The Social Traveler

Morning: volunteer work at Vivero Organoponico Alamar, 15 kilometers east of Havana. This is a great opportunity to learn about an agricultural system that supplies 40 percent of the cities fresh fruits and vegetables. Established in the 1990s, the Alamar cooperative has about 25 members and provides a range of healthy, organic low-cost food to Havana and environs.

Lunch at Vivero Organoponico Alamar. Dine on natural food prepared by the staff of this collective!

Afternoon: guided walking tour of Old Havana, UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visit to Square of Arms, ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers and surrounded by impressive buildings such as:

Palacio de los Capitanes Generales was the former seat of colonial government. Today the building houses the Museum of the City.

Palacio del Segundo Cabo. The seat of the second authority of the island. Today it houses important publishing concerns.

Castillo de la Real Fuerza. The second oldest fortress built by the Spaniards in the West Indies. The castle was recently renovated and reopened in June 2008 to hold the impressive maritime museum. Well laid out exhibits chart Spain and Cuba's naval history.
Continue walking tour onto San Francisco Square, one of the oldest in the historical quarter.

Visit to Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Notice it doesn't have a church or government building around. Here we will visit important institutions for visual arts.

Free time in the famous handicraft market of Old Havana where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.

Return to hotel.

Evening: tonight we have a Cuban band playing for us! You'll learn to dance to Salsa, Son, Rumba, and other popular Cuban rhythms with instruction from bandleaders.

Morning: visit to a Pre-University School. Tour the school, learn about the school curriculum and get engaged with students in cultural and/or sport activities. Those who complete pre-university education are awarded the Bachillerato.

Tour the school and meet with students and teachers. Good opportunity to donate educational and school supplies.

Lunch hosted by Jose Fuster, one of the most important Cuban ceramists and painters today.

Afternoon: visit to the community-based project Cintio Vitier in Nuevo Vedado neighbourhood. This project offers painting, papier-mache, drama, music, dance, and other skill development workshops to elementary and secondary students. We’ll meet with director Pedro Pulido for a presentation on his outreach work in the community of Colon.

Followed by coach tour of the most important sites of Modern Havana such as the Capitol building, the Grand Theatre, Central Park, Prado promenade, Sevilla Hotel, Revolution Square, Malecón seawall, Monument to the Battleship Maine, Hotel Nacional, University of Havana, Cristóbal Colón Cemetery, and the Miramar, Central Havana and Vedado neighbourhoods.

Evening: attend baseball game at Latinoamericano Stadium, popularly known in Cuba as "The Colossus of Cerro” is home of Ciudad Habana Industriales. The stadium holds 55,000 people. In 1999, it hosted an exhibition series between Cuban National Team and the Baltimore Orioles.

Morning: meeting with professors and students of Escuela Taller in Old Havana. High school graduates enroll in this institution to learn the arts and crafts necessary to authentically restore the ancient buildings of Old Havana. The school teaches young people archeological and restoration work that helps preserving the heritage and cultural wealth of Old Havana.

Lunch at Casa de La Malta in Old Havana.

Afternoon: Hands Dirty! Get engaged with Cuban students in the different workshops such as Glass work, Carpentry, Iron work and Restoration.

Dinner at the hotel.

Evening: enjoy Afrojazz, Cubajazz and Sonjazz at Club La Zorra y El Cuervo, Havana’s most famous Jazz club. The club features great performances by island bands and soloists! (optional, not included).

Morning: departure to Las Terrazas, in Sierra del Rosario where we start the morning tour of the rural town at Rancho Curujey for explanation of the area.

Enjoy the view of the village that lies above the shores of San Juan Lake and beneath the mountains.

We also visit the home/studios of local artists and artisans.

Visit to rural Primary and Secondary schools.

Visit to the ruins of a French Coffee Plantation built in 1801.

Continue to La Moka, an ecological hotel with trees growing up through the balconies and ceiling.

Later we can take a swim at San Juan River cascades and pools. Lunch by the river.

Check in at your Luxury Casa Particular.

Exploration of Viñales Valley, containing the most spectacular scenery in Cuba and some of the most interesting and varied geological formations on the island. The valley is particularly famous for its great freestanding rock formations called mogotes.

Lunch at Paladar Casa del Campesino.

After lunch we will 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.

Meet with local farmers that have been passing from generation to generation the secrets of growing the best tobacco in the world.

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 Marti, 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.

Morning: departure back to Havana city.

En route to Havana, we will make a stop in Consolacion del Sur, a town in Pinar del Rio province to visit the outreach-community project El Patio de Peregrin. The brainchild of Cuban painter Mario Pelegrin, this humble art gallery and pottery workshop has become a power horse to promote diverse cultural and artistic initiatives in the area.

Lunch at local paladar in Pinarr del Rio city.

Afternoon: Continue on bus ride to Havana city.

Check in at your hotel Valentin Quinta Avenida (Valentin 5th Avenue) or Luxury Casa Particular located at the cultural center of Havana City.

Early morning departure to Havana City International Airport for departure.