north carolina maritime museum invites you to join an in

Experience
cuba
GREATEST VOYAGE IN NATURAL HISTORY
The Amazon is a living labyrinth of forests, wildlife and people, all bisected by a storied
river meandering 4,200 miles across South America. Cloaked in mist, boasting every
shade of green, the heart of the Amazon is a wilderness that has pulled at the spirits
of adventurers for centuries. Over the 33 years that International Expeditions has
been exploring the Amazon, our guests have enjoyed unrivaled access to the rainforest’s
most pristine areas and the company of the river’s most knowledgeable guides. Leaving
behind only the diminishing wake of our riverboat, IE can transport you to the Amazon
of your imagination to discover a rainforest that pulsates with diversity of life.
North Carolina Maritime Museum
invites you to join
an in-depth journey to cuba
March 11-21, 2015
A musician in Havana
Why People-to-People Travel?
IE’s people-to-people travel license affords you an immersive opportunity to connect directly with the Cuban people,
learning more about each other through direct contact and cultural exchange. Our license mandates that you participate in a daily slate of engaging activities focused on education and cultural exchange.
“Cuba was fabulous, and the genuine people-to-people experiences — the choir, the art/music school, the tobacco factory, etc. —
were wonderful. I loved observing a dramatically different social, economic, and political environment, especially at this time in
Cuba’s history.” — Fred Schauer of Charlottesville, Virginia
Let the Rhythm Move You!
Pulsating rhythms wrap you like a
blanket as the sounds of Cuba — salsa,
rumba and jazz — carry from almost
every street corner and club, day
and night. To truly be immersed in
the daily lives of Cuban people, you
must first listen. And listen to the
music — mingled with laughter —
spilling from a local club serving as
a warm invitation to join into the daily
lives of locals.
Dancers entertain
at lunch
Hemingway’s former home, Finca Vigia
IE guest sits in
with the band
brush aside the Cuba that you
IE’s Cuba is for the Birds
The Cuban Parrot
IE participants — along with
experienced Cuban environmentalists
— will search out some of Cuba’s
renowned endemic birdlife. Join
resident birding enthusiasts to
observe bee hummingbirds, Cuban
trogon, Cuban emerald, Cuban tody
and some of the island’s other 25
endemic species.
— By IE guest Jim Blackburn
“know” from history books and
current events, and there is an
unfiltered view of this vibrant island
found only through the eyes of
its people. While traversing the
countryside and sipping coffee in
small cafés, IE guests encounter
working-class locals eager to share,
learn and ensure lives and options
are transformed.
In the mountains
North of Trinidad Cuba
Drinking mountain coffee.
The parrots assemble in the tallest tree
First two, then four, then ten
And then ten to twenty more,
All talking at the same time,
The turquoise blue wings and red neck
Standing in sharp contrast
To the green canopy.
As the coffee moves through my mind,
I see the parrots departing in pairs
And I look at my wife Garland
And see how we have flown through life –
A parrot pair moving together
From tree to tree,
Cackling and laughing,
Loving each other along the way.
Classic car
Cuban trogon
The parrots move on and my cup is empty
And I feel the loss of connection
That comes from a cup of coffee
And a flock of screaming parrots
In the mountains
North of Trinidad Cuba
With my girl.
Learn about the role art has in
capturing both the history and
future of Cuba.
Valle De Los Ingenios
Cuba
people-to-people journey
Day 1 - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11 ARRIVE MIAMI Our program begins in Miami with an overnight at the
Cambria Suites and welcome reception. (Meals Aloft)
Day 2 - THURSDAY, MARCH 12 MIAMI / SANTA CLARA /
CAYO COCO Board our charter flight to Santa Clara. Visit
some of its interesting squares en route to the memorial to
Che Guevara. Che captured the city on December 28, 1959
causing Batista to flee the country on New Year’s Eve. Lunch
is at the Restaurant Los Caneyes, where we learn about
culinary training in Cuba from those training to be chefs with
hopes to open their own private restaurants. Head to the Atlantic Coast, where we cross a 17 mile long causeway to the
offshore island of Cayo Coco. Until recently this island was
largely uninhabited and together with its neighbors, Cayo
Guillermo and Cayo Paredon Grande, supports a wide variety
of plant and animal life. The calcareous coastal deposits are
blanketed with semi-deciduous forests, coastal scrub and
mangroves. The briny lagoons protected by the islands are
home to tremendous flocks of flamingos and other waders.
