Morning: as part of our full-time schedule of professional research on Cuba’s educational system, our Educational trip to Cuba kicks off this morning with a private visit to the children theatre group “The Little Beehive” located in Vedado neighborhood. This world renowned theatrical group, official UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, has performed extensively around the globe and even in the United States recently. The children and teachers will engage in a lively chat with our tour participants and even perform a play in English. What a treat!

This visit to Cuba’s “The Little Beehive” (La Colmenita) presents an unparalleled chance for North American university and college professors, faculty and staff; K-12 teachers, and other educational professionals to conduct professional research on Cuba’s artistic and extra curriculum education as well as the educational work of outreach independent community projects in the island.

Even though it represents a very small geographical area of Havana city today, Old Havana is one of the main tourist attractions of Cuba and a place worth visiting, at least for a day or two. This UNESCO World Heritage Site contains a great architectural wealth of colonial imprints that would be explored next with the expert guidance of our Authentic Cuba Travel® tour guide.

The Square of Arms will be the starting point of our exploration of Old Havana’s main colonial squares and buildings. Flanked by El Templete, a neoclassical complex that marks the spot of foundation of the city by the Spanish conquistadores in the early 16th century, the Square of Arms is surrounded by impressive former military, administrative and governmental buildings that once served as the center of the Spanish authority in Cuba such as the Fortress of the Royal Force, the Palace of the Captain General, the Palace of the Vice-Governor, among others.

Next our Cuba education travels will take us to San Francisco Square, a vibrant and colorful square with a trading pedigree. Originally cleared for merely supplying fresh water to the Spanish ships calling port in Havana, soon it became the site of Havana’s main warehouses and markets. Today you can still see its large waterfront facilities fully functional and restored serving different purposes from housing international cruise ship terminals to popular handicraft markets.

At Authentic Cuba Travel® we also like to make a stop at the Old Square not just because it is the largest in the historical centre but because it contains important cultural institutions such as the Cuba Photography Gallery, the Cuban Center for Visual Arts, and the art galleries of the Cuban Fund for Cultural Assets all housed in the one-time mansions of Havana wealthiest families. Time permitting we will visit some of this galleries.

At the end of the 18th century the bishop established himself in Havana city, previously in Santiago de Cuba city, once the Cathedral of Havana was finished. Dominating the Cathedral Square, the smallest and coziest square in the Old city, the Cathedral of Havana was constructed using local building materials such as sea coral. It displays a dramatic baroque facade where you can still spot marine fossils in the stonnes.

Before we wrap it up our walking tour of Old Havana, we will make a stop at the Arts & Craft Market of Havana where we can buy all sorts of artworks and souvenirs created by local artists and artisans.

Having the dream and lifetime goal of creating artworks of the caliber of those by Gaudi and Picasso, and following the style of Brancusi, Jose Fuster’s art have stretched from his studio to the whole town of Jaimanitas, a fishing community in Western Havana. Our education tours to Cuba feature a visit to one of Cuba’s most authentic projects, the Jaimanitas Community Project where we will meet with Fuster who will also host a private lunch for our Authentic Cuba Tours participants.

Afternoon: at Authentic Cuba Travel® we believe in the value of supporting arts and culture in Cuban communities. By taking travelers to tour schools like Escuela de Ballet Lizt Alfonso that we will visit next, we are also promoting access to artistic education in the local communities. Lizt Alfonso has created a particular style of dancing that blends Spanish and African origin rhythms with old school ballet techniques.

This activity will be of particularly interest for the professional research of those travelers from USA, Canada and all over the world whose profession, professional background, or area of expertise (including area of graduate-level full-time study) relates to dance education and the establishment of dance as an art form in education.

In the late afternoon, we will visit the private residence, art gallery and studio of renowned Cuban artists Alicia Leal and Cirenaica Moreira.

Evening: our Cuba tour highlight tonight is a private performance by Elsa’s Band. Our group will be hosted by Elsa at the rooftop of her private residence in an Old Havana building. We will learn the basis of popular Cuban rhythms such as Salsa and Rumba by the hand of talented bandleaders. Your participation in these activities directly supports the Cuban people and the Cuban families financially while encouraging independent entrepreneurial activities that in turn strengthen civil society in Cuba.

