Day-by-Day Itinerary

Hidden Cuba:  Havana and the Viñales Valley

Dec 3-11, 2024
​

Cuba presents a delightful mix of classic architecture, vintage autos, colorful street life and the most hospitable people. We meet in Havana, staying in unique family-owned guesthouses,  the casa particulars. With Old Town at our doorstep, we will explore a hidden, less touristy side of the city.

​After three days, we travel by private bus to Viñales with its more rural, agricultural feel. Here we stay two nights  in a welcoming neighborhood of blended cultures and photograph people living a small town way of life. On the way back to Havana, we enjoy a short visit to a botanical garden and end the day with a photo shoot on El Malecón, Havana's seawall.

For the final two days in Havana, we explore some markets and offer time for museums and last minute plans. Every day is packed with photo opportunities and hands-on assistance.​ Our final schedule could be altered due to weather, transportation difficulties or other reasons beyond our control. We always look for the best, unexpected photographic settings that reveal a fascinating, more hidden Cuba.

---

Day 1: Tuesday, Dec 3, 2024              Meet you in Havana

• Arrive at the airport and be picked up outside the baggage claim area.
• You will be taken to your casa particular or guesthouse in the heart of the Old Town.
• Evening introductions and a welcome dinner with your fellow travelers in the Prado Colonial guesthouse.
• Dinner together.

Day 2: Wednesday, Dec 4, 2024           Fishermen's Coop at Cojimar Town and Havana's Old Town

• After breakfast at our casa particular, we will travel to the Fishermen's Coop at Cojimar where we interact with fishermen either coming back from the sea or hanging out in their colorful fishing shacks.
• We stop for a delicious Cuban lunch and head back to Havana where we'll have our first Photo Review with Dan, an opportunity to talk photography, present images and troubleshoot any problems from the morning's shoot.
• Back on the streets, we take a photo walk through Old Town, capturing Havana's afternoon activities.
• Dinner together.

Day 3: Thursday, Dec 5, 2024         Across the Bay and Hershey Town

• In the morning we take a ferry to Regla Town, the neighborhood across the bay from La Habana Vieja or Old Havana.
• Next is a trip to Hershey Town, the small village with a history reaching back to 1916 when the American industrialist, Milton Hershey, built a sugar refinery and an adjoining village for its workers. The day will bring opportunities to photograph this village with both abandoned buildings and a lively small town community.
• Back in Havana, we will have a photo session with Cuban ballerinas who will meet us in a historic and picturesque setting.
• Dinner together.

Day 4: Friday, Dec 6, 2024  Travel to Viñales  (3hr drive)

• Traveling by private bus, we head southeast from Havana toward the agricultural region of Viñales.
• Several stops on the way including the tropical Las Terrazas, a nature preserve and planned community in the Sierra del Rosario mountains and el Cafetal, a restored, historic coffee plantation from the 19th century.
• After checking into our Viñales accommodations, dinner is family style with traditional Cuban dishes.

Day 5: Saturday, Dec 7, 2024 Tobacco Farm and the Unique Landscape 

• ​An optional photo shoot at sunrise takes us into the farmland surrounding the village. 
• Then it's off to a working tobacco farm to meet Cuban farmers and visit the barns full of curing leaves.
• Exploring the Valley and photographing its famous landscape.​
  
• Family Style Dinner together.

---

Day 6: Sunday, Dec 8, 2024            Return to Havana (3 hr drive)

• On the return trip, we stop at the Soroa Botanic and Orchid Gardens, an expansive botanical garden dedicated to the cultivation of hundreds of orchid species.
• Back in Havana, we'll enjoy a photo shoot along El Malecón 
  
• Dinner will be next door to the vibrant Fabrica de Arte or the Art Factory, a revitalized factory that contains numerous galleries, bars and entertainment venues. This optional night out illustrates Cuba's artistic side and the energetic, youthful nightlife of Havana.

Day 7: Monday, Dec 9, 2024           The Streets of Havana

• The bicycle taxis give us a break as we ride through the streets toward a popular Fruit Market, a rich photo opportunity to witness Cubans interacting and buying all kinds of fruits, vegetables and other food.
• We'll walk the San Isidro neighborhood where poor tenements exist beside renovated rentals and street art gives the area character and a contemporary touch.
• In the afternoon, we'll have another Photo Review by Dan and cover any questions and editing ideas from the group.
• Dinner together.

Day 8: Tuesday, Dec 10, 2024            Your Day

• If you've been wanting to go to a specific Havana museum or historic site, today is your day! This final day is reserved for you to have those final experiences before we leave. Marcel can help set up any details you need such as working with a guide or getting a friendly driver in a classic car. 
• ​Mid afternoon, Dan and Jill would like to get some images from you so we can enjoy a final slide show this evening.
• A special farewell dinner will end our week of exploring the intriguing corners of our Hidden Cuba adventure.

Day 9: Wednesday, Dec 11, 2024      Time for the Airport

• You will be transferred from your casa to the airport in plenty of time for your flight home.​ It will be sad to say goodbye to all our new Cuban friends!

---

Making Fotos, Friends and Memories....

Return to Cuba Dec 2024 Main Page