Land Journey

Cuba: A Cultural Odyssey

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Year

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Days
7
From (per Person)
$9,840 AUD
Includes On-Tour Air
Journey Type
Land
Time of Year
Jan - Apr, Oct - Dec
Cities & Landmarks
Havana, Finca Vigia, Vinales
Viñales Valley, Cuba

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Overview

EXPERIENCE WITH TAUCK

 

Five days of "People-to-People" educational exchange

  

TAUCK VALUE INCLUDES

 

On-Tour Air (2 flights) 

 

All hotel accommodations – 1 night in Miami at Hyatt Regency Coral Gables, Miami and 5 nights in Havana at GRAND ASTON La Habana

 

All day-to-day travel details taken care of for you 

 

Escorted travel from the moment your trip begins in Miami, accompanied by a professional Tauck Director and experienced local Cuban guides, all fluent in both English & Spanish

 

SEE WHAT YOUR JOURNEY INCLUDES

Activity

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Guests should be able to easily walk one to two miles, which may include climbing one or two flights of stairs and walking over uneven pavement, groomed hiking trails or cobblestones. Standing up to one hour or more may be required.

Pace

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Often robust – may include long days, active sightseeing, early starts, evening activities, significant travel times.

View Full Itinerary

Experiences of a lifetime

Meet face-to-face with local residents from different professions, share thoughts, gain knowledge, and connect with Cuba's cultural heritage as you discover the traditions of Cuban culture through music, sports and more!

Through cultural exchange activities built around key themes including Cuban culture and the arts, history, architecture, agriculture, cigars, vintage cars, baseball and more, you'll interact directly with the people of Cuba on Tauck's Havana-based People-to-People trip. Meet Cuban students, educators, entrepreneurs, architects, artists and artisans, dancers, musicians, technicians, baseball players and coaches and more. Explore Ernest Hemingway's life in Cuba at his preserved home. Discuss art and private enterprise with artists in their studios. Visit with agricultural workers to talk about agrarian reform, tobacco production and organic farming. Interact with members of Havana organizations about their work, from dance to historic preservation to baseball. Learn about Cuban cultural traditions… have meals at paladares (small, privately operated Cuban restaurants)… and connect with the people of Cuba, their passions and their culture in many ways through unique Tauck Experiences.

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Connect with Locals

Connect, learn and discover

Connect with locals of all ages in various outreach programs throughout the island. You'll visit various organizations that teach language and traditional music skills to youth, as well as sustainable farming productions that benefit the communities. Immerse in an incredible Afro-Cuban cultural experience with Project Beyond Roots, and feel the energy of the students at Havana Compas Dance. A trip to Cuba wouldn't be complete without the chance to dance along to cultural classics.

Learn about Cuba's agricultural products

Private tour of a tobacco farm

Meet the owner of a private tobacco farm, Tabacco de Benito Camejo, and hear stories about his experience living in the countryside. He'll teach you about the process of growing tobacco and cigar rolling. As a fifth-generation cigar farmer he'll have lots to show you across his picturesque farm in the tobacco-region of the Viñales Valley.

Wonderful trip, people, guides/directors, food, Cuban people, a trip to not miss! Our group of 25 had terrific tour directors who went above and beyond!

Tauck Traveler Review

Explore Ernest Hemingway's Home

Discover the inspiration for "The Old Man And The Sea"

American novelist Ernest Hemingway loved Cuba and its people. He called Havana home for over twenty years from 1939 to 1960, and wrote some of his most well-known works here. You'll see his extensive library and beloved typewriter and learn more about his life amongst Cuban people and his hobbies along the coastline.

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Your Journey

Pricing & Availability

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Includes On-Tour Air

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About Booking This Tour

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Deposit & Booking Information

See your travel advisor, or call Tauck at 1800-962-043 to make a reservation.

Deposit Information:

The deposit and the fees for the optional Protection Plan are due at time of booking. Your deposit is AUD $750.

Terms and Conditions:

For additional information pertaining to our Tauck Journeys, including Cancellation Information and Booking Conditions, click here to learn more.

At the time of booking, please have the following information ready:
  • Tour Name and Departure Date Desired
  • Traveler Name(s):  Please have first and last names as they appear on the passport or driver's license.
  • Traveler's Address(es)
  • Traveler's Phone Number(s)
  • Emergency Contact Information: This would be a relative or friend whom we could contact during the tour in the event of an emergency. Please provide their name and phone number(s).
  • Interest in purchasing a travel protection product (US and Canada)
  • Interest in extending your trip by staying in a Tauck recommended hotel before your trip begins or after it ends
  • Interest in our specially negotiated airfares.

