Custom Legal Private Cuba Travel

Support for the Cuban People

Custom – Legal – Private

CULTURAL CUBA Insider Tours

ITINERARY: Nothing is cookie-cutter about a Cultural Cuba trip! We do not like rigid, inflexible tours. Our trips meet all the legal requirements of Support for the Cuban People travel yet offer custom-tailored activities and flexible pacing. Our curated itineraries mirror our travelers’ specific interests and travel goals while providing real-behind-the scenes access and authentic connections unique to Cultural Cuba immersive and enjoyable travel.

HOTELS: We only work with top centrally-located lux hotel properties in Havana such as the five-star Gran Hotel Manzana Kempinski or the iconic Saratoga and vetted private and small boutique hotels.

DINING: The Food scene in Cuba is undergoing an evolution. Enjoy dining at top-rated Paladares. These are private restaurants ranging from 1-2 tables in home kitchens to full-scale restaurants hidden inside fully restored Mansions.

NIGHTLIFE: Jazz Clubs, Salsa Bars, Night Clubs, and some venues that only the locals go to enjoy. The only thing stopping anyone is a need for sleep. Havana is a late-night town. That said, there is no pressure to do anything at all after dinner. Travelers can go back to the hotel to rest or head out on their own with guidance from the guide who also serves as a night-time concierge.

GUIDES: Our Cuban Guides are the best there are in Havana. Our team of experienced and dedicated dynamic guides are highly educated with excellent English language skills. They are not afraid to give insights on the challenging aspects of living in Cuba as well as share and show the best of Havana’s fascinating culture and unique history.

HUMANITARIAN: Elect to add a Humanitarian element to your trip. Visit a music conservatory, dance school, pharmacy, pre-school, or other entity of interest where much-needed “non-cash” gifts may be donated. Through Cultural Cuba’s Support for the Cuban People legal tours, travelers make an important difference to the Cuban people.

CUBAN CUISINE & HAVANA DINING

Havana’s Top Restaurants, or “PALADARES,” are privately run and owned establishments often found inside of former mansions or private homes converted to restaurants. Cultural Cuba continuously vets each restaurant to make sure the food quality and service are exceptional. Our list of the best dining establishments changes frequently as new restaurants open or familiar ones don’t meet our expectations. Cuban cuisine in Havana is undergoing an evolution as chefs create unique interpretations of Cuban classics, pay tribute to traditional recipes handed down through generations, and celebrate a melting pot of styles and flavors.

HAVANA NIGHTS

Your guide will serve as your night-time concierge, determining where and when the best live music offerings are happening, getting you to your post-dinner destination. For activities you know you wish to partake in, please let us know so that we can reserve your tickets and or plan the itinerary accordingly.

Enjoy The CUBAN ART FACTORY Havana’s hottest night-spot (Thurs – Sun nights).
See a Ballet performance at the NATIONAL THEATER (dependent on schedule).
Enjoy the sophisticated CAFÉ MIRAMAR and high levels of JAZZ improvisation
Stop in to EL FLORIDITA -home of the daiquiri and Hemingway hangout with live music.

CULTURAL CUBA EXCLUSIVE EXPERIENCES

PRIVATE RUM TASTING with the RUM sommelier of HAVANA CLUB RUM
Visit the renowned PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO of Alex Castro (Fidel’s son!)
CLASSIC 1950’S CONVERTIBLE SUNSET RIDE and professional PHOTO SHOOT
EXCLUSIVE discussion with HAVANA’S CITY PLANNER AND CHIEF ARCHITECT
Enjoy PRIVATE ONE-ON-ONE SALSA LESSONS
DYNAMIC in-studio performance by HABANA COMPAS DANCE
MOJITO MIXOLOGY behind the bar of an Old Havana private paladar
EXCLUSIVE conversation with the former CULTURAL&PRESS ATTACHÉ for Cuba
Access to PRIVATE STUDIOS & GALLERIES of emerging and established artists
Tour the National Museum of Fine Arts with the MUSEUM CURATOR
ENJOY A SHABBAT DINNER OR SERVICE AT BET SHALOM SYNAGOGUE
HUMANITARIAN visit with the students of an Old Havana-based PRE-SCHOOL
EXCLUSIVE private jazz jam by a renowned and fantastic CUBAN JAZZ TRIO
COOK alongside a dynamic Cuban Chef in a TOP-RATED PRIVATE PALADAR
PHOTO SAFARI/WORSKHOP with acclaimed Cuban Photographer
Advance reservations made for all the best TOP-RATED PRIVATE PALADARS
Enjoy private VIP ACCESS to Havana’s hottest night club
Fleet of dedicated air-conditioned CLASSIC CARS
TELL US your SPECIAL REQUESTS – Birthday or Anniversary celebrations

