Afternoon: PLEASE NOTE: PROGRAM IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. This day-by-day schedule should be used as a guide only since program elements are subject to change as availability is controlled by the Cuban government. Individual arrivals at the Miami International Airport. Independent transfer to the hotel using their free shuttle service. Upon arrival at the hotel, check in and relax until the orientation. Please arrive no later than 4 PM. The Group Leader will meet you in the hotel lobby at 4:45 PM. Welcome and orientation at 5:00 PM followed by a presentation by a member of the Cuban American population in Miami and hear about the Cuban American experience.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Courtyard by Marriott Miami Airport South Hotel

Meals Included: Dinner

Transfer to Miami airport for flight to Havana, Cuba / Revolution Square / Welcome to the Nacional Hotel

Breakfast: Breakfast on your own at the Miami Airport.

Morning: Early morning departure from the hotel to the terminal (based on final flight times and confirmed during the orientation). Your Road Scholar representative will meet the group in the hotel lobby to help transfer you to the airport. Please be in the hotel lobby with your luggage and ready to depart the hotel 15 minutes before departure schedule. Check in to your charter flight to Havana. PLEASE NOTE: Flight times are subject to change and will be confirmed in the final mailing. Arrival in Havana, welcome greeting upon arrival by your experienced bilingual Local Guide, who will be with us for the entire program. Along the route, visit the famous Revolution Square in Havana and learn about the monumental events that have taken place there. On buildings facing the square, you will notice monuments of several heroes of Cuba. This is a great opportunity to take a group picture. Enjoy a drive through the Colon Cemetery, and learn about the stories of the historic upper class in Havana who are buried here.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: After lunch, continue with a coach excursion through Modern Havana. Arrive at the hotel and enjoy a welcome cocktail and a guided exploration of the historic Hotel Nacional's beautifully preserved hotel and sprawling property, including a historical overview featuring pictures and folklore about its many famous past guests, including Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Jack Nicholson, Eva Gardner, John Wayne and many, many more. After checking in, unpack and relax before dinner.

Dinner: Welcome dinner at the hotel.

Evening: Evening at leisure.

Lodging: Hotel Nacional de Cuba

Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner

History and Architecture of Old Havana / Discovery of the Four Squares in Old Havana / Book Sellers Market

Note: Walking up to 2 - 2.5 miles over uneven cobbled streets is required in Old Havana

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Enjoy an open discussion with a local architect involved with the government-funded restoration project unfolding in old Havana. You'll have an opportunity to discuss the work being done and and ask questions of someone central to the execution of this enormous project. Discover four "plazas" or town squares in Old Havana: Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza de Armas, Factoria Plaza Vieja and the Plaza de San Francisco de Asis. Each square has it's own unique features. In the Plaza de la Catedral, we visit the Cathedral de Ia Havana with its stunning architecture (you will see the inside of the Cathedral subject to it being open). It is an enormous structure built in Spanish Baroque style in 1729 and once housed the ashes of Christopher Columbus. Today, it has been completely restored, and features wooden and ceramic figurines of the saints. At the Plaza de Armas, you see the facade of the city museum, also done in the Spanish Baroque style. On the way to Plaza Vieja see the wooden bricks in the walkway and explore the bookseller's market. In the plaza de San Francisco de Asis, the beautiful architecture of the Convento de San Francisco de Asis is an amazing sight.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant in old Havana

Afternoon: People Connection: In Old Havana, we will have the opportunity to speak with every day Cubans at the the used Book sellers market. Understand how books have a large cultural influence in Cuba and have an opportunity to discuss with locals their tastes, thoughts and desires in literature. The market is a cross cultural treasure trove for those interested in literature. Continue with a driving excursion of Modern Havana with highlights of the Prado and the legislature buildings. At the San Jose Feria, you will have the opportunity to interact with artisans selling their original work. Here you will see paintings, photography, crochet, wood crafts and many other forms of art. This is a wonderful opportunity to ask the artisans about their inspirations and their daily lives.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: Evening at leisure.

