Cuba Circumnavigation Expedition Highlights
Immerse yourself in Cuban culture as you visit with friendly locals, savor traditional cuisine, tour the Arte Corte interactive museum, and enjoy musical performances, including a visit to the Buena Vista Social Club.
Travel with ease aboard the intimate, 56-guest sailing ship, Le Ponant, the perfect way to see the sights and enjoy the exquisite coastal scenery.
Visit the citadel of San Pedro de la Roca in Santiago and stroll through charming, colonial Cienfuegos; both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Snorkel or dive over healthy coral reefs to view colorful tropical fish, turtles, stingrays, and other sea creatures.
Stroll the atmospheric streets of Havana to discover stunning colonial architecture and sun-splashed plazas, where classic American cars complete the scene of a by-gone era.
This trip will be conducted under a General License – Humanitarian project (section 515.575).
Based on the expeditionary nature of our trips, there may be ongoing enhancements to this itinerary.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017 Depart Home / Miami Board your independent flight to Miami. Check in to the Sheraton Miami Airport Hotel for a welcome dinner and briefing.
Thursday, March 30 Miami / Havana, Cuba Board our charter flight to Cuba’s colorful capital. Check in to the five-star Meliá Cohiba, which overlooks the city’s famous three-mile-long Malecón. Enjoy dinner at VIP Havana, one of the city’s finest paladars (family-run restaurant).
Friday, March 31 Havana Get acquainted with Old Havana—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—on a walking tour this morning. After lunch make a stop at El Floridita Bar—the birthplace of the daiquiri and one of Hemingway’s favorite watering holes—on the way to visit Arte Corte, a hair salon and museum that preserves the history of hairdressing in Cuba. This evening, climb into one of Havana’s vintage cars for a stylish ride to Rio Mar for dinner, then enjoy a performance at the legendary Buena Vista Social Club.
Saturday, April 1 HAVANA / ViÑales After an early breakfast, depart overland to Pinar del Rio, Cuba’s primary tobacco growing region. Visit a local family-run farm to witness the process of creating Cuba’s legendary cigars. After lunch at the farm continue to the Viñales Valley. This World Heritage Site offer some of the most spectacular scenery in Cuba, with dramatic karst outcroppings punctuating the verdant landscape. In Cueva del Indio (Indian Cave) board a boat for a cruise along the subterranean river. Return to Havana with dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Sunday, April 2 HAVANA / EMBARK LE PONANT Follow in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway at lovely Finca Vigia, where “Papa” lived for two decades. The house is now a museum with more than 20,000 of the author’s personal items. Then visit the fishing village of Cojimar, which inspired his Nobel Prize-winning novel, The Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway loved Cuban cigars and rum, and you will learn about the history and production of both during visits to Conde Villanueva Cigar Lounge and the Havana Club Museum of Rum. Embark Le Ponant in the late afternoon.
Monday, April 3 varadero / MATANZAS Disembark in Varadero and drive to Matanzas, intersected by three rivers, and called the “City of Bridges” for the 17 bridges crossing them. Enjoy a half-day city tour, including the Matanzas Museum which traces the city’s history from 1693 to the present. Return to the ship for lunch and an afternoon at leisure. Or, choose an excursion to La Arboleda, a riverside ranch where you can go on a nature walk, go horseback riding, take a swim, or simply relax in this peaceful setting. After a typical Cuban lunch, head out on a 4x4 Jeep excursion through Rio Canimar Nature Park and take a cruise to admire the flora and fauna along the riverbanks. Continue to Cuevas de Bellamar, a fantastical cave system.
Tuesday, April 4 CAYO GUILLERMO Zodiacs take you ashore at Cayo Guillermo for a day of snorkeling and diving in the crystal-clear waters teeming with colorful reef fish. Or, choose to visit the village of Moron, which offers horse-drawn carriages and small shops to browse.
Wednesday, April 5 at sea Enjoy a relaxing day at sea and attend lectures from our experts.
