Cuba tour participants taking connecting flights from Miami, Mexico, Toronto and Nassau will land at the International Airport "Jose Marti" in Havana City, the largest city in the Caribbean and the capital of the island nation of Cuba where you will be met by your Authentic Cuba Travel® certified Cuba tour guide and bus driver who will be your escorts 24/7 for the entirety of this Cuba Tour for Educators.

Private transfer to your Luxury Casa Particular located at the cultural center of Havana City.

Your Cuba discovery tour of the Authentic Cuba has just begun! Welcome to this special edition of our Cuba Education Tours series. Morning: today we will visit the headquarters of the world-acclaimed Cuban children’s theatre group “La Colmenita” (or the Little Beehive in English). La Colmenita has extensively toured around the world including the United States of America where they have several performances scheduled for 2013.

Our Cuba tour participants will meet with children, professors and director Carlos Alberto Cremata to learn firsthand about the history, mission and educational work of La Colmenita as official UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors. We may even enjoy a small play in English, exclusively put in stage for our authentic Cuba tour participants.

Next we will enjoy a guided walking tour of the historical district of Havana city. Listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Old Havana contains hundreds of colonial buildings that have been restored to its former glory within an area of merely 2 square kilometers.

Our authentic Cuba tour guide will show tour participants to four out of the five Spanish founded plazas of the historical centre. And we will start right at Plaza de Armas so that we go chronologically in time as this is the site where the mass of foundation of the city took place in the early 16th century.

The actual spot of foundation is marked today by El Templete, a little neoclassical chapel that contains three paintings depicting the act of foundation of the city and by a huge ceiba tree below which the foundation of the city took place (this is not the original ceiba tree though).

Housing the Museum of the City today, the Palacio de Los Capitanes Generales stands on the west side of the Square of Arms. With an imposing “Cuban” baroque architecture showcasing ample porticoes and wide balconies, the Palace served as the seat of power for the Spanish rulers since the last 18th century.

Another imposing government building from colonial times it is the Palace of the Spanish Vice- Governor of the island that contains today a prestigious book store, an art gallery and the offices of the Cuban Book Institute.

Next to El Templete, we find the oldest fortress of Cuba known as the Royal Force Castle. Full of history and with wide moats, thick walls and four bastions, the fortress was an important part of the defensive network of the city. Today it contains the Museum of Naval History.

Later on we will also visit the Plaza de San Francisco, conceived with the simple purpose of providing water to the Spanish ships on transatlantic journeys, soon it became the trade hub of the city where goods arriving from Spain and Las Americas were stockpiled. The square was named after the former Convent and Church of San Francisco that stands on the south side of the plaza with the tallest church tower in the old city.

Another colonial square our Authentic Cuba Travel® guide will show us today is the Plaza Vieja (or Old Square in English) that served as a market for many years and it was originally created as the civic square of Havana, a forum for habaneros to discuss the daily political, economical and social events. Surrounded by the impressive palaces of the one-time aristocracy of Havana, Plaza Vieja hosts many of Cuba’s leading art institutions such as Fototeca de Cuba, the Center for the Development of Visual Arts, and the Cuban Fund for Cultural Assets.

The last plaza we will visit this morning is the Cathedral Square that became the religious centre of the island in 1788, a year after the construction of the Cathedral of San Cristobal de La Habana was finished, an event that was followed by the creation of the diocese of Havana at which time the bishop established himself in Havana and the church was promoted to Cathedral.

Before we wrap it up our walking tour of Old Havana, we will make a stop at the Arts & Craft Market of Havana where we can buy all sorts of artworks and souvenirs created by local artists and artisans.

Most of our Cuba education tours explore the authentic Cuba that lies off the beaten path. Next an exquisite lunch will be hosted by an authentic Cuban, Jose Fuster, one of Cuba’s most important living ceramists and painters, at his private residence in Jaimanitas town at the western end of Havana city.

Afternoon: to learn about Cuba’s artistic education, our Cuba education tours often include visits to prestigious dance companies like the Lizt Alfonso that we will tour next. Here the Cuba explorer will have the opportunity to exchange with established and up-and-coming dancers, choreographers and dance professionals. The company is also a female-only school that teaches the Lizt Alfonso dancing style which melds Afro-Cuban and Spanish rhythms with classic ballet techniques.

