English

Ayelet Tours Traveling University
Humanitarian Mission to Cuba
with Professor Stephen Berk
March 17-24, 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.
Group airfare for this tour has sold out.  If you are interested in joining this tour, please contact rebecca@ayelet.com to check availability for more seats.

Tour Overview:

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INCLUDED:

5 nights Melia Cohiba Hotel, Havana
2 nights Hotel Jagua, Cienfuegos
Roundtrip airfare from Miami
All touring on an air-conditioned vehicle with an expert English-speaking guide
Breakfast daily
7 dinners, including Shabbat dinner at the Sephardic Center
5 lunches
Entrance fees and activities per itinerary
Cuban Travel Visa and exit tax
Cuban emergency medical insurance

NOT INCLUDED:

Roundtrip domestic airfare
Tips to guide, driver & waiters ( $20 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Meals not listed
Items of a personal nature
Travel insurance (highly recommended)
Gifts and aid

 

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Sunday, March 17, 2019: WELCOME TO CUBA!

• We depart Miami on our morning flight to Havana.
• We arrive at the Jose Marti Airport and meet our English-speaking guide and driver.
• This morning, we enjoy a panoramic overview of the city. Our first stop is at Revolution Square. The square is dominated by the José Martí Memorial. This famous square is where Fidel Castro delivered the majority of his lengthy political addresses. We also pass by the Rosenberg Memorial, Lennon Park, and Havana University.
• This afternoon, 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 Café Laurent.

Overnight in Havana
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Day 2: Monday, March 18, 2019: OLD HAVANA

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin with a visit to Patronato, where we meet with community leaders - likely either Adela Dworin, the President of Beth Shalom or David Prinstein, Vice President of the community. We tour the center and learn about the Pharmacy and Sunday school, with time to deliver our gifts and aid.
• Next, we enjoy a walking tour of Old Havana (Havana Vieja), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We learn about the history of Havana as we visit highlights of the city and the colonial plazas, including Jewish points of interest such as the Raquel Hotel, a Jewish-themed hotel.
• Our next stop is at Adat Israel, the Orthodox Synagogue, where we meet with Jacob Berezniak to deliver our gifts to the community.
• We visit the Casa de la Artesania and learn about the history of tobacco and the tradition of cigar rolling in Cuba while interacting with rollers and locals.
• After Lunch at Café del Oriente, we visit the Museum of the Revolution, where we gain an understanding of the momentous change in Cuba due to the Revolution 50 years ago.
• We return to our hotel to relax and refresh.
• We enjoy dinner together tonight at La California.

Overnight in Havana
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Day 3: Tuesday, March 19, 2019: HEMINGWAY IN HAVANA

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we visit the Sephardic Center and meet with Mayra Levy, President of the congregation, who discusses the role of Sephardic Jews in the resurgence of Jewish life in Cuba. We also deliver aid to the community and interact with locals.
• We view the first exhibit displayed in Cuba about the Holocaust, located within the Sephardic Center.
• We continue with a visit to the Jewish cemetery in Guanabacoa, including a special visit to the site of the Holocaust exhibit.
• This afternoon, we enjoy lunch together at a local paladar.
• We continue to Finca Vigia, the villa that Hemingway called home for 21 years. His home is now a museum with many of his personal belongings. Learn how Cuba influenced his writing.
• Return to hotel to relax and refresh.
• Dinner together this evening at La Casa paladar.

Overnight in Havana
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Day 4: Wednesday, March 20, 2019: CIENFUEGOS & SANTA CLARA

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out
• Morning lecture with Professor Stephen Berk on the bus on the way to the beautiful port city of Cienfuegos, Cuba's “Pearl of the South"
• Tour of Cienfuegos land-marks including Parque Marti and the Thomas Terry theater. Learn about this UNESCO World Heritage Site, founded by French immigrants in 1819
• Lunch at Finca del Mar
• Quick check-in at the Jagua hotel and drop off our bags
• Continue to Santa Clara, an important city founded in the 1600's, where Che Guevara won a significant battle which led to the triumph of the revolution in 1959
• Stop at Che Guevara Memorial with a photo opportunity at the Square
• 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.
• Tonight, we enjoy a wonderful Purim celebration and dinner with local members of the Santa Clara Jewish community.
• Return to hotel later this evening.

Overnight in Cienfuegos
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Day 5: Thursday, March 21, 2019: TRINIDAD

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we depart for the beautiful colonial town of Trinidad, a charming city settled in 1514 which has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988.
• Upon arrival, we enjoy a walking tour of historic Trinidad which is a 500-year-old city with Spanish colonial architecture. Only a few square blocks in size, historic Trinidad is famous for its lovely cobblestone streets, pastel houses with wrought iron grills, as well as beautiful palaces and plazas. We learn about the efforts to preserve the city's heritage.
• 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.
• Lunch at El Dorado paladar.
• Following lunch, we return to Cienfuegos.
• We meet with Rebecca Langus and learn about the local Jewish community with time to deliver gifts.
• Next, we enjoy a performance by Cantores de Cienfuegos at Museo Provincial de Cienfuegos.
• Dinner at Los Laureles together this evening.

Overnight in Cienfuegos
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Day 6: Friday, March 22, 2019: RETURN TO HAVANA

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we depart for Havana, stopping for lunch on own along the way.
• Upon arriving in Havana, 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 in which he lives.
• We check into our hotel and prepare for Shabbat.
• As the sun begins to set, we join together for Shabbat services and dinner at the Sephardic Synagogue with community members.

Overnight in Havana
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Day 7: Saturday, March 23, 2019: ARTISTIC HAVANA

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we stop at Almacenes de San Jose market, where we stroll through the stalls of arts and crafts made by the locals.
• Lunch at a Sloppy Joe's paladar.
• Next, we visit the Cuban Art Collection at the Fine Arts Museum.
• This evening, we enjoy a classic car ride from our hotel to our farewell dinner at El Mediterraneo paladar as we recall all that we have experienced together.

Overnight in Havana
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Day 8: Sunday, March 24, 2019: DEPARTURE

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