Abercrombie & Kent will return to Cuba with a new “Luxury Small Group Journey” slated to launch in October 2024. The 10-day “Cuba: People, Art & Culture” itinerary will reveal the island nation through intimate, unscripted experiences.
Here are a few itinerary highlights:
- Camagüey – This city, nestled in the heart of Cuba, is one of the original Spanish settlements. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site lauded for its architecture and arts, including the Camagüey Ballet, where guests can explore the costume warehouse, meet the company’s director and attend a private rehearsal. They can discover life on a family-owned working ranch dating to 1930, learn about agrarian reforms from the modern cowboys who work it, and enjoy a welcome dinner with live music, hosted by the family.
- Trinidad & Valley de los Ingenios – Historic Trinidad and Valley de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills) gained UNESCO World Heritage status for their importance as a center of the sugar trade industry. Travelers can visit a former sugar plantation, meet the owners and workers of a traditional finca to discover present-day farm life, complete with a farm-to-table lunch. Trinidad is rich in Spanish colonial architecture, and guests can take in the sights on a walking tour, stopping at La Canchanchara to sample their signature cocktail. Next up is a visit to a family-run Santander workshop and gallery to participate in a pottery-making experience with one of its ceramicists.
- Cienfuegos & Santa Clara – Cienfuegos is a French-settled city that grew into an important hub for the sugarcane, tobacco and coffee trades. Guests can enjoy a guided walk through its historic center to view landmarks including José Martí Memorial Park and the neo-rococo Palacio Ferrer. They will visit the Museo Provincial for a performance by the Cantores de Cienfuegos Choir and interact with the performers. In Santa Clara, guests will visit the Che Guevara Mausoleum, the last resting place of the guerilla leader and fighters who perished alongside him.
- Havana – Travelers will discover the importance of music and the arts in Cuban culture during a meeting with artist and painter Kadir López at his private studio, complete with live music and cocktails. They will also tour the National Museum of the Fine Arts of Havana with a local specialist, interact with dancers and instructors following a performance at a dance-and-percussion company and explore Fusterlandia alongside artist José Fuster to see how the collaborative project transformed the community. Other highlights include a visit to the Museum of the Revolution set within the former presidential palace, and the studio of one of the photographers who covered the first years of the Cuban Revolution. They will also explore a tobacco farm for an in-depth look at Cuba’s most famous cash crop and enjoy lunch while interacting with the family and workers. Travelers can participate in mojito-making classes, dance to Cuban rhythms with an instructor during a private visit to La Casona del Son and visit the former residence of Ernest Hemingway to meet with the museum’s caretakers and learn about the author’s life in Cuba.
Limited to just 18 travelers, this “Luxury Small Group Journey” features an English-speaking Resident Tour Director and local guides, as well as arrival and departure transfers. A&K exclusives include Traveller’s Valet, complimentary mid-journey laundry service and Travelling Bell Boy service.
A&K’s “Cuba: People, Art & Culture” itinerary is designed to enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society and private enterprises in the island nation. All travelers must begin and end the program in Miami, FL regardless of their country of origin.
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