Ayelet Tours Traveling University
Mission to Cuba
with Professor Stephen Berk
December 15-22, 2019


Tour Rates & Dates:

There are no Departure Dates available for this Package.
*Please note that all rates displayed are based on standard room double occupancy.
All rates above are in US Dollars, and are based on full payment by credit card unless otherwise noted.
If check payment discount is available for this tour, it can be selected after clicking "BOOK" above.
(Deposit can still be paid by credit card).
Upgraded room categories may be available to book later in the booking process.
If Land & Air price is displayed, the air portion includes tax and fuel surcharges, which are subject to change until ticketed.

Tour Overview:

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INCLUDED:

2 nights Jagua Hotel, Cienfuegos
5 nights Melia Cohiba Hotel, Havana
Roundtrip airfare from Ft. Lauderdale
All touring on an air-conditioned vehicle with an expert English-speaking guide
Breakfast daily 
6 dinners, including Shabbat dinnerin Havana
6 lunches
Entrance fees and activities per itinerary 
Exit tax
Cuban emergency medical insurance

NOT INCLUDED:

Roundtrip domestic airfare
Cuban travel visa (purchase directly from airline at the airport)
Tips to guide, driver & waiters ( $20 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Meals not listed
Items of a personal nature
Supplemental travel insurance (highly recommended)
Gifts and aid


Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Sunday, December 15, 2019: WELCOME TO CUBA!

• We depart Florida this morning on our flight to Cuba.
• Upon arrival, we meet our local guide and driver.
• We begin in Santa Clara, an important city founded in the 1600's, where Che Guevara won a significant battle, leading to the success of the revolution in 1959.
• We stop for lunch at Santa Rosalia paladar.
• We continue to the Che Guevara memorial for a photo opportunity in the square and visit the Che Museum underneath.
• Next, we meet with David Tacher, a leading representative of the Santa Clara Jewish community, where we will learn about the local community and deliver our gifts and aid.
• We transfer by bus to Cienfuegos.
• We check into our hotel and enjoy a welcome drink and orientation lecture with Professor Stephen Berk.
• This evening, we join together for a welcome dinner at Finca del Mar.

Overnight in Cienfuegos

Day 2: Monday, December 16, 2019: HISTORIC TRINIDAD AND CIENFUEGOS

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we depart to the beautiful colonial town of Trinidad, a charming city settled in 1514, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.
• We enjoy a walking tour of historic Trinidad, a 500-year-old city with Spanish colonial architecture. Only a few square blocks in size, Trinidad is famous for its lovely cobblestone streets, pastel houses with wrought iron grills, as well as beautiful palaces and plazas. We will learn about the efforts to preserve the city's heritage.
• We enjoy lunch at San Jose paladar.
• This afternoon, we meet with the famous Santander family, well-known local potters, and visit their workshop and gallery. These artists have been making handmade pottery for over 100 years.
• We return to Cienfuegos and tour Parque Marti and the Thomas Terry Theater and learn about this UNESCO World Heritages site, founded by French immigrants in 1819.
• We complete our day meeting with Rebecca Langus and learn about the local Jewish community with time to deliver gifts and aid.
• We enjoy dinner at Villa Lagarto this evening.

Overnight in Cienfuegos

Day 3: Tuesday, December 17, 2019: TO HAVANA

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we listen to a moving performance by Cantores de Cienfuegos at Museo Provincial de Cienfuegos.
• We depart for Havana. On the way, Prof. Berk shares a lecture with us on the bus.
• Lunch on own en route.
• Upon our arrival in Havana, we attend a performance by Habana Compas Dance group known internationally for combining dance and percussion.
• We check into our hotel and have time to relax and refresh.
• This evening, we meet for dinner at Café del Orient paladar.

Overnight in Havana

Day 4: Wednesday, December 18, 2019: HAVANA

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we hear a lecture with Prof. Stephen Berk in a private room.
• We take in a panoramic overview of the city. We begin at Revolution Square, which is dominated by the José Martí Memorial and where Fidel Castro delivered the majority of his lengthy political addresses.
• Next, we visit the Patronato, where we meet with community leaders. We tour the center and learn about the Pharmacy and Sunday school, with time to deliver our gifts and aid.
• We continue to the Rosenberg Memorial, Lennon Park, and pass by Havana University.
• Lunch at Mambo.
• This afternoon, we stop at the impressive Fuster house/studio to see this unique mosaic masterpiece and learn about the artist's project to beautify and help the community he lives in.
• Dinner together at La Casa paladar tonight.

Overnight in Havana

Day 5: Thursday, December 19, 2019: HAVANA

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we visit the Sephardic Center and meet with Mayra Levy, President of the congregation. We deliver aid to the community and have the opportunity to interact with some of the seniors served by the synagogue. We also visit the Holocaust exhibit that opened in 2011.
• Next, we learn about the art and tradition of cigar rolling in Cuba no a tour of the Partagas Cigar Factory and see the process from leaf to finished product and ultimately distribution.
• Lunch at la Foresta.
• This afternoon, we enjoy a walking tour of Old Havana (Havana Vieja), a UNESCO World Heritage site, where we learn about the history of Havana as we visit highlights of the city and the colonial plazas. We also visit Jewish points of interest, such as the Raquel Hotel, a Jewish-themed hotel, and Adat Israel, the Orthodox synagogue, where we will meet with Jacob Berezniak to deliver our gifts and aid to the community.
• Free evening to explore Havana's restaurant and night life culture! Option to attend the world-famous show at the Tropicana, an old-world Vegas-style show in production since 1939.

Overnight in Havana

Day 6: Friday, December 20, 2019: EXPLORING HAVANA

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we hear a lecture with Prof. Stephen Berk in a private room.
• We begin the day with a visit to Finca Vigia, the villa that Hemingway called home for 21 years. His home is now a museum with many of his personal belongings and we learn how Cuba influenced his writing.
• We stop for lunch at Fina Yoandra/Il Divino for a glimpse into this organic urban farm and community project with a private restaurant in the outskirts of Havana.
• We continue to the Jewish cemetery in Guanabacoa, including a stop at the Holocaust memorial.
• As the sun sets, we participate in Shabbat services, followed by Shabbat dinner at the Sephardic Center.

Overnight in Havana

Day 7: Saturday, December 21, 2019: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day with a visit to the Cuban Art Collection at the Fine Arts Museum.
• Next, we explore the Museum of the Revolution, where we gain an understanding of the momentous change that has occurred in Cuba due to the Revolution over 50 years ago.
• Lunch at Café de Paris.
• After lunch, we stop at Almacenes de San Jose market, where we stroll through the stalls of arts and crafts made by the locals.
• This evening, we enjoy a classic car ride from our hotel to our farewell dinner at Rio Mar paladar, recalling all that we have experienced together.
• Late evening visit to the artists of Fabrica D'la Arte, a former cooking oil factory, which comes alive on weekend nights and features the best avante garde art in the country.

Overnight in Havana

Day 8: Sunday, December 22, 2019: DEPARTURE

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We transfer to the Havana airport for our flight to Florida.


The Memories Last Forever!!
*Itinerary subject to change