Cuba | Birding and Cultural Highlights

Upon arrival in Havana, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. You will have time at leisure until early evening for an Orientation and Welcome Dinner at the famous Paladar La Guarida, which is the location of the Cuban Oscar-nominated film "Strawberry and Chocolate".

This morning take a guided walking tour of Old Havana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discover the four plazas: Plaza de la Catedral, Plaza Vieja, Plaza de San Francisco de Asis, and Plaza de Armas. Learn about the ongoing restoration projects throughout Havana, and see the giant model of the city. After lunch at Hemingway's Old Havana favorite - Sloppy Joes - enjoy a private performance of Danza-Teatro Retazos. This incredibly talented group of dancers and their instructor will amaze and delight you, as they have been doing for audiences not only in Cuba, but internationally in the US and Europe. The remainder of the afternoon is on own until dinner at Paladar La Chansonnier.

After breakfast, meet your guide, driver, and Cuban ornithologist, who will accompany you through most of the remainder of your program. Both of your guides will help facilitate meaningful interactions with the local community at each location. This morning, visit Quinta de los Molinos, an urban park on the outskirts of Havana. A natural sanctuary amid the city bustle, Quinta de los Molinos is a haven for 40 bird species, as well as 170 plant species and Cuba's endemic painted snails. Learn how this site has evolved from the Spanish colonial period until today, and how the urban park is used to connect residents with nature. Next, visit Organopónico Vivero Alamar, an incredible urban garden located outside of central Havana, widely considered one of the most successful organic farms in the city. During the tour, learn about the advances Cuba has made with respect to organic and sustainable farming. Dinner this evening is on own to enjoy dinner at a restaurant or paladar of your choice.

Depart for Viñales in western Cuba. Along the way, stop for birding at Las Terrazas, a UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve, where you'll be guided by Justo Arteaga from the Ecological Station of Las Terrazas. Las Terrazas is not only a nature reserve but also a self-sustained ecological community that began as a reforestation project in 1967. Target species are Cuban Grassquit, Cuban Trogon, Cuban Tody, Red-legged Honeycreeper, and Olive-capped Warbler. Meet with community residents who helped save this site that is now a model of sustainability and ecotourism. This afternoon, continue to Viñales, an area famous for its massive limestone formations called mogotes and home to species such as the Cuban Solitaire, Cuban Tody, Cuban Pewee and Cuban Bullfinch. This evening have dinner at have dinner at Paladar Casa Don Tomas.

An early breakfast is followed by morning birding, looking for Cuban Solitaire, your target species, as well as Scaly-naped Pigeon. Have lunch in town, then visit the home of world-renowned nature/avian artist and author Nils Navarro, who will provide a lecture, talk about his book, and show his art studio. You will also have the opportunity to visit at a local botanical garden that has been in the family for many years. Located on one acre in the heart of the neighborhood, this home and garden is a delight, and quite whimsical. Dinner this evening is at a local Paladar located in the hills surrounding Viñales called the Agro Ecologico. Savor the dishes made with the farm's fresh produce.

Depart early for the four-hour drive to the Zapata Swamp, Cuba's largest wetland and a Ramsar-designated Wetland of International Importance. The Zapata area, sprawling nearly 1,700 square miles, consists of scrub, mangrove swamp, and coastline. Over 200 species have been recorded here, including the endemic Zapata Wren and Zapata Sparrow. Also look for species such as Cuban Blackbird, Cuban Green Woodpecker, Cuban Oriole, and Cuban Emerald. After arrival and check-in, have lunch seaside then head out for afternoon birding, or Caribbean swimming, whichever you wish. Dinner is at a local restaurant.

Following an early breakfast, depart for the Santo Tomás area, where you may find Zapata Wren and Zapata Sparrow. After lunch, enjoy birding at Las Salinas, an area frequented by many species of waterbirds that live in mangrove swamps, coastal lagoons, and woods. Over 165 indigenous and migratory birds, as well as mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates, are found here. Expect to see flamingos, herons, pelicans, Roseate Spoonbill, Glossy and White Ibises, Peregrine Falcon, Cuban Black Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, and others. Have dinner out at a local restaurant.

After breakfast, depart for the Bermejas site. Target species include the Cuban Parakeet, Cuban Pygmy-Owl, Bee Hummingbird, Cuban Green Woodpecker, Fernandina's Flicker, Cuban Trogon, and Cuban Tody. A mosaic of dry forest, swamp, mangrove, and mudflats, the Zapata Peninsula is one of the best preserved ecosystems on the island. Other species you might encounter are Bare-legged Owl, Blue-headed Quail-Dove, and Gray-fronted Quail-Dove. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant with Zapata-area conservationists, who will provide updates on projects underway to preserve Cuba's largest wetlands. Visit the town of Palpite, where a special visit with artists of the Korimacao Project has been arranged. The Korimacao Community Project consists of residents from Cuban communities who are given the opportunity to develop and improve their performing skills such as singing, dancing, and playing instruments. Learn about the program's development and interact with the talented artists. Dine at a paladar and meet the owners, who will provide insight about their entrepreneurial activities.

Following breakfast and check-out, you will return to Havana. After arrival and check-in, have the remainder of the afternoon at leisure to explore on your own. You may wish to take in the local enclosed market located at the docks, or explore a museum or artist venue, maybe take a taxi ride in one of the iconic cars through the city. Tonight, enjoy a special Farewell Dinner and Tropicana Show at Hotel Nacional.

This morning you will be transferred to the Havana airport for your flight home.