Cayo Coco is named for the White Ibis, known locally as the
coco. There are 158 bird species here that include Roseate
Spoonbills and Northern Caracaras. Our accommodations for
the next two nights are at the Hotel Sol Cayo Coco. (L,D)
Day 3 - FRIDAY, MARCH 13 CAYO COCO, CAYO PAREDON
GRANDE & CAYO GUILLERMO Interact with local environmen-
talists by learning and observing wildlife at the Cuban Center
for Coastal Ecosystem Studies. Discuss conservation efforts
and share our perspectives on similar conservation issues.
Move west to a protected area within El Baga National Park,
where we join with other naturalists exploring Cayo Coco
and neighboring islands. In addition to Flamingos search for
Oriente Warblers, Cuban Gnatcatchers, and the only breeding
population of Thick-billed Vireo on Cayo Paredon Grande.
We also seek out other elusive species such as Bahama
Mockingbirds, on Cayo Guillermo before returning to our
hotel with time to visit local artists in their studios. (B,L,D)
Day 4 - SATURDAY, MARCH 14 CAYO COCO / TRINIDAD Drive southwest to the island’s Caribbean side. In the architectural jewel of Trinidad, experience the community like its
residents, visiting with shop owners and sampling local fare
as we walk through the colonial heart of the city. At Casa Del
Alfarero Santander, an artisan workshop, meet local artists
and learn about traditional pottery techniques. Stroll through
town, with the chance to visit a music club to mingle with
the locals and enjoy authentic Cuban music. Spend two
nights at Hotel Los Helechos in the mountains of Topes de
Collantes. (B,L,D)
Day 5 - SUNDAY, MARCH 15 TOPES DE COLLANTES / TRINIDAD Enjoy a spectacular day in the Sierra de Escambray. Join a
local naturalist for a short history lesson on coffee growing
in these magnificent mountains, and enjoy a cup before a
nature walk. Find prolific birdlife, including Western Stripeheaded Tanagers, Cuban Bullfinches, Cuban Trogons and
West Indian Woodpeckers, as we share stories about our
Havana
favorite sightings with local birders. Relax over a cup of coffee,
where you are free to chat with your guide and other Cubans.
Visit a modern art museum. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure, where
you may take in the nature surrounding our hotel or swim. (B,L,D)
Day 6 - MONDAY, MARCH 16 TRINIDAD / BAY OF PIGS /
ZAPATA WETLANDS Travel to the Bay of Pigs which borders
the Zapata Peninsula, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
encompassing Cuba’s most important wetland area. Join
a local farmer to observe the world’s smallest bird, the Bee
Hummingbird, along with other endemic species such as
Cuban Screech Owl and Cuban Pygmy Owl. On the Bay of
Pigs, discuss the importance of the Zapata Wetlands with a
local environmentalist. Spend tonight at Hotel Playa Larga
or similar. (B,L,D)
Day 7 - TUESDAY, MARCH 17 BAY OF PIGS / HAVANA / SOROA There are around 900 species of flora, 171 species of birds
(18 endemics), 31 species of reptiles and many mammal
species on the Zapata Peninsula. Our new Cuban friends
join us on an early morning natural history exchange and
search for endemic species such as the Cuban Green
Woodpecker and Cuban Parrot. Cuba’s national bird, the
Cuban Trogon, is commonly found here, as are Cuban Vireo
and Cuban Tody. Continue to the Korimakao Project. The
project houses some of Cuba’s finest musicians, dancers and artists, who refine their skills before traveling to
remote villages to perform and teach. If the company is
not travelling, sit in on rehearsals and ask questions about
their unique experiences. Continue to Havana, stopping
at privately owned Il Divino for lunch. Walk through the
gardens where our lunch was grown. Pay homage to Ernest
Hemingway by discussing his work with Cuban Hemingway specialists at his former home Finca Vigia, preserved
as it was on the day of his death. Travelers can only peer
through the open windows of this museum, but the inside
is arranged almost as if the home was waiting for him to
return with guests. Hemingway’s fishing boat, El Pilar, is still
on the grounds. Continue onto our hotel for check-in and
dinner. Spend two nights at Villa Soroa or similar. (B,L,D)
Day 8 - WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 SOROA & VINALES This morning we drive west to the scenic Vinales Valley for
a boating excursion into one of the huge limestone caves
running through a mogote - limestone karst outcroppings.
