On your first day in Havana you are taken on a short walking tour - usually within 24 hours of your arrival - to familiarise you with your new surroundings, such as money change and internet services, and to give you a flavour of the opportunities to enjoy your free time in this exciting location. While in Havana during weeks 1 and 2, your time will feature the following activities.
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Itinerary
Learn Spanish & Adventure - Havana & Vinales
Welcome Camino
Spanish Lessons
Intensive Spanish lessons from Monday to Friday take place shortly after breakfast at 09:00. Your teacher is licensed and on day 1 you receive a short test to establish your level and objectives. Lessons take the format of 3 x 45 minutes each morning, with 15-minute breaks to refresh, making approximately 3 hours of Spanish lessons each day (15 hours per week).
Dance Classes
There are 2 dance classes per week, usually Tuesday and Thursday from 14:00-15:00. You are taken through your paces - lessons feature Salsa but depending your progress you may also be introduced to Son, Rueda de Casino, Mambo, Cha Cha Cha, and Rumba and perhaps a few moves you haven’t even heard of! The lessons are delivered a short walk from your accommodation by a licensed dance instructor, and in the evenings there are MANY free live music venues where you can do your homework.
Discover Cuba
Hop onto a Wah-Wah (fume belching local bendy bus) or Colectivo (classic car/communal taxi) and take to the streets to discover the real Habana. Understand how Habaneros live; the practical day to day issues Cubans face living in this complicated country at this exciting time and help us take away some answers to our own ‘first world’ problems!
Three times weekly (usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons approx. 14:00-17:00) we take you on an adventure to help you understand and enjoy the history of Cuba and Habana - the source of the amazing wealth, the rich cultural mix, marvel at the faded patina of Habana’s famous gorgeous neo classical architecture, the rumble of classic American cars, curious Soviet era high rise buildings, ubiquitous live music on every street, dance, exotic religions etc. The list is endless! You will quickly feel at home, gain the knowledge and confidence to enjoy the city in your own time, with new-found traveller and Cuban friends. You have been immersed into the Cuban culture - enjoy!
These cultural experiences and excursions are with our trained local guides who will show you how to buy (and spend!) local pesos, take local transport and generally make you feel at home and comfortable with your new surroundings.
The Discover Cuba content also features additional Spanish language tuition, oral comprehension and dialogue (approx. 4 hours per week).
Weekend Excursions
Two weekends will be in Havana and we go on a day trip to the beaches directly east of Havana. Journey time is 30 minutes by bus and you can enjoy the exhilarating rollers that break on these pristine sandy beaches.
Week 3 - Viñales
At the end of your second week, on Sunday we head west on a 3-hour drive to the central western region of Cuba. Viñales is a beautiful agricultural town utilising horse power to cultivate plantations including the best tobacco fields in the country. The perfect contrast to your time in Havana here we enjoy the fresh air and natural world including stunning UNESCO heritage status limestone mountains and tobacco drying houses.
Spanish lessons continue from Monday to Friday in the morning, but after lunch we explore. Get ready to hike, horse-ride and cycle through some of the most wonderful landscapes in Cuba. Accommodation, breakfast and lunch, Spanish lessons each morning and an adventure activity every day Monday to Friday help you maximise your time in this special place. The following Sunday we head back to Havana.
The adventure activities in Viñales include horseback exploration Viñales valley including a traditional tobacco drying house to learn more about growing, curing and drying and rolling cigars, trek through plantations to learn about other crops including a sunrise trek to learn about some of the history - and mythology - of this beautiful area. We also take bicycles heading out of town to explore distinctive limestone caves. If you don’t like horses or bikes, alternative arrangements can be made to enjoy the countryside.
What's Included
Shared accommodation
Breakfast & lunch
2 weeks of Spanish lessons in Havana
2 dance lessons a week while in Havana
3 'Discover Cuba' cultural excursions/activities a week while in Havana
2 guided weekend trips to the beach
Adventure week in Viñales including transfers, Spanish lessons & activities
Summary
What’s included?
Extra expenses at the destination
None
Activities
There are lots of museums, great restaurants, bars and clubs you can visit while in Havana.
Accommodation
In Havana accommodation in is at 'Casa Jakera', a licensed Casa Particulare in the atmospheric heart of Old Havana. Casa Particulares are government licenced ‘private homestay’ accommodation whereby Cubans are permitted to rent out one or two bedrooms in their home to paying guests. However, the licensing regime has recently been extended to include larger hostel style accommodation. Our hostel falls under this latter category.
Accommodation in our Casa Particulare is in shared same-gender dorm rooms with other program participants. All rooms have air-conditioning, but bathroom facilities are shared. There is lots of comfortable indoor and outdoor space including spacious roof terraces where you can enjoy hanging out with your new friends or chilling on your own to enjoy the cool breezes and great views of the streets below in this truly unique location.
Couples or friends booking together are automatically upgraded to a private room with an ensuite bathroom. Paying a single room supplement you have the option to stay in another nearby Casa with your own room and private ensuite bathroom. Either way breakfast and lunch are served at our main Casa and this is the hub of program activities. This is also where the Spanish lessons take place as well as group discussions, planning meetings and impromptu social gatherings.
Should you wish to book additional nights at a Casa Particular, this can be done via your travel advisor at a rate of 40 EUR per night per person in a shared room, or 50 EUR per person per night in a private room.
In Viñales we stay in centrally located Casa Particulares where breakfast and lunch are provided.
Local transport
Arrival transfer is included only if you have chosen this option (against a fee).
Meals
Breakfast and lunch are included in Havana and served at Casa Jakera. Breakfast is included in Vinales.
Additional info
To ensure maximum flexibility and to achieve the best rate of exchange, it is recommended that you bring some cash – ideally USD or EURO.
Although ATM machines are widely available throughout Cuba the exchange rate is not so good – you will be shown where/how to change money into local currency during your ‘welcome camino’ after you arrive. Only government owned business accept card payments.