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This NEW five-day people-to-people tour will include exclusive salsa performances, access to sights rarely seen, and more!

Six months after the White House’s historic announcement that the U.S. would reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba, longtime Cuba tour operator insightCuba has seen demand more than double. With destinations such as Havana, Trinidad and Matanzas attracting increasing numbers of visitors, insightCuba is launching its Weekend in Santiago de Cuba tour, the second installment in its Weekend series. (The first, our Weekend in Havana tour, has proven immensely popular.) Santiago de Cuba, the island nation’s second-largest city, sizzles with Afro-Cuban culture, salsa, and monuments to its long and complex history. From January through May of 2016, guests can book one of nine departure dates to explore the island’s sounds and rhythms, enjoy a brush with Santería, and tour El Cobre, the mountain pilgrimage church site regularly visited by the pope.

Carnaval in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

“American travel to Havana is growing by leaps and bounds—but Santiago de Cuba offers access to a seldom-visited part of Cuba, one that shouldn’t be missed,” says Tom Popper, president of insightCuba.

Other tour highlights include live traditional Cuban music performances, and excursions to the birthplace of the Cuban Revolution, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Cayo Granma, where red-roofed wooden houses surround the harbor. On each tour, an expert Cuban guide and an insightCuba tour leader will accompany the guests, providing unparalleled insight into this destination. 

San Pedro de la Roca Castle - Santiago de Cuba

The Weekend in Santiago de Cuba tour includes:

• One night at the Hotel Pullman Miami Airport (includes breakfast and airport transfer)
• Private welcome reception and pre-tour briefing
• Superior accommodations at the Meliá Santiago hotel in Santiago de Cuba
• InsightCuba exclusive-guided programming, including: unique handpicked people-to-people activities; insider access to Cuba's famous places and those rarely seen; and private visits and lectures with Cuba's experts
• Experienced insightCuba tour leader
• Expert Cuban guide
• All meals while in Cuba, except for one paladar evening dining experience on your own
• Certification of travel to Cuba under the U.S. Department of the Treasury general license
• Small group size (usually 16 or fewer guests; never more than 24)
• All entrance fees to scheduled activities and events
• Flight package (cost additional) including: round-trip charter air from Miami to Santiago de Cuba/Holguín, Cuban visa, priority check-in at Miami International Airport, and baggage fee for first checked bag
• All in-country ground transportation and airport transfers via luxury motor coach
• Private Cuban driver
• Travel health insurance, emergency medical evacuation, and trip- cancellation coverage (up to $1,000)
• Fresh bottled water while touring
• InsightCuba travel guidebook
• 24-hour emergency customer service hotline

Prices for this five-day tour begin at $2,895 per person for double occupancy. (Singles add $400.) Departure dates include Jan 15, Feb 12, Feb 26, Mar 11, Mar 18, Mar 25, Apr 15, May 13, and May 27 of 2016. 

For more information on insightCuba’s tours, call 800-450-CUBA (2822). To stay connected with insightCuba, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/insightcuba, Twitter @insightcuba or Instagram @insightCuba