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Travel & Learn: Cuba in Changing Times

A People-to-People Educational Program | July 14-22, 2016

Join KFLA, in partnership with trip leader Evelyn Hu-DeHart (KNFP-05), for an experiential and educational journey to Cuba. Over nine days, you will experience many of Cuba’s most beautiful and historical sites. People-to-people exchanges with local experts and leaders will give you first-hand insight into key topics, including: health, food & agriculture, history, education, race, economics and politics.

Fellows are welcome to bring a guest who is accustomed to the rigor of this style of experiential travel. Space is limited to 25 travelers.

Trip Highlights

  • 9 Days & 8 Nights
  • In-depth intellectual exchanges with local leaders
  • Tours, dialogues, and exchanges conducted in English
  • Includes all meals, lodging in 5-star hotels, and transportation in Cuba
  • Spend one night at an all-inclusive beachfront hotel
  • VIP reception, expedited immigration and customs at Havana Airport
  • Our Licensed Travel Services partner arranges your travel documentation and insurance policies

 

Cost

$3425
Per Person, Double Occupancy

+$600-700
Miami-Havana Airfare, Billed When Ticket Issued
Tickets for charter flights to Havana are available ~45 days prior to travel. You will be contacted at this time with the exact price for your ticket purchase.

Payment Plan:
Due at Registration: $856 (25% deposit)
Due by April 1, 2016: $856 (second installment)
Due by May 1, 2016: $1713 (final installment)

 

Single Room Upgrade:
$645 per single room for the entire trip

 

 

 



The 2016 Cuba Travel & Learn is sold out!

We are currently creating another Cuba Travel & Learn in January 2017 (TBA). This trip will focus on the past and present of the Afro-Cuban diaspora. Click here to be notified when the trip is announced.

Letter of Invitation

Dear Fellows:

I am delighted to be asked by Martha Lee to take a group of Kellogg Fellows to visit Cuba next summer, July 2016. I have been going to Cuba since the late eighties—I’d like to say “before the Soviets, during the Soviets, after the Soviets”—and I just returned from spending 8 months in Havana directing an American study abroad program. Now, with the Chinese poised to invest heavily in Cuba, and the United States finally acknowledged that the long embargo had failed to isolate Cuba from the world, Cuba has reached another moment of transition. An ailing Fidel has stepped aside in favor of his younger brother Raúl, who is making plans for the transition of power to the next generation. This is a good time to visit Cuba and to witness, hear and feel some of the changes that the country and the Cuban people are experiencing.

We will do some sightseeing of course—from the magnificent colonial Old Havana—jewel of the Caribbean—to an evening in Varadero, home to some of Cuba’s most legendary beaches and the island’s tourist economy. In between, we will visit Santa Clara, at the heart of the sugar economy and the Cuban revolution as well as San Juan de los Remedios, one of the oldest towns in Cuba. In Havana, we will have dialogue about Health, Education, History and Politics with doctors, educators, journalists and more. We will be introduced to Cuban culture and visit an ecological site to learn about environmental issues. We will also visit historic sugar plantations and a traditional family-operated farm to discuss changes in agriculture and Cuba’s economy.

Of course, amidst our in-depth intellectual exchanges with local leaders, we will eat in some interesting places and spend a little time rejuvenating on Cuba’s beautiful beaches. And we won’t forget to pick up some Cuban rum and cigars!

Evelyn Hu-DeHart
KNFP-05

 

 

Details

LEGAL TRAVEL TO CUBA

This is a legal People-to-People Educational Program arranged by GoLatin Travel, a licensed Travel Service Provider, and customized for Kellogg Fellows Leadership Alliance. The Itinerary, presented in brief above, constitutes a full-time program of People to People activities undertaken in Cuba pursuant to the “People to People” general license of the United States Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control.

ARRIVING IN MIAMI

  • Our departure from Miami to Havana, Cuba will be on the earliest available charter flight. Due to the special nature of the flight, you must be at the Miami Airport four hours in advance (about 5 AM) on Thursday, July 14.
  • If you wish to arrive in Miami the night before (Wednesday, July 13), KFLA is negotiating a group rate at an Airport hotel (estimated: $125/night). This option is also available following your return flight from Havana.