Lodging: Hotel Nacional de Cuba

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Expert Presentation / Guanabacoa Region / Afro-Cuban Religion / Las Cabanas / Hemingway

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Participate in a dialog about the history of U.S.-Cuban relations led by an expert in the field. Listen and understand a Cuban's perspective on the tumultuous relationship between the two countries, and have an open discussion on the topic. Next, we explore the Guanabacoa Museum, and learn about the religion of Santeria. This religion melds Catholicism and native African religions developed by slaves to hide their true religions from their owners. This museum is also devoted to other forms of Afro-Cuban religion and features a small but significant collection of displays. You will also have the opportunity to interact with Santeria practitioners, and witness a music and dance performance by the Santeria deities.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: This afternoon, pause at the Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana, also known simply as "La Cabana". This fortress protected the mouth of the Havana harbor in its day. La Cabana was the location of Che Guevara's military office in 1959, which is now a museum we will briefly explore. The fortress offers unique views over Havana - ideal for gaining a better understanding of the city's layout. Your journey continues to the Finca La Vigia, the Hemingway Farm. The beautiful property hosts the house where the Nobel Prize-winning author lived with his third wife Mary for over 30 years. Look into the open windows and doors to see the home in perfect condition with Hemingway’s personal belongings as he left them. Walk the grounds, see his private writing studio, his swimming pool, and his beloved Pilar vessel which he used to patrol the Caribbean waters for Nazis. The Pilar Vessel is featured in his novel "Islands in the Stream."

Dinner: Dinner on own in Havana. This is an ideal opportunity to explore one of the many paladars (home hosted meals) that offers a unique opportunity to meet face to face in much smaller groups with local Cubans or to go into old Havana and explore the culinary selection available. We will provide a list of good choices and our local guide can help make recommendations on site.

Evening: Evening at leisure.

Lodging: Hotel Nacional de Cuba

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

San Lazaro and medical care in Cuba / Fine Arts / Callejon de Hamel Project

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Connect with an expert on religion and identity in Cuba. Partake in an interchange of ideas revolving around religion and ethnicity in Cuba and how Cubans have formed their identities throughout and after the Revolution. People Connection: Then, you will see a hospice specializing in long-term patient care for skin diseases such as leprosy, which is located right next to the church, and is run by the Sisters of Charity. Enjoy a brief presentation by one of the Sisters of Charity, and have enlightening discussions with the sisters who take care of the sick. Afterwards, we will visit the San Lazaro Church named after the Catholic Saint of the Poor. Each year on December 17th - San Lazaro Day - thousands of Cubans trek to this church. Some pilgrims even make the trek barefoot or drag stones behind them. NOTE: This is a location that accepts donationable items. If you brought any, this location prefers medicines like aspirin. Please see your first information packet for details. Next, meet with a local community organization that educates children and mothers.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Take a field trip to the Fine Arts Museum of Havana. Among the permanent pieces, see a castle made entirely of coffee percolators and a sculpture of the world made entirely of small wood carvings of Cuba. Next, we explore Callejon de Hamel, a unique alley devoted to Santeria artwork and murals. Interact with artists to learn about their works and inspirations, and how artists are able to express themselves through art. You will also have an opportunity to browse original artwork by the muralist himself and may be able purchase some of his original pieces.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: Evening at leisure.

Lodging: Hotel Nacional de Cuba

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Depart for Cienfuegos / Bay of Pigs / Ration and CUC vs CUP stores / Music in Cienfuegos

Note: Walking up to 2 – 2.5 miles over uneven cobbled streets in Cienfuegos with limited places to sit.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Depart Havana for the countryside where life unfolds before our eyes. It is a very unique and interesting experience to see horse drawn carriages in abundance, and horses used frequently for transport. Make a stop at Playa Giron, also known as the Bay of Pigs. Playa Giron is a small, coastal village and was the site of the Bay of Pigs Invasion - a historical 1961 clash between CIA-trained Cuban exiles and Cuban rebel forces. You will explore the Bay of Pigs Museum which commemorates the devastating battle that took place at this location. The museum reveals to us the Cuban perspective of the infamous invasion. It houses many historical artifacts from the Bay of Pigs Invasion, including a Sea Fury fighter aircraft, and photos and maps outlining each step of the failed mission.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant on the Caribbean Sea. NOTE: Time permitting, you may have the opportunity to swim here, a bathing suit is recommended.

