9 day tour of Western Cuba

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

On our tour, we guide you to authentic Cuban dining experiences, emphasizing locally-sourced, seasonal, and vegetarian/vegan-friendly options, supporting small-scale farming and the environment. Such recommendations include restaurants like El Cuajani in Viñales. Valley and La Redacción in Trinidad de Cuba. In Havana, engage with Nancy Cepero, an African-Cuban painter and committed vegan, offering insights into transforming traditional dishes into plant-based delights. Opting for vegetarian choices reduces resource consumption and minimizes greenhouse gas emissions, promoting sustainable agriculture and a lower carbon footprint during your Cuban culinary exploration.

Two days of this tour is spent sightseeing by push bike, rather than motor vehicles. Exploring Trinidad's beaches and fishing villages on a cycling adventure with a local guide, immersing in traditional rural life. Bicycles play a crucial role in Cuban transportation, especially in rural areas where access to motorized vehicles is limited. In Havana, join the Underground Havana Bike Tour, cycling through city backstreets to uncover diverse and vibrant cultural influences. Pre-revolution, bicycles were a common means of commuting. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in biking as a sustainable and environmentally friendly mode of transportation. Today, Cuba promotes cycling for sustainability, aiming to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Initiatives, such as creating bike lanes, underscore the government's commitment to eco-friendly transportation.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

Our tour engages in activities that promote environmental conservation and respect for nature. Explore Cuba's stunning natural landscapes through eco-friendly excursions, such as guided hikes, bird watching, or cycling that avoid activities that harm the local ecosystems or wildlife. We advise our guests when visiting other countries to practice responsible waste management by reducing, reusing, and recycling and to bring a reusable water bottle and shopping bag to minimize single-use plastic consumption, and to dispose of waste properly and participate in local recycling initiatives where available.

On this trip you are introduced to the NGO CEDA (Cubans in Defense of Animals), a non-government, non-profit organization run by Cubans with the principal objectives to reduce the numbers of abandoned dogs and cats living on the streets in Cuba, and to educate the local population about animal rights. They offer a “wish list” which guests can view and donate veterinary and medical supplies whilst visiting.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

Experience the true essence of Cuba through this genuine tour that celebrates the country's distinctive culture and warm-hearted people. Immerse yourself in authentic encounters with experiences with the locals through staying in locally owned accommodation, for example in Trinidad stay in a homestay of a Cuban family, and in Viñales at a home located among the Mogote hills, with its charismatic owners. Eat at family-run establishments like San Cristóbal, an African-Cuban-owned restaurant. Whilst in Cienfuegos visit local markets and theatres, and take a short boat trip to an island in the bay for the best local seafood. In Havana, join chef Diana for a guided walk through the produce markets and stores to see firsthand how Cubans access food supplies

You will also meet local guides who are proud to share their knowledge and history of their heritage, such as at La Boca Beach with the guidance of an expert in local history of fishermen's villages and arrive at Casilda village by bike and meet the locals. You’ll also take a locally guided historic Havana tour from an African-Cuban perspective.

Visit a lively Community Art Project, Callejón de Hamel, aimed at preserving African-Cuban culture. Full of vibrant Afro-Cuban art made from recycled items such as old baths, cash register, bicycles and painted murals on the walls with the atmosphere filled with eclectic music.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

This itinerary which explores a classic journey in Western Cuba incorporates as many Afro Cuban business as possible. Learn about how these business owners are working together to encourage a new generation all the while supporting their new enterprises.

The "Beyond Roots" experience introduces you to the warmth of the Afro-Cuban community of Guanabacoa. Learn from their knowledge passed on from generations, and see its influence in Cuban daily life through the flavours of the unique Afro Cuban Cuisine. Visit Acosta Danza, founded in 2016 by Afro-Cuban ballet dancer Carlos Acosta who grew up in an impoverished family in one of Havana's poorest districts. Visit the haunts of the Mafia capos that loomed in pre-revolutionary Havana.

Take a cultural exchange at Cuba Libro café which is a socially responsible community resource for both Cubans and foreigners to interact. Lean about the African-Cuban culture through visiting places such as the National Museum of Fine Arts, Orishas’ Museum and La Casa de África. Learn why Havana has a Chinatown, but no Chinese, and talk about how recent immigrants have been drawn to the island's new energy!

Whilst on a trekking tour of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, meet Los Acuáticos (The Water People), and the local traditions of a small number of residents that live in Viñales valley and believe in the healing properties of water. Also learn about the sugar industry of the 19th century in the region through stories told by an expert. See the slave quarters on former plantations owned by sugar barons.