Upon arrival at the Jose Marti international airport in the Cuban capital, please proceed to clear customs and collect your personal luggage. Then look for your Authentic Cuba Travel® guide in the waiting room out of the baggage area.

Your 24/7 dedicated team of professionals for this Cuba education trip will introduce you to other group members arriving in the same flight and take you to your Luxury Casa Particular.

Please, do remember that breakfast is included everyday at your hostal (both in Havana and Santiago de Cuba) so make sure to pay attention to the staff as they provide an introduction to the accomodation facilities. Morning: our Cuba education tours are different from others because of the varied quality of authentic Cuban destinations they feature. And this cultural & educational journey to the authentic Cuba is very special in this regard as you will get to venture into the historic city of Santiago de Cuba, the Cradle of the Revolution, at the far eastern end of the island.

After a two-hour flight, you will arrive at the Capital of the Caribbean, the nicknamed of Santiago de Cuba among Caribbean neighbours. Founded by Spanish conquistador, Don Diego Velazquez himself as early as 1514 by a large pocket-shaped bay that opens to the Caribbean Sea, the city soon became the capital of Cuba. Soon the Spanish conquistadores sent expeditions to Florida and Mexico from this city that then became a crucial center of operations for The Americas exploration.

Complimentary Lunch: not far from the Santiago de Cuba International Airport, we find a very authentic Cuban restaurant Paladar El Pirata. Boasting spectacular views of the Caribbean Sea and near the Fortress of San Pedro de La Roca, this would be our first stop for some delicious lunch and refreshments.

Afternoon: in 1997, UNESCO included the Fortress of San Pedro de La Roca in its list of world heritage sites for a good reason. The Fortress that you will visit next as part of your educational travel to Santiago de Cuba, was built in the early 17th century on top of a cliff that overlooks the Bay of Santiago de Cuba. Ever since it has guarded the entrance to the city and repelled the attacks of pirates, corsairs and buccaneers operating in the Caribbean region.

Next we will check in at the Casa Particular which is centrally located at the heart of the historical headquarters of the city.

Tonight: Casa de La Trova, an iconic music venue popular with Santiagueros and foreigners alike is just steps away from your hotel, and the place we will venture in tonight for a taste of the authentic Cuba. Be ready for live music and contagious sensual dancing with Cubans and fellow travelers!
Morning: Eastern University (Universidad del Oriente) professors Lloga and Sanz will be your expert guides during the tour of this prestigious educational institution, the second largest in Cuba that confers higher education graduate and undergraduate degrees to the students of the Eastern provinces of Cuba.

Professors Lloga and Sanz will also escort our group to visit the largest primary school in the city. They will provide precious insights into Cuba’s educational system, current challenges and the impact of current reforms from primary schooling to university studies. Housed in the former Moncada Barracks, the largest military bastion of dictator Batista in Eastern Cuba, this school is attended in any given year by over 1700 primary students.

Just before lunch we will travel off the beaten track to the cooper mining village of El Cobre (about 20 kms outside Santiago de Cuba). Atop one of the hills of this mining region we will visit the only basilica in Cuba, dedicated to the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, consecrated as Cuba’s Saint Patron in 1916 by the Pope and crowned in 1998 by Pope John Paul II. Attended by hundreds of Cubans daily, the Basilica de La Caridad del Cobre is a mandatory visit for those interested in understanding the Cuban people.

On the way to El Cobre town, we will make stops at the most significant attractions of the modern part of the city to take pictures and learn how Santiago de Cuba has grown into Cuba’s second largest city ever since colonial times. The Heredia Theatre, the Revolution Square, and the Baseball Stadium are among those sites of interest we will explore.

Lunch is not included today so that you have a chance to explore local eateries and private restaurants near your private rental accomodation on your own. Your Authentic Cuba Travel® guide will help in.

Afternoon: with your Cuba Education Tours guide bringing colonial times back to life, we will venture into the historical center of the city. Our guided walking tour will kick off in the Cespedes Square which is surrounded by monumental buildings such as the City Hall, from where Fidel Castro announced the triumph of the Cuban Revolution over dictator Batista on January 1st, 1959.

Is believed that Spanish conquistador and city founder Diego Velasquez remains are buried in the Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba, another historical building standing on the south side of Parque Cespedes. This is the spot where the first cathedral of Cuba was build in the 1520’s, but it was destroyed by different events. So the church that we will visit today- dating from the beginning of the 20th century, it is just the latest in a series of churches that have occupied this location.

One visit of great significance this afternoon, it is the guided tour (by a local expert historian) to the Casa de Diego Velasquez, the oldest house in Cuba still standing since 1522! The main floor used to house a gold foundry and trading house while the Spanish conquistador used the upstairs as his private residence.

Return to your private rental accomodation.

Tonight: Casa de La Trova, an iconic music venue popular with Santiagueros and foreigners alike is just steps away from your hotel, and the place we will venture in tonight for a taste of the authentic Cuba. Be ready for live music and contagious sensual dancing with Cubans and fellow travelers! In our quest to explore the most authentic destinations in Cuba, we have to travel by road, by air and now by sea! Today we will enjoy a very pleasant panoramic boat ride into the Bay of Santiago de Cuba to a little key named after the famous Granma boat.

