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Cuba

The Best of Cuba: From Viñales Valley to Habana Vieja

Program No. 22143RJ
From dominoes to a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, experience all things Cuban on a learning adventure that explores the western regions of this fascinating island nation.

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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jan 23 - Feb 3, 2024
Starting at
4,649
Jan 30 - Feb 10, 2024
Starting at
4,649
Feb 6 - Feb 17, 2024
Starting at
4,649
Feb 13 - Feb 24, 2024
Starting at
4,649
Feb 20 - Mar 2, 2024
Starting at
4,649
Feb 27 - Mar 9, 2024
Starting at
4,649
Mar 5 - Mar 16, 2024
Starting at
4,649
Filling Fast!
Mar 12 - Mar 23, 2024
Starting at
4,649
Mar 19 - Mar 30, 2024
Starting at
4,649
Mar 26 - Apr 6, 2024
Starting at
4,649
Apr 2 - Apr 13, 2024
Starting at
4,649
Filling Fast!
Apr 9 - Apr 20, 2024
Starting at
4,649
Apr 16 - Apr 27, 2024
Starting at
4,649
May 7 - May 18, 2024
Starting at
4,599
May 14 - May 25, 2024
Starting at
4,599
Oct 15 - Oct 26, 2024
Starting at
4,599
Oct 22 - Nov 2, 2024
Starting at
4,599
Oct 29 - Nov 9, 2024
Starting at
4,599
Nov 5 - Nov 16, 2024
Starting at
4,599
Dec 3 - Dec 14, 2024
Starting at
4,599
Dec 10 - Dec 21, 2024
Starting at
4,599
Jan 7 - Jan 18, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Jan 14 - Jan 25, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Jan 21 - Feb 1, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Jan 28 - Feb 8, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Feb 4 - Feb 15, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Feb 11 - Feb 22, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Feb 18 - Mar 1, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Feb 25 - Mar 8, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Mar 4 - Mar 15, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Mar 11 - Mar 22, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Mar 18 - Mar 29, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Mar 25 - Apr 5, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Apr 1 - Apr 12, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Apr 8 - Apr 19, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Apr 22 - May 3, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Apr 29 - May 10, 2025
Starting at
4,849
May 13 - May 24, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Oct 14 - Oct 25, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Oct 21 - Nov 1, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Oct 28 - Nov 8, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Nov 4 - Nov 15, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Nov 11 - Nov 22, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Dec 2 - Dec 13, 2025
Starting at
4,849
Dec 9 - Dec 20, 2025
Starting at
4,849
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Jan 23 - Feb 3, 2024
Starting at
5,099
Jan 30 - Feb 10, 2024
Starting at
5,099
Feb 6 - Feb 17, 2024
Starting at
5,099
Filling Fast!
Feb 13 - Feb 24, 2024
Starting at
5,099
Filling Fast!
Feb 20 - Mar 2, 2024
Starting at
5,099
Feb 27 - Mar 9, 2024
Starting at
5,099
Mar 5 - Mar 16, 2024
Starting at
5,099
Mar 12 - Mar 23, 2024
Starting at
5,099
Mar 19 - Mar 30, 2024
Starting at
5,099
Mar 26 - Apr 6, 2024
Starting at
5,099
Filling Fast!
Apr 2 - Apr 13, 2024
Starting at
5,099
Filling Fast!
Apr 9 - Apr 20, 2024
Starting at
5,099
Apr 16 - Apr 27, 2024
Starting at
5,099
May 7 - May 18, 2024
Starting at
5,049
May 14 - May 25, 2024
Starting at
5,049
Oct 15 - Oct 26, 2024
Starting at
5,049
Oct 22 - Nov 2, 2024
Starting at
5,049
Oct 29 - Nov 9, 2024
Starting at
5,049
Filling Fast!
Nov 5 - Nov 16, 2024
Starting at
5,049
Dec 3 - Dec 14, 2024
Starting at
5,049
Dec 10 - Dec 21, 2024
Starting at
5,049
Jan 7 - Jan 18, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Jan 14 - Jan 25, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Jan 21 - Feb 1, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Jan 28 - Feb 8, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Feb 4 - Feb 15, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Feb 11 - Feb 22, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Feb 18 - Mar 1, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Feb 25 - Mar 8, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Mar 4 - Mar 15, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Mar 11 - Mar 22, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Mar 18 - Mar 29, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Mar 25 - Apr 5, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Apr 1 - Apr 12, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Apr 8 - Apr 19, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Apr 22 - May 3, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Apr 29 - May 10, 2025
Starting at
5,299
May 13 - May 24, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Oct 14 - Oct 25, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Oct 21 - Nov 1, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Oct 28 - Nov 8, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Nov 4 - Nov 15, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Nov 11 - Nov 22, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Dec 2 - Dec 13, 2025
Starting at
5,299
Dec 9 - Dec 20, 2025
Starting at
5,299