Morning: today is another special day of our education tour to Cuba as our group will visit the prestigious Escuela-Taller (Workshop School) “Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos” . Founded more than 20 years ago, this authentic Cuban school teaches young students the arts, techniques and methods of historical preservation and restoration.

Our professional meeting with Cuban teachers this morning will be of particularly interest for the professional research of those travelers from USA, Canada and all over the world whose profession, professional background, or area of expertise (including area of graduate-level full-time study) relates to the teaching of skilled trades. With an aging workforce, the school is training skilled trades people who can help restore, preserve and maintain the historical and architectural heritage of the nation.

Among the school many accomplishments in recent years has been the complete restoration of the San Francisco de Asis Convent and the Greek Orthodox Church in Old Havana. In fact, it is almost impossible to find a historical building in Havana city today that has been restored without the participation of graduates from this school.

Following in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway in Cuba is a highlight of the Cuba educational tours. The renowned US author lived in the Caribbean island for about twenty years. Hemingway established his residence in the working-class community of San Francisco, in the outskirts of Havana city. In 1940, he bought himself a estate named La Vigia Farm in this area where he lived with his third and fourth wives, numerous dogs and a troupe of cats. Here Hemingway wrote most of its most celebrated novels such as For Whom the Bell Tolls. Today the estate is a museum dedicated to Hemingway’s life in Cuba.

Next we will go to another of Hemingway’s favorite communities, the fishing village of Cojimar, founded in the 17th century at the mouth of the Cojimar River. At the heart of this picturesque town, we find an authentic Cuban bar-restaurant Las Terrazas, one of Hemingway’s favorite hangouts. The establishment contains a large collection of photographs as well as a painting and other memorabilia of the American author.

Lunch at La Terracita Paladar in Cojimar fishing village. Eating in private family-run restaurants directly supports the Cuban people and the Cuban families financially while encouraging independent entrepreneurial activities that in turn strengthen civil society in Cuba.

Afternoon: if you want to discover the authentic Cuba you have to follow the locals: pure and simple. As part of our full-time schedule of professional research on Cuba’s educational system, next the education trips to Cuba go up close and personal with the locals of Nuevo Vedado. We will explore an amazing artistic outreach community project named after Cintio Vitier, one of Cuba’s most prolific authors of the 20th century. Under the leadership of Pedro Pulido, a beloved Cuban artist, a troupe of voluntary teachers teaches children and youth in this neighbourhood several art disciplines.

An authentic Cuba attraction not to be missed by any Cuba explorer is the Museums of Fine Arts (Cuban Collection Building) which contains the most valuable and complete collection of Cuban artworks in the planet. And that’s where we are heading next.

Evening: another authentic Cuban attraction not to be missed in Cuba education tours is the daily ceremony of the Fire of The Cannon at 9 O’clock at the Fortress of La Cabana, the largest military fortification ever built by the Spanish rulers in Las Americas. Be ready to get “lost” among thousands of Cubans from all over the island who gather here every night to attend one of the most colourful ceremonies of the country.

Morning: when it comes to Authentic Cuba Travel®, the savviest Cuba explorer used a straightforward approach to recognize the roads less traveled, yet most worthy of discovery: FOLLOW THE LOCALS! And over the next three days, your education travels to Cuba will take you to explore several authentic Cuba destinations established along the Caribbean southern coastline.

First we will travel to the battlegrounds and landing beaches of the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. We will tour key battle sites, monuments and museum to relive the history of the CIA sponsored invasion that was defeated within 72 hours by the revolutionary forces of the new government of Cuba.

Finally we will visit the Bay of Pigs Museum that showcases artifacts, photos and documentation related to the botched invasion including a British Sea Fury plane that was used by the Cuban Air Force.

As part of our full-time schedule of professional research on Cuba’s educational system, today we will visit Korimakao, a cultural non-governmental community project founded by popular Cuban actor Manuel Porto in the 1990’s in Playa Larga, a very remote rural county in southern Cuba.

This visit represents a great opportunity for North American university and college professors, faculty and staff; K-12 teachers, and other educational professionals to conduct professional research on the educational work of outreach independent community projects in rural areas.

Lunch at Paladar Tikki in Bay of Pigs. Eating in private family-run restaurants directly supports the Cuban people and the Cuban families financially while encouraging independent entrepreneurial activities that in turn strengthen civil society in Cuba.