Thursday, April 6 antilla / gibara / cayo saetia Disembark in Antilla and depart overland for a half-day tour of Gibara. Enjoy stunning views from a hilltop Spanish fortress, and stroll through the leafy Parque Calixto Garcia on your way to the wonderful Museum of Natural History. Your tour ends at Baker’s Cave, where you may choose to take a dip in the underground lake before returning to the ship for lunch and an afternoon at leisure. Alternatively, board a private catamaran for a full-day excursion to Cayo Saetia, an island nature reserve with a wealth of local and exotic wildlife, such as zebra, wild boar, water buffalo, and a variety of birds.
Friday, April 7 SANTIAGO DE CUBA After a morning at sea and lunch on board, arrive at Santiago de Cuba. Founded in 1514, this World Heritage Site was the starting point for expeditions led by Cortés and de Soto. Admire some of the island’s most amazing architecture and historical sites in Parque Céspedes, the heart and soul of Santiago de Cuba. Visit the Cathedral and the First Governor’s House, home to the Colonial History Museum, as well as the Emilio Bacardi Moreau Museum. After dinner on board, step out to enjoy some local nightlife with Cuban music at Casa de la Musica.
Saturday, April 8 SANTIAGO DE CUBA Your morning tour begins at San Juan Hill, where during the Spanish-American War, the conquest of Spanish troops led to Spain’s surrender in 1898. Then visit Moncada Garrison, where a young Fidel Castro led an armed assault on the barracks in 1953—the first salvo in the Cuban Revolution. Inside you will find the Museo de la Clandestinidad, covering the period from the Spanish conquest to the guerrilla movement of the 1959 revolution in the Sierra Maestra Mountains. Return to the ship for lunch and enjoy an afternoon at sea.
Sunday, April 9 CASILDA / TRINIDAD Arrive in Casilda this afternoon and drive to Trinidad, a picture-perfect Spanish colonial town which seems frozen in time. The rest of the evening is yours to wander the cobbled streets filled with 19th-century mansions, guajiros with their donkeys, and troubadours strumming guitars. Witness the atmosphere come alive, perhaps enjoying a pre-dinner cocktail ashore before dinner on board; or stay in Trinidad for dinner on your own.
Monday, April 10 TRINIDAD After breakfast, take a walking tour around Trinidad; a living-museum of Spanish colonialism, the entire city—even its red-tiled roofs—was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then return to the ship for lunch and an afternoon at leisure. Or, opt for a full day at Guanayara National Park. Hike through the jungle and learn about the various species of indigenous plants, some of which are still used as herbal remedies. Enjoy lunch at Casa La Gallega, a delightful Creole restaurant surrounded by tropical flowers 1,800 feet above sea level.
Tuesday, April 11 cienfuegos / DISEMBARK / playa larga After breakfast, disembark Le Ponant in Cienfuegos. With its French spirit and fabulous setting along Cuba’s most spectacular bay, Cienfuegos has earned UNESCO status for its outstanding architecture, which you discover on a guided walking tour. Then depart overland for the UNESCO-designated Zapata Wetland region. View some of the local wildlife at the Fiesta Campesina zoo-park before touring the Playa Giron (Bay of Pigs) Museum; located at the site of the unsuccessful military invasion by US-backed anti-Castro forces in April 1961. After lunch at a local restaurant, continue to Playa Larga and check in to the Playa Larga Hotel.
Wednesday, April 12 Playa Larga One of the Caribbean’s largest and best-preserved wetlands, the Zapata Swamp is a birder’s paradise, and a full-day tour of the La Turba area introduces you to the natural history as you search for endemic species such as the Zapata wren and Zapata sparrow. After lunch, continue to Salinas, an area of mangrove swamps, coastal lagoons, and forest that provide refuge for more than 150 indigenous and migratory birds. Or, choose a day of snorkeling and diving at Caleta Buena where a pristine coral reef hugs the shore. Meet with the Director of the Zapata National Park before dinner at the hotel.
