Abercrombie & Kent has created a new eight-day Connections program, Cuba: People to People, with stops in Havana, the colonial streets of Trinidad and the coastal city of Cienfuegos. The new “best of” Cuba program is available this fall on October 11–18 and October 25–November 1.
On the tour, travelers can learn about Cuban arts, music, sports and dining during one-on-one encounters with locals. They can also visit historic locales with resident experts and meet locals where they live and work.
Travelers will discover Cuba in a group of no more than 24 guests, accompanied by a Cuban guide and a dedicated A&K program director. They will explore Havana by foot with a local architect who describes the historic styles and ongoing restoration efforts before dining with an expert in baseball to discuss the sport’s role in Cuban society. Guests will also tour the historic Hotel Nacional with a local guide, who brings a timepiece of history to life. Another visit will be to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana, where a local expert guides guests through its Cuban art collection; this is followed by the chance to experience Cuba’s musical history firsthand with a private concert by the Cuban Institute of Music.
To gain a deeper understanding of the island’s cultural traditions through its art and music, travelers will attend musical demonstrations, from a Cuban choir to an Afro-Cuban performance, meeting afterward with the musicians, singers and dancers. At Cienfuegos Graphic Workshop, they will meet young people who are skilled in the arts of serigraphy and screen-printing. Guests also have time to browse Trinidad’s local marketplace, seeing hand-sewn table cloths, papier-mâché models, and local handicrafts.
A&K tour members will learn the process of tobacco production, including how leaves are fermented and selected—a stage completed only by women—during visits to local tobacco farms. They will also learn about farming practices from the owners of an organic farm during a home-cooked lunch. Then, they will explore the “valley of the sugar mills” near Trinidad and interact with fishermen during a catamaran cruise of Cienfuegos’ bay.
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