Havana and the Gardens of the Queen Shark Diving, 14 days / 13 nights

Havana
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

• Morning flight Miami to Havana (the charters are often subject to delays)
• Arrive in Havana - José Martí International Airport and meet your driver and guide
• Lunch at the Magic Flute
• Callejón de Hamel (Hamel Alley) - Get together with local dancers, musicians and artists at Callejón de Hamel where they gather every Sunday
• Hotel check-in
• Dinner on your own

Havana
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Revolution Square - visit the José Martí memorial
• Finca Vigía - Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum - Hemingway lived in Cuba for 21 years, and this was his home most of the time. This is where he wrote The Old Man and the Sea. Meet with local guide who will share some of the history of his home.
• Lunch at Starbien
• “Fusterlandia” - Take a journey to visit the fascinating home and community project of the famed artist Jose Fuster, known as “Picasso of the Caribbean”. See this revitalized neighborhood where many of the local homeowners have add mosiacs to their houses.
• Drive through Modern Havana
• Dinner on your own

Havana
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Jardín Botánico - Exchange ideas with the local caretaker about the history of the gardens and their conservation efforts
• Necropolis Cristóbal Colón - See the monuments of the famous people who are buried here
• Lunch at Mediterraneo
• Museum of Rum
• San Jose Craft Market and Art Center - See the work of many local artists and see some of the Cuban items that are made by local craftsmen harbor art and craft market
• Dinner on your own

Day trip to Soroa
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Travel to Soroa (1 hour)
• Soroa Orchid Botanical Gardens - Exchange ideas about orchid growing with the orchid caretakers
• El Salto Waterfalls
• Lunch at El Salto Restaurant in Soroa
• Castle in the Clouds
• Travel back to Havana (1 hour)
• Dinner on your own

Havana
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel
• National Museum of Fine Arts - A Cuban art expert will discuss the importance of the exhibits in this museum
• Taquechel Pharmacy Museum - Francisco Taquechel turned this townhouse into a local pharmacy in 1898. One hundred years later, it was restored and it is now a working pharmacy as well as a museum.
• Lunch at Cafe del Oriente
• Meet the arriving group from Havana
• Old Havana - Journey through Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and interact with the local performers as you visit the four historic plazas
• Dinner on your own

Havana
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Cigar Factory - Meet some of the people in the factory and watch how cigars are made in the centuries-old tradition.
• Central Havana - Havana is considered one of the most architecturally diverse cities in the world. Travel down Prado Street and see El Capitolio, inspired by the US Capitol building, and the Gran Teatro Alicia Alonzo, home of the National Ballet and the National Opera. The famed Bacardi Building is also in this area.
• Lunch at Il Litoral
• Morro Castle, La Cabaña Fortress - Interact with the locals as you see this famous fortress that guards the entrance to Havana Bay
• Dinner on your own

Gardens of the Queen
Accommodation: liveaboard

• Early Breakfast on your own at the hotel
• Hotel check-out
• Pick-up by Dive the Run - Travel to Jucaro by bus - 7 hrs. including time for lunch
• Snack on your own along the way
• Boat check-in, lunch on board and travel to Gardens (5 hrs)
• Exchange ideas with marine experts about Cuba’s intricate ecosystem and how this can be applied to other oceans in the world
• Dinner on the boat (included)

Gardens of the Queen
Accommodation: liveaboard

• Breakfast (included)
• Meet with marine experts to gain insight into the conservation measures that Cuba is taking to preserve their delicate aquatic ecosystem in the Gardens of the Queen. “Jardines de la Reina was declared a Marine Park in 1996 – and with the support and management of Avalon, along with the Research Center for Coastal Ecosystems in Ciego de Avila and the Fisheries Control Department, this area has been preserved for future generations as an intricate network of untouched marine ecosystems that have been regarded by many knowledgeable scientists and organizations as a benchmark of the original status of coral reefs as found by Christopher Columbus in the early years of his discovery.”
• Lunch and dinner (included)
• 15 dives (included)

Havana
Accommodation: 4-5* Hotel

• Breakfast (included)
• Travel by boat from Gardens to Jucaro (5 hrs)
• Interact with marine experts to exchange ideas about the flora and fauna and discuss the differences between Cuba’s reefs and other reefs around the world
• Lunch included on the boat
• Travel to Havana (5-6 hrs)
• Hotel Check-in
• Dinner on your own

Fly to Miami

• Early Breakfast on your own at the hotel and check-out
• Morning flight Havana to Miami (the charters are often subject to delays)