Immerse yourself in Cuba's history, culture, music and cuisine with this $1899 per person trip that includes nonstop air from Miami to Havana and a visitor's visa.

The ban on travel to Cuba has eased for U.S. citizens in the last year, but only a small number of companies -- including Friendly Planet -- have received people-to-people licenses to bring travelers legally from the U.S.

This just-launched four-night package fosters educational interaction with Cuban residents through planned events every day. Similar offers from other U.S. companies cost at least $350 more per person than this trip.

The following is included in the price:

• Nonstop roundtrip airfare on a U.S. government-licensed charter service
• U.S. Treasury Department license and letter of authorization
• Cuba entrance visa
• Four nights at the historic and well-reviewed Hotel Nacional de Cuba in Havana
• A Friendly Planet escort and a "people-to-people" guide
• All land transfers within Cuba
• All 12 meals: four breakfasts, four lunches and four dinners
• All taxes and entrance fees
• A full-time schedule of educational activities

Highlights include: meeting with experts on U.S.-Cuban relations; visiting artists in a neighborhood known for its Afro-Cuban culture; seeing a cigar factory (and learning from former employees about the hand-rolling process); learning about the Cuban educational system during a trip to an elementary school; and meeting farmers in the Las Terrazas area. Plus, visit with a historian at the mansion and museum of Ernest Hemingway.

Depart from Miami on May 16 or Sept. 12 for this special price. For $100-$200 more, leave June 6 or Sept. 26. An upgrade to Parque Central Hotel (ranked the No. 1 Havana hotel on TripAdvisor's Canadian site) and other 2012 dates also are available.

Also available: Spend more time in Cuba with a seven-night, $2899 per person trip that includes more activities and two nights in the Trinidad area. See the link below for more details.