Afternoon: continue on bus ride to Cienfuegos. The imposing neoclassical architecture, the lavish Moorish style of Del Valle Palace, and the striking military fortress Castillo de Jagua are just some of the authentic Cuban attractions that make the city of Cienfuegos so worth visiting. Sitting on the beautiful Bay of Cienfuegos which opens into the Caribbean Sea, Cienfuegos historical centre has been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Jose Marti Square is the place where the exploration of the old city starts usually in our educational tours to Cuba. With our Authentic Cuba Tours guide bringing back to life the times when the US purchased the region of Louisiana from Napoleon, an event that prompted several families of French refuges from that territory to find a new home overseas in this area, we will relive the act of foundation of the city in 1819.

Among the neoclassical buildings of great historical significance surrounding the square it is worth noticing the Cathedral of Cienfuegos showcasing the original French stained-glass windows of the 12 Apostles; the 950-seat Tomas Terry Theatre (1895) also displaying most original elements such as the ceiling frescoes and Cuban hardwood seats; the Palacio Ferrer, with its magnificent rooftop tower and elaborate marble staircase; the San Lorenzo School among many others.

The local art produced in the city is nothing short of amazing. That’s why, we have scheduled a visit to the province's main art gallery, locally known as La Maroya, at the end of the day. This stop represents a great opportunity for US citizens to purchase original artwork which is an exception to the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba.

Check in at your Luxury Casa Particular, located in Punta Gorda, a district in the southern part of Cienfuegos with beautiful views over the waters of the Bay of Cienfuegos.

Morning: this morning we will embark on a panoramic bus ride towards another Caribbean city, Trinidad, another authentic destination in Cuba. After traversing the Escambray mountain range and riding along the Caribbean shores, we will arrive at this city which seems frozen in colonial time. Founded by Spanish conquistador Diego Velazquez in 1514, Trinidad and the Sugar Mills Valley were declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

As part of our full-time schedule of professional research on Cuba’s educational system, it is important to visit rural schools. Our Cuba education tours represent a rare opportunity to gain access to the main art school in the province, the Provincial Art School "Oscar Fernandez" in Trinidad to learn firsthand about the arts curriculum and to conduct professional research on Cuba’s secondary educational system in the countryside.

Before the two wars of independence of the turn of the 19th century, the Valley of the Sugar Mills produced almost a third of Cuba’s sugar. Yet the wars devastated this region, and over 50 sugar mills were abandoned. Today the ruins of those (including slave barracks, manor houses, and milling machinery) dot the valley that was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

We will visit the former estate of the Manaca-Iznaga family, showcasing the highest watch tower of Cuba used to watch over the slaves.

Lunch at Solananda Paladar. Eating in private family-run restaurants directly supports the Cuban people and the Cuban families financially while encouraging independent entrepreneurial activities that in turn strengthen civil society in Cuba.

Afternoon: as part of our full-time schedule of professional research on Cuba’s educational system, our group will meet Cuban doctors at a family doctor’s office. You will learn about the Cuban Family Doctor and Nurse Program, an educational approach that requires the training of a team of two health care professionals (community doctor and nurse) who work as a team to provide health care to a neighborhood, specific area or community.

Family doctors are a new type of physician that specializes in comprehensive general medicine and are integral part of the so called Primary Level of Medical Attention. This exchange presents an unparalleled chance for North American university and college professors, faculty and staff; K-12 teachers, and other educational professionals to conduct professional research on Cuba’s medical education.

Back in the historical center we will meet with the Santader family at their pottery workshop to learn more about one of the authentic traditions of the city: pottery making. Hence, supporting the Cuban people by patronizing privately owned restaurants, stores, art galleries and other small businesses.

Our afternoon exploration will be centered around the Plaza Mayor which is the central square of the old city and it is surrounded by important colonial buildings such as the Iglesia Parroquial de La Santisima Trinidad, the oldest church and the main Catholic temple in the city; the Museum of Architecture which is housed in the former city residence of the Iznaga family; the Ortiz Palace containing the Provincial Art Gallery today; the Museo Romantico, the one-time Residence of the Brunet Counts with a valuable collection of colonial decorative arts and Cuban wood locally-made furniture; and many others.

