Cuba. A magical place. For the past 60 years it has been a land of mystery to Americans. But that is changing. And Essential History Expeditions’ Cuba tours enable guests to explore this jewel of the Caribbean.

From the revolutions of Jose Marti and Fidel Castro. To the writings of Reinaldo Arenas, Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, Alejo Carpentier and Ernest Hemingway. From the art of Wilfredo Lam, Manuel Mendive and Alberto Korda. From the hot music scene of Havana and Santiago with the son, mambo, salsa and more to classical guitar and piano. From white sandy beaches and the clear turquoise waters of the Caribbean to soaring green mountain jungles. From small hamlets to towns of still-perfect 18th century colonial architecture to modern metropolis. We will explore all this and much more.

Our Cuba tour includes eight days and seven nights of fully guided people-to-people contact filled with history, culture, music, food, in cities, towns and beautiful rugged countryside and pristine beaches.

Essential History Expeditions has now led nearly 20 tours throughout Cuba since the easing of travel restrictions in December 2014. Some of these tours were larger groups with a set itinerary. Many, however, were private tours with customized itineraries.

This Cuba tour is predicated, of course, on US policy once again opening up travel to Cuba.

Essential History Expeditions partners Dr. Brian DeToy and Sheryl Rankin Shafer were recently published, along with several of Sheryl’s photos, in Destinations Travel Magazine! Check out the article entitled Founding Fathers: A Cuba Travelogue!

The history of this island begins for us when the native peoples first met the Spaniards in the last decade of the 15th century. Over the next half-millennium, the island and people of Cuba would have much to say about what happened throughout the hemisphere. Spaniards, British, French, Americans and their allies all contested for control. The fates of empires hung in the balance as forces vied for Cuba. In the last half-century, the revolution led by Fidel Castro transformed the nation and people. Now, today, this emerald island is re-emerging as a destination for Americans seeking to explore its enormous riches in history, culture and geography.

On our Cuba tour, we will visit the birthplace of revolutions – Santiago de Cuba in the southeast of the island, where the Americans landed to aid the Cubans in their fight for independence in 1898, including Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders at Kettle Hill, and where Castro began his fight in 1953. In Havana, we will see the whole panoply of old and modern Cuba on display. Small groups can choose between scuba diving, snorkeling, or swimming. We’ll take a day trip to the stunning Vinales Valley and the Benito cigar plantation along with hiking and cave exploring at Santo Tomas. On our Cuba tour, we’ll also visit the beautiful French city of Cienfuegos and the nearby 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion beaches. Throughout the Cuba expedition, our guests will experience incredible Cuban meals and music, art and architecture, along with lessons in history that resonate down through the centuries and decades with us today.