Program Cost Includes: 

• Accommodations at hotel in Havana, Cuba for seven (7) nights; 
• Breakfast every day and seven (7) additional meals (5 lunches and 2 dinners) and a cocktail party with Cuban guests; 
• One (1) large bottle, or two (2) small bottles of water per participant upon arrival at the airport; 
• Ground transportation to and from the airport; 
• Ground transportation for all scheduled activities in Havana, Cuba; 
• Program coordination as it is indicated in the tentative itinerary;
• Entrance and program fees and expenses associated with scheduled activities; 
• Guided visits and cultural activities included in the program; 
• Fees/honoraria for professors, lecturers, and institutions including a donation to two community projects; 
• Expenses for activities in Cuba including providers (coordinator, guides, drivers and others); 
• Translations and expert guides

  Program Cost does not include: 

• Domestic and/or International flights airfare and travel expenses to and from US to Havana; 
• Health Insurance (now it is included in the airfare); 
• Cuban Visa; 
• Meals and drinks not included in the program as indicated in the itinerary;
• Gratuities or Honoraria in addition to those included in the program cost;
• Personal items/expenses; or 
• Optional and/or unscheduled activities 

Friday, November 4 

Optional early arrival for those travelers who would like extra rest before the program, or due to flight itinerary or better airfare. Airport transfer and hotel accommodations arrangements. Extra fee applies, please email us to request more information.

Saturday, November 5

Arrival in Havana • Airport Transfer to the hotel • Orientation Meeting • Welcome dinner at a paladar (privately owned restaurant)

Sunday, November 6

Breakfast at the hotel • City tour – Drive tour in Vedado and Miramar districts • Visit to the street cultural project Callejón de Hamel and meet with cultural activist Elias Asset • Lunch at La Bodeguita del Medio in Old Havana • Walking tour in Old Havana

Monday, November 7

Breakfast at the hotel • Visit the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) to learn about non-governmental organizations in Cuba and the people-to-people programs, meet with specialists on U.S.-Cuba relations • Visit to the Museum of the Revolution • Lunch at Casa de la Amistad • Overview of the current political and economic situation in Cuba with an university professor • Participate in the cannon firing Ceremony at 9 pm in La Cabaña Fortress 

Tuesday, November 8

Breakfast at the hotel • Visit the Literacy Campaign Museum and meet with professor and director Luisa Campos • Visit to the home and art studio of ceramist and painter José Fuster and learn about his art community project • Lunch at the art studio • Walk around the community and enjoy the art spread in Jaimanita community • Meeting with representatives of the Federation of Cuban Women • Guided visit to the Fidel Castro Ruz Center

Wednesday, November 9

Travel outside of Havana to the province of Artemisa and visit to an agricultural cooperative • Meeting with representatives of the National Association of Small Farmers to discuss about organic farming and food production and distribution • Enjoy a country lunch at the International Campsite in Caimito • Vist the Museum Memorial de la Denuncia, former museum of the Ministry of Interior that was remodeled in 2017 to form this far more interesting look at U.S. actions against Cuba in the last 60 years • Meeting with members of the neighborhood and social organization.

Thursday, November 10

Visit an organic urban garden cooperative in the Eastern district of Alamar • Visit the fishing town of Cojimar where Ernest Hemingway was inspired to write the Old Man and the Sea and enjoy a walking time around the village • Lunch at the paladar Café Ajiaco, considered one of the most authentic paladares in Havana and known as the best creole food in town, socially responsible business committed to their workers and the community • Visit the Alba community theater and meet with two grassroots and independent projects: Espiral and Okan-Tomi • The community project Espiral is dedicated to environmental education and community empowerment, following the methodology of popular education • Okan-Tomi is a cultural grassroots project that explores and reworks Afro-Cuban dances and music, the offers workshops for children in their community • At the end of the activity enjoy a dance and music performance.

Friday, November 11

Visit a health clinic and meet with medical professionals to learn about public health and primary care • Lunch in a private restaurant in Old Havana • Visit to the Arts and Crafts market • Meeting with filmmaker Gloria Rolando • Farewell dinner and cocktail party with Cuban guests

Saturday, November 12

Hotel check-out • Transfer to the airport • Return to the United States

* * This itinerary is subject to change

• Is travel to Cuba legal? Effective June 9, 2022 the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has reinstated the "people-to-people" category of legal travel to Cuba. This amendment authorizes group educational travel conducted under the auspices of an organization that is subject to U.S. jurisdiction and that sponsors such exchanges to promote people-to-people contact, provided such travelers are accompanied by agent of the sponsoring organization. The Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has issued "General Licenses" in 12 categories of authorized travel, subject to appropriate conditions:

We recommend that you spend some time researching the economic and political situation of Cuba, as well as Cuba-US relations. We will be meeting with politicians, local activists, doctors, journalists, professors, and other experts on our trip. It is important to have a base level understanding of the history and current political context of Cuba to get the most out of our meetings.

