Cultural Island Travel - Travel To Cuba Legally Anmeldelser 

We had a fabulous experience touring Cuba with CIT, from the first day to the last. Mostly this was because of Cuba--a place like no other, with warm, talented people--but it was also because of our great guides. Patricia, who chaperoned us our first two days, was warm, friendly, and knowledgeable. The experience that stands out was dancing with her and the members of the Afro-Cuban collective Beyond Roots to the drums and singing of the group members. We are neither Yoruba nor believers in Santeria (well, maybe now we are), but the spirit and the rhythms really took us to a different world. Another amazing experience--and I can't remember if it was still with Patricia or our 2nd guide, Karel--was the concert we were given by a group of children singing and playing guitars in their classroom, some of the kids as young as five or six, up to older teens. They attend an after-school program called Clave de Sol and they are so talented.

Karel took over as guide on our third day and he was extraordinary. He's a university professor and all-around expert on Cuba, its history, landscape, politics, beliefs--the works. It was like being in a roving school, riding in the van and soaking up experiences while Karel taught us, so easily, just by talking with us. We rode across the island to Trinidad where we had an educational and fun walking tour with local guide Rafael, who seems to know every building in the city! Walking around the picturesque streets we stumbled across a man and his grown son--not anything planned--who invited us into their Santeria shrine inside their house, and talked animatedly with us (translation by Karel of course). 

There are too many highlights to recount, but back in Havana we were wowed by the Habana Compas Dance Troupe and their incredible energy. It was an all-woman dance and percussion ensemble and they mesmerized us. We were also treated to an extraordinary concert in the home of the saxophonist Carlos Miyaures and his drummer [a well-known Cuban drummer whose name I didn't get] and bass player. It was an intimate and engrossing hour of sophisticated Cuban jazz. As proof of the warmth of the Cuban people, Carlos invited our 15 year old drummer-and-pianist grandson to "sit in" and play the drums with them. The founder of the Compas Dance Troupe, Eduardo Cordova, also invited our grandson to play.

I haven't even talked about the art we saw in galleries, which was spectacular, including an exhibit of album covers for famous Cuban and other Latin American musicians. We also enjoyed the mysteriously beautiful nightscapes of the artist Carlos Mata. And we got a "twofer" when Karel arranged a visit with his friend the Cuban jazz drummer and composer Ruy Lopez-Nussa. While visiting in Ruy's studio and hearing him play an impromptu drum solo, we also saw the artwork of his late father, Leonel Lopez-Nussa, who should be famous! Again showing us the warmth of the Cubans, Ruy invited our grandson to play the drums, and autographed a copy of his book for him.

Our trip to the biosphere/ecological nature park Las Terrazas on our last full day was a final treat. Our local guide, Otis, spotted and pointed out to us beautiful birds, including the Cuban national bird, the trogon. The park, created 50 years ago on barren land, is now a lush and bird-filled paradise where people live and work in harmony with nature.

We would go back to Cuba in a heartbeat. But right now our task is to do what we can to get the US government to end its embargo of Cuba and stop punishing the Cuban people. Thanks to Cultural Island Travel for educating and entertaining us. What a week.

My husband, 7 month daughter, and I just got back from an amazing trip to Cuba! It was customized by Teresa, who got to know our needs, and delivered according to our preferences. This trip exceeded our expectations! We had very unique experiences and the people were so warm and friendly. Our Tour Guide, Irma, and driver, Carlos, were phenomenal! We can't think the staff and Shabi enough for the attention to detail and guidance with the visas, etc. We wouldn't hesitate to travel again with CIT.

Cuba as a destination has been on my bucket list since 2005. Our family traveled extensively prior to COVID although, after March 2020 our international travels abruptly halted.

Cultural Island Travel made our 10-day trip to CUBA a reality! The information shared with us prior to our departure prepared us for this adventure. Our Visas and all arrangements for live music and dance presentations, in addition to our excursions were planned in detail.

With my husband Jerry’s interest in cars and cigars along with his epic birthday, Cuba was the perfect destination to help him celebrate with an exotic flare in a country of unbelievable music and art.

Irma was our guide throughout the trip- along with her sister Ivette who helped us for the first 2 days. Irma was able to add on several arrangements that catered to our interests at the last minute such as an evening at Tropicana and a custom tour at a cigar factory.

Irma’s vast connections of guides with their own unique skillsets; Fernando, Christian, Otis, Barbaro and Raphael, helped educate us on the history of Cuba. Our drivers, Pedro, Jose, Argeidy and Luigi made our tour connections to and from paladares and sites smooth and safe.

