School Trip to Cuba

A school trip to Cuba will help to educate your students about the diversity of the world around them – particularly when it comes to culture and politics!

The largest island in the Caribbean, Cuba has a big personality to match. This vibrant Latin American country is a wonderful choice of destination for Spanish, history and geography, and so works well for cross-curricular school trips too.

The capital, Havana, with its aging colonial architecture allows for a memorable first taste of Cuban history and culture. Make sure you also explore some of the country’s other fascinating cities. These include Trinidad, which will transport you back to the Spanish colonial era, and Cienfuego, Cuba’s answer to the elegance and romance of Paris.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Depart UK

Evening

Arrive in Havana

Day 2

Morning

City tour of Havana, including the Revolution Museum, Plaza de Armas, Plaza Vieja, Plaza de la Catedral

Afternoon

Lunch Sightseeing tour of modern Havana in classic '50s American cars, including a visit to Revolution Square and Fusterland

Evening

Evening meal

Day 3

Morning

Depart Havana for a day tour ofViñales Valley with a visit to Soroa Orchid Garden and a cigar rolling factory en route

Afternoon

Lunch Visit Mural of Prehistory and Los Indios Caves Return to Havana

Evening

Evening meal

Day 4

Morning

Depart for Playa Giron Visit Indian village of Guama and/or a crocodile farm en-route

Afternoon

Lunch followed by a visit to museum dedicated to the Bay of Pigs Invasion

Evening

Evening meal in hotel in Playa Giron

Day 5

Morning

Depart for Cirenfuegos City City tour

Afternoon

Lunch Visit to the Botanic Gardens Continue on to Trinidad

Evening

Evening meal at accommodation in Ancon Peninsula

Day 6

Morning

Transfer to Trinidad Walking tour on arrival including visit to Plaza Mayor and arts and crafts markets of Casa Cantero

Afternoon

Return to hotel for lunch Afternoon at leisure to have a swim in the Caribbean Sea

Evening

Evening meal at hotel

Day 7

Morning

Depart Trinidad Drive to Havana via Santa Clara Visit Tren Blindado and Che Guevara's Monument

Afternoon

Lunch Continue to Havana

Evening

Evening meal at hotel

Day 8

Morning

Check out of accommodation Visit to the National Aquarium

Afternoon

Farewell lunch Depart Havana

Evening

Return flight to the UK

Day 9

Afternoon

Arrive back in UK

7 nights' half-board accommodation
Airport transfers in resort
All flights including tax
Detailed information pack
Free staff place ratio 1:10
Itinerary planning service
Tour guide and coach throughout tour
VAT

Accommodation

Costa Sur

This 3* hotel is located right on the Playa Maria Aguilar, a lovely, small beach in Casilda, just 1km from the larger Playa Ancon. The décor is simple but comfortable, there is an outdoor swimming pool and the hotel boasts spectacular views across the bay to the dramatic Sierre del Escambray.

Hotel Plaza

At the Hotel Plaza you will find rooms perfect to unwind in, after a day of exploring magical Havana. The hotel offers two restaurants and an excellent rooftop terrace, where you can enjoy unique views of the city. All 188 rooms are furnished in colonial style and offer air-conditioning with a private bathroom, shower, hairdryer, satellite TV, telephone, radio, safety box and a minibar option.

Playa Giron Hotel

The Playa Giron Hotel is located on the Zapata peninsula, which is famous for its diverse flora and fauna. Staying here will give your group the opportunity to see a different side to Cuba!The hotel offers 42 one-bedroom apartments and 67 two-bedroom apartments with shared bathroom facilities. In addition, there are 18 two-bedroom (en-suite) apartments and 70 standard rooms. All accommodation benefits from air-conditioning and satellite TV. There's a large outdoor swimming pool and the beach is just a few steps away.