At lunch, sample the homegrown vegetables grown at an
organic farm while meeting the family who is responsible
for the land. Walk an easy trail with a local resident in
hopes of seeing Cuban Solitaire before spending a little
time in the town of Vinales. Browse a bodega, where locals
shop with their ration books. Stop just outside of Vinales
to Soroa to visit a local tobacco farmer and his family to
learn more about the fine tobacco grown in this area and
the many steps it takes to make the highest quality Cuban
cigars. (B,L,D)
Miami
Havana
Cuba often seems
frozen in time
Gulf of Mexico
Havana
cuba
Soroa
Vinales
Zapata
Wetlands
Santa Clara
Playa Larga
Cayo Coco
Topes de
Collantes
Trinidad
Caribbean Sea
M arch 1 1 -2 1 , 2 0 1 5
Day 9 - THURSDAY, MARCH 19 SOROA /
Day 10 - FRIDAY, MARCH 20 HAVANA HAVANA This will be a very busy but
Tour Old Havana, seeing the atmospheric
plazas, classic cars and fading Spanish
colonial architecture, before stopping at
a community social project. Arte Corte
began with the simple mission of training
people in the neighborhood to become
hairdressers and barbers. The project
has transformed into a masterpiece of
community regeneration, improving the
area and supporting a senior home and a
children’s park. Explore more of Old Havana, including the Hotel Ambos Mundos,
where Ernest Hemingway kept a room for
years. The hotel served as a refuge while
writing such works as For Whom the
Bell Tolls and as a base for frequenting
his favorite bars. Enjoy a cool drink from
the rooftop terrace. Interact with locals
as we explore an art market along the
harbor’s edge. This evening enjoy a fine
farewell dinner at the elegant Café Del
Oriente. (B,L,D)
rewarding day. Meet botanists from
the University of Pinar Del Rio early
this morning for a walk through a
forest area surrounding our hotel that
is located in the Sierra Del Rosario
Biosphere Reserve. We visit the lush
orchid gardens of Soroa with local
gardeners and our new friends from
the staff from the university. We look
for Great Lizard Cuckoos, Cuban
Emeralds, Cuban Orioles, and Cuban
Grassquits here. Also in the mountains
of the Sierra Del Rosario Biosphere
Reserve is the interesting planned ecocommunity of Las Terrazas. We visit
the community and learn about life
there from local residents. Drive along
the oceanfront Malecon Avenue, seeing Revolution Square before checking
into our hotel. Tonight we will have
dinner and a show at the famed Café
Taberna, venue for the Buena Vista
Social Club. Spend two nights at the
Melia Cohiba or similar. (B,L,D)
Day 11 - SATURDAY, MARCH 21 HAVANA / MIAMI Transfer to the
airport for our charter flight to Miami. (B)
The accommodations used on this journey are
among the very best available in Cuba; however, it
is hard to guarantee specific hotels in advance as
availability is controlled by the Cuban government.
While in Cayo Coco, we plan to use the Sol Cayo
Coco (pictured left).
Double Occupancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4,698
Single Occupancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,548
Charter Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $575
Charter airfare is subject to change and must be
purchased through International Expeditions.
what’s included
Full schedule of
engaging peopleto-people activities
Sample local fare
at privately owned
paladars
Fully escorted by IE
expedition leader,
Cuban government
guide & local guides
Cuban visitor visa
Visit to Hemingway’s
Finca Vigia & his
room at Hotel
Ambos Mundos
Stops at Institute
of Superior Arts &
Museo Nacional de
Bellas Artes
In-studio discussions
with a variety of
Cuban artists
27 meals
Choice of local
beer or soft drink
at group lunches &
dinners
Bottled water on
transfers & excursions
Cuban-government
mandated medical
insurance
Tips to porters, day
guides & waiters for
included meals
Expedition Price Does Not Include:
Airfare, passport fees, items of a personal nature,
and tips to Cuban government guide, driver &
expedition leader.
Deposits & Payments: $600 deposit due at time
of application. Final payment due 60 days prior to
departure.
Cancellations: $175 from time of booking until 90
days prior to departure. $350 from 89-61 days prior
to departure. 100% penalty 60-0 days prior to
departure.
Experience
cuba
For more information on joining International Expeditions’ journey contact:
[email protected] | www.maritimefriends.org
Or call
JoAnne Powell
International Programs Coordinator
(252) 241-0994
International Expeditions, Inc. is licensed (CT-2013-299822-1) by the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign
Assets Control to engage, organize and conduct authorized people-to-people travel to Cuba that engages participants in
meaningful interactions with individuals in Cuba.