We stayed in two different guesthouses, both proving comfortable and quiet. Our two hostesses during our stays, Yare and Nyla, created healthy delicious breakfasts for us with ease. Nyla even prepared our breakfast on one occasion with an unexpected power outage (and it was just as delicious as the others).

The entire trip was dreamlike thanks to Cultural Island Travel. Involving them is a MUST for arranging a unique custom-built trip to a destination as spectacular as Cuba.

We just returned from an unforgettable four days in Havana, all expertly curated by Cultural Island Travel. Teresa got to know us to understand our travel style and preferences, and she answered our endless questions right up until departure date. In Cuba, our wonderful guide Patricia and driver Yordan took excellent care of us. They were flexible and fun, seamlessly updating our schedule and activities throughout the week when necessary. Everything was done at our pace and on our timeline. Patricia is beyond knowledgeable and connected, making us feel like special guests everywhere we went. The same can be said for all of the amazing and warm people we met - from our hotel hosts & staff to our historian, photographer, resident artist, cigar expert, and tobacco farmers. Our only job was to relax, enjoy and immerse ourselves in the beautiful city of Havana. The trip exceeded all expectations from beginning to end. 100 stars!

My daughter and I traveled to Cuba through Cultural Island Travel. Everything was great and we had awesome time. Shabi was extremely helpful in arranging everything, and making sure everything was in order for us to go as US citizens. There was never a single glitch. The trip itself was amazing and definitely highly recommended by both my daughter and myself!!!

My friend and I travelled to Cuba in February 2022 with the help of Cultural Island Travel. Shabi was great to work with and took a lot of the stress out of figuring out the logistics of getting to/from Cuba (visa requirements, etc. and all the arrangements while in Cuba (airbnb reservations, currency exchange, internet access guidance, transportation support, restaurant suggestions, etc). Given our status as US citizens who need to be careful about US government restrictions, Shabi’s help was key to a making it all go smoothly, with her quick responses to our emails/texts and on the ground contacts for added support. We had an excellent time, felt very safe throughout the trip, and met wonderful Cuban people both within Havana and at picturesque Varadero Beach.

Our nine day trip in Cuba was spectacular. I have traveled all over the world and this trip is definitely at the top of my list. Before leaving, we were given very clear and thorough information regarding travel in Cuba. Teresa answered all our questions and concerns quickly and offered our group the option to alter our itinerary according to our interests and needs.

From the moment of arrival in Havana until the moment of departure, our guide, Irma, was “on it”. She is incredibly well organized, knowledgeable and most importantly, warm, good humored and fun. Our group fell in love with her. We also adored our driver, Roli. On almost every day we saw performances and activities with artists, musicians, dancers and drummers. These were performed for our group alone. It was totally thrilling.

Cuba is a culturally rich country. The people are warm and sweet. Cultural Island Travel made this experience one that was extra special and will never be forgotten.

Cuba - A trip with Cultural Island Travel

Our tour began much earlier than our actual date of arrival on Feb. 28, 2020. Teressa, at Cultural Island Tours was our contact person. Let it be known that I have never experienced customer service of the quality she delivered. Emails were answered immediately and all questions, no matter how lame, were answered fully. She never left out a detail. I never had to re-email the same question twice. In addition, she always offered more content than I even asked for in anticipation of further inquiries. If I was a head hunter I’d hire her for my company and triple her salary.
Our arrival went as planned. Irma, our spectacular guide, met us at the airport and navigated us to our van driven by the charming and handsome, Roly. Words cannot describe what happened for the next nine days but I’ll give it a shot.
Irma was fun, funny, patient, knowledgeable, generous with every aspect of our needs and beautiful to boot. She understood every nuance of our conversations no matter how subtle. We were so taken care of that all of us (a party of six friends) fantasized about taking her home with us. One of us got badly sunburned and she went to all lengths to get aloe finally retrieving it from her own medicine cabinet. Three of the women had swollen ankles from the airplane ride and Irma created a phone tree, contacting all she knew, to get a diuretic pill for their ride home. It was always beyond the call of duty for each of our requests. We had a blast with her. She immediately blended into our group. She felt like a friend.
Roly too was integrated into our pose. He drove carefully, was always on time, laughed with us when we translated our jokes and helped us out of the van as if we were royalty. Leaving each of them after the trip was the hardest part of our adventure.
The tour itself was perfectly planned out with much attention paid to our special requests. I even had a birthday cake waiting for me at lunch. It was a total surprise and had been arranged far in advance. Speaking of lunch, all the food was first rate and abundant. We almost always had to skip dinner due to the significant bounty we consumed earlier in the day. Breakfast was always prepared beautifully in the casa specials that were booked for us. The accommodations had all we needed for comfort plus they were beautiful. We had no complaints whatsoever in that department.
I highly recommend this tour company if you want an authentic and comprehensive Cuban tour. I can’t imagine a better experience than what was provided for us by Cultural Island Travel.