In the late afternoon, we will visit the private residence, art gallery and studio of renowned Cuban artists Alicia Leal and Juan Moreira.

Evening: experiencing the authentic Cuba means taking the time to visit the homes of local residents and learn firsthand about their traditions and beliefs. Tonight we are heading back to Old Havana to pay a visit to Elsa, a habanera that lives in a rooftop apartment of one of those humble colonial buildings in the historical centre. Elsa is the leader of a locally famous band that will play live for us tonight. Be ready to dance to Cuba’s most popular rhythms such as Son, Rumba and Salsa by the hand of Elsa, her family and friends. Morning: today we will follow in the footsteps of famous American writer, novelist and journalist Ernest Hemingway who lived in Cuba for almost 20 years. Hemingway chose to live among the humble people he used to fish and play sports with. So it does not come as a surprise that his residence in Cuba is located in a working-class town of Havana city known as San Francisco de Paula.

Built in 1886 by Spaniard Miguel Pascual, Finca La Vigia (or the Lookout Villa) was bought by Hemingway in 1940. The author’s most celebrated novels and short-stories for the next 20 years were written in this villa including For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea. Finca La Vigia serves as a museum dedicated to preserve the memory of Ernest Hemingway in Cuba since 1961. It treasures hundreds of books, photographs, a valuable art collection, Hemingway’s fishing tackle and gun collection as well as original manuscripts and letters.

Another of Hemingway’s favourite places to hangout was the fishermen coastal town of Cojimar where he used to park his boat, Pilar. This was also the home town of Gregorio Fuentes the man that served as the captain of El Pilar boat and as Hemingway's guide to fish in the waters of the Gulf Streams. The presence of Ernest Hemingway can be felt at every turn from the gazebo that shelters the bust of the American writer to the collection of photos and big portrait showcased at Las Terrazas restaurant at the heart of town.

We will have lunch at another privately-owned restaurant, Paladar Casa Grande serving delicious Cuban food in a charming environment. As part of our lunch and our Support for the Cuban People experience to Cuba, we will establish a dialogue with local restaurateurs and staff to learn how they have been able to reconcile the socialist centralized economy with the demands of the free market in the booming private Cuban hospitality industry.

To learn about Cuba's educational system we have to visit the modest community projects that flourish in the most humble neighbourhoods. Usually the labor of love of its residents, this is the authentic Cuba that mainstream Cuba tourism fails to discover. Next we will pay a visit to the Community Project “Cintio Vitier” the brainchild of Cuban sculptor Pedro Pulido that takes its name from one of Cuba’s most outstanding intellectuals, Cintio Vitier who passed away in 2009. A graduate of Cuba’s oldest art school “San Alejandro”, Pedro Pulido has established different art workshops in his own residence where he teaches local children and even elders drawing, painting and sculpting.

Showcasing the most valuable collection of Cuban arts elsewhere, the Palace of Fine Arts is a world class facility that must be visited in order to get a better understanding of the Cuban culture. Your Authentic Cuba Travel® guide will give you an introduction on the history of Cuban arts and artistic education in Cuba from colonial times until present day.

Evening: as part of the people-to-people component of our Cuba education tours, we include an evening visit to the Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabana at the other side of the bay of Havana. The reason we go at night time it is to attend one of the oldest Spanish-origin existing traditions in Las Americas, the Fire of the Cannon of 9 O'Clock that serves as an excuse for hundreds of Cubans from all over the island to gather every night.

Morning: having access to authentic Cuban sites of grand cultural and historical significance away from the beaten path it is a highlight of our Cuba education tours. And over the next three days, this Cuba explorer tour will be traversing picturesque towns, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and historical locations along the Caribbean coasts of central Cuba.

Our Cuba exploration starts today at the Bay of Pigs, the site of the botched invasion launched by 1400 Cuban exiles in 1961 under the Kennedy administration. However, the plan was developed during the times of US President Eisenhower when the CIA trained and armed Cuban exiles for an invasion of their homeland with the objectives of overthrown the new government of Fidel Castro and establish a US friendly government.