Some articles:

The hidden hand of the US blockade sparks Cuba protests, by Medea Benjamin and Leonardo Flores

The United States Tries to Take Advantage of the Price Cubans Are Paying for the Blockade and the Pandemic, by Vijay Prashad and Manolo De Los Santos

Carlos Lazo: The Cuban American Leading the Charge to Transform U.S.-Cuba Policy, by Medea Benjamin

We Should Applaud the Cuban Health System — and Learn From It, by Medea Benjamin

Distortions and Attempts to Undermine the Cuban Medical Brigades Will Not Succeed, byBill Hackwell

Cuba: A Brief History of 60 Years of Internationalism in Health.by Marinella Correggia.

CODEPINK Statement on Cuba Demonstrations

Videos:

Webinars:

Books

• Back Channel to Cuba: The Hidden History of Negotiations between Washington and Havana by Peter Kornbluh
  
• The Lonely Planet Guide to Cuba (2013)
  
• The Cuba Reader edited by Aviva Chomsky, Barry Carr and Pamela Maria Smorkaloff
  
• Eyewitness Guide to Cuba
  
• Wonderful Havana by Julie Napier
  
• Cuban Revelations: Behind the Scenes in Havana by Marc Frank (2013)
• Cuba: Between Reform & Revolution by Lou Perez
  

Be patient and flexible: Traveling in any group presents challenges, and this is especially true in such a large group. Number one requirement to make this a great experience is PATIENCE. Number two requirement is FLEXIBILITY. Plans change at the last minute. Speakers don’t show up. Buses break down. Make the best of these snafus by making new friends in the group, leading us in song, telling jokes. Have fun and bring up the spirits of the others, especially the grumpy ones!

Be courteous: Please be courteous to your fellow participants, our country hosts, guides, translators, waiters and hotel staff and those Cubans who choose to make presentations to our group. If a difficult situation should arise, try to think in terms of how you, as a member of the group, can contribute to a solution.

Respect and help the trip leaders: All of the trip leaders, both in the US and Cuba, have been working very hard to put this trip together, and will be working REALLY hard during the trip. Many of the US trip leaders are not only volunteers, but have actually paid their own way!!! Please give all the trip leaders thanks, encouragement and assistance. For reasons of safety or for the interest of the group, there may also be times when the group leaders will advise against a particular action. Please respect their request.

Be punctual: Please try to be at our meeting places on time. Being mindful about punctuality will ensure that the group isn’t late and/or you won’t be inadvertently left behind. If you miss an event you signed up for because you were late, take it as an opportunity to do something else, like join another group or take a stroll along the Malecon (the famous boulevard along the ocean)

Respect different political views: Please remember that we are guests in Cuba, a country with a different culture from that of the US, with a different (although intertwined) history. It is best to approach each new situation with an open mind. You are not there to convince either the other participants or the Cubans that Cuba (or the US) are really great or really terrible. You’re there to learn, exchange ideas and have a good time. And remember: there are very different political viewpoints among Cubans, and among the trip participants. During this trip, you'll be hearing the pro-government side at many of our official visits. Some of your best information about everyday life in Cuba can come from interactions with your guides, the informal evening sessions, and conversations you might strike up with people on the street.

"Everything was over the top great. The itinerary was unbelievably full, fascinating and generous and I loved it!" --Lynn Delaney from Oakland CA

"I honestly cannot think of a thing that could be better. The leadership was amazing and creative... We were always engaged and involved through the whole trip." --Natalie Shiras of Lee MA

"I loved the CODEPINK trip to Cuba that you planned and organized which exceeded any and all of my expectations... The trip was an eye-opener and so stimulating in every way. I so much enjoyed the guides, who were all so patient, knowledgeable, well spoken, and generous, the Cuban people we met, and all of your support team involved." --Anthony Rago of Climax NY

"When I look back I'm amazed by how much we did in a short time.  The presentations and meetings were excellent." --Molly Murdey of Porland OR

2019 delegation