Midwest Museum of Art in coordination with the TREE Institute present a People to People Trip to Southeast Cuba February 22 - March 2, 2018 Santiago - Baracoa - Guantanamo Plus, optional 3 night add on to Havana This is one of the most breathtaking and mysterious areas of Cuba, where few visitors have been! Visit spectacular desert, cloud & rain forest ecosystems that contain rare plants, butterflies and birds. There is more US history & Cuban history here than anywhere in Cuba, from San Juan Hill to Fidel s birthplace and burial site. The arts are also unique to this area with some of the most renown painters of Cuba residing here. It s fertile ground for cocoa, tropical fruits, nuts and coffee. Baracoa is also a fishing village. The package includes: a complimentary conference call briefing 4 weeks prior to the journey, special travel visa, approved license, hotel in Miami, round-trip non-stop charter air service direct Miami-Santiago, private air-conditioned motor coach, medical insurance, hotels, luggage handling, transfers, English speaking guide, bottled water daily, permits, entry fees, tips, and meals for those stated on the itinerary, plus surprises! We take care of obtaining all of your documents, travel plans and guide you through the whole process! Share a true People to People exchange of culture and the environment. This exceptional program will include visiting the magical UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Biospheres of Santiago & Baracoa Sierra Maestra Mountain ranges. While there, you will learn about the gardens, environment, art, music, architecture, while having an opportunity to personally interface with the plant people of these regions! We travel on a US Department of Treasury approved license and Cuban visa. There are a limited number of seats available for this rare chance to visit this part of Cuba. (SEE ITINERARY page 3 & 4.) Baracoa is home to some very important artists of Cuba. This trip also includes stops at significant historical sites of the US and Cuba. 9 days/8 nights $4,399.00 per person double occupancy Add $400.00 for single supplemental Not included: some meals, personal tips, & baggage fees charged in Miami. Includes a $500.00 donation to Midwest Museum of Art. ADD ON 4 day/3 nights package to Havana includes flight from Santiago to Havana, guide, transportation, hotel, breakfast daily, events on the itinerary: $1,500 per person double occupancy; $2,100 for singles
Trip Application Form Instructions: In order to make your reservation and hold a space, fill out the trip application below and send along with a $500.00* deposit per person. (Checks only, please.) MARK YOUR CHECK MEMO MMA 2018 trip. The check is to be made to: TREE Institute (a 501 c-3 non-profit organization). Mail your deposit check and this application form to: TREE Institute - 1850 SW 8 th St., Suite 204E, Miami, FL 33135. Questions? Contact: travel@treeinstitute.org 866-355-8733 866-FLK- TREE Name Address Cell Phone E-mail Single ($500.00 deposit) Double rooming with ($1,000.00 deposit) Roommate Name Roommate Cell Phone E-mail I want the 3 night Add on to Havana. Other notes: We take care of getting your documentation, visas and all reservations starting in Miami. You are responsible for getting to Miami. Non-refundable as of Dec. 1, 2017. On or about Nov. 1, 2017, we will then email you a registration packet with further instructions. It will also include information for optional trip cancellation/ interruption insurance. The package includes medical coverage while in Cuba. No inoculations are required. About one month prior to the trip, we will have a required toll-free conference call to go over all the information for traveling to Cuba. The final payment and registration forms must be received by Dec. 1, 2017. *There is a $50.00 processing fee for any refunds. For any information or final payments not received by the due date, there will be a $150.00 expediting fee. You may pay your balance with a credit card or PayPal with an additional 3% service fee. (Sorry, we don t accept Amex.)
