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Havana and the Gardens of the Queen Shark Diving, 14 days / 13 nights

An educational exchange with the Cuban people

Shark Diving - Garden of the Queen - Cuba

Join Dive Discovery Travel and Eco Cuba Outings on an educational people-to-people trip to Havana and the Gardens of the Queen. You will exchange ideas about art, music, dance and history with the Cuban people as you journey to cultural and historical venues in and around Havana, many of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You will also interact with the locals as you visit community projects that benefit their neighborhoods.

You will eco-dive at the Gardens of the Queen, where you will meet with marine experts to gain insight into the conservation measures that Cuba is taking to preserve their delicate aquatic ecosystem. The Gardens of the Queen is comprised of a chain of 250 virgin coral and mangrove islands located 60 miles off Cuba’s southern coast. You will exchange ideas about the protection of the environment in the Jardines de la Reina, which was declared a Marine Park in 1996. "This area has been preserved for future generations as an intricate network of untouched marine ecosystems that have been regarded by many knowledgeable scientists and organizations as a benchmark of the original status of coral reefs as found by Christopher Columbus in the early years of his discovery."

Itinerary

Day 1

Havana
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

  • Morning flight Miami to Havana (the charters are often subject to delays)
  • Arrive in Havana - José Martí International Airport and meet your driver and guide
  • Lunch at the Magic Flute
  • Callejón de Hamel (Hamel Alley) - Get together with local dancers, musicians and artists at Callejón de Hamel where they gather every Sunday
  • Hotel check-in
  • Dinner on your own

Hotel Nacional in CubaCallejón de Hamel - Cuba

Day 2

Havana
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

  • Breakfast at the hotel
  • Revolution Square - visit the José Martí memorial
  • Finca Vigía - Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum - Hemingway lived in Cuba for 21 years, and this was his home most of the time. This is where he wrote The Old Man and the Sea. Meet with local guide who will share some of the history of his home.
  • Lunch at Starbien
  • “Fusterlandia” - Take a journey to visit the fascinating home and community project of the famed artist Jose Fuster, known as “Picasso of the Caribbean”. See this revitalized neighborhood where many of the local homeowners have add mosiacs to their houses.
  • Drive through Modern Havana
  • Dinner on your own

Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum Finca VigíaErnest Hemingway Home and Museum Finca Vigía
Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum Finca VigíaErnest Hemingway Home and Museum Finca Vigía

Day 3

Havana
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

  • Breakfast at the hotel
  • Jardín Botánico - Exchange ideas with the local caretaker about the history of the gardens and their conservation efforts
  • Necropolis Cristóbal Colón - See the monuments of the famous people who are buried here
  • Lunch at Mediterraneo
  • Museum of Rum
  • San Jose Craft Market and Art Center - See the work of many local artists and see some of the Cuban items that are made by local craftsmen harbor art and craft market
  • Dinner on your own
Day 4

Day trip to Soroa
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

  • Breakfast at the hotel
  • Travel to Soroa (1 hour)
  • Soroa Orchid Botanical Gardens - Exchange ideas about orchid growing with the orchid caretakers
  • El Salto Waterfalls
  • Lunch at El Salto Restaurant in Soroa
  • Castle in the Clouds
  • Travel back to Havana (1 hour)
  • Dinner on your own

Soroa Orchid Botanical GardensMorro Castle in Cuba

Day 5

Havana
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

  • Breakfast at the hotel
  • National Museum of Fine Arts - A Cuban art expert will discuss the importance of the exhibits in this museum
  • Taquechel Pharmacy Museum - Francisco Taquechel turned this townhouse into a local pharmacy in 1898. One hundred years later, it was restored and it is now a working pharmacy as well as a museum.
  • Lunch at Cafe del Oriente
  • Meet the arriving group from Havana
  • Old Havana - Journey through Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and interact with the local performers as you visit the four historic plazas
  • Dinner on your own