Street markets can be found abundantly in the various colonial squares and cobblestone streets of the old city. Your Authentic Cuba Travel® guide will give you some free time to explore them on your own before getting back to your hotel in Cienfuegos.

Evening: Casa de la Musica de Cienfuegos is the music venue we recommend tonight. It is a great chance to hear the best salsa bands of Cuba playing live and to dance with Cienfuegueros and tour mates alike.

Morning: Cuba educational tours should visit the historic city of Santa Clara in central Cuba if really trying to get to know the real Cuba and its modern history. We will tour monuments, museums and key battle sites of the Battle of Santa Clara which brought about the success of the Cuban Revolution of 1959.

We will visit the Monument to the Armored Train, a key battle site where a handful of guerrilla fighters under the command of Ernesto Che Guevara captured an armored train with hundreds of Batista troops and military weaponry on the way to Eastern Cuba- a last attempt by the dictator to regain control of that region of the country.

We will also visit the Ernesto Che Guevara Mausoleum, a crypt-like underground facility that contains the remains of the famous revolutionary and guerilla fighter and those of the men under his command who were killed in 1967 in Bolivia.

Lunch at Paladar La Terraza in Santa Clara. Eating in private family-run restaurants directly supports the Cuban people and the Cuban families financially while encouraging independent entrepreneurial activities that in turn strengthen civil society in Cuba.

Afternoon: the afternoon activity in our full-time schedule of professional research, it is to attend professional meetings with healthcare and medical professors and students at the Villa Clara Medical Institute. The Institute trains doctors from Cuba and all over the world. They regularly host elective students from Canada, but few so far from the UK.

This activity will be of particularly interest for the professional research of those travelers from USA, Canada and all over the world whose profession, professional background, or area of expertise (including area of graduate-level full-time study) relates to healthcare education and medical education research.

Late afternoon: upon arrival in the Cuban capital we will check in at our hotel Valentin Quinta Avenida (Valentin 5th Avenue) or Luxury Casa Particular with the help of our 24/7 dedicated team of authentic Cuba professionals.

Evening: celebrate New Year’s Eve at a venue of your choosing tonight (optional/ not included in tour costs). Your tour guide will give you advice on the numerous venues in the city where you can partake in the celebrations for New Year’s Eve. He will also help you book your favourite dinner and event. Tour desks can also help with booking events for this special night where one more anniversary of the Cuba Revolution is also celebrated.

Morning: also located in the Vedado neighbourhood, the University of Havana is the largest, oldest and most prestigious educational institution in the Caribbean island. It is also a mandatory visit in any serious education tours to Cuba. With a staff of over 1,500 professors and scholars, this university welcomes about 30,000 Cuban students each year. Recent reforms in higher education have brought about a reduction in the number of students pursuing social sciences and humanities studies as the country leans more and more toward agricultural degrees.

Optional Lunch: optional lunch presents as a great opportunity to eat in a privately-owned family restaurant which are abundant in the area. Your Authentic Cuba Travel® tour guide will facilitate individual bookings and we will provide you with a list of recommended paladares before tour departure. Enjoy!

Afternoon: a moving experience can be meeting Dra. Luisa Campos at the National Museum of the Literacy Campaign- at least in the view of thousands of North America educators that have had such a privilege as part of our Cuba educational tours. Dra. Campos will bring back to life the literacy campaign of 1961 through personal anecdotes and stories of young alfabetizadores (teachers) like herself who went to the country with a mission: teaching all Cubans to read and write within one year.

This guided educational tour will be of particularly interest for the professional research of those travelers from USA, Canada and all over the world whose profession, professional background, or area of expertise (including area of graduate-level full-time study) relates to the history of literacy education and alternative approaches to teaching. The ideal approach to teach and learn literacy depends on the student. Every student is an individual with unique strengths, weaknesses, interests, and ways of learning. So how do you teach 700 000 people of different ages and backgrounds in such a record time? What teaching approach was used and why it worked.

Evening: Havana offers a number of venues for listening to great Jazz music. Among those the famous Jazz club The Fox & The Raven located in Vedado district, very close to your hotel. This is a great place to listen to the best Jazz musicians in Cuba playing live (entrance fee is optional/ not included in tour costs)

Early morning transfer to Havana's international airport for taking your flight back to North America via Miami, Mexico, Toronto or Nassau mainly.