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| PROGRAM FEATURES |
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| Cities and provinces you'll visit |
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Havana City and Havana Province |
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Viñales Valley and Pinar del Río |
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Las Terrazas eco-community |
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Cienfuegos and Trinidad |
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Click here for Tour Map |
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| Some trip highlights |
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Learn architectural restoration techniques at the Escuela Taller |
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Walking tour of Old Havana and a coach tour of Modern Havana |
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Help out at an organic agricultural collective in Pinar del Río |
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Explore evening venues where the best Cuban music is performed |
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Meet and work with students at the Federico Engels High School |
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Enjoy the warm waters and white sand beaches of the Caribbean Sea |
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Visit a cigar factory, ancient coffee plantation, and famed cemetery |
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Visit a centuries-old family-run pottery workshop |
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Salsa, cha cha cha, and son dance lessons taught by Cuban pros |
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Memories of Cuba last forever. Discover the island on routes less traveled. |
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Crofton House School's first Cuba Education and Service Trip |
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Led by Crofton House faculty Christina Cuk and Alice Gyton |
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Wednesday 12 March through Monday 24 March 2008 |
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Twelve days and eleven nights in the Jewel of the Caribbean |
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Explore Cuban history, culture, music, dance and ecology |
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Volunteer at Cuban schools and architectural restoration sites |
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Meet your faculty leaders. This education and service trip was inspired and created by Crofton House School faculty Ms Christina Cuk and Ms Alice Gyton. Read their special invitation to students to participate in this exceptional program and learn about their motivations and objectives here. |
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José Martí icon indicates activities related history and society. (Who is José Martí?)
Smiling icon indicates Cuban culture activities (and having fun!).
Owl icon indicates opportunities to explore nature, ecology and the environment.
Youth icon indicates volunteer activities with your Cuban peers.
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| Air travel summary. Students and faculty depart on Air Canada from Vancouver airport on Wednesday 12th March at 11:50PM and return on to Vancouver on Monday 24th March at 09:20PM. View your Flight Itinerary and print it out for planning. |
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| Hint BLUE text links throughout offer more details and pictures. |
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| Travel for change. Crofton House School's study abroad partner for this program is Cuba Education Tours. This Vancouver-based notforprofit is dedicated to experiential, green, ethical travel that benefits Cubans and their island guests. |
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| Included in costs are all activities listed below unless noted otherwise. |
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| Island transportation is in a private luxury air-conditioned tour bus. |
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| This program is fully escorted from the minute you arrive until you return home. While on the island you're in the conscientious care of an expert multilingual Cuban guide together with a professional bus chauffeur, and your Crofton House School faculty leaders. |
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| Meals B=breakfast L=lunch D=dinner indicates meals included. Your guide is glad to suggest eateries for every taste and budget for meals not included. |
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| SEE EACH TRIP DAY |
:: 01 :: 02 :: 03 :: 04 :: 05 :: 06 :: 07 :: 08 :: 09 :: 10 :: 11 :: 12 :: |
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Music is pervasive across the city. |
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Arrival at Havana's José Martí International Airport.
Collect your bags and go through customs. See What to take to Cuba.
You're welcomed at the airport by your Cuba Education Tours guide and professional bus chauffeur.
Your Cuba Education Tours guide will direct you to a bank or exchange bureau (CADECA) to purchase Cuban Convertible Pesos.
Group transfer to the Hotel Saint Johns located in the heart of Havana's cultural district: Vedado.
Private check-in with assistance from your guide.
Evening is free for you to settle in, rest up, dine out and explore Vedado's vibrant music milieu or the notorious Malecón seafront.
