Women to Women:
Friendship & Adventure in Cuba

Day One: Wednesday, Feb 18
Leave the chill winds of the northland behind and wing your way to Miami International Airport. Disembark and catch a rideshare to the hotel where we’ll gather for a happy hour cocktail, trip briefing and book exchange.  Bring a paperback you love to share with a fellow traveler that will spark a lively discussion.  

The evening is then yours to enjoy. Head out for a light dinner or a late night Tango at the South Beach clubs.  

Lodging: Miami airport hotel. TBD
Meals: Cocktail, Book Exchange & Discussion

**SirenSojourns will recommend a specific flight from MIA to HAV. We will all take the same flight on February 19th so we can arrive together and clear Cuban Customs before 11am.

**When you purchase your airline ticket, you will select “Support for the Cuban People” from the 12 permitted categories of travel. Please keep a copy of this itinerary with you throughout the journey as proof that we are interacting with Cuban people.

**You will also need to purchase a Cuba Tourist Card which serves as your visa (which is why SirenSojourns can’t purchase these ahead of time). The airlines will make them available for $100 each.


Day Two: Thursday, Feb 19
We’ll depart early for the airport as we embark on our adventure in Cuba. As we swoop into Havana over the water, note the turquoise seas and elegant palm trees.

After we clear customs, our guide and driver will await us and then we are off for a walking tour of Habana Vieja, where the colonnaded streets and graceful arches speak of Cuba’s diverse history. We’ll learn about the founding of Havana in 1519 by the Spanish and its prominence as a haven for ship-building and trade. We’ll see the old city walls that date back centuries and glimpse some of the oldest fortifications in the Americas.

Our tour will also take us to the Museo de la Ciudad, the Plaza de la Catedral and the Plaza de Armas, where most of the surrounding buildings date back to the late 1700s.

Let’s pause for a delicious lunch of fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood and traditional Cuban dishes before we retreat to the hotel to freshen up and prepare for an evening amid the sounds and scents of this Caribbean capital.

Lodging: Grand Aston
Meals: Lunch and Dinner. 

Day Three: Friday, Feb 20
Indulge in a scrumptious and delicious breakfast, Sirens, for we have a full day. We are headed west to Fusterlandia, the mind-blowing and whimsical creation of artist Jose Fuster. You will quickly see that he was inspired by the works of Gaudi and Picasso. We’ll explore his home and gallery and walk the enchanting neighborhood which is filled with his beautiful tile mosaics.

Then, we point our compasses further west as we approach the verdant nature preserve of Las Terrazas. Created under Fidel Castro’s 1968 initiative to re-forest the interior of Cuba, the preserve is now safeguarded by UNESCO and home to incredible bird species and Cuban wildlife.

We’ll hike the Sendero La Serafina—a 3-mile trail that winds through the forest and passes by the dilapidated Saint Serafina plantation. We’ll also explore the small town and peek into some of the local art studios. 

Our second night in Havana takes us to Fábrica de Arte, which teems with artists and musicians who push the boundaries of Cuban culture. Order a cocktail and roam the studios and performance spaces.

Lodging: Grand Aston
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.


Day Four: Saturday, Feb 21
This is a long and kaleidoscopic day of experiences and travel, so fuel up with a nourishing breakfast!

We are headed south to a small village called Palpite, where the Community Art School of Korimacao instructs students in painting, pottery, music, dance and poetry.

We’ll converse with the teachers, sit in on some of the classes and learn from the students about the importance of the arts in Cuban culture.

Then it’s off to one of the most pristine snorkeling spots in the Caribbean. In the watery wonderland of Zapata National Park, the fish are plentiful, the coral reefs are healthy and it’s a great way to see how Cuba has conserved their marine parks. Dense mangrove forests line the shoreline and sparkling waves conceal remarkable underwater canyons.

We’ll laze in the sun and picnic on the beach and then depart for the fascinating Museum of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The town’s name comes from the French pirate Gilbert Girón, who was decapitated at the hands of angry locals.

You’ll notice the historical differences in Cuba’s account of the Bay of Pigs Invasion and peruse some of the artifacts displayed in the museum.

Then, we depart for a three hour drive east to the lovely town of Trinidad, one of my favorites on the island! It is splendidly preserved with care and old world charm. 

We’ll check into our Casa Particular and then you are free to enjoy a stroll around town and dinner on your own.

Lodging: Casa Particular in Trinidad
Meals: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch

Day Five: Sunday, Feb 22
We are going back to the green heart of this lovely island as we depart early for Topes de Collantes Nature Reserve. We’ll ascend high into the Sierra Escambray Mountains, with their soaring pine forests and tumbling waterfalls.  