Day 1 Check into Miami Hotel (hotel is included in package). Itinerary for Santiago, Guantanamo, Baracoa Day 2 Depart early from Miami and fly direct to Santiago where our guide will meet us! Then board our motor coach and head to the bay near Grand Key for lunch. The vistas are superb for viewing the Santiago fort and this lovely bay area. Visit to an extraordinary private fern Garden with a collection that is over 50 years old. Then, we will ascend into the Sierra Maestra and overnight at mountainside Hotel. Welcome dinner at hotel restaurant. (B, L, D) Day 3 After breakfast, we will traverse to the Gran Piedra, the highest peak in Cuba. Immerse yourself above the cloud tops in this very rare cloud forest environment. Visit the ruins of an historic French Coffee Plantation. Savor the magnificent sweeping tropical mountain vistas. Break for lunch before visiting a private botanical flower garden nestled among the mountainside and meet the people who live in this rare ecosystem. Dinner at the hotel. (B, L, D) Day 4 There will be an early departure to Baracoa by bus with several stops along the way. Visit the Virgin of Charity Basilica, one of the top ten in the world. The Virgin of Charity (La Virgen de la Caridad) is a miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary in the mining town of El Cobre, outside Santiago in southwest Cuba. Her shrine is the most important religious site on the entire island. A focus of intense popular devotion not just for Catholics, but also for followers of Santería and even those who aren't otherwise religious the beloved Virgin of Charity was declared the patron saint of Cuba by the Pope in 1916. Lunch Stop will be at a riverside hideaway in Guantanamo. Then get ready for a thrilling ride up the mountains via cantilevered road system built by Sweden. Dinner at a local paladar Porto Santo. (B, L, D)
Day 5 This morning we will visit the outskirts of Baracoa and visit a fjord and a remote fishing village along with other ecological sites of the area, including the famous twin trunk coconut tree and the German-built tunnel. Lunch will be in the rainforest. Then, we will return for an afternoon trip to the town of Baracoa to visit artists at their studios. The art here is very unique. Overnight at hotel Porto Santo and dine at a private paladar on your own. (B L,) Day 6 Begin the morning with a hike up the renowned el Yunque Mountain through the Rain Forest or visit the extraordinary tropical waterfalls and stop at our local amigo s house. Lunch will be included at Finca Duaba that sits beside the beautiful Toa River. Then we will have a boat ride to a rare ecosystem and island where the river meets the ocean and see incredible rock collections. Head back to the hotel for some free time before the evening events. A private dinner with a local entertainment group will be arranged, along with a visit to downtown artists. (B, L, D) Day 7 After breakfast, we will visit the first Church in the Americas, which holds the remains of Christopher Columbus s cross. Depart late morning with lunch stop in Guantanamo. Along the way, we will visit the famous Jose Marti burial site and see the changing of the guard ceremony and witness the monument being constructed for Fidel. We will arrive in Santiago at the Melia Hotel and have dinner at a local paladar on your own. (B, L) Day 8 After breakfast at the hotel, there will be a guided tour of Santiago. Visit San Juan Hill, the Bacardi Provincial Museum, the City Cathedral, and a small craft market. Lunch will be on your own in town. Free time will be allotted to explore and shop. There will be a sunset trip to the El Morro Fort Sunset Ceremony, the site of the defeat of the Spanish fleet during the Spanish American War. Our farewell dinner will be at a great new paladar before returning to the Melia Hotel, Santiago. (B, D) Day 9 After breakfast at the hotel, we say Ciao to our Cuba amigos and depart for airport. (B)
Itinerary for Taste of Havana March 2-5, 2018 This trip includes the not to be missed places in Havana Day One (D) - Friday Arrive in Havana Panoramic ride of Havana Lunch in old Havana on your own Guided walking tour of UNESCO Old Havana to Cathedral, San Francisco Squares, Plaz Vieja, Plaza des Armes Check into hotel Dinner at Vitrola Surprise entertainment Walk down Opisbo St. to include stop at El Floridita Day Two (B, L) - Saturday Breakfast at hotel Surprise, plus Central Havana tour Visit to Museum of Revolution and Presidential Palace Visit to Hotel Nacional Tour of Vedado, the up and coming Havana suburb Lunch Visit to Fuster Mosaic City Dinner at Guarida on your own Optional visits to jazz clubs or Tropicana Day Three (B, D) - Sunday Breakfast at hotel Visit to Hemingway s Finca Vigia Lunch on your own at organic farm Visit to art market Surprise Dinner at Cocinero Visit to Fabrica de Arte Cubano- newest art and music scene. Day 4 (B) - Monday - Depending on time of flight out Breakfast at hotel Shopping Depart airport
Santiago/Baracoa Reading List Available on Amazon.com (new or used). 1 2 3 4 1. Baracoa de Cuba: La Magia de sus pintores / The Painters' Magic (English and Spanish Edition) by Elexis J. Fernandez Rubio Navarro, Rosendo Romero Suarez, Soledad Pagliuca and Kathleen Hennessey (Jul 5, 2009) 2. Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba by Tom Gjelten 3. Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner 4. Take me with You by Carlo Frias