Thursday, April 13 Playa Larga / Havana This morning return to Havana, with a stop at the Korimacao Cultural Project en route. This cultural facility offers residents from surrounding communities the chance to develop and hone their skills in acting, singing, dancing, and music. Enjoy lunch along the way, then check in to Meliá Cohiba. Your farewell dinner tonight is in the Sierra Maestra Restaurant, situated on the 25th floor with jaw-dropping, 360-degree views over Havana.
Friday, April 14 Havana / Miami, USA After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your return flight to Miami and connect with your homeward flight.
Le Ponant
Le Ponant is a sleek, three-masted sailing vessel that is ideal for expedition cruising. When her 16,140-square-foot sails are unfurled, Le Ponant glides through the water at 10–12 knots. The four-deck vessel has ample public space, and is fully equipped with two restaurants, a lounge, bar, and small reading nook with a selection of books. All ocean-view staterooms feature en suite bathroom, minibar, safe, radio, individual air conditioning control, and telephone. Le Ponant carries a fleet of Zodiacs and has facilities for snorkeling and diving.
Featured Leaders
Experts from additional fields of study will join the leaders featured below.
Nadia Eckhardt (Expedition Leader) – Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Nadia now calls Seattle her home. She has traveled extensively throughout the world and is well versed in many adventure destinations, including Central and South America, Indonesia, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, the South Pacific, and more. She spent much of her youth exploring southern Africa and the islands of the Indian Ocean. Currently Nadia divides her time between her home in Seattle, her family in South Africa, and leading expeditions throughout the world including several tours to Cuba.
Jack Grove – A marine biologist and professional naturalist, Jack has spent much of the past two decades traveling on, and lecturing about, the world’s oceans. Research associate in the Section of Fishes at the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Jack is a leading authority on the fishes and marine environments of the eastern tropical Pacific. A true adventurer and Fellow of The Explorers Club, Jack has led numerous expeditions to the remote corners of the world, participating in polar expeditions as marine naturalist, photographer, and expedition leader. Jack is an avid scuba diver, certified divemaster, and dedicated conservationist.
Rich Pagen – Rich first became enthralled by the wonders of the natural world around the tide pools and forests of his native New York. Since then, he has embarked on a career in conservation biology, including a variety of field biology projects. Rich was ultimately drawn back to the sea where he taught marine science and island ecology on Catalina Island in California for several years. He has also conducted shipboard surveys for marine mammals and seabirds, as well as tagging studies of sea turtles and pelagic sharks.
Category 1 $17,380
Category 2 $19,780
Cat 1 / Single $21,780
Cat 2 / Single $24,880
A 25% per person deposit will secure your space on this expedition.
All rates are per person, quoted in U.S. dollars, and must be paid in U.S. dollars. Rates and itineraries are subject to change.
Singles: Limited singles are available at the quoted single rates above. Additional singles may be available at 1.6 times the share rate.
Included: All gratuities; all accommodations at our hotels and aboard Le Ponant; group meals, including wine and beer with lunch and dinner; group transfers; guided excursions as stated in the itinerary; entrance fees at sites; and medical expense coverage and emergency evacuation insurance.
Not Included: All air transportation; excess baggage charges; airport arrival and departure taxes; transfers for independent arrivals and departures; passport and/or visa fees; travel insurance; items of a personal nature such as laundry, bar charges, alcoholic beverages, e-mail/Internet/fax/telephone charges.
Scuba Diving: Limited to Advanced Open Water (AOW) certified scuba divers. You must complete two open water dives within the 12 months prior to the trip’s departure.
Air Fare: You will need to purchase airfare from your home city/Miami and Miami/home city, plus the charter flight to and from Cuba. Please contact our in-house Air Department for information on the charter flight, fare quotes, reservations, or other air-related questions.