On April 17, 1961, the Brigade 2506 (the Cuban-exile invasion force) landed at several beaches along the Bay of Pigs. Over the next 24 hours the Cuban government moved to the region over twenty thousand troops and a number of planes that played a desicive role in sinking escort ships and causing great damaged to the air support of the Cuban exiles.

On April 19, President Kennedy authorized that unmarked American fighter jets help covering the Brigade 2506’s B-26 planes that took off from Nicaragua to support the attack. Yet they were shot down by the Cuban air forces and anti-aircraft artillery, and soon the invasion was defeated. Within 72 hours 1197 invaders were captured and over 200 killed.

Today we will relive the history of the invasion as we go through the area. Finally we will visit the Museum Playa Giron (Bay of Pigs Museum) that contains artifacts, photos and documentation related to the invasion including a British Sea Fury plane that was used by the Cuban Air Force. We may also enjoy a short movie that tells the story of the “First Defeat of Imperialism in Latin America”.

Lunch in Bay of Pigs (optional).

Afternoon: after lunch we will continue our bus ride eastern bound along the Caribbean coast to the city of Cienfuegos, also known as the Pearl of the South. Considered as one on the most important commercial hubs of Cuba today, the city also contains a beautiful historical center that was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of its wealth of 19th Century neoclassical buildings.

Upon arrival at the city we will visit the Jose Marti Park which is located at the heart of the old city where the ceremony of foundation took place back in 1819 by a group of French settlers under the ruling of Captain General Jose Cienfuegos.

Among the neoclassical buildings of great historical significance surrounding the square it is worth noticing the Cathedral of Cienfuegos showcasing the original French stained-glass windows of the 12 Apostles; the 950-seat Tomas Terry Theatre (1895) also displaying most original elements such as the ceiling frescoes and Cuban hardwood seats; the Palacio Ferrer, with its magnificent rooftop tower and elaborate marble staircase; the San Lorenzo School among many others.

The Provincial Art Galley "Maroya" will be our final stop to do some shopping before checking in at our private rental accomodation. The gallery has many artworks on sale including original oil paintings, drawings, lithographs and sculptures by Cienfuegos leading visual artists.

Next we will check in at your Luxury Casa Particular. Morning: today our authentic Cuba tour takes us further east. After enjoying a panoramic bus ride along the Caribbean shoreline and through the Escambray Mountains, Cuba tour participants will arrive at the historical city of Trinidad, the third settlement founded by Diego Velazquez in 1514. It was declared as UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1988.

In order to learn more about artistic education in Cuba’s countryside, we have arranged for a special visit to the Provincial Art School “Oscar Fernandez”. Despite the fact that most students are on vacation during this time of the year, there are summer time programs that students attend eagerly. It is also a good opportunity to meet fellow Cuban teachers as well as the school principal and staff and learn about their life as Cuban educators.

Next we will visit Trinidad’s Maternity Home which will provide tour participants a better understanding about Cuba’s medical education and prenatal health care. Doctors and nurses are available around the clock in these facilities to provide expectant mothers with high risk pregnancies the medical attention they require for a safe pregnancy and smooth delivery.

For lunch we will go deep into the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Valley of the Sugar Mills where the ruins of dozens of 19th century sugar mills can be found. We will visit the former estate of the Manaca Iznaga, one of Trinidad’s wealthiest families.

All over the place, we find the remnants of the former sugar mill, including the manor house, milling machinery, slave quarters and the famous Manaca Iznaga watchtower that was used to watch the slaves.

Lunch at Paladar Solananda.

Afternoon: we will visit the Casa del Alfarero, the workshop of The Santander family where several generations of pottery makers can be found working daily. Perhaps it is the quality of the local clay, or perhaps it is the set of the techniques that families like The Santanders have been passing from generation to generation orally, the fact remains that Trinitarian pottery making is an authentic Cuba tradition that is well known all over the island because of its artistry, beauty and durability.

Guided by our expert Authentic Cuba Travel® guide, we will explore the historical quarters of the city by foot next. Trinidad is one of those authentic Cuban cities that showcases a 19th century colonial townscape arguably untouched by modern times.

