Colors of Cuba with OLLI at DU

Experience Cuba: Havana, Santa Clara, the colonial treasure of Trinidad & Cienfuegos, "the pearl of the south"

Overview

This package is currently closed.

Reservations deadline: October 14, 2024

Style	Custom Group Dedicated tour escorts & guides throughout
Group Size	24 travelers max
Themes	History & Culture, Bucket List, City Stays
Activity Level	Moderate
What to Expect	This fast-paced, escorted program includes a reasonable amount of walking and requires an average level of physical fitness.
Already booked?	Find everything you need to know before you go, including information about passport & visa requirements, flights, luggage, and more.

Discover Cuba in-depth on this exciting and educational 8-day journey to the once-forbidden island! Explore Havana, Cuba's colorful capital; Santa Clara, the country's cultural hub; the picturesque town of Trinidad, and one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Latin America; and Cienfuegos, the "pearl of the south." Cuba's culture is rich with contributions from its indigenous, African, and European roots. But above all, the people of Cuba are the island's greatest asset. They are friendly, welcoming, resourceful, and full of life. Spend your days meeting the wonderful locals as they teach you about photography, lead you in a private dance lesson, guide you through cooking a delicious Cuban meal, and more!

This comprehensive program includes flights, accommodations, daily breakfast, numerous lunches and dinners, guided touring, and an immersive itinerary packed with local interactions and hands-on experiences. You don't want to miss this opportunity to step inside the daily life of the Cuban people!

Package includes

Flights
Coach
Transfers
Hotel
Meals
Guides

Round trip flights from Denver to Havana, including taxes & fees
Health insurance in Cuba, included in the cost of your airfare
U.S. Treasury Department, OFAC License Certification
All land transportation & transfers in Cuba
7-night accommodations in approved hotels in Cuba
16 meals: 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, and 3 dinners
Comprehensive support for the Cuban people program, including entrance fees
Professional, English-speaking guide

Why you'll love it

Explore the cobble-stoned streets of Old Havana with your local, expert guide.
Walk the grounds of Finca Vigía, Hemingway's former residence.
Meet with a famous revolutionary Cuban photographer in his private home studio.
Interact with the children and teachers at the Clave Sol community project, and witness their performance rehearsals.
Visit Santa Clara and meet with the artists and musicians of a dynamic community project.
Discover Trinidad, including Casa del Alfarero, the Templo de Yemaya, open-air craft markets, and numerous historic landmarks.
Feel the rhythm during a private dance class.
Try your hand at cooking a traditional Cuban meal, later enjoying your creation.
Explore Cienfuegos, "the pearl of the south".
Step back in time with a tour in one of Havana's classic American cars.

Itinerary at a Glance

1 Miami/Havana
2 Old Havana
3 Old Havana
4 Havana, Santa Clara & Trinidad
5 Trinidad
6 Trinidad
7 Trinidad, Cienfuegos & Havana
8 Havana/Miami

Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices, with flights per person, double occupancy*
2025 DEPARTURES
Dates	Price
Departs U.S.: Tue, Mar 11, 2025 Finishes: Tue, Mar 18, 2025 Mar 11 – Mar 18	$3778	Sold Out

Options & Fees

Colors of Cuba
ROOMING SELECTION
Double Occupancy	included
Single Occupancy	$695

Options & Upgrades
Junior Suite Upgrade at INNSiDE Habana Catedral	$135
Rooming Selection
Double Occupancy	included
Single Supplement	$60

TAXES & FEES
Airline Baggage Fee (per flight paid at airport)¹ (paid separately)	$30
Cuba Visa Fee	$75

1. NOTE: Baggage fees must be paid at airport for each flight. In Cuba, this must be paid in cash. Price is subject to the airline and can change at any time.

So that we can offer you the best deals, our packages are, like most hotels and cruises, priced based on double occupancy rooms or cabins. We charge solo travelers an extra fee to cover the extra costs of single occupancy rooms or cabins. (Consider: if you booked a $200/night hotel room solo, you would pay the $200 yourself; but if a couple booked the same room, each one would pay only $100.) But you only pay extra for the rooms or cabins, nothing else, including meals, sightseeing, tips, etc. Why are single rooms more?

Flights & Departure Cities

Departure Airports
Denver (DEN)

This package includes round-trip flights from the city listed above. Please review the flight schedule, especially if you're booking connecting flights.