When we reach the trailhead, we’ll begin our hike with a local park guide through woods that are fragrant with green mosses and lichen and enlivened by the songs of native birds.  Keep an eye out for huge ferns, banana trees and hidden swimming holes that we’ll slip into to cool off.  

Within the long stretch of mountains lies the Gran Parque Natural Topes de Collantes. Though

Topes is not considered a national park in the strictest of senses, it is highly protected by the Cuban government as are the four smaller parks that make up the umbrella park, Topes.

We’ll hike the 6km Sendero La Batata, or Sweet Potato Trail, as we trek through the forest to a prehistoric cave, an underwater river and a refreshing waterfall. 

Let’s return to Trinidad by late afternoon where an optional walking tour of the city is available. Or take some time to relax at our casa before heading out to dinner on your own. 

Lodging: Casa particular in Trinidad
Meals: Breakfast, Picnic Lunch

Days Six & Seven: Monday, Tuesday Feb 23 & 24
Rise and shine, Sirens, because our day includes surprise and delight and an extraordinary performance! 

As we drive west along the coast with the towering Sierra Escambray mountains to our north and the turquoise Caribbean to our south. We continue on to the seaside port town of Cienfuegos, known as the “Pearl of the South.” It is legendary within Cuba for its long seaside promenade (the malecon) and the mansion-lined Prado.  

Settled in the1820’s, the Spanish Crown invited French people from Bordeaux and Louisiana to settle here and the city is filled with fabulous architecture and great food. 

We will be guided around the central plaza to explore some of the majestic buildings including the late 19th century Teatro. And then it is a one of a kind performance that will be one of your most indelible experiences of our trip! I know you’ll love it!

We’ll complete our day with the option of a walk along the malecon in Cienfuegos, where we’ll take in the elegant 19th century architecture and graceful plazas.

This evening, find a delightful cafe for drinks or dinner and do some shopping and sightseeing.

Lodging: TBD
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Book Discussion.


Day Eight, Feb 25
We are rising early, my friends, so that we can be on the road to Havana for a day of literary enchantment.

We’ll be in conversation with Conner Gorry, the founder of Cuba Libro, a bookstore and community center in an historic coastal neighborhood and hear about how she began her trips to Cuba as a journalist and decided to stay.  

Then it’s off to Ernest Hemingway’s Finca Vigia.  The house is now a museum and we’ll see the typewriter on which Hemingway crafted “The Old Man and the Sea,” the library that he created and the furniture that Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn, an exceptional journalist in her own right, purchased for the house.

We can only look through the large, graceful windows into the interior, but the house is so well-preserved that you can see Hemingway’s personal possessions.

Then, it’s a special send-off from Havana with a cooking demonstration by a young chef who will teach us how to prepare traditional Cuban dishes. We’ll sit down together to enjoy the fruits of our labor!

Lodging: Grand Aston
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


Day Nine: Wednesday Feb 25
Breakfast will be bittersweet as we reminisce about all that we’ve seen and done on this singular adventure and make plans to stay in touch. 

We’ll coordinate transport to the airport for return flights to the US.

What to Know About Traveling to Cuba
Be prepared to be flexible and forgiving about some of the conditions you’ll encounter in Cuba. Our Support for the Cuban People itinerary is designed to introduce us to new people, food and culture but the tourist infrastructure is not always up to the standards you are accustomed to.

The itinerary may also vary a bit due to travel conditions and availability.

Together, we’ll make this an eye-opening, educational and exceptional experience.

“Finding Manana” by Mirta Ojito.  Ojito was 16 years old when she boarded an overloaded boat and became part of the Mariel boatlift exodus from the island. She describes her parents’ intense desire to get out of Cuba, what it was like to land in Key West with few possessions and little money and how she made her way as a journalist and new American.

“My Mother in Havana” by Rebe Huntman. Huntman’s mother died when she was still a teen and she knew little about her mother’s Cuban ancestry. On her first trip to the island, she becomes intrigued with a Cuban festival to celebrate Our Lady of Charity and what she learns opens her mother’s history.

“Dreaming in Cuban” by Cristina Garcia. The novel introduces us to three generations of Cuban women who represent the varied experiences of contemporary Cuba.  There’s grief, love, loss and political complications and romance. The author was born in Havana and worked as a journalist in New York before she published her first novel.

Extra Credit: “Hemingway’s Boat” by Paul Hendrickson. Ernest Hemingway rode the waters of the Caribbean at the helm of his beloved yacht, the Pilar and Hendrickson traces his life and loves through his experiences on the high seas. We’ll see the Pilar where it rests behind Finca Vigia.