PROGRAMS

Experience The Real Cuba is a small, fairly informal, family / locally run venture promoting Trinidad de Cuba.  Our local knowledge and contacts in Trinidad will provide you with the opportunity to experience life in an ambient colonial Cuban town, living with a Cuban family in a casa particular, where you can become as involved with the family as you choose.  You can get to know the family and even offer to cook them a meal! 

Together with the family experience in a casa particular, we can also organise Spanish lessons, Salsa classes, Music lessons, Painting and Pottery workshops.....you tell us what you're interested in and we will see what we can do.

CASA PARTICULAR

Experience life in Cuba as it truly is by staying with a family, in a casa particular.  It is the best way to learn Spanish abroad, the perfect opportunity to practice Spanish and to experience everyday life in this fascinating country.  You will be placed either in the home of the Casa Co-ordinator or a Casa Particular close by, depending on availability.

All Casa Particulares are clean and comfortable, offer a private bathroom and depending on what package you choose, 2 tasty meals per day; breakfast and dinner.  Meals at Casa Particulares are not to be underestimated, meals are often much better than eating out at the restaurants, they are plentiful and very delicious.

Cuban families are very warm and welcoming.  Your Cuban experience depends on you and what you put into it.  If you come with a positive attitude and an open mind, ready to embrace everything that is thrown at you, you will truly have an unforgettable experience. 

SPANISH LESSONS

Learning Spanish in Cuba is fairly informal, lessons are usually on a one-to-one basis with a professional and experienced language teacher.  They are not held at a language school, college or university, but held within a family home. 

The teachers have limited teaching supplies and do not have access to photocopy machines and computers, nevertheless their teaching methods are second to none.  They are inspiring, they are able to make you feel relaxed and speak to you in such a way that makes you understand everything they say, even if they are speaking to you only in Spanish. 

Spanish lessons are held in the morning or the afternoon, depending on availability and will be arranged with you when you arrive on your 1st day in Trinidad.  During your 1st Spanish language lesson your teacher will assess the level of your language skills simply by holding a conversation with you and try to find out a little about you and your interests.  This enables your teacher to concentrate on what you need as a student, making your learning experience more enjoyable and interesting.

1 lesson = 50 minutes.  From experience, we recommend about 3 hours of lessons per day, any more and you start to drift and your brain frazzles.  So the choice is yours, you can choose either 3 lessons per day = 2.5 hours or 4 lessons per day = 3 hours, 20 minutes. 

You will need to bring your own notebook and stationery, this will not be provided.
 
SALSA LESSONS

What better place to learn salsa than Cuba.  There is music and dancing every night in Trinidad, so not only can you learn salsa but you get the chance to practice almost immediately, in fact your salsa teacher will insist you go out every night, part of your homework!

Salsa lessons are on a one-to-one basis, your teacher will be your partner, this way you learn to dance with a partner straight away, you will not be subjected to the line dance method of learning salsa!  First you will learn the basic steps and then move on to all the twist and turns.

1 lesson = 50 minutes and are held in a family home.  Teachers are experienced in not only dancing but teaching also.  Students usually opt for 1 lesson per day.

All you need to bring with you are your dancing shoes and be ready to have FUN.



MUSIC LESSONS

Music is in the blood of every Cuban, Cuba is truly a musical country, even in the way Cubans speak, they sound like they are singing to each other.  There are many musicians in Trinidad, we can offer a few different options, depending on your interest and budget.  We can arrange a 1 day workshop or private tuition with David López Carabito and / or other local musicians.

INSTRUMENTS

David López Carabito is an internationally renowned musician, he has attended cultural events in Canada and is a talented and professional instructor of Percussion Instruments.  He gives private tuition of the following instruments:

Tumbadora / Congos
Bongo

1 music lesson = 1 hour and are held at the Casa de la Música.



We can also arrange Guitar and Piano lessons with other local musicians.

MUSIC WORKSHOP

David also runs a 1 day workshop.  He introduces you to the differing percussion instruments and teaches you the basic rhythmic movements.  You can get to hear him play, feel the music and get the opportunity to play the instruments.  This is a group workshop, usually 2-3 hours depending on the size of the group.  The workshop is held at Casa de la Música.

CERAMICS

Trinidad is famous for it’s ceramic works.  There are many workshops which produce high quality ceramic pieces and are sold all over Cuba.

Lessons take place at the workshop managed by one of the most renowned and talented families in Trinidad.  The family have maintained a tradition of pottery over many years and have passed down their secrets from one generation to another, working with clay on the wheel.

Their history dates back to 1892 where the first member of the family was taught the art of ceramics by a Spanish immigrant.  He started out by building a rustic workshop and as the family has grown so have the number of workshops, there are now around 5 workshops within the family.

Over the last 60 years they have received many awards at Havana’s Feria Internacional de Arte (FIART).  This is the most important event in Cuba for Artists.  In 2007, the family also received a special prize from UNESCO, the master craftsman, in recognition of a family tradition.

They have given courses in ceramics both in Cuba and abroad and they also have developed workshops aimed at local school children.

If you have an interest in taking part in a ceramics workshop, learning about the basics of ceramics, how to create your own pieces, we can help organise a ceramics course for you at one of the local workshops.

ART

Art is everywhere in Cuba and Trinidad is no exception.  It is home to a number of talented Artists willing to share their expertise with you. 

Trinidad is an inspiring location to develop your artist instincts.  If you are interested in Art or Painting, we can arrange a course with a local Artist in their gallery in the historical centre of Trinidad.  


The Artist is a graduate of the National School of Art in Cuba; they have travelled internationally on many occasions and have had the opportunity to show their work abroad.

DIVING


Cuba is famous for it’s warm and pristine Caribbean waters, home to a diverse and colourful underwater world.  From Trinidad it is possible to organise either dive trips or PADI dive courses.  Instructors have around 20 years of dive experience and are fully certified Dive Masters.  They will ensure you have a safe and unforgettable experience.  The average visibility is about 20 to 25 metres; dive sites include caves, shipwrecks and wall drops of around 100 metres.