Havana, January 22 (RHC)-- Two German ships carrying high school students and professors will arrive in Cuba's westernmost province of Pinar del Río in February as part of an academic overseas program that will take them to several nations in the region, officials said.

The ship Thor Heyerdahl will arrive on February 2nd at the Diving Center María La Gorda, where members of the expedition will start a 200 km bike ride until they reach the city, Yuliet Morejón from the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples told Prensa Latina.

Then they will visit the Vocational Exact Sciences School Federico Engels to participate in sports and artistic activities, as well as to receive lessons on Cuban history, geography and traditional dances.

The sailors will also visit the Viñales Natural Park, a farmers cooperative and will learn about tobacco growing in Pinar del Río. Subesequently they will travel to the Cuban capital, Havana where they will meet with German-speaking students and visit places of cultural relevance.

The High Seas High School project has combined traditional school lessons and seafaring tasks for more than 20 years and has welcomed around 20 thousand teenagers and young adults. The sailing ship comes to Cuba every year with about 30 students interested in knowing about foreign countries and different cultures.