Tour highlights

Visit Che Guevara's Mausoleum

This mausoleum houses the body of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara and some of his fellow combatants who were killed during the Bolivia campaign in 1967. The mausoleum stands in the otherwise quiet town of Santa Clara. This location was chosen because it was the site of the Battle of Santa Clara – the final battle of the Cuban Revolution that forced dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile. A visit here will help your students to understand the importance of the revolutionary leader who, although a contentious figure, has become an icon of rebellion. You’ll be able to discuss the complex history of Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution.

Did you know?

Despite being a Cuban icon, Che Guevara was, in fact, Argentinian with Irish and Basque roots.

Visit Viñales and the Viñales Valley

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most beautiful places in Cuba and a must-see on your school trip! This is an agricultural area, where traditional methods are still used to farm crops such as tobacco, fruit, vegetables and coffee. And this is the best place to get a taste for traditional, rural Cuba, away from the politics. Here the classic cars of Havana are replaced with horses and carts. The buzz of the city is replaced by the quiet of the countryside, occasionally interrupted by the calls of the local wildlife. And the crumbling magnificence of the capital’s architecture is replaced by a spectacular landscape that wouldn’t look entirely our of place in South East Asia.

Did you know?

The Viñales Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to the traditional agriculture, architecture, crafts and music here, as well as the spectacular karst landscape.

Visit Partagas Cigar Factory

One of the most ‘Cuban’ things to do on a school trip to Havana is visit a cigar factory and this is one of the most famous in the city! Founded by Spaniard Jaime Partagás in 1845, the Real Fábrica de Tabacos Partagás, to give it its full name, is one of the oldest cigar factories in Havana. A visit here will help your students to understand the importance of tobacco in terms of Cuba’s history, economy and culture. And the building itself is worth a visit as a fantastic example of colonial architecture. A landmark in Havana, production of cigars has now moved to a newer factory building, leaving the original factory free to tell the story of cigar production here.

Did you know?

There is a tradition here of reading to the factory workers. The day typically begins with a reading of the day’s newspaper, before moving on to works of historic literature. And that’s why many of the factory’s cigars are named after literary figures.

Educational Activities

Cueva del Indio

Part of the largest cave system in Latin America, the Cueva del Indio (Cave of the Indian) is located near

Mausoleo Che Guevara

Santa Clara was the site of the last battle in the Cuban Revolution in late 1958.

Museo Giron

This fantastic museum will give your students a better understanding of the events that unfolded here in Cuba, including the

Partagas Cigar factory

A visit to a cigar factory is one of the most ‘Cuban’ things to do in Havana.

Cultural Activities

Cienfuegos

The ‘Pearl of the South’, located on the southern coast of Cuba, this area has beautiful bays,former Indian settlements and

Criadero de Cocodrilos

This crocodile farm is a breeding facility forlarge aquatic reptiles, where you can see them at every stage of their

National Aquarium

The National Aquarium opened in Havana in 1960, filled with many varieties of marine creatures, it continues to attract many

Vinales and the Vinales Valley

A beautiful, peaceful and romantic village, Vinales is located in one of the most beautiful areas of Cuba, the Vinales

Supporting you every step of the way

Creating your perfect trip

Your quote will be put together by an experienced Tour Adviser who’ll be an expert in the subject area and will know the destination really well too. They’ll work with you to create a trip to suit your group’s needs and meet your learning objectives.

Launching your trip to parents and students

The next step is to get your trip approved and then get students signed up to it. Our ‘Trip Launch Pack’ will help you with this step. This is full of resources (all free to download) designed to make your life easier at this crucial point in the trip planning process.

After you’ve booked

Once you’ve booked, your dedicated Itinerary Coordinator will start work on the finer details. They’ll make sure your itinerary makes the most of your time and they’ll take on most of the admin tasks for your trip (freeing you up to do what you do best – teach).

Support while you’re away

From lost property to properly lost, we’ll always be on the end of the phone while you’re out on the trip. You’ll get a final info pack before you go, as well as access to all your trip documents via the Vamoos app.

After your trip

We’ll ask you for feedback, so we can improve our service. Let’s start planning your next trip too, so parents have plenty of time to pay (and so it’s less stressful for you). And don’t forget to head to our resources hub to continue the learning back in the classroom.