Want to fly from another city? Unfortunately, we don't offer flights from other cities, but you can book your own connecting flights.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 Miami/Havana

Depart the USA on your flight for Havana
Enjoy a welcome dinner at a local paladar

INNSiDE Habana Catedral or similar Dinner

Full Day Itinerary

Bienvenidos a La Habana! Upon arrival to Cuba's capital city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, our representative welcomes you with a Friendly Planet sign outside the arrivals terminal at the Havana Airport. Board your air-conditioned vehicle and transfer to the casa.

Check into the casa and enjoy a welcome drink. You'll meet your tour manager and have time to rest or stroll to the nearby Malecón before dinner.

Enjoy your welcome dinner at a local paladar (privately-owned restaurant) this evening.

Day 2 Old Havana

Walk through Old Havana and engage with and support Cuba's growing private business sector
Indulge in lunch at El Café
Explore Finca Vigía, Hemingway’s old home

INNSiDE Habana Catedral or similar Breakfast & lunch

Full Day Itinerary

After breakfast, your expert guide will lead you on a leisurely walk through the labyrinthian streets of Old Havana. Immerse yourself in the vibrant colors of Cuba while walking along the cobblestone streets and explore the four beautiful plazas of the Old City – Plaza de Armas, Plaza San Francisco, Plaza Vieja, and Plaza de la Catedral - each a historic and architectural gem.

Later, venture out to Finca Vigía, where Hemingway lived and wrote his most famous novel, The Old Man and the Sea. At Finca Vigía, which is supported by independent organizations, you can meet the local caretakers as you walk the perimeter of the house and peer through the windows to see how it was kept when he lived there. The walls are lined with bookshelves and covered with paintings, some of them depicting Hemingway on his African safaris. The heads of many of the animals he encountered are mounted in several rooms. Then, see the tower next to his house where he did much of his writing, and get a glimpse of his typewriter and fishing boat.

Return to the casa and enjoy dinner on your own. We recommend dining at a paladar for a delicious Cuban dinner. Please choose one from the list we provide or ask your guide for any additional recommendations.

Day 3 Old Havana

Interact with an art connoisseur to learn about the collection at the Museum of Fine Arts
Meet with a Cuban photographer
Learn about Cuban cigars through a rolling demonstration
Interact with members of the community project, Clave de Sol

INNSiDE Habana Catedral or similar Breakfast & lunch

Full Day Itinerary

There is no better way to learn about Cuban art than with a local expert! Enjoy the works of acclaimed Cuban artists housed in the Museum of Fine Arts with a local art connoisseur.

Then, meet with a famed Cuban photographer at his private home studio. Hear his stories about the revolutionary leaders he met and photographed, and learn about life as a photographer on the island today. Enjoy lunch at a local paladar.

Afterward, learn about the history of Cuban cigars as you witness a cigar-rolling demonstration. Finally, visit the Clave de Sol community project, established by parents in the San Augustin neighborhood, to provide safe, wholesome after-school activities for their children. Children select among various string instruments and then learn to play them, performing Cuban and international music. Meet the young musicians and their teachers during your visit and hear them rehearsing for upcoming performances.

Day 4 Havana, Santa Clara & Trinidad

Travel to Santa Clara
Stop for lunch at a local paladar
Visit an inclusive community project to experience performing arts in Cuba
Travel to Trinidad

Melia Trinidad Península or similar Breakfast & lunch

Full Day Itinerary

Experience the world of art in Cuba at one of Santa Clara's dynamic community projects. Take the opportunity to interact with the "Los abuelos de fiesta", dedicated to the teaching and promotion of the Cuban national dance, the danzon.

Continue to the picturesque town of Trinidad. One of the original seven cities founded in Cuba by the Spanish five centuries ago, Trinidad is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Latin America and a World Heritage Site since 1988 for its architectural and historical importance.

Tonight, enjoy dinner on your own. We recommend dining at a paladar. Feel free to choose one from our list or ask your guide for alternative recommendations. After dinner, a great option to meet with local Cubans awaits at the Casa de la Música to experience an evening of music and dance. Here, people from all walks of life and generations come to eat, drink, dance, build friendships, and discuss community issues or current events.