Originally known as Cayo Smith, Cayo Granma is like a fantasy land inhabited by fishermen. With wooden houses stilted above the water showcasing red roofs and colorful windows, this key is a great place to escape the urban buzz of the busy big city into the real Cuba.

Your Authentic Cuba guide will take you for a hike uphill to visit the San Rafael Church at the highest point of the key and then downhill for a seafood complimentary lunch at the local paladar (private restaurant). This morning your educational travel to the historic city of Santiago de Cuba comes to an end. After checking out of your hotel, we will enjoy a panoramic bus ride to the airport to take a flight back to Havana city.

Upon arrival in the city, we will head to your Casa Particular, your home away from home, for some downtime by the swimming pool.

Evening: our expedition to the authentic Cuba is far from ending though. Tonight we will tour the largest fortress every built by the Spanish rulers in Las Americas, The Fortress of La Cabana.

The fortress boasts amazing panoramic city views at night, and host one of the most popular ceremonies in Cuba, the Fire of the Cannon of 9 O'Clock, which is attended by thousands of Cubans night after night. Get ready for mingling with habaneros as soldiers in Spanish costumes announced the closing of the city gates by firing a noisy Spanish cannon! Morning: our educational trips to Cuba always include a private tour of the University of Havana (1728) because of the role that this higher education institution have played in giving shape to the real identity of Cuba as a sovereign nation. As we tour this educational facility, the largest and oldest in Cuba, your guide and local experts will tell you about its history, past and present.

Complimentary Lunch: lunch today would be a very special treat. Our group will be hosted by Cuban artist Jose Fuster, regarded as one of Cuba’s foremost ceramists and painters at his home/studio in Jaimanitas, a coastal town in the outskirts of Havana.

We will also pay a visit to the Jaimanitas Community Project, the brainchild of Fuster- an educational outreach idea that brings high art to the streets. The decoration of over 50 houses of local fishermen with original murals of great value makes possible the daily integration of fine arts into the daily routines of ordinary Cubans. And this is just the beginning. His mission: complete the entire town! After lunch we will tour the artist’s studio and the Jaimanitas coastal town, a living gallery.

Afternoon: a visit to the Literacy Museum may not sound like a train stopper, but it is! At least in the opinion of the thousands of educators and travelers that we have taken to this modest museum over the years. The museum tells the story of the national literacy campaign of 1961. And this afternoon, we have the privilege and great honor to introduce you to Dr. Luisa Campos, the museum director who will share her anecdotes and stories with our group. The literacy campaign made possible that over 700,000 Cubans learnt to write and read in the short period of time of one year.

Welcome in the New Year with family, friends, and tour mates at your chosen Havana venue (optional/ not included). There will be many special cultural and political events taking place to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution! Your Authentic Cuba Travel® guide will give you options the days before so that you plan ahead this day or just play as it goes! You could also book venues at your hotel tour desk. Morning: The historic preservation of the architectural and historical wealth of colonial Old Havana is not an easy task. You need to have a highly qualified workforce trained in historic preservation, a profession that comprises the preservation, conservation and protection of buildings and objects of historical significance. And that’s the educational objective of the Escuela Taller “Gaspar Melchor” that we will visit today. Another treat of our Cuba education tours is that our groups are personally welcome and escorted through the school by the principal Dr. Eduardo Gonzalez.

Another school principal we will have the pleasure of meeting today is Prof. Sonia Garcia from the primary school “Angela Landa”. Professor Garcia will give us a tour of the school as she talks about the student’s daily activities and extra curriculum programs. This is your last chance to ask questions about Cuba’s primary education.

As Cuba cuts on public sector jobs it allows more private businesses to open. The so called paladares- privately-run and usually family-owned restaurants are a popular business in the capital. Your lunch break will be a good opportunity to try one of those. Your Authentic Cuba Travel® guide will recommend great ones and help with individual bookings. Usually the owners and staff are happy to exchange with guests.

Afternoon: our authentic Cuba tours are as much a cultural journey as an educational one, and exploring Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site will prove to be a must-do for most Cuba travelers.

Old Havana is one of the 15 municipalities (districts) that Havana city comprises. Even though is the smallest in area, it has the second highest population density in the capital- a fact that makes housing and restoration a recurrent challenge. Add to that the busloads of tourist that come daily to tour its colonial squares, Spanish built fortresses, historical buildings and numerous museums and you have a very buzy historical center to manage.

By the hand of your expert Authentic Cuba Travel® tour guide you will tour four of the main colonial squares in the old city: Plaza de Armas, the original site of foundation of San Cristobal de La Habana in the early 16th century; Plaza de la Catedral, named after the beautiful Cathedral of Havana; Plaza de San Francisco, dominated by the imposing Lonja del Comercio (former Havana Exchange) and Plaza Vieja, the largest one surrounded by art institutions today.

Free time in the famous handicraft market of Old Havana, located inside the Almacenes de Depósito San José, an old warehouse on the harbourside where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.

Return to your private rental accomodation.

Since its very opening, Paladar La Guarida has been one of the most popular restaurants in the city. And tonight we are going to enjoy our farewell complimentary dinner in this establishment that has become the center of Cuba’s culinary world. Today you will be escorted to the Habana International Airport. Please, make sure to review your flight information with your guide in advance.