| Che Guevara Tour | |
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Che Guevara Tour - Cuba Holiday | |
| Che
Ernesto Guevara was 23 years old in 1952 when he embarked on an
epic voyage around South America with his best friend, Alberto Granado
on a rickety Norton 500 motorcycle which they grandiosely named
‘El Poderoso’, the powerful one. Together, they completed
7,000 miles from his home town of Rosario , near Buenos Aires, in
Argentina through Chile, Peru, Colombia before finally taking a
flight to Venezuela where Granado stayed to work as a Doctor. Che
kept a record of his vigil in his now famous ‘Motorcycle Diaries’
which have now been made into a film by Walter Salles which is proving
very popular since its opening in the UK in August this year. The
film portrays the mixed emotions of Che as he perceives the various
stratas of society in Latin America. He appears deeply moved after
meeting a jobless Bolivian couple, the husband having been made
redundant in the mines. He gives them the money which was handed
to him by his Argentinian sweetheart in order for him to buy the
latest swimwear model in Miami. They also spent some time at the
San Pablo leper colony in the Peruvian Amazon which had a great
effect on Che’s thinking and probably formed the seeds of
his political thinking future.
The tours are organized
in collaboration with the Ernesto Che Guevara centre in Havana,
under the direction of Che's widow, Aleida March, and his son,
Camilo Cuevara, we will visit the Centre and maybe meet with Camilo
and Aleida. There may also be a chance to meet with the famous
Cuban photographer, Raul Corrales and see some of his early photo’s
of the Cuban Revolution.
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| Day
1 Saturday |
Arrival of participants at Holguin & Havana | |
| Arrival at Holguin International Airport where you will be met and assisted and transferred to hotel in Holguin to relax and prepare for the journey. For those participants arriving at Havana International Airport you will be met and assisted and transferred to a Havana hotel for overnight stay prior to taking an internal flight to Holguin the following day. | ||
| Day 2 Sunday |
City of Holguin | |
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Day free to explore the city of Holguin. Havana originating participants arrive at Holguin airport, to be met and transferred to hotel in Holguin. relevance to the small port. | |
| Day 3 Monday |
Start of trail at Niquero | |
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We leave Holguin this morning for our first contact with the former province of Oriente - this very authentic area where you can still sense the spirit of the revolution - starting in the coastal town of Niquero staying at the hotel with the same name. In the evening we hear the sounds of the Organo Oriental which is part of the local culture. | |
| Day 4 Tuesday |
The Landing of the Granma | |
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We board the boat at night near Cabo Cruz in the south east of Cuba and arrive at dawn on the coast of Las Coloradas replicating the landing of the revolutionaries of the Granma. Through mangroves, we reach firm soil and see the first place where they had contact with local farmers. We travel on by mules onto the sugar cane fields of Alegria del Pio where they came under fire by Batista's troops and were dispersed in all directions. We reach the cave Cueva del Humo and camp at the base of Flora y Fauna, the local environmentalists. | |
| Day 5 Wednesday |
Dispersed and fleeing | |
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In the morning we come closer to the south coast and make a steep ascent to the bay of Ojo de Torro , the fleeing point of Che's dispersed group after a treacherous march. We make a stopover at El Platano where members of the local revolutionary cells helped the guerillas with local knowledge of the area. We go on by horse to Cinco Palmas, the place of the joyful reunion with the groups of Fidel Castro and Raul Castro. We meet the local inhabitants who provide us with an insight into their culture and spend the night in a camp of young pioneers. | |
| Day 6 Thursday |
…and reunited again | |
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On horseback we travel to Dos Bocas and Los Negros. After a short walk we reach Alta Catalina, the first camp of the reunited rebel army of which only 18 men were left from the original 82. We go on by vehicle to the small town of Pilon where we visit the house, now a museum, of Celia Sanchez one of the important figures of the Cuban revolution and close confidant of Fidel. It was Celia who gave the name to the now famous Cohiba cigars. Stay overnight at Hotel Punta Piedra or Hotel Marea de Portillo. | |
| Day 7 Friday |
Fidel in the Sierra: The legendary Interview | |
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We travel on jeeps or trucks into the mountain region of the Sierra Maestra until we reach Caridad de Mota, surrounded by beautiful nature. On the way visit the Casa del Che where we see documents of the time of the rebels in the Sierra. Continue on horseback to Finca del Chorro where the legendary interview took place between New York Times reporter, Herbert Matthews and Fidel Castro. The proof that Fidel was alive made world wide media history. We move onto to El Jibaro and stay overnight at the rustic hotel Santo Domingo. | |
| Day 8 Saturday |
La Plata : Refuge and headquarters in the mountains | |
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take a breathtaking adventure up a steep incline by truck to Alta
de Narranja. Trek to the Comandancia de la Plata, the refuge and
well preserved headquarters of Fidel in the Sierra Maestra where
the first broadcasting of Radio Rebelde took place. We move on through
the beautiful natural environment to the small community of La Platica.