Day 5 Trinidad

Explore Trinidad’s historic city center
Learn about the religion of Santeria at the Templo de Yemaya
Enjoy lunch at a local paladar
Create your own pottery piece at Casa del Alfarero
See the ruins at San Isidro de los Destiladeros at the Valle de los Ingenios

Melia Trinidad Península or similar Breakfast & lunch

Full Day Itinerary

After breakfast, explore Trinidad's historic city center, where privately-owned, open-air craft markets, shops, museums, and bars line its Spanish colonial cobblestone streets. Visit the Templo de Yemaya, where a Santeria practitioner explains the basic principles of Santeria, a fascinating and complex blend of African religions and elements of the Catholic faith. Enjoy lunch at a paladar in Trinidad.

This afternoon, visit Casa del Alfarero, a pottery house founded and managed by the Santander Family for generations. Learn the ceramic production process and create a piece of your own. Travel outside of Trinidad to learn how the city amassed its wealth. Enjoy the magnificent views of the Valle de los Ingenios, and see the ruins at San Isidro de los Destiladeros.

Tonight, enjoy dinner on your own. We recommend dining at a paladar. Feel free to choose one from the list we provide, or ask your guide for alternative recommendations.

Day 6 Trinidad

Step into Cuba’s world of dance with a private demonstration and lesson
Participate in a traditional Cuban cooking class experience followed by lunch
Create Cuban cocktails in a hands-on, beach-side workshop

Melia Trinidad Península or similar Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Full Day Itinerary

Step into Cuba's world of music and dance with a private dance class. Watch as your local dance instruction demonstrates the island's traditional dances before you have the chance to give it a try! Learn about the importance of music to life in Cuba as you're taught the basic moves.

Next, participate in a hands-on cooking class where you'll learn the secrets of a Cuban kitchen! The chefs will teach you how to make some of Cuba's iconic dishes before you sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labor together. Later this afternoon, visit a local beach where the owner of a private paladar will teach you all about Cuban cocktails. Make your very own drink before heading to dinner with your fellow travelers.

Day 7 Trinidad, Cienfuegos & Havana

Drive to Cienfuegos
Walk through the beautiful center of Cienfuegos on a privately-guided tour
Tour Havana in style in a classic American convertible
Enjoy a farewell dinner in Havana

INNSiDE Habana Catedral or similar Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Full Day Itinerary

After breakfast, hop back into your comfortable vehicle and drive to Cienfuegos, another beautiful Cuban colonial city.

Take a guided walking tour through French Colonial Cienfuegos, known as "the pearl of the south" and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your guide will share the significance of Cuba's only triumphal arch and the history of its many ornate buildings, statues, and palaces. After lunch, continue to Havana.

Travel back in time in one of Havana's classic American cars as you enjoy a panoramic tour of the city. Enjoy picturesque views of Havana from your incredibly maintained automobile and arrive at dinner in style.

Join your fellow travelers at a farewell dinner at one of our favorite paladars tonight.

Day 8 Havana/Miami

Transfer to the airport and board your flight back to Miami

Breakfast

Hotels

INNSiDE Habana Catedral

Deluxe

Located in the historic heart of Old Havana, just steps away from the Plaza de la Catedral, this hotel is the perfect gateway to all the cultural wealth this city offers. Its magnificent facilities are ideal for enhancing your trip.

More information

Melia Trinidad Península

Deluxe

Meliá Trinidad Península is situated on Playa Ancon, just 7 km from the heritage city of Trinidad, offering spectacular views of the Caribbean and the Escambray mountains.

More information

In the unlikely event that a particular hotel is not available, a similar or better hotel may be substituted.

Trip Details

What should I know before I go? We've compiled a comprehensive checklist, including information on how to pay your balance due, flights & transfers, packing & luggage, and more.
Do I need a visa or other documents? Are there any entry requirements? Travel visas are required for this package. Please review the visa & entry requirements.
Can I make changes to my trip? Want to upgrade your seats? Something else? Just ask!
Can I bring my kids? Are there any age restrictions? To book this package, you must be 18 or older. Your traveling companions must be 12 or older at time of travel.
Should I purchase travel insurance? Yes! We recommend you purchase travel insurance to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. For your convenience, we offer a plan provided by Travelex Insurance Services.
What's the fine print? Review the terms & conditions for this package.