Regarding your final payment:

Final Payment is due to the Tauck Australia office 90 days before departure for lands trips, and 120 days before departure for cruises and rail journeys. If your deposit was made by credit card, final payment will be automatic unless you opted out at time of booking. Bookings without full payment at this time may be subject to cancellation without notice. Failure to make payment will be a considered a cancellation by the guest and all applicable cancellation fees will apply.

Protect Your Travel Investment

Deposit Protection Plan – Tauck provides a "Deposit Protection Plan" at a cost of AUD $89 per person per tour or cruise. The cost is non-refundable and non-transferable and must be paid at the time of booking with your deposit. It only applies when you cancel your tour or cruise prior to final payment date. The deposit held in credit will exclude fees imposed by third parties in relation to air, rail travel, hotels, transfer or applicable cruise cabins. When booking airfares through Tauck (including when taking advantage of a special offer that includes air travel), standard airline cancellation fees will apply. In some cases, airfares will be non-refundable. In the event of cancellation, these fees will be deducted from the deposit paid, and therefore the credit being held. We will only credit the remainder of deposit to a future tour or cruise booking if you book within 24 months of cancellation of the original Tauck tour or cruise. This offer expires after the 24 months. We will only credit the remainder of the deposit to a future tour or cruise booking Balance Due and it can't be used as a credit for the initial deposit of a future tour or cruise booking. The Tauck "Deposit Protection Plan" only covers a Tauck tour or cruise and it does not replace Travel Insurance, which we recommend at the time of booking.

If You Have To Cancel

If you cancel within 10 days of initial deposit

Within the first 10 days after you place your initial deposit, you may cancel your reservation for any reason with no cancellation fees.

 

If you cancel more than 10 days after initial deposit

Regardless of reason, cancellations of confirmed bookings result in costly penalties and fees from hotels, ship operators and other travel providers. Therefore, the per person fees listed below will apply:

 

Land Tours

 

Cancellation penalties for land tours apply as follows:

60 days or more before departure

Loss of Deposit.

 

8 days before departure

25% total cost of tour

 

7 days or less before departure

50% of total cost of tour

 

Cruises & Train Tours

 

120 days or more before departure

Loss of Deposit.

 

60 days before departure

Loss of 50% of tour cost, not including air (if applicable)

 

59-1 day before departure

Loss of 100% of tour cost, not including air (if applicable)

 

Please note -  Airfares included on On-Tour Flights required with any of Tauck tours may be subject to different cancellation fees not outlined above.

* For services included in your booking that are not provided by Tauck, additional cancellation fees may be incurred

* Travel Professionals may impose their own cancellation fees.

 

Time of cancellation is when notice is received in Tauck's Wilton, CT office.

 

In the event of an unforeseen circumstance beyond our control, Tauck reserves the right to amend the cancellation terms outlined herein.

 

Tour Interruption Fees: If you have to interrupt your tour en route, you may be entitled to a refund for the unused land portion if it exceeds 24 hours; certain restrictions apply. Such refunds are based upon the number of overnights missed less a fee of AUD $50 per person per day for unused transportation and other fixed expenses.

Partial Room Cancellation: A person who cancels or leaves a tour while a roommate remains constitutes a cancellation of one type of accommodation and rebooking of another type of accommodation. The price charged to the remaining person is the new, higher price for the new accommodation.

 

Travel Requirements For This Tour

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Travel Documents

If you are a U.S. citizen, you will need a passport valid for six months beyond the completion of your Tauck trip for entry into Cuba. You will also need a visa to enter Cuba, the nature of which is somewhat different than what many other countries require. The Cuban government requires all foreign visitors to have a Cuban visa, sometimes referred to as a "Tourist Card," for which there is no official application process. Cuban immigration officials will collect one half of this two-part card upon your arrival in the country, and the other half upon your departure. Tauck will obtain your Cuban visa, which will be given to you in Miami, along with the documents for your included charter flight from Miami to Havana.

In addition, other special documentation will be needed to complete the requirements for travel to Cuba; more details about this required documentation will be sent to you with your booking confirmation. Please review the details in the Instruction Sheet and Travel Affidavit. You must retain these documents for a period of at least five years.

Please Note: Because many of you are traveling as a U.S. citizen with Tauck on a People-to-People educational exchange travel itinerary operated under a license granted to Tauck by the United States Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), you are legally licensed and authorized to travel to Cuba.  Before departing on your trip, we will give you a Letter of Authorization from Tauck stating that you have permission to travel under that license, to keep as part of your travel documents.

If you are a citizen of another country but legally reside in the U.S., you may travel on Tauck's People-to-People trip to Cuba as long as you have a valid passport from your country of citizenship, as well as a residency card or alien card (or "green card") to establish your legal U.S. residency when returning to the U.S. from Cuba upon your arrival in Miami.