We cannot possibly recommend CULTURAL ISLAND TRAVEL more highly! Kristen made the logistics of this amazing trip seamless and effortless for us. She worked collaboratively with our INCREDIBLE GUIDE IRMA to put together an itinerary that fit our interests and needs perfectly, and we had specific complex requests-- every one exceeded.
Our guide IRMA felt like family from Day One, and we always felt safe and in good hands with her and our driver LEO.
IRMA was warm, caring, fun, and knowledgeable-- she went the extra mile in countless ways and "made" our trip!
It definitely IS possible to visit the beautiful country of Cuba and meet its people, dine in fastinating family-owned restaurants, and visit extraordinary places that they help you choose in advance. We travel globally, and were profoundly impressed with the professionalism, responsiveness, and guidance from this wonderful travel agency. If you would like to visit Cuba, using Cultural Island Travel is an absolute MUST.

I had a great experience in all possible ways with Cultural Island Travel on my trip to Havana last fall. The guides that accompanied me on a variety of visits to the scenes of Havana were knowledgeable, punctual and very pleasant. We ate scrumptious Cuban food and broke ground at sites not usually included in a standard Havana tour, such as our visit to the home and workshop of the master automobile restorer who brings back to life the 1950s U.S. automobiles that are so abundant in Cuba today in flaming colors that Detroit never conceived in the old days. I congratulate Teresa Sanchez and her colleagues at Cultural Island Travel who masterminded my fabulous trip. Thank you.

Cultural Island Travel is the way to go to Cuba. Teresa thanks so much for all your hard planning to make sure we had the best trip ever.
From the cooking classes to the salsa dancing and mojitos we learned to make while we were there. Patricia was the most amazing tour guide and we miss her!! You got us to the ballet which I've always wanted to see and we need to go back with more time to see more. Leaving was hard but we will come back and you're the first person we will call to arrange all of it! thanks again.

My husband, daughter and I recently had an amazing experience in Cuba with Cultural Island Travel. We were planning to take a cruise there to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, but after my husband's business colleague highly recommended the Cultural Island Tour he had just taken, we felt it would be a better fit for us. Boy, are we glad we made that decision! We had a semi-private tour (one other lovely couple) and our small group was just perfect. From the moment we were met at the Havana Airport, the Cultural Island team came nothing short of excellence. They are extremely organized, efficient and flexible (we even added on a baseball game the last day that originally wasn't on the schedule). The tours they selected for us were perfect and really gave us a feel for the artistic aspect of Havana. We had private concerts, one even in the home of a musician, and a few special surprises in honor of our 50th anniversary were also arranged by Cultural Travel. Full gourmet lunches were also included in our package. We opted to stay in Mar y Mar Bed & Breakfast for more of the Cuban experience and Maritsa and Margarita Innkeepers were lovely, cooking us scrumptious breakfasts every morning. Now for the highlight of the tour: our phenomenal tour guide, Irma. We can't say enough good things about her knowledge, warmth and willingness to meet our every need. We highly recommend the Cultural Island Cuba tour and be sure to request Irma!

This was my first trip to Cuba. My family booked with CIT and I have to say this was the best way to experience Cuba. The food, the art and the people were just amazing. Our tour guide Laura Gonzalez was so knowledgeable and friendly. And she was so accommodating. Did I mention she had to manage 10 adults with varied interests and various ages! And all of us were sad to leave Laura. I've recommended her and this agency to many of my friends!

What a wonderful and terrific trip this was! The accommodations were very nice, and the restaurant choices for lunch were really great and quite varied, providing an incredibly peaceful oasis in the midst of each day.

The three personal home/studio/workspace visits with Andy the artist, Ramses the photographer, and Fernando, the car restoration gentlemen, were exquisite. Not only did they give us the opportunity to have personal insight into their lives and professional careers, but their warm welcome and huge personalities just wrapped around us in a very unique way.