All breakfasts are complementary daily from 07:00AM to 10:00AM. |
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TIME AND CLIME IN HAVANA NOW
Island-wide annual averages
Summer temp average: 81F | 27C
Winter temp average: 72F | 22C
Ocean temp average: 78F | 25.5C
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Havana's famed Malecón seawall is just three blocks from your hotel. |
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| Most common questions 1 Is Cuban food good? It's healthy and simple but not spicy. 2 Am I free to ask any question? You'll insult your island hosts by being less than candid. 3 Is the water safe? Yes, but we suggest bottled water for peace of mind. 4 Are vaccinations needed? No. 5 Can Americans join? They are especially welcome to do so! 6 Can I stay in Cuba after the tour? Absolutely and we are glad to help. |
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| CUBA IS THE LARGEST and least commercialized island in the Caribbean. It hosts 6000 plant species, half of which are endemic. There are 20 million palms in Cuba comprised of 30 species. Other flora includes the rare cork palm, a holdout from the cretaceous period; the jagüey, a fig with aerial roots; the palma barrigona (pot belly palm); the ceiba (the sacred silk-cotton tree); and the national flower, the mariposa (butterfly jasmine). The most abundant land fauna is reptilian: crocodiles, iguanas, lizards, salamanders, turtles and 15 species of nonpoisonous snakes. The biggest land mammal is the jutía, a tree dwelling rodent the size of a cocker spaniel. The bee hummingbird or zunzún is the worlds smallest weighing between 1.6 and 1.8 grams. The tocororo is the national bird – its red, white and blue plumage reflecting the colors of the Cuban flag. |
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| HAVANA'S ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE AND VOLUNTEERISM |
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University of Havana is an esteemed institution of higher learning. |
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Street signs in Modern Havana are made of granite and placed cater-corner at intersections. This one marks Calles 17 and 28. |
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Quince años (15 years old) is a coming of age ceremony all Cubans girls partake in once. A formal event includes a grand dinner with family and friends followed by photos of the quinceañera in different outfits in special locations. An informal celebration might include a pool or slumber party or attending a disco with friends, plus ample pix! |
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Grupo Dulce María members will teach all the necessary moves for you to dance like a Cuban! |
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This morning we'll meet with the professors and students of La Escuela Taller Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos (Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos Workshop School). This unique institution was established in 1992 in an heroic effort to train youth in the arts, crafts and theoretical knowledge to rehabilitate and preserve their architectural heritage. The school teaches young people archeological and restoration skills necessary to sustain the physical heritage and cultural patrimony of Old Havana. The Cuban capitol harbors the largest collection of colonial-era Spanish architecture in our hemisphere.
Lunch break (not included in cost). Your guide will advice on eateries that meet every palate and budget.
Now that you've met the students at Escuela Taller, you'll have a chance to help them out with their restoration projects. Be sure to wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty. This is a great opportunity to make new Cuban friends while learning from them at the same time. They'll have lots of questions about Canadian life for you too. Don't be shy.
Dinner (not included in cost). Explore dozens of restaurants in Vedado. Your guide knows them all. She'll details costs and menus, then you decide where to dine.
Tonight we have a Cuban band playing for us. You'll learn how to perform and dance to Salsa, Son, Rumba, Cha Cha Cha, Mambo and other popular Cuban rhythms from the band members of Grupo Dulce María. |
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Cubans come in all colors and are proud of it! |
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Island billboard reads: 200 million kids in the world sleep in the streets, none of them are Cuban. |
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Cuban hip hop performer. |
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| CITY TOUR, CEMETERY AND MUSEUM VISIT, AND HISTORICAL CEREMONY |
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Havana's former capitol buidling is today home to the Academy of Science, and an internet cafe. |
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Interior of former capitol building. |
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Stone angel watches over the dead at Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón. |
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Fresh from urban organic gardens: farmers market in Havana. |
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Get ready for an air-conditioned luxury coach tour of the most important sites of Modern Havana such as the Capitol building, the Grand Theatre, Central Park, Prado promenade, Revolution Square, Coppelia Ice Cream Park, Plaza José Martí (in front of US Interests Section), Monument to the Battleship Maine, Hotel Nacional, University of Havana, Cementario Colón, Malecón seawall, and the Miramar, Central Havana and Vedado neighborhoods.
Light lunch in Pan.com Cafeteria in Miramar (not included in cost).
Now we tour Havana's spectacular Cementerio de Cristóbal Colón. This gigantic graveyard covers 56 hectares (16 city blocks) and contains over 500 major mausoleums, chapels, family vaults and galleries. The cemetery was launched in 1868, complete in 1876, and is considered one of the most lavish and historically significant in the western world.
The beauty and magnificence of this cemetery is unequaled in the hemisphere. It holds more than 800,000 graves, many of whose headstones have been embellished by major Cuban sculptors. The Afro-Cuban religious practice and rituals of Santería, common across the island, grace cemetery. It is not unusual to find colorfully dressed rag-dolls lying next to graves, placed as offerings to one or other of this religion's deities. As well, you'll learn of other fantastic graveyard legends.
Afterwards we'll explore the Museum of Revolution, the former Presidential Palace. Today it exhibits the history of the Cuban Revolution through documents and objects among which we find the famous Yacht Granma that returned Fidel and his 82 guerilla fighters from Mexico to Cuba to launch the struggle for liberation from the Batista dictatorship.