At a Glance

Support the people of Cuba while we take an immersive look at this island nation's natural spaces and cultural treasures. Journey through Havana, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Matanzas and Viñales to meet local residents who share with you their way of life, their arts and community organizations dedicated to giving back to their people. Gain insight into Cuba's natural resources during field trips to Las Terrazas — a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — Casa de Caridad Botanical Garden, and local tobacco and organic farms. Enjoy meals at local paladares, immerse yourself in Havana’s Fine Arts Museum, and discover captivating plazas that invoke the colorful culture and powerful history that makes Cuba, Cuba.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to two miles a day on a combination of cobblestone streets and dirt paths. Getting on and off of a motorcoach. Navigating high curbs, uneven steps, and stairs without railings. Travel in a tropical climate.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Learn about local crops during a field trip to an organic farm where you will enjoy a home-cooked lunch with fresh ingredients from the farm.
  • Engage with local Cubans as you learn to play dominoes with members of a local club.
  • Explore Las Terrazas, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that began as a reforestation project in the 1960s.

General Notes

Note: Round-trip flight from Miami to Havana is included. Road Scholar offers opportunities to travel legally to Cuba under the new OFAC Regulations published June 5, 2019. Following the General License category “Support for the Cuban People,” Road Scholar programs include activities intended to strengthen civil society in Cuba. Each day's program promotes independence for the Cuban people and results in meaningful interactions with the Cuban people. Questions about traveling to Cuba? Road Scholar has your answers. Learn more: https://www.roadscholar.org/travel-tips/cuba/.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Jose Luis Sande
Jose Luis Sande has been a Cuban travel leader for more than 16 years. He is fluent in English and Spanish, and his far-reaching knowledge about Cuba makes him especially capable of providing a world-class educational experience. Jose was a high school English teacher before training to become an exploration leader. He lives with his wife, an English teacher herself, and his two sons in Havana. Jose is also an avid cyclist and specializes in leading groups in Cuba by bicycle.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Jose Luis Sande
Jose Luis Sande View biography
Jose Luis Sande has been a Cuban travel leader for more than 16 years. He is fluent in English and Spanish, and his far-reaching knowledge about Cuba makes him especially capable of providing a world-class educational experience. Jose was a high school English teacher before training to become an exploration leader. He lives with his wife, an English teacher herself, and his two sons in Havana. Jose is also an avid cyclist and specializes in leading groups in Cuba by bicycle.
Profile Image of Elias Valor
Elias Valor View biography
Elias Valor is one of the many amazing bi-lingual Cuban leaders, who works with and has been trained by Road Scholar. He is the Cuban expert, and is responsible for relaying local knowledge, and both cultural and historical information for the places we visit throughout the program. Elias will answer questions pertaining to Cuba and the Cuban people.
Profile Image of Marta Núñez Sarmiento
Marta Núñez Sarmiento View biography
Marta Núñez Sarmiento is a retired professor at the University of Havana where she taught methodology and gender studies. Her research has concentrated on women and employment in Cuba, gender studies in Cuba, images of women in Cuban mass media, and transition projects for Cuba proposed by Cuban American and U.S. scholars. She holds a master’s in sociology and a PhD in economics. She has been a visiting professor at universities around the world and a consultant on gender for the UN and other NGOs.
Profile Image of Camilo Garcia Lopez Trigo
Camilo Garcia Lopez Trigo View biography
Camilo García Lopez Trigo has represented Cuba at its Embassy in Canada, the United Nations in the Netherlands, and in Washington DC. He also is involved in the National Center for Sex Education (Centro Nacional de Educación Sexual, or CENESEX. He shares his experiences representing Cuba in both friendly and adversarial nations, and his views on the current and future state of US-Cuba relations. Dr. García is a professor at the University of Havana International Relations School and an expert in US political studies.
Profile Image of Hector Aviles
Hector Aviles View biography
Hector Aviles is one of the many amazing bi-lingual Cuban leaders who work with and has been trained by Road Scholar. He is the Cuban expert and is responsible for relaying local knowledge, and both cultural and historical information for the places we visit throughout the program. Hector will answer questions pertaining to Cuba and the Cuban people.
Profile Image of Betty Vander Kaaij
Betty Vander Kaaij View biography
Betty Vander Kaaij graduated with a BA in hotel and tourism and jump-started her career in hospitality with Westin Hotels. After stints in Miami, Seattle, and abroad, she moved back to Mexico City and married a Dutch hotelier. In 1997, they were invited to Havana for Cohiba Cigars’ 30th anniversary. Betty fell in love with Cuba and its people and promised herself that one day she would return. Her dream came true in 2011, when she started leading groups to the island.