If you are a Cuban-born U.S. citizen, your travel document requirements depend on when you originally departed Cuba. If you departed Cuba prior to December 31, 1970, you will require either a PE-11 visa (which can take from six to eight weeks to process, is valid for a one-time entry for 30 days, and expires within 90 days of issue) or a Cuban passport; the choice is yours. If you left Cuba after January 1, 1971, you will require a Cuban passport, which can take from three to four months to obtain. If you will need help in obtaining one of these documents, please let us know at the time of booking.

If you are a citizen of another country and do not legally reside in the U.S., you may travel on Tauck's People-to-People trip to Cuba as long as you have the proper documentation that allows you to enter the U.S. for the start of the trip and return to the U.S. at the end of the trip. A multi-entry U.S. visa is required.

A travel affidavit is also required for all travelers to Cuba, regardless of nationality. Please use this link to apply for your travel affidavit at least 75 days prior to your trip: https://cubatravelservices.com/tauck-travel-affidavit/ 

Because all guests on this tour (U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens alike) will be arriving into Cuba from the U.S., a Cuban visa is required of all travelers. Tauck will obtain your Cuban visa for you during your tour.

Please note that you will not be traveling to Cuba as a tourist. You will be traveling as part of the People-to-People educational exchange.

We recommend that you make at least two photocopies of all the travel documents that you bring with you. Include copies of the photo page of your passport that contains the date of issuance, the date of expiration and your citizenship. Secure one set of copies in the safe in your room while traveling and leave one set behind with someone at home who will assist you in the event your documents are misplaced, lost or stolen. You must retain these documents for a period of at least five years.

TRAVELING WITH CHILDREN AS A GUARDIAN: If you are traveling as the guardian of a child/children, we strongly suggest that you carry a letter from both parents of the child authorizing emergency treatment in the event of illness or accident. For travel abroad, many foreign countries have specific entry requirements for children under 21 who are traveling internationally without BOTH parents. (These requirements are in response to the increased incidence of children being abducted and taken abroad.) PLEASE NOTE THAT TAUCK IS NOT RESPONSIBLE for the disruption of travel caused by improper documentation for children traveling without both parents.

Health Safety and Mobility

MOBILITY

Our People-to-People cultural exchange include visits to rural areas, agricultural facilities and small villages, as well as to various sections of Havana with centuries-old streets and buildings with limited access. You should be in good health and able to walk reasonable distances over unpaved and uneven terrain. Both hotels are equipped with elevators.  The road conditions in Cuba are improving; however, paved roads, especially in rural areas, are often in poor condition. Some roads to rural locations are not paved and some out-of-the-way destinations are accessible only by these roads; other roads may be unpaved and bumpy. Our People-to-People cultural exchange itinerary includes several early morning starts and leaves little scheduled free time.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ON SUPPLEMENTAL OXYGEN AND MOBILITY ISSUES:  This Tauck itinerary cannot accommodate oxygen tanks, wheelchairs or motorized scooters.  Oxygen tanks are strictly prohibited in many foreign countries on regional flights aboard small aircraft, such as those intra-tour flights featured on this Tauck journey.  Likewise, the very limited cargo capacity on such flights prohibits the transport of wheelchairs or motorized scooters.

Travelers should also bear in mind that the infrastructure in many foreign countries, particularly in developing countries, often presents severe and even insurmountable challenges for those with walking difficulties or other mobility issues.  The responsibility of the Tauck Director is to ensure that the larger group enjoys a relaxing and informative journey, and he or she cannot be relied upon to provide ongoing individual assistance to any one traveler.  Travelers requiring such individualized assistance must be accompanied by an able-bodied companion who can provide it. While drinking water is generally safe at the hotels on the journey, bottled water will be available wherever the local water is not fit to drink. We also provide bottled water on your motor coach.

Airline Disinsection

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a guidance letter that requires airlines and travel agents to disclose to consumers countries that require the use of insecticides by airlines. Please click here for more information.

SPECIAL DIETARY REQUESTS

The restaurants, hotels, caterers and numerous other partners we work with all do their best to accommodate special dietary requests from Tauck guests. However, given the diverse nature of those food providers (from small wineries to grand hotels to world-famous restaurants in more than 70 countries worldwide), some of our partners are better able than others to accommodate such requests. We therefore cannot guarantee that all dietary requests can be accommodated at every meal. Also, please note that where dietary requests can be accommodated, choices will frequently be limited.

The Tauck Experience

Why Tauck?

Leave Your Worries At Home

One Upfront Price – No Hidden Costs

Tauck Directors – Simply The Best

Never Settle For Ordinary

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Book Today... And Travel Dreams Begin

Discover The World

Call us, or call your travel advisor, to book your preferred departure date today – and explore our beautiful brochures to find your inspiration for your next journey.

Book Today... And Travel Dreams Begin

Discover The World

Call us, or call your travel advisor, to book your preferred departure date today – and explore our beautiful brochures to find your inspiration for your next journey.

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