Tonight we witness a most dramatic ceremony – El Cañonazo – the Firing of the 9PM Cannon at the Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabaña. |
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Enjoy the best Cuban jazz in Havana at Club La Zorra y El Cuervo. |
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| Cuban eggplant, ha ha. Eggshells are placed on leaf tips of medicinal aloe vera plant to prevent birds from roosting on and eating them. |
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FIRST HERO OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE
Taíno Indian Chief Hatuey from the island of Hispanolia traveled to and warned his Cuban counterparts about the horrific dangers of the impending Spanish invasion in the year 1511. Read about his legendary struggle – that of the premier independence and resistance fighter in our Americas who staked his life for freedom from foreign occupation and thralldom. |
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| GETTING TO KNOW THE CARIBBEAN'S LARGEST CAPITOL |
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Example of restoration in Old Havana. |
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Street pantomime in Old Havana. |
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Decorative mail drop box in Old Havana. |
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Inside view of the dome of El Capitolio. |
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| Exterior and interior of the Cathedral of Havana initiated by Jesuits in 1748 and completed in 1777. |
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Youth at a Cuban baseball game. |
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Ornate filigree and statuary adorn Havana's Gran Teatro where the National Ballet performs. |
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Morning walking tour of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We'll visit four of the five historic plazas that make Havana unique in the western hemisphere. It contains the largest collection of remaining colonial-era architecture.
Cathedral Square, the most beautiful and private 18th century colonial plaza on the island. Named after the masterpiece of Cuban baroque architecture: the Cathedral of Havana built by the Jesuit order.
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| Square of Arms, an ancient military parade ground for Spanish soldiers, surrounded by impressive buildings such as: |
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Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, former seat of colonial government. Today the building houses the Museum of the City. |
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Palacio del Segundo Cabo, seat of the second authority of the island. Today it houses important publishing concerns. |
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Museo de Artesania at Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the second oldest fortress built by the Spaniards in the West Indies. Today it displays treasures of artistic ceramics by the most prestigious Cuban artists from the middle of the last century to present. The institution is host to the Ceramic Biennial. |
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We continue onto San Francisco Square, one of the oldest plazas in the historical quarter.
And later onto Plaza Vieja, the only civic square of colonial times. Absent are churches and government buildings. We'll visit an important center for the visual arts.
Lunch at La Mina Restaurant where you'll enjoy traditional Cuban dishes and live music (not included in cost).
Free time in the famous open-air handicraft market of Old Havana where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.
Your evening is free to explore the sights and sounds of the city with your classmates, faculty tour leaders, and new Cuban friends. Note This is the season for the Cuban baseball playoffs. If a game is happening in Havana your guide will let you know. Entrance fee: 50 cents. Fun value: without compare! |
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| PINAR DEL RIO, LAS TERRAZAS AND VINALES VALLEY |
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Exotic and unique plants and animals thrive in Cuba. The island has more protected areas than any other country. |
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Gundlach's hawk thrives in Cuba. |
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Cuban red-legged honeycreeper. |
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Young person staffs farmers market. |
| Cuba is recognized as the global leader in environmental sustainability. It has 300 ecologically protected areas comprising 30 percent of its territory. Six of these areas are UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves. Over half the island's diverse flora and fauna is indigenous – existing nowhere else – and is guarded from exploitation. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) declared Cuba the only country with a planet friendly economy. |
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Morning departure to Las Terrazas eco-community in the Sierra del Rosario mountain range west of Havana in the province of Pinar del Río.
We'll tour its rural village called Rancho Curujey and enjoy a welcome cocktail while learning about this self-sustaining community's successes in reforestation, historical preservation, environmental balance, and a good life.
Next we'll meet with local artists and craft workers in their homes and studios.
Later we'll walk the incredible ruins of a French Coffee Plantation built in 1801 worked by African slaves.
We have lunch at a traditional Cuba restaurant (included in cost).
You'll have free time to swim in the fresh waters of the San Juan River and explore the surroundings of this lush tropical paradise. Don't forget your swimming suit.
Late afternoon: continue on bus drive to Viñales Valley and check in at your Hotel Los Jazmines.
