Small group backroads and beaches tours to Cuba

Environment

Travelling to Cuba with us on this tour makes a difference, especially to the local staff who work as tour leaders, guides, drivers and hotel staff. Although wages in Cuba are set and strictly controlled by the government we look to provide our local staff with other, non-monetary incentives instead (although of course tips from groups are always welcomed!) – we recently invited one of our more long-standing local leaders over to the UK for a visit and training.

Overseas travel for Cubans is almost unheard of and a trip abroad really is the opportunity of a lifetime for a Cuban. We have also conducted training courses locally for our leaders and provided them with everything from first aid kits and walking boots to mobile phones – consumer goods are very hard to obtain in Cuba so these items are necessary but also gratefully received.

Our group size is relatively small, no more than 18, which allows us to use smaller, less polluting buses and also minimizes the impact we have on the places we visit.

Due to the scarcity of consumer goods in the country, Cubans are excellent at recycling and almost nothing goes to waste (hence the huge number of 1950s American cars that are still driven today – not because Cuban’s are American car fanatics but because keeping them running is necessity).

In addition to the above, we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage. As well as this, we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators. We acknowledge that air travel has a negative impact on our environment, so we work together with Cool Earth to offset carbon and protect our important rainforests.

Community

During this trip we only stay in casas particulares, which are locally-owned homestays, with usually between 4-8 beds. The money from our visits goes directly to the owner of the house, and they also cook up some hearty meals for their guests!