CUBA PHOTOGRAPHY HOLIDAY
WITH WAYNE KAULBACH
Cuba, a vibrant and tantalizing country with a history, energy, and rhythm of its own.
There’s no better way to find creative inspiration than to explore somewhere new. This unique travel experience and photography workshop is ideal for anyone who wants to learn the fundamentals of photography or improve their techniques in an inspirational setting.
Led by award-winning photographer, Wayne Kaulbach, we’ll learn about and photograph Cuban culture, landscape, architecture, and food. We’ll meet local artists, watch incredible live music and dance performances, a sample from Havana’s burgeoning food scene, and learn about the forces and stories that shaped this city. Our accommodation will be in local homes operating as a B&B (known as a casa particular), where the opportunity for insight into Cuban life is heightened. Your experiences will provide excellent fodder for photography projects and unforgettable memories of Cuba.
When Castro pressed the pause button on economic development in the 1960s, he inadvertently saved many endangered traditions. It is the Cuban people who have kept the country alive as the infrastructure has crumbled; and it is also they who have ensured that Cuba continues to be the fascinating, perplexing, paradoxical nation it is.
Highlights
STARTS AT
USD per Person
THIS IS A CUSTOMIZABLE ITINERARY FOR GROUPS OF ALL SIZES.
DATES ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.
DAY 1: ARRIVAL TO HAVANA
Havana has a character all its own: audacious, beautiful, and full of contradictions. It charms visitors with its swashbuckling history, survivalist spirit, indefatigable salsa energy, and vibrant people. Arrive in Havana with an open mind and prepare yourself for a long, slow seduction.
*Please note that most flights from Canada arrive quite late into Havana. As today is an arrival day, there are no planned activities.
- Meals: -/-/-
- Accommodation: Casa particular (B & B)
Day 2: OLD HAVANA
After breakfast, we’ll take some time to get to know each other and work through an introductory session on photography. Habana Vieja, as it’s known in Spanish, features spectacular colonial architecture and certainly beats to its own rhythm. Our walking tour with a local guide takes us along cobbled streets piled with vintage cars to the most important plazas of the old city, where costumed characters and street performers help create a carnival-like vibe.
After the tour, you will have some free time for independent exploration.
This evening we will reconvene to discuss our day, dine together with a lo Cubano.
ACTIVITIES:
Walking tour of Old Havana, including stops at Plaza de la Cathedral, the Plaza de Armas, the Plaza de San Francisco de Asis, and the Plaza Vieja
Free time to visit the Cuban Fine Arts Museum or the Museum of the Revolution (own expense) or just wander the streets.
- Meals: B/-/D
- Accommodation: Casa particular (B & B)
DAY 3: HAVANA – CUBAN BEAT
Cuba’s dynamic capital was once one of the world’s most prosperous ports and the third most populous city in the Americas. As La Llave del Mundo (Key of the World), it saw riches from Mexico, Peru, and Manila pass through its sheltered harbour en route to Spain. Havana shows evidence of long neglect but her beauty still shines, with an amalgam of Spanish, African, colonial, communist, and capitalist influences.
Today we explore the dilapidated streets of Centro Havana. The densely populated streets of Centro Havana throb with life. Though rough looking on the exterior, Centro Havana is a fascinating place and a stark contrast to the beautifully restored district of Havana Vieja. Centro Habana’s streets buzz with people and a cacophony of sounds – street vendors shouting their wares, bicitaxis blasting their sound systems, excited children, and doorstep gossip.
ACTIVITIES:
Daily photography instruction and practice with Wayne Kaulbach
Colon Cemetery
Revolution Square
Photo walk through vibrant Central Havana
Vintage Car Ride at sunset (this may occur on another day as it is weather depending)
- Evening out on the town
- Meals: B/-/D
- Accommodation: Casa particular (B & B)
Day 4: HAVANA to TRINIDAD
This morning we travel east to the beautiful colonial city of Trinidad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988 and perhaps the best-preserved colonial town in the Caribbean. Exploring Trinidad is like stepping back in time, along the cobbled streets you’ll find many horse-drawn carts acting as taxis, cargo trailers and more. Within the city limits, there are many interesting museums in old colonial buildings to visit in your leisure time, but it is after the sun sets that Trinidad’s charm becomes even more apparent.
