Western Cuba small group tour

Environment

We have the option to visit and support the conservation of the Topes de Collantes National Park in the Sierra Escambray, near Trinidad. By paying entrance fees and hiring local guides, we are encouraging the continued preservation and studies of this forested area and its wildlife.

Our style of travel ensures that as many local people as possible benefit by our being there through our choice of transport, accommodation, excursions and meals. This tour runs with a maximum of 20 people which helps to minimise the impact on delicate environments.

Community

We endeavour to eat in ‘paladars’, private homes that serve tourists a hearty, local meal and provide an opportunity for Cubans to earn a living, or to supplement their income with dollars meaning they can buy many goods not available in local currency – clothes, toothpaste, shampoo etc. Clients joining this tour are encouraged (at their own discretion) to take gifts of such, everyday items which can be hard to come by in Cuba and are often very costly.

We visit and support the community project of Las Terrazas in the Sierra del Rosario UNESCO biosphere reserve. This is Cuba’s premier centre for ecotourism, which offers the chance to get a little bit closer to the local community, who coexist harmoniously with their surroundings. The model community was set up as part of a reforestation project and also as a scheme to promote self sufficiency and education in rural areas.