Evening is free to rest up, enjoy your hotel, or local entertainment opportunities. Your guide will keep you posted on local activities. |
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In the countryside many youth are engaged in organic agriculture combined with rigorous academics. Animal partners help out on the farm. Eco-friendly practices result in tasty produce and high productivity. |
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We'll swim in this heavenly pool at Las Terrazas. |
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In preparation for your trip, we suggest the movie "Motorcycle Diaries," a thrilling adventure that traces the youthful origins of a revolutionary spirit who would become Che Guevara. |
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| PINAR DEL RIO, VOLUNTEERISM, ART SCHOOL VISIT, CIGAR FACTORY |
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The jutía, native to Cuba, is a large rodent the size of a cocker spaniel. They dwell in trees and are vegetarians. Jutías are the preferred breakfast of crocodiles. |
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| VINALES VALLEY is a picturesque town in the heart of Cuba's prime tobacco-growing region. The town itself sits in the center of a flat valley surrounded by stunning karst hill formations known locally as mogotes. The mogotes are irregularly shaped steep-sided hills that can rise as high as 300m (985 ft) and have bases ranging from just a few hundred yards in diameter to as much as a couple of kilometers in length. The mogotes comprise part of the Sierra de los Organos mountain chain, and were formed by eons of erosion. Many consider this the most naturally beautiful spot in Cuba. |
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This morning we'll meet with students at the Federico Engels High School in the city of Pinar del Río. The school is one of only fourteen of it's kind in Cuba. It is a vocational boarding school recruiting Cuba's brightest young minds. The students who attend show great promise in the fields of mathematics and science, but are encouraged to pursue a range of academic studies. Ninety-five percent of the graduates from these high schools go on to attend university.
We'll help out our student friends with school projects, then participate in sports and cultural activities.
Lunch in the high school cafeteria or at a local eatery.
We'll visit the Pedro R Sanchez Art School, talk with its students and professional and view the work of upcoming young artists.
The Francisco Donatién Cigar Factory is located in one of the busiest areas of Pinar del Río's legendary Máximo Gómez Street. The building one of the most emblematic constructions of 19th century Pinar del Río architecture and it is here where authentic Cuban cigars are made according to craft procedures several centuries old.
Your evening is free to enjoy the amenities of your resort hotel. Your guide will keep you posted on entertainment options. |
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Boys learn to ride a bike. |
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Federico Engels High School is named after the 19th century titan of natural and social history, and political and economic theory. His best pal was Carlos (Karl) Marx. |
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Cigars are rolled by hand at the Francisco Donatién factory, a craft that takes years to master. |
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| Some among many Cuban staples grown organically in Pinar del Río province: Left to right Bananas, coffee beans, cucumbers, pineapple, sweet potatoes, eggplant, and avocados. |
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| RURAL AGRICULTURE, VOLUNTEERISM AND A CDR FESTIVITY |
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Cubans enjoy lifelong free health care and education combined with inexpensive housing, utilities and childcare. |
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Cuban SUV! Horses and cattle provide substantial transportation alternatives in the countryside. |
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| Pinar del Río is the perfect environment to spot the Cuban parakeet left, Fernandina's flicker center, and the Cuban parrot right. |
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Meeting with members of an agricultural cooperative in Pinar del Río. This is a relaxing encounter to get to know cooperative members informally before our volunteer work exchange begins.
Agricultural cooperatives are collectively managed and controlled by the farmers and their families who live on or near it. Originally each of the farm families owned private plots separate from one another. Then at the onset of the special period in the early 1990s, many of them joined forces to share resources, skills and improve production.
Cooperatives often support an entire community including a primary school, doctor's office and clinic, and other services for its members. Students will help with crop and food production and other chores and learn about collective agriculture and community development and maintenance in the process.
Tour highlight Today we'll attend an evening festivity at a local Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR). CDRs are responsible for the well-being, education, sanitation and safety of people in their neighborhoods. |
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Youth snake dance in the island's annual Carnival – a Latin America tradition – in Cuba with strong African influences. |
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Tonight we'll attend a CDR festivity. |
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| BEAUTIFUL CIENFUEGOS AND YOUR ALL-INCLUSIVE COSTA SUR RESORT |
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Cienfuegos also has a Malecón (waterfront drive). |
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Exquisite architectural detailing on Cienfuegos heritage building. |
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Dance with me. In Trinidad you'll be able to attend youth discos and practice your newfound dance steps Cubans. |
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Morning departure to Cienfuegos – founded by French immigrants at the beginning of the 19th century – renowned for its wealth of stunning historical buildings.
Upon arrival in Cienfuegos, known as the "Pearl of the South," your guide will review the origins of this beautiful cosmopolitan city. You'll walk the main Plaza Martí where the ceremony of foundation of the city took place.