This evening we recommend a visit to Casa de la Musica for traditional Cuban music and dancing.
ACTIVITIES:
Walking tour of Trinidad
Casa de la Musica
- Meals: B/-/D
- Accommodation: Casa particular (B & B)
Day 5: TRINIDAD
Free to wander and photograph the cobble-stone streets of vibrant Trinidad.
ACTIVITIES:
Daily photography instruction and practice with Wayne Kaulbach
- Meals: B/-/-
- Accommodation: Casa particular (B & B)
Day 6: TRINIDAD
Free to wander and photograph the cobble-stone streets of vibrant Trinidad.
ACTIVITIES:
Daily photography instruction and practice with Wayne Kaulbach
- Meals: B/-/-
- Accommodation: Casa particular (B & B)
Day 7: TRINIDAD to HAVANA
After leaving Trinidad, we stop in the beautiful city of Cienfuegos to snapshots of its beautiful French-influenced main plaza.
After returning to Havana, you will have free time to snap some last shots of Bella La Habana. Ask your tour leader for assistance.
We wrap up our wonderful time in Cuba with a group dinner and celebration!
ACTIVITIES:
Short visit to Cienfuegos
Wrap-up dinner
Meals: B/-/D
Accommodation: Casa Particulares
DAY 8: DEPARTURE DAY
Last moments to soak up in this beautifully bewildering Caribbean Island before departure. You will be transferred to the airport to connect with your flights.
- Fly back home or ask to extend your stay!
- Meals: B/-/-
Wayne Kaulbach
Portrait of the Photographer Wayne Kaulbach.
Wayne Kaulbach MPA F/PPABC,
Wayne received his Masters Of Photographic Arts in 2004 and his Fellowship in 2006. Along with his wife Michelle Fleming, they have owned and operated Skylight Images, a multi-award-winning photographic service specializing in natural light portraiture, in Vancouver since 1995.
Along with teaching travel and street photography through Langara’s Continuing Studies program for seven years, Wayne is also an ongoing contributor to Photo Life Magazine and a passionate travel and street photographer.
THE MINDFUL TRAVELER: WAYNE’S TRAVEL PHILOSOPHY
Travel helps us appreciate the people and cultures of the world. In recent years I’ve combined my knowledge and passion for photography with my love of international travel to create some amazing Photography Trips to some of my favourite destinations.
There’s no better way to find creative inspiration than to explore someplace new. I’ve recognized that travellers want to see some well-known areas of a new country but more often, want the quieter hoods, where tourists do not go and where we are not herded from location to location.
I’ve scouted out these alternative neighbourhoods where the tourist buses are absent and I am thrilled to share these with my fellow travellers. My travel philosophy is that we are all ambassadors of kindness and respect and we treat everyone we meet — including each other — accordingly.
Having travelled extensively around the world, Wayne is eager to continue to share his knowledge along with his love of travel and street photography. Wayne has led Photography Tours to India, Morocco, Portugal, and Cuba.
Check out Wayne’s work on his website: www.wkaulbach.com/
Tour Exclusions
IMPORTANT NOTES
PLEASE NOTE: This itinerary is subject to change. Although we always do our best to stick to the itinerary, due to the ever-changing nature of Morocco, activities, hotels, and visits are subject to change due to forces beyond our control.
FLIGHTS: Please do not purchase your flights until this tour is confirmed.
PASSPORTS: Must be valid for at least 6 months upon return date to your home country. Proper documentation is the responsibility of each traveller.
VISAS: (responsibility of the traveller)
Travel Insurance
Cancellation, Travel, Flight, and Health insurance are required and are the responsibility of the participant to research and secure the appropriate coverage. Click HERE for a Travel Insurance Quote or please email nicola@finisterra.ca for a quote.
Check with your local travel agent /insurance provider/health plan for advice about traveling overseas.
Waiver Form
All participants will be required to sign a Waiver Form prior to departure.
Are you all ready for your next adventure?
Even though we wish you a flawless trip, things can happen, especially nowadays. Make sure you are prepared with a Travel Insurance policy that is right for you. Finisterra recommends Manulife Insurance or World Nomads Insurance. Please feel free to ask us about Covid-19 Insurance Coverage, Trip Cancellation & Interruption Insurance, Travel Medical Insurance, or any other questions you may have.
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