Katherine Greenberg, Past President, Pacific Horticultural Foundation, will escort a tour to Cuba February 18 – March 2, 2010, under the auspices of Pacific Horticulture Magazine.

Join like minded plant lovers for a long-awaited study tour of Cuba, where you  will visit the highly successful urban gardens of historic Havana, as well as the country’s national parks, important repositories of the island’s native flora. Cuba is the largest, most diverse, and species-rich island in the Caribbean. You’ll also enjoy the country’s cuisine, music, and culture. Meetings with Cubans will highlight the tour. All tour members must qualify to participate.

Pacific Horticulture staff are working with a humanitarian organization, Global Exchange, to provide opportunities for those of you who work in the areas of horticulture, botanic gardens, or the environment to travel to Cuba as members of this information-gathering delegation. You must be a full-time or part-time professional or volunteer professional to qualify. Please contact them to receive an application to be a part of this exciting opportunity.  Global Exchange is a registered Travel Service Provider for Cuba with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department. This trip operates under their General License.

Tour highlights will include visits to the Havana Botanic Garden, the La Terrazas reforestation project and the Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve for orchids at the Orquidarium Soroa (pictured below), a trip to Zapata, recognized as the finest wetland in the Caribbean with extraordinary plantlife and wildlife, Cinfuegos, a city on the south coast, the Sierra del Cambray Mountains, the colonial city of Trinidad, and more.  For a detailed itinerary, contact 510-849-1627, or email office@pacifichorticulture.org.