Profile Image of Carole Cloonan
Carole Cloonan View biography
Carole Cloonan once traveled the world working as a chef, sometimes on private yachts, a job that naturally flowed out of her move to the Caribbean to live in the Virgin Islands. As a chef abroad, she developed a curiosity for understanding other cultures. Now Carole is eager to combine her love of travel — especially in the islands of the Caribbean — with her passion to help Road Scholars be educated in the culture, culinary traditions, artists and their art, and literary legacy of Cuba.
Profile Image of James Fitch
James Warner Fitch View biography
James “Jim” Fitch is a Vermont native and graduate of Northeastern University with a degree in international business. After several years in the corporate world, he traded in his loafers for trekking shoes, leading educational travel programs for teenagers to Spain and Costa Rica. Jim joined the Peace Corps for three years, teaching entrepreneurship and business skills to underserved communities in the Dominican Republic. He began working with Road Scholar in 2015.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Sugar King of Havana
by John Paul Rathbone
John Paul Rathbone recounts "elegant, decadent and whirligig years" of pre-revolutionary Havana and the dramatic life of Julio Lobo, the richest man in Cuba (until Castro’s revolution did away with such men). Surviving assassin's bullets and making and losing two fortunes, Cuba's last tycoon went from glittering man about town in pre-Revolutionary Havana -- and one of the world's richest men -- to solitary exile in Spain. With a mother that traveled in those same circles in Havana, Rathbone brings depth and the perspective of an insider to this fantastic story.
Teachings of the Santeria Gods, The Spirit of the Odu
by Ocha'Ni Lele
Ocha'Ni recounts 100 sacred stories of Santeria, collected from the oral tradition of the African diaspora, ranging from creation myths, to love stories and share the wisdom and spirituality of Yoruba people.
Cuba, What Everyone Needs to Know
by Julia Sweig
Director for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Sweig traces the geography, history and identity of Cuba in this admirably succinct history of the island nation and its role in world affairs.
Culture Smart! Cuba
by Mandy Macdonald
A concise, well-illustrated and practical guide to local customs, etiquette and culture.
Without Fidel
by Ann Louise Bardach
A PEN award-winning journalist who has covered Cuba for 15 years, Bardach (Cuba Confidential) brings knowledge, tenacity and verve to this report on the future of the country.
Dreaming in Cuban
by Cristina Garcia
A short, poetic novel of three generations of Cuban women, their reaction to the revolution and the complex relation between those who remained in Cuba and those who settled in the United States. Excellent reading.
Havana, A Cultural and Literary Companion
by Claudia Lightfoot
An illuminating guide to the city, its history and geography, as the inspiration for writers, artists, musicians and intellectuals.
This is Cuba
by Ben Corbett
Corbett interviews everyday people living on the fringe's of Castro's official Cuba for this account, both a stinging indictment of government policy and a testimony to the Cuban spirit.
Cuba Map
by Borch Maps
A detailed, double-sided laminated map at a scale of 1:1,000,000.
The Cuba Reader: History, Culture, Politics
by Aviva Chomsky (Editor), Barry Carr (Editor), Pamela Maria Smorkaloff (Editor)
Organized chronologically, this multi-faceted portrait of a nation, with most of the selections by Cuban writers, includes not only history, journalism and literature but also songs, paintings, poems and cartoons and speeches.
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
The classic story of a British vacuum cleaner salesman who gets accidentally drawn into cold war espionage with disastrous results.
Cuba
by Pierre Hausherr (Photographer), Francois Missen
With full-page photographs, introductory essays on history, architecture, music, food and more, this oversized, illustrated paperback by Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Francois Missen and photographer Pierre Hausherr captures the spirit of Cuba, its people, nature and culture.
Trading with the Enemy
by Tom Miller
Miller captures the openness, sensuality and pride of Cuba and the Cubans in this eloquent account of entertaining travels in Fidel's Cuba.
Moon Handbook Cuba
by Christopher P. Baker
Baker's comprehensive, indispensable guide leaves no stone unturned, covering the natural, cultural and political life of the island with style.
The Old Man and the Sea
by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway's brief story of a fisherman who after 84 days with no luck finally makes a big catch is also an affectionate portrait of life in Cuba. It won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Cuba, A Traveler's Literary Companion
by Ann Louise Bardach
Bardach (Without Fidel) samples terrific contemporary writers for this anthology, organized geographically.
Cuba, Art and History from 1868 to Today
by Natha Bondil (Editor)
With ravishing color reproductions of murals, posters, paintings and photographs, this magnificent book documents the history of art in Cuba from independence.





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