FLYING FROM MIAMI TO HAVANA

  • We will be flying with a US-licensed charter company on a flight chartered from a major airline carrier. Rest assured your charter flight adheres to all FAA regulations and will most likely be a Boeing 767 or similar aircraft.
  • Licenced charter companies release tickets for sale approximately 45 days in advance of travel. You will be contacted at this time with the exact price for your ticket purchase and to confirm your reservation.
  • Your round trip travel cost from Miami to Havana will be approximately $600-700 per person (including air fare, air taxes, and Cuba visa), billed when the ticket is issued.
  • Upon arrival in Havana, you will receive a VIP reception service and be escorted through expedited immigration and customs lines.

INCLUDED IN PACKAGE PRICE

  • All gratuities for guides, drivers, restaurants, and people-to-people sponsors
  • US and Cuban travel insurance policies
  • All meals in Cuba
  • English speaking Cuban guides
  • All transportation in A/C bus
  • Lodging in Standard Rooms (All Hotels are 5-Star, except Santa Clara, which is 3-Star)
  • VIP reception and expedited entry at Havana Airport upon arrival
  • 2 bottles of water (500mL) daily while in Cuba
  • Documentation to travel legally to Cuba for Americans

NOT INCLUDED IN PACKAGE PRICE

  • Airfare from your home to Miami, Florida
  • Charter Airfaire MIA/HAV/MIA. You will be billed separately for the ticket when it is issued. ($600-700 per person including air fare, air taxes, and Cuba visa)
  • Baggage fees of $20 per bag are additional, as well as overweight fees of $2/lb (44 lbs are exempt but include the weight of all hand carry bags and personal items)
  • Hotel night in Miami prior to the flight to Havana or after the return, if desired
  • Daily tips for hotel housekeepers; Additional tips at your discretion for outstanding service
  • Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages throughout the trip unless specified by your guide
  • Personal incidentals (including transportation and admission/entertainment expenses during your free time)

Itinerary Overview


 

Pre-trip Briefing | 7PM | Wednesday July 13

Please plan to arrive in time our pre-trip briefing, 7PM at Miami Airport Marriott • We will review trip details and logistics.

If you would like to stay at the Miami Airport Marriott on Wednesday night, KFLA can arrange your reservation at a group rate of $99, payable upon check-in. Complimentary shuttle available.
 

Day 1 | Thursday July 14

Early charter flight from Miami to Havana • Complimentary transfer from Miami Airport Marriott to Miami International Airport at 8:00AM for 12:00PM charter flight landing in Havana at 1:00PM.

Walking tour of Old Havana with architecture professor Dr. Orestes del Castillo • Early dinner at local restaurants • Night visit to La Cabaña • Overnight in Havana
 

Day 2 | Friday July 15

Dialogue on health with Dr. Enrique Balderrain of the Instituto de Medicina and Prof. of Salud Publica • Visit to neighborhood clinic • Guided tour of Museo de la Revolucion • Free night
 

Day 3 | Saturday July 16

Dialogue with Cuban architecture specialist Ailin Robaina from the Office of the Historian • Visit to National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana with art specialist • Performance of Afro-Cuban music and dialogue on race in Cuba • Overnight in Havana • Overnight in Havana
 

Day 4 | Sunday July 17

Day tour of the Viñales Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to a multi-ethnic agricultural society • Visit to a family-owned farm • Community lunch on the farm • Overnight in Havana
 

Day 5 | Monday July 18

Tour of Zapata Swamp  • Lunch at private paladar restaurant • Visit to the Bay of Pigs museum for discussion with historical experts about the importance of this event in the bilateral relationship between Cuba and the USA • Overnight in Santa Clara
 

Day 6 | Tuesday July 19

Visit to the Che Guevara Mausoleum & Museum • Tour Sugar Museum and dialogue on modern Cuban agriculture • Travel to San Juan de los Remedios via a historic Sugar Train route • Walking tour and dialogue on the impact of sugar production with local historian • Overnight at an all-inclusive beachfront hotel in Varadero
 

Day 7 | Wednesday July 20

Free morning and lunch at hotel • Tour of Finca Vigía, Ernest Hemingway’s home/museum in Cuba • Dinner at seaside restaurant • Overnight in Havana
 

Day 8 | Thursday July 21

Dialogue about education in Cuba with Profs. Marta Nunez and Susana Haug at Havana University's Arts & Science's Library with tour to follow • Visit to the Angela Landa Primary School in Old Havana • Visit to the Partagas Cigar Factory to learn about the Habanos cigar-making process • Time to shop for Cuban art and goods at San Jose Arts Market • Farewell dinner • Overnight in Havana
 

Day 9 | Friday July 22

Discussion, exchange and lunch with writer and specialist on Cuban-US relations,  Mark Frank • Transfer to Airport for evening flight to Miami