Abercrombie & Kent opening up to Cuba
Abercrombie & Kent opening up to Cuba
Abercrombie & Kent is the latest and one of the most high-profile tour operators to take advantage of loosened restrictions on travel to Cuba to offer a program for travel there.
The luxury operator’s inaugural program will depart in September, followed by five more departures this year. A&K calls its program “Cuba: The Forbidden Isle Revealed,” and subtitles it “a landmark opportunity to discover our enigmatic neighbor.”
Other operators who have unveiled new programs in recent months include American Tours International, Ya’lla Tours and Insight Cuba.
A&K is working with a registered not-for-profit group, the Foundation for Caribbean Studies, which is licensed as a people-to-people non-profit organization. A&K has five years of experience operating in Cuba through its UK office.
“We have created an itinerary that reveals the heart and soul of this island nation,” said A&K in a promotional statement. “Walk the cobblestone streets of Old Havana, savor the unspoiled beauty of Trinidad, meet families in culture-rich Matanzas and experience Hemingway's Cuba with a visit to Finca Vigia, his seaside home.”
A&K calls Cuba one of the “world’s most alluring destinations.”
Their itinerary will also include the Teatro Sauto in Matanzas and lunch al fresco to the tune of a live local band at the DuPont House.
“We’ve built upon our experience in Cuba, as well as the rest of the world, to ensure our guests will discover Cuba at its most intimate, authentic and in complete comfort,” said Abercrombie & Kent USA President Scott Wiseman.
The company also says it has arranged an expedited immigration process upon visitor’s arrival and has created a tour that includes stops at the former Hemingway home, another other stops.
A&K’s itinerary also takes Americans beyond Havana to Trinidad in central Cuba, a Spanish colonial settlement and UNESCO World Heritage Site, and to the rural countryside.
“The itinerary provides time to explore Cuba’s cultural and historical wonders, while meeting local people to talk about daily life in Cuba and to enjoy mojitos, salsa dancing and intimate dinners at paladars (privately-owned restaurants) for a first-hand introduction to Cuba’s growing private business sector,” according to A&K.
It will also provide opportunities to learn about Cuba’s tobacco, rum and coffee industries: the “triangle” of the Cuban economy, as well as to try crafting a Cuban cigar during a hands-on rolling workshop at a cigar factory, followed by a tour of a working tobacco plantation.
Also included are visits the Valley of the Sugar Mills, the most important sugar production region during colonial rooftop terrace.
Hotels include the five star Iberostar Gran Hotel Trinidad, a restored boutique hotel in the center of Trinidad (A&K says it is the only US. tour operator that offers lodging there), as well as other historic hotels.
By David Wilkening
David
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