Afternoon: People Connection: Upon arrival to Cienfuegos, stroll through the main shopping street of Cienfuegos and learn about the differences between Ration, Cuban Pesos and CUC stores. As we explore the complexity of the two-currency system we will have the opportunity to talk with Cubans and workers who shop at these stores. Explore the city of Cienfuegos and enjoy a short walking excursion of the Plaza Jose Marti, the main square in Cienfuegos. The guide will talk briefly about the square's history while you have the opportunity to see local Cuban life and observe the beautiful buildings that surround it, including the Cienfuegos theater. Next, you will be greeted with a performance by a musical group. Depending on which marvelous group of young people is available, you may meet either the Cienfuegos Gospel Choir, Cantos Novinus or the Cienfuegos Chamber Orchestra. Cantos Novinus features young men and women who serenade us with Cuban songs infused with Afro-Cuban dance. The Cienfuegos Chamber Orchestra is comprised of young people, many of whom are instructors at the Beny More art school. Here, you will have the opportunity to ask them questions, learn about their lives, careers as musicians, and their future plans. After the musical performance, we will check in to the hotel where you can unpack and relax before dinner.

Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Evening: Evening at leisure.

Lodging: Hotel Jagua

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Walking up to 2 - 2.5 miles over uneven cobbled streets in Trinidad with limited shade places to sit.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Meet with faculty and students of the Beny More Art School. Beny More, a native of Cienfuegos and famous Cuban singer, is honored and remembered by this institution. Here, you will have the opportunity to speak with students and faculty about life at the Beny More school. NOTE: This is an activity on the program that accepts donations. If you chose to bring donations such as art supplies and school supplies, this would be the perfect place to donate them. See the donation list in the information packet for more details. (NOTE: If the Beny More School is closed or is unable to accept the group, then another site will be substituted.) Depart for Trinidad, the crown jewel of the colonial Cuban cities. Founded in 1514 this time capsule of a city is a mix of historical landmarks and majestic natural beauty.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant in Trinidad

Afternoon: Discover the colonial city of Trinidad and walk to Plaza Mayor to explore the historically and architecturally significant landmarks of this colonial province. Your guide will talk about the history of the once decadent buildings on the Plaza Mayor. People Connection: After the walk through beautiful Trinidad, you will have an enlightening encounter with the owner of a free-enterprise "casa particular" or Cuban bed-and-breakfast. This is the perfect place to learn about the relatively new development of independent business in Cuba, as you will understand the owner's family history as it is tied with the home that he transformed into a casa particular. Take a tour of his home and business and ask him questions about his entrepreneurship, his family, and the history of the house. Next we will explore the Valley of the Sugar Mills (Valle de los ingenious), discover the natural history of the valley and see the ruins of one of twelve sugar mills where 50 sugar mills once stood at the peak of the Cuban sugar industry. The panoramic views and incredible historical valley have contributed to the honor bestowed upon the region in 1988 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Dinner: Dinner buffet at leisure at the hotel.

Evening: Evening at leisure.

Lodging: Hotel Jagua

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Santa Clara / Santa Clara Jewish Community / Senior Center / Che Memorial

Note: Standing & walking through the Che Memorial & Museum for about an hour with limited places to sit.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: This morning you will take a trip to Santa Clara, the beautiful provincial capital of the region Villa Clara. Here we will encounter two meaningful activities with wonderful, warm and welcoming people: the Jewish Community and members of a vivacious retirement club. This morning, you will discover a local Farmers Market, where you will have the opportunity to talk with local farmers about their produce, and learn about what it is like to farm and be a farmer in Cuba. People Connection: During this enriching activity, we meet with the Jewish Community from this region of Cuba at the Santa Clara Synagogue. Learn about their history and the work they have done to independently rebuild this new Synagogue. PLEASE NOTE: This is a great opportunity to drop off any donationable goods, such as medicines and health supplies. See the donation list in the information packet for more details. Next, enjoy lively interactions at the local Senior Center. The young-at-heart folks will show you their wonderful crafts and play you the music they grew up with. Learn about how some Cubans enjoy retired life and ask them about their lives in Cuba.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant in Santa Clara.

Afternoon: As we return to Cienfuegos, we will visit the Che Guevara Memorial and Mausoleum which features unique historical pieces from one of the most influential revolutionary leaders. The displays chronicle the events of an era in this extraordinary man's life. The mausoleum is the final resting place of Ernesto "Che" Guevara and his companions.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at a local restaurant near the hotel.

Evening: Evening at leisure and pack for tomorrow's return to the U.S.

Lodging: Hotel Jagua

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Departure time for the airport will vary by program dates based on the actual flight to Miami. We will depart the hotel together for the Cienfuegos Airport for our flight to Miami. The charter flight times will be confirmed in the final mailing which is normally sent approximately 4-5 weeks prior to departure. Please do not make connecting flight plans within 3 - 4 hours of arrival in Miami due to possible delays and airport security. PLEASE NOTE: The flight time is subject to change.

Meals Included: Breakfast