Here we have the opportunity of meeting with the locals and to learn
about their culture. Special evening of musical entertainment with
the legendary Quinteto Rebelde. The Quinteto Rebelde was founded May 14 1958 on the request of Fidel Castro in the Sierra Maestra to entertain the guerillas in the evening. It took part in broadcasts of Radio Rebelde and was used in the battles of Santo Domingo and El Jigue as a psychological weapon to demoralize the troops of Batista. |
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| Day
9 Sunday |
Che Commander |
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| In the morning we go down into the plane and drive along the Sierra to Buey Arriba. From there we visit Che's headquarters La Otilia one of the last outposts before his legendary march to Santa Clara . This was a liberated area where Che also showed his talents of organizing the economic life of the local community. In the afternoon we drive via Bayamo to our all-inclusive beach resort hotel to relax after the epic journey before going to Havana |
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Day 10 Monday |
Free day at beach resort | |
| Free day at the all-inclusive beach resort hotel. | ||
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Day 11 Tuesday |
Free day & travel to Havana | |
| Free morning at the all-inclusive beach resort hotel. This afternoon we travel by internal flight to Havana and transfer to a Havana hotel. | ||
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Day 12 Wednesday |
City Tour, Hemingway, Cuban Photographer & Ernesto Guevara Research Center | |
| Breakfast orientation and information meeting at hotel. City tour of Havana including a visit to a cigar factory and an excursion in a classic American car to Cojimar where we have lunch at the bar/restaurant which was patronized by Ernest Hemingway and his boat Captain. After lunch we visit the famous Cuban photographer, Raul Corrales (subject to availability) where we will see some of his early revolutionary photo’s and hear about some of his experiences as the official photographer of Fidel Castro. Later we visit the new Ernesto Guevara Research Center with a chance to meet with Che’s son and widow (subject to availability). We return to the hotel. Free evening. | ||
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Day 13 Thursday |
Free day in Havana, farewell dinner & cabaret night | |
| Day
14 Friday |
Havana. Departure day. Adios, Companeros! | |
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Tour Price £1049 per person
**price based on 2 persons sharing double/twin room Flights from £450 Visas £15Single supplement £145 Havana originating participants supplement £78 Tour DatesSaturday 13 November 2004 Saturday 04 December 2004 Saturday 15 January 2005 Saturday 19 February 2005 Saturday 12 March 2005 Saturday 16 April 2005 |
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What’s
Included: |
Che
Guevara Tour |
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1
night in Hotel Niquero, 2 nights in the camp Alegría de Pío and
Cinco Palmas, 1 night in Pilón, Marea del Portillo or Farallón
de Caribe in all included pension, 1 night in Villa Santo Domingo,
1 night in the camp La Platica. Breakfast included. Dinner in
Hotel Niquero, Marea del Portillo and Villa Santo Domingo. Other
picnic dinners during the trekking and nights in camps. Spanish-Speaking,
English-Speaking or other language speaking guides according to
the composition of groups. Local guide in the historic places.
5 treks during the circuit for about 2 - 5 hours. Muddy terrain.
Military truck (very original) or jeeps or on horses or by foot.
By boat for about 40 - 50 min. from Cabo Cruz to Las Colaradas.
Musical activities in Niquero and La Platica. Visit to museums
and historical places according programme description. |
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| Havana Tour | ||
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4 star hotel with breakfast. Lunch on Day 12. City Tour, visit to Cojimar & Ernesto Guevara Research Center (see itinerary Day 12). |
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General
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All
transfers to and from airports, hotels, Che Guevara Trail and
excursions. Guide service. Assistance by our Havana office staff.
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| Not included: |
International flights. Cuban Airport Departure Tax (USD25 payable at the airport). Tourist Visa Card. Personal expenses. Staff gratuities. Any optional excursions, meals or drinks not mentioned as included in itinerary. Travel insurance.
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| Note for Che Guevara Trail: | Baggage:
Participants should only carry the necessary things for the
trail. If necessary the load will be distributed amongst the participants.
Participants will need wet weather gear, swimming costumes, hat
or cap, strong shoes for walking, etc,. The baggage must be strong
and flexible because it will be transported in trucks in non-comfortable
conditions. Our representative will be in charge of the transportation
between points. Level: Easy, accessible to every person who likes walking. |
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| Group Size: |
Minimum
4 persons. Maximum: 12 persons. Itinerary and prices maybe subject to change. |
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