We'll visit such neoclassical buildings the Cathedral built with donations from wealthy slave owning families like the Lebrancs, the Albis, and the Terrys. Inside the Teatro Tomas Terry you'll see the Twelve Apostles beautifully rendered in stained glass imported from Paris. The original machinery of its clock in the tower was also manufactured in France and keeps on ticking to this day.
We continue onto to the historic city of Trinidad and check to your all-inclusive Hotel Resort Costa Sur. You'll have time for dinner and a swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea. |
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Cienfuegos, founded by French colonists, sports a replica of the Arc de Triomphe in its central plaza. |
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Beach at your Trinidad resort hotel. |
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| VOLUNTEERISM AND BEACH TIME |
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Canadian youth help out Cuban high school students for several hours before engaging in cultural activities with their new friends. Here they are cleaning up a Caribbean beach. |
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Then they learn new dance steps from peer instructors! |
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Full day work and cultural exchange with high school students in the countryside. This is one of the most exciting components of any Cuba tour. Canadian students help out their Cuban counterparts for several hours in the fields or with school building and ground maintenance. This is followed by friendly games and cultural activities. Many students become lasting friends.
Evening is free to enjoy the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea surrounding your resort hotel.
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Cuban high school students perform impromptu concert. |
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| Left Who are these guys? They're high school students who became friends with one of Canadian youth following a day of volunteerism. |
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Cubans love surfing too. |
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Canadian students practice soccer, baseball and other sports with their Cuban counterparts following volunteer activities. |
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| THE HISTORIC CITY OF TRINIDAD DE CUBA |
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Right Trinidad's main plaza featuring buildings that are hundreds of years old, yet the neighborhood bustles with vitality. |
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An affordable rare delight. Indulge!
Sixth generation member of the Santander family spins decorative pots at centuries-old workshop. |
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Trinidad's Manaca Iznaga tower was built to keep watch over cane-field slaves.
Cuban iguana sun tans on beach. They are not poisonous nor they bite. |
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Today we explore on foot one of the oldest cities founded by the Spaniards in the West Indies, Trinidad, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
We visit its Plaza Mayor, Museum of Architecture, Museum of the Romantic Era, the main town parish and other amazing sites, some dating back centuries.
We stop at a mirador (lookout) over the Sugar Mill Valley, where sugar barons constructed their opulent countryside mansions and mills – also an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We'll visit Casa y Torre Manaca Iznaga. Pedro Iznaga built a sprawling hacienda in the middle of the San Luis Valley with the fortune he made from the slave trade. He erected a 44 meter watchtower with 184 steps, some 50 meters from his main house, to control his slaves who were more than eager to escape. He would mark the hour by tolling a bell.
Trinidad is well known for its pottery makers. We meet with a family that has been passing on the tradition for generations: the Santanders.
Free time to wander the streets of historical center – a great occasion to examine the oldest architecture in the Americas, inspect local art and shop for souvenirs.
Return to your hotel for lunch.
Your afternoon is free to enjoy your hotel, its all-inclusive amenities and the beach.
Evening venue: Live Cuban popular music on steps of Casa de la Música – a great opportunity to dance with Cubans and your classmates (optional). |
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Sunset on Trinidad's Playa Ancón. |
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| Cuban reef fish. Consider snorkeling at your resort hotel on Trinidad's Playa Ancón. |
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An alternative to 7-Eleven: Fresh fruit stands stocked with organic produce ensure good health. Cuba is one of the few countries without McDonald's and Starbucks – yes! |
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| BEACH DAY ON CUBA'S SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN COAST |
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Free day to enjoy the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea next to your resort hotel. Sunbathe, snorkel, and explore the beach and nature with your fellow student travelers. (Watersports rentals fees additional.)
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| Left Hatchling poised to become a gentle giant: Cuba protects endangered sea turtles, along with other marine life, thus all flourish. |
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| THERE ARE NO poisonous plants, bugs or animals in Cuba. Tropical diseases are nearly vanquished. No vaccinations are required to visit the island. Visitors don't return home with mysterious maladies. |
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| GOODBYE CUBA – HELLO CANADA |
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We'll miss you and hope you return soon! |
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Early morning transfer to Havana's José Martí International Airport for your return home.
Keep in touch with your new Cuban friends – exchange email addresses! Bring some business cards to pass out on the island. Take pictures and keep a journal. Upon your return, we'll post them on this website for all to see and enjoy. |
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Old Cuban saying, "a true friend remembers the song in your heart when you have forgotten the lyrics." |
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