Our afternoon exploration will be centered around the Plaza Mayor which is the central square of the old city and it is surrounded by important colonial buildings such as the Iglesia Parroquial de La Santisima Trinidad, the oldest church and the main Catholic temple in the city; the Museum of Architecture which is housed in the former city residence of the Iznaga family; the Ortiz Palace containing the Provincial Art Gallery today; the Museo Romantico, the one-time Residence of the Brunet Counts with a valuable collection of colonial decorative arts and Cuban wood locally-made furniture; and many others.

Before calling it the day and heading back to Cienfuegos, we will have some free time to explore at leisure the many street markets that dot the cobble stone streets of Trinidad’s historical centre.

Evening: tonight you can dance to live authentic Cuban music at Casa de La Musica, just steps away from your private rental accomodation. Your guide will keep you update on other evening venues in the city. Morning: today we are wearing our Cuba explorer hats and heading north to the historic city of Santa Clara, better known in modern history as the battleground of the historic Battle of Santa Clara that led to the fall of the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista on December 1958 when Ernesto Che Guevara and its guerilla fighters captured the city.

Upon arrival we will visit the Plaza de La Revolucion where rallies and parades are held and in which center stands the gigantic statue of Ernesto Che Guevara built in 1987 to pay homage to the 20th anniversary of the death of el guerrillero heroico in Bolivia.

Below the monument we find the Museo Historico dedicated to preserve the memory of the Cuban-Argentinian hero and the events of the Battle of Santa Clara. Next to the museum we find the Che Guevara Mausoleum, a crypt that contains the remains of Che Guevara and 16 of his companion guerilla fighters killed in Bolivia in 1967.

We will enjoy a complimentary lunch at Paladar Saboreate for a late yet complimentary lunch before continuing our journey back to Havana city.

Afternoon: with the assitance of the Authentic Cuba guide and driver, tour participants will check in at your Luxury Casa Particular in Havana city.

Evening: we recommend tour participants to explore the sights and sounds of Havana city at night if they have energies left. A great place to visit it is the nearby La Zorra y El Cuervo Jazz Club to enjoy the performances of Cuban Jazz Musicians (not included/ optional). Morning: our Cuba educational tours always feature a visit to the University of Havana. Founded by the Dominicans in 1728, it is the oldest Cuban institution of higher education and one of the foremost universities in Las Americas. The current location and neoclassical complex dates from the second quarter of the 20th century though.

Every year over 1,600 Cuban professors teach social sciences and humanities, natural sciences, mathematics and physics to about 30,000 Cuban students and a few thousand foreign students. As a matter of fact, Cuba is emerging as a higher education destination in the world. However, 25% less Cuba students will begin studies at the University of Havana the next school year as the Cuban government is implementing a series of reforms with the objective of boosting the agricultural productivity of the country.

Next, we will enjoy some free time for having lunch (optional) in the Vedado district before attending our next visit at the Museum of Literacy.

Afternoon: located inside Ciudad Libertad, a school complex founded in the former military airfields of Cuartel Colombia, we find a small museum of great importance for today’s highest literacy rate in Cuba, the Literacy Museum which describes the successful Literacy Campaign that Cuba underwent in 1961. The museum treasures many object such as the customary Chinese lamps that teachers used at night and the teachers’ uniforms, books, manuals and even a blackboard hit by bullets during the Bay of Pigs invasion.

In 1960, Fidel announced in the United Nations that all Cubans will be literate within one year. In 1961, brigades of teachers went to the countryside to teach illiterate farmers to read and write. The construction of rural schools and the training of local educators was also part of the campaign. Many teachers were killed by counter- revolutionary gangs that were operating in remote areas like the Escambray Mountains and Playa Giron. Yet the campaign was a huge success and Cuba’s literacy rate rose from 60% to 96% in one year.

Evening: tonight we will visit Cuba’s most popular and famed Paladar La Guarida where we will enjoy a delicious farewell dinner. This is the time when we say goodbye not only to our fellow Cuba tour mates but tour our Authentic Cuba Travel® guide and bus driver. Early morning transfer to Havana's international airport for taking your flight back to North America via Miami, Mexico, Toronto or Nassau mainly.