Salsa holiday in Havana, Cuba

When you book our Salsa Holiday to Havana – a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the oldest, grandest and safest cities in the Americas - you’re not just learning the Cuban national dance, you’ll also be joining a 30-year tradition of working together to maintain a responsible lifestyle. We aim to create a total living experience which can lead to changes beneficial both to the individual and to the world we live in.

As part of your booking, you will be provided with a copy of the company philosophy which emphasises being rather than having, doing rather than consuming, and cooperating rather than competing. Community meetings give the whole community a chance to talk to each other and to give participants a say in the structure of their daily life. You will be provided with pre-trip information on the host community to raise cultural awareness and help you to make decisions on how to integrate responsibly. Your host, John Harris, will give you a Responsible Travel briefing including practical advice on social interaction with the local people and during your holiday you will have opportunities to learn some local language and eat locally-sourced organic national cuisine.

Every participant is also paired with their own local dance partner who works with them for all lessons. This arrangement through a government licensed provider of cultural services enables us to provide much needed economic support directly to the local community and the dancers are given a unique opportunity to interact with our guests. The Havana Libre Hotel employs all local staff and is a collaboration between Spain’s Sol Melia and the Cuban government.

Our Cuba sessions also feature sessions on Cuban History and culture from Cuban national Clem Axel – participants have said that this gives a valuable insight into what life in Cuba is really like. Guests visit historical sites and places of cultural interest to further help raise awareness of Cuban history/culture and encourage integration with the host community. We offer excursions to local small scale industries – almost the entire fee for these directly benefits the Cuban economy with its unique combination of welfare and social projects.

Our commitment to positive action is not restricted to our holiday destinations. At our administrative offices various environmental policies are in place, including all single sided printed material is stapled into booklets and re-used for notepaper, all staff living within a 3 mile radius have elected to walk to work, we have made available downloadable versions of literature from our site to reduce reliance on printed brochures and encourage online booking as an alternative to paper-based methods. Waste materials are sorted for recycling wherever possible.

Staff, guests and suppliers are also actively encouraged to suggest further ways in which we can increase our environmental responsibility.