DAY TRIPS FROM HAVANA

Let Cultural Cuba plan your authentic and unique cultural journey to Cuba. Click on each Day Tab to explore our day-trip options for Havana-based stays of 4 or more nights. We work with you to create a custom itinerary that reflects your interests and desired trip pacing and scope.

INCLUDED in all Cultural Cuba fully-guided custom tailored tours:

• Deluxe accommodations in a centrally located lux hotel including daily breakfasts and WIFI

• Support for the Cuban People VISA services including the required maintenance of documents 5 years post-travel

• A full-time dynamic expert bilingual Cuban Guide

• Air-conditioned transportation with stocked waters with a full-time dedicated driver

• A custom-tailored itinerary curated to match your interests while being compliant with current travel restrictions

• All scheduled activities and experiences including interactions with experts and all museum or site entrance fees

• Any day-trip option for stays of 4 or more nights

• Gratuities for the Guide and the Driver

Day-Trip to Las Terrazas (45 min. drive each way)

After breakfast, Travel 45 mins. to LAS TERRAZAS NATIONAL PARK AND BIOSPHERE RESERVE. The pioneering eco-village of Las Terrazas is a Unesco Biosphere Reserve, dating back to a reforestation project started in 1968. Today it’s a burgeoning activity center with Cuba’s only canopy tour and the site of the earliest surviving coffee plantations in Cuba.

Explore the picturesque whitewashed village that overlooks a small lake, featuring an art community with open studios, woodwork, and pottery workshops.
Visit the CASA DE POLO MUSEUM and learn about the beloved farmer Polo Montanez who gained fame and fortune later in life as a composer and singer. His love of the land and his personal philosophies and how these are incorporated into his music are explored in the small museum.
Lunch at a rustic restaurant known to serve the BEST ROPA VIEJA in Cuba

Return to Havana – Free afternoon to rest and relax

Day-Trip to FINCA TUNGASUK (one hour drive each way)

Volunteer for a morning alongside Cuban farmers at this organic farm located one hour from Havana. Enjoy a local breakfast before working for 3 hours alongside the farmers. Reward your labors with a delicious organic lunch on the farm followed by a tour of the main crops before returning to Havana.

NOTE: Guests must arrive by 8:30 am and be minimum 16 yrs old.

Return to Havana – Free afternoon to rest and relax

Day-Trip Varadero (two hour drive each way)

After breakfast at the hotel, departure for a day trip to VARADERO. Varadero is foremost a tourist resort town, boasting more than 20 km of white sandy beaches.

Stop at BACUNAYAGUA BRIDGE – a Cuban Architecture jewel.
Panoramic tour of MATANZAS – the “City of Bridges.” There are 21 in total.
Visit EDICIONES VIGIA and learn about the hand-made books they produce.
Lunch on the ocean at the DUPONT HOUSE. Learn about the influence and stories of this wealthy family on the island.
After lunch, time to relax. Enjoy the BEACHES OF VARADERO

Return to Havana – Relax. Dinner at a highly reputed paladar.

Day-Trip Viñales Valley (two and a half hour drive each way) Late Fall through Late Spring

After breakfast, travel 2 ½ hours to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Viñales Valley. The striking landscape is notable for its mogotes, a series of tall, rounded hills that rise abruptly from the flat plain of the valley. It is also significant for its cultural associations, particularly its traditional agricultural practices related to growing tobacco.

Visit the 160 million-year-old limestone formations and the historic caves once used by runaway slaves.
Visit the famous BENITO, a working tobacco farm, to explore the tobacco harvest and production process.
Lunch at Finca Paraiso. This organic farm offers a true farm-to-table experience.
Horse-back riding on well-trained horses in the natural parks is optional.