Central Cuba Photo Tour: Camagüey to Santa Clara

Visit the heart of Cuban culture in a region few tourists ever see!

Cuba’s frozen-in-time stage-set backdrop lends a twilight zone ambiance that Hollywood couldn’t dream up if it tried. It guarantees superb photography. But Cuba’s real magic isn’t its crumbling architecture, one-of-a-kind revolutionary icons, or spruced-up vintage cars. It’s the seemingly prosaic yet hugely photogenic locals and quintessential lifestyle a lo cubano that provide for the most authentic grass-roots photography. In short, Cuba is a street photographer’s dream!

Our photographic journey through the fascinating central provinces of Cuba explores a lesser-visited, yet culturally and visually exciting, part of the island. From the rambling, cobbled UNESCO World Heritage colonial city of Camagüey to the colorful revolutionary city of Santa Clara (forever associated with Che Guevara), we’ll discover a wealth of colonial-era cities, vibrant landscapes, and genteel and gracious people.

Traveling through countryside lushly green with sugarcane and forested hills, we’ll also explore the virtually untouristed city of Morón (a major railroad junction); the faded yesteryear ambience of Caibarién and Camajuaní, with their timeworn wooden homes and once resplendent Beaux Arts mansions; and the lost-in-time colonial city of Remedios—a national monument and UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On this carefully curated one-of-a-kind trip, you'll  learn the "art of seeing" in the 'National Geographic style' with Christopher P. Baker, author & photographer of countless magazines stories, plus eight books about Cuba, including the National Geographic Traveler Cuba guidebook. Chris leads this trip on behalf of Jim Cline Photo Tours.

 

Day 1 Camagüey
Arrive on your flight from Miami to Camagüey and check into your room in our casa particular (private B&B), superbly situated on the most beautiful of the city's cobbled colonial plazas. This evening we’ll have an orientation meeting and slide-show presentation by Christopher, followed by dinner at our beautiful B&B. 
O/N: Hostal San Rafael, Camagüey

Day 2 Camagüey
We’ll begin our photography with a sunrise walking tour of the UNESCO World Heritage historic center, with sunlight streaming down its labyrinthine cobbled streets as the city begins to stir. After breakfast, we’ll indulge in more street photography, perhaps including the agromercado  Hatibónico and Plaza del Carmen, where we'll visit Estudio-Taller Martha Jimenez and perhaps photograph an Afro-Cuban dance show by the Ballet Folklórico de Camagüey. After lunch and a siesta, we'll explore historic Camagūey further afield, including the train station and perhaps even the Talleres de Gallido locomotive repair facility, before dinner at Mesón del Principe, a lovely paladar (private restaurant).
O/N: Hostal San Rafael, Camagüey

Day 3 Camagüey
This morning, we’ll visit the Ballet de Camagüey to photograph a ballet rehearsal. Also, we hope to photograph the adjacent workshop for stage design and ballet costumes, as well as the manufacturing of ballet footwear. After a mid-day siesta, we’ll enjoy a private photography session with ballerinas, including in the city’s flamboyant cemetery. This evening we'll dine at Restaurante 1800, close to our hostal, on Plaza San Juan de Dios.
O/N Camaguey

Day 4 Camagüey to Morón (via Florida and Esmeralda)
This morning we drive to Morón (3 hours), perhaps stopping to photograph in Florida, or Playa Cunabua, with its funky thatched huts. After checking into our B&B, we'll have lunch and a siesta before setting off in mid-afternoon for street photography in explore the historic city center. We’ll end for golden hour and sunset at the eclectic and bustling railway station, with its intriguing décor, always-fascinating local life, and its tumbledown maintenance workshop and turntable.
DINNER: Maité La Qaba
O/N Alojamiento Maité, Morón

Day 5 Morón
This morning we’ll take another photo walk through Morón. Later, we may head out to either Laguna de Redonda or Laguna de Leche for lunch overlooking the lake. After our afternoon siesta, we’ll catch a rustic commuter train for the 90-minute ride with locals to Ciego de Ávila, the capital of the province. En route, the train stops at small stations and rural crossings where passengers--often with livestock--jump on and off. We’ll photograph around Ciego de Ávila at sunset and return to Morón in our van. For dinner, we’ll eat at El Pino Atrevido paladar.
O/N Alojamiento Maité, Morón

Day 6 Morón to Remedios (via Jaguajay and Caibarién)
We depart Morón for the three-hour drive to Remedios, perhaps with a stop in Chambas or Jaguajay for street photography. Arrive the UNESCO World Heritage colonial-era city of Remedios, we’ll check into our B&Bs. After lunch and a siesta, we’ll explore Remedios for street photography, including the unique experience of photographing “mud people” actors in the cobbled streets during golden hour. Tonight's meal is a highlight: a lechón (suckling roast pig) dinner at Hostal La Estancia.
O/N Hostal La Estancia & Villa Colonial, Remedios

Day 7 Remedios
After breakfast, we’ll journey a short distance to the tumbledown fishing port of Caibarién, where we'll photograph the fishers and their funky wooden boats and wharves. Returning to Remedios, we'll visit Museo Agroindústria, housed in an old sugar mill and boasting a steam-train museum. In mid-afternoon, we’ll take a photo walk for street photography ops in the city’s atmospheric backstreets and outskirt farmsteads.
O/N Hostal La Estancia & Villa Colonial, Remedios

Day 8 Remedios to Santa Clara
In the morning, we’ll make the one-hour drive to Santa Clara, with a stop to photograph in the town of Camajuani, with its aged colonnaded streets, intriguing cemetery, and rusty yet still-active railroad. We may also choose to visit Camajuani’s cigar factory. Arriving Santa Clara, we have time to visit some of the top sites, such as the Monumento Ernesto Che Guevara, with its museum and mausoleum where Che’s remains are interred. (The city has notable historical significance as it was here, in late December 1958, that Che Guevara’s guerilla army seized the city—a decisive victory in the Rebel Army’s struggle against the Batista regime.) Our accommodations in the colonial heart of Santa Clara are within steps of charming Parque Leoncio Vidal, graced by the Teatro La Caridad and other neoclassical buildings of note. In late afternoon, we'll enjoy a private photo session (accompanied by a top local photographer) of a quinceañera in a colonial gown celebrating her fifteenth birthday.
O/N Hostal Florida Center & Hostal Yakelyn, Santa Clara

Day 9 Santa Clara
We’ll spend the early morning hours photographing street life as the sun rises around Plaza del Carmen and the lively railway station. After breakfast, we’ll take another street photography walk to focus our lenses on colorful nail salons, the Coppelia ice cream salon, and other venues that speak to Santa Clara’s daily life. The afternoon is free. This evening, we'll enjoy viewing a slideshow of everyone’s favorite images, followed by our farewell dinner.
O/N Hostal Florida Center, Santa Clara

Day 10 Depart
Depart Santa Clara for Miami and home.