Cuba: From Revolution to Evolution

Duration:
8 Days, January 20 – 27, 2024 (waitlist)

Price:
$6,475 from Santa Clara, Cuba

Tour Operator:
Destinations & Adventures

Through a relaxation in U.S. State Department travel restrictions, it is again possible for Americans to visit Cuba, one of the most intriguing destinations in our hemisphere. Although several companies again offer visits to Cuba, almost all of their itineraries are confined to Havana. Our itinerary includes fascinating sites in Trinidad—a UNESCO World Heritage site—Cienfuegos, the scenic beauty of the Artemisa Province, as well as sites in and around Havana.

In an effort to promote improved understanding between the citizens of Cuba and the United States, our program will focus especially on the history, art, architecture, and culture of Cuba. Serving as W&L’s faculty host will be Jim Casey, Professor of Economics, an experienced Cuba traveler. In addition to Cuba’s cultural treasures, we’ll consider the impact of Cuba’s agrarian economy on the social and political climate of modern Cuba and, inevitably, the status of Cuba’s relations within the Latin American community of nations and prospects for improved relations with her huge neighbor to the north.

In Havana, we’ll stay at the elegant Grand Packard Hotel, located in charming “Old Havana,” with views overlooking the Caribbean. Among the many highlights of our itinerary will be a visit to Finca Vigia, Ernest Hemingway’s house, where he lived for 20 years and wrote “The Old Man and the Sea.” In addition to many of the Havana’s celebrated sites, we’ll also enjoy a day’s excursion to the lush UNESCO province of Las Terrazas for the Buena Vista Coffee Plantation and the home and studio of renowned modern artist Lester Campa. Our evenings will be enriched by delectable dishes at local “paladars” and the rhythms of Cuban music. No visit to Cuba is complete without a panoramic tour of the Malecon and Vedado in a classic American car with a dinner at La Guarida, Havana’s most famous paladar.

With the inclusion of most meals, superb accommodations, and cultural expertise throughout, this educational tour is an excellent value. Jim Casey ’91, professor of economics with a special interest in Latin America, will serve as our faculty host.

Traveling With You

Jim Casey ’91 received his Ph.D. in economics in 2001 from the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University, Raleigh. His teaching and research interests lie at the intersection of coastal development and environmental change. During the past two+ decades, Professor Casey has designed and implemented valuation surveys in Mexico, Cuba, Belize, Barbados, Honduras, and Brazil. He is very grateful to have met and worked with such a diverse group of environmental scientists and local stakeholders and plans to continue this work for decades to come. His most recent visit to Cuba was in the fall of 2022.