba’s view of US occupation.

Baracoa  1 night  November 3

The oldest Spanish settlement and first capital of Cuba; cultivation of cacao and production of local chocolate 

Return to Holguin  1 night  November 4

Drive to Holguin

Relax at a beach en route

Night of music and dance with Cuban friends (Casa de la Trova?)

Fly Holguin to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale on November 5  (Be home for Election Day November 6)

Scheduled visits will be included in cost for all participants but they can, by notifying the organizer, choose to opt out of any segment and take personal responsibility that their planned activity qualifies under “support for the Cuban people”.  The individual option is not available during intercity travel or stops en route.  We strongly recommend that each participant, couple or family bring an unlocked quad band GSM phone and purchase a Cuban SIM card in order to combine independence and group maintenance.                                                                

A parallel program is available for people to people tour groups that prefer hotel accommodations.

 * If this approach is not accepted by Cuban authorities, we will organize a conventional group tour.