Fusterlandia in Havana - CubaCommunity project in Cuba

Day 6

Havana
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

  • Breakfast at the hotel
  • Cigar Factory - Meet some of the people in the factory and watch how cigars are made in the centuries-old tradition.
  • Central Havana - Havana is considered one of the most architecturally diverse cities in the world. Travel down Prado Street and see El Capitolio, inspired by the US Capitol building, and the Gran Teatro Alicia Alonzo, home of the National Ballet and the National Opera. The famed Bacardi Building is also in this area.
  • Lunch at Il Litoral
  • Morro Castle, La Cabaña Fortress - Interact with the locals as you see this famous fortress that guards the entrance to Havana Bay
  • Dinner on your own

Classic cars in Havana, CubaClassic cars in Havana, Cuba

Day 7

Gardens of the Queen
Accommodation: liveaboard

  • Early Breakfast on your own at the hotel
  • Hotel check-out
  • Pick-up by Dive the Run - Travel to Jucaro by bus - 7 hrs. including time for lunch
  • Snack on your own along the way
  • Boat check-in, lunch on board and travel to Gardens (5 hrs)
  • Exchange ideas with marine experts about Cuba’s intricate ecosystem and how this can be applied to other oceans in the world
  • Dinner on the boat (included)

Garden of the Queen - CubaShark Diving - Garden of the Queen - Cuba
Garden of the Queen - CubaShark Diving - Garden of the Queen - Cuba

Day 8 - 12

Gardens of the Queen
Accommodation: liveaboard

  • Breakfast (included)
  • Meet with marine experts to gain insight into the conservation measures that Cuba is taking to preserve their delicate aquatic ecosystem in the Gardens of the Queen. “Jardines de la Reina was declared a Marine Park in 1996 – and with the support and management of Avalon, along with the Research Center for Coastal Ecosystems in Ciego de Avila and the Fisheries Control Department, this area has been preserved for future generations as an intricate network of untouched marine ecosystems that have been regarded by many knowledgeable scientists and organizations as a benchmark of the original status of coral reefs as found by Christopher Columbus in the early years of his discovery.”
  • Lunch and dinner (included)
  • 15 dives (included)

Garden of the Queen - CubaShark Diving - Garden of the Queen - Cuba
Sea Turtle - Garden of the Queen - CubaCrocodile - Garden of the Queen - Cuba

Day 13

Havana
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

  • Breakfast (included)
  • Travel by boat from Gardens to Jucaro (5 hrs)
  • Interact with marine experts to exchange ideas about the flora and fauna and discuss the differences between Cuba’s reefs and other reefs around the world
  • Lunch included on the boat
  • Travel to Havana (5-6 hrs)
  • Hotel Check-in
  • Dinner on your own
Day 14

Fly to Miami

  • Early Breakfast on your own at the hotel and check-out
  • Morning flight Havana to Miami (the charters are often subject to delays)

COST: Please request for rates

The Havana land package cost includes:

  • Chartered Round-Trip Flight: Miami - Havana - Miami
  • Hotel - 7 nights
  • Airport transfers
  • Daily transportation
  • Cuban bilingual guide
  • Medical Insurance (as required by Cuba)
  • Visas
  • People-to-people license
  • Meals as listed on itinerary

The land package cost does not include:

  • Round-trip flight to Miami from your home city
  • All expenses in Miami
  • Extra beverages
  • All tips: restaurant, driver, guide, guides at some venues, hotel bellhop and maid
  • Havana airport exit tax ($28 US paid to the charter in Miami)
  • Single Supplement
Marimar Travel & Tours Cuba’s Jardines de la Reina

Havana and the Gardens of the Queen

an educational exchange with the Cuban people
OFAC License: Educational Activities (515.565)
Sun-Sat (14 days/13 nights)
Eco Cuba Outings

For more information
Contact:
Dive Discovery
@
1 800 886-7321
(415) 444-5100

or
Request Info