Dynamic briefing with architect, Miguel Coyula to discuss the development of the city. 

Guided Walking City Tour of Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Engage with Cuban residents at their art studios, galleries and markets where participants will meet with Cuban artists and find out firsthand how artists negotiate between the tourist market, a socialist economy and new opportunities for individual entrepreneurship.  

Visit the four major historical squares of Cuba.  

See buildings and homes in different stages of reconstruction; meet with neighborhood residents. 

Lunch at Hemingway’s Bodequita del Medio. 

Guided visit to a national museum — Bellas Artes Museum, The Denunciation Museum or the newly inaugurated Fidel Castro Museum.   

Visit and group photo at Revolution Square.   

Evening free to explore local paladares and nightlife.  

Visit, dialogue and exchange with the Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation for Nature and Humanity (FANJ), a cultural and scientific non-governmental institution dedicated to research and promotion of programs and projects for the protection of the environment as it relates to culture and society. Learn about environmental education, science, urban agriculture and food security in Cuba. 

Afternoon hands-on service project with FANJ or urban farming volunteering. 

Presentation and exchange with Yociel Marrero who will present an overview of responsible consumption and economics  or Rafael Betancourt who will present an overview of the Cuban Economy, Cooperatives and Politics. 

Dinner and evening are free.  

A visit to the community arts and performing space of the Fabrica de Arte Cubano for a guided tour and live music. 

Breakfast at the hotel and check out of hotel.  

Briefing with Juan José León, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Plaza, Havana — “Cuban Agriculture Today.” 

Visit to a local farmers market and also state- run distribution center to understand the libreta and basic nutritional needs in Cuba.   

Lunch. 

Leave for the Finca Marta en Artemisa, an Agroecology farm. Overview of Agroecology today in Cuba and personal exchange with Fernandito Funes. 

Drive to the beautiful Viñales Valley, a UNESCO site. Enjoy the incredible views and take a group photo.    

Check into your casas particulares and enjoy dinner and evening cultural activities in town.  

Walking Farm Tour of the Viñales Valley.  

An exchange with the ¨Republica de Chile¨ Cooperative, including an overview of the cooperative system in Cuba. 

Lunch at El Paraiso and visit to this family-owned farm.   

Visit Las Terrazas (Biosphere Reserve and Eco Station); discussion and tour in the community. Meet with CITMA staff and enjoy a brief hike of the reforestation areas.  

Free time to engage with local artists.  

Dinner at either Romeros or Buena Vista.  

Return to Havana and check back into hotel.  

Free evening for cultural activities.  

Check out of our hotel and travel to the province of Cienfuegos, known as the “Pearl of the South.” Like Havana, Cienfuegos has a beautiful Malecón, where fisherman cast nets and locals socialize. Our highlight is the Ciénega de Zapata, an area famous for its tropical wetlands and biodiversity.  

Lunch followed by an exchange with the Korimakao Cultural Project, a project founded in 1992 to bring theatre, music, and dance to remote areas of Cuba.  

Travel along the picturesque Bay of Pigs (Bahia de Cochinos) past the site where the landing of U.S. sponsored counter-revolutionary exile militia occurred in 1961. 

Check into our casas particulares. 

Dinner and evening are free for local paladares.  

Optional early morning hike in the reserve to see endemic birds and species, like the world’s smallest bird, the bee hummingbird. The hike will be led by a CITMA scientist.  

Breakfast and check out of hotel.  

A visit to the beautiful Caleta Buena and the ocean to explore local marine ecology.    

Lunch is at the Caleta.  

Exchange with local Civil Defense representatives to learn about Cuba’s strategy to support coastal communities that will be impacted and moved by rising sea level.  

Free evening for dinner and beach.   

Breakfast and check out to return to Havana. 

Free time for lunch and shopping in Old Havana and at the San Jose de Almancenes crafts faire. 

Exchange and briefing with Dr. Julia Azanza Ricardo from CIM, the Center for Marine Investigations at the University of Havana to discuss the impacts of climate change on Cuba’s marine life.  

Check back into hotel.  

Wrap up circle at the Casa de Amistad with a representative from ICAP to discuss the impacts of US embargo on Cuba’s economy.

Breakfast at the hotel.  

Check out and transfer to the airport. 

If time permits, enjoy another community arts project and exchange like Murraleando. 

Departure home.