Ebony leaned in right from the very first day, and opened up to our thoughts, preferences, and shooting styles. She made many adjustments and accommodations to the schedule to tailor it to our expectations - each and every day. She introduced us not only to neighborhoods, but also to special locations. She continued to be creative in adapting to our styles, and was lovely through it all - as if it was no effort (we know differently, and appreciate it!).

A very special trip that will live in our memories forever. Cannot thank you enough.

My family and I just returned from our trip to Cuba and we had the best experience. From the start, CIT was very informative, helpful and patient. All the options they provided looked amazing. We ended up booking the culinary tour that included plenty of sightseeing and cultural experiences. The trip was definitely much more than we expected and the guide in Cuba was spectacular. Since first meeting her at the airport, it felt like she was one of the family. We enjoyed lots of laughs and miss her already. We highly recommend CIT and would love to do the trip again and see what more Cuba has to offer.

My two adult sons and I just returned from Cuba. We used CIT travel and I cannot think of one thing to say about them that isn't wonderful. Their tour guides were knowledgeable, fun, friendly and just really great. That also is true of the guides we had in the cities, museums etc. It was a great trip and we loved Cuba. I would recommend CIT to anyone who wants a wonderful experience in Cuba. Cuba is a really interesting and beautiful country and having only eight days there, I am sure we only scratched the surface. Hope to go back some day. The tour was excellent in every way.

Cuba was amazing. From the moment me and my friend Leslie arrived in Havana our guide Laura Gonzales showed us the very best time. We were chauffeured around the city in beautifully restored antique cars from the 1950s, inducing a convertible. Laura took us to the Hemingway home; showed us the sites around the city and arranged dinners for us. Out hotel, the Iberostar Parque Central, was top notch. On our second day, Laura's husband took us on a walking tour of old Havana. We SCUBA dove and snorkeled at the Bay of Pigs. We had expert guides at the museums. We enjoyed great live music every day. Everything was perfect. I highly recommend Cultural Island Travel.

Going to Cuba was a trip and experience I will never forget. Thanks to Teresa from CIT our trip was possible and unforgettable. The entire crew CIT has working for them in Cuba are amazing. They were knowledgeable, warm, caring and welcoming. I felt like I was with family the entire trip. Day one we hit it off with Santiago what a wonderful man he is, then Ari and our drivers Jordon and Handy who made sure we felt comfortable, safe and had everything we needed. They were incredibly amazing, caring beautiful people. We just love them all! We definitely recommend using CIT for your trip to Cuba!

Maritza, Roseann, & Mireya

Where to begin... I did some research online and came across CIT. From that moment on, I knew I found the perfect tour company. Kristen was easy and enthusiastic to work with and very responsive to any questions my friend and I had prior to our trip. She helped customize the tour to accommodate our requests. A big thumbs up on customer service.

Then from the moment we arrived in Havana, our tour guide Laura Gonzalez was fantastic. She was so pleasant, knowledgeable and fun to be around. She even added some fun little surprises for us along the way which we loved. We got the privilege to get to know Laura and made a friend along the way.

Cuba is a beautiful country with amazing people, culture, history, food, etc. I felt safer walking the streets of Havana than I do in my own city here in the US. The food (especially desserts) and drinks were delicious. All the guides that we met from the Revolution Museum to the Grand Teatro to old Havana were what made the tours fantastic, as well as the our drivers. Getting to visit community projects and private concerts is what really makes the trip special- along with how flexible the staff are to accommodating and customizing our visit.

As someone that has traveled extensively in different parts of the world, this by far was the best tour I've been on and exceeded all my expectations. Top notch all the way!

FYI - No one got sick or even an inkling of an upset stomach like what happens when you go to Mexico. CIT scouts out all the restaurants/paladars in advance and so it was great to feel like you could eat and order anything off the menus.

We had a 6-day tour in March 2019 and enjoyed it thoroughly. Cultural Island Tour crafted the trip meticulously to be enjoyable and educational, and to comply with the legal requirements of the USA and Cuba.
Our tour guide (Naomi) was excellent: She combined history, insight, and education, and was available and eager to assist even when she was off-duty - and she is a very delightful person to be with.
We stayed in a B&B, others in our group stayed in a hotel, and all had excellent accommodations.
Best to convert euros than US dollars to avoid the 10% fee in addition to the normal currency conversion fee.
Leave your credit cards at home; it's a cash society. US credit cards won't work there anyway. And tipping is highly appreciated; the people really need the money.
One tip: If you take a taxi (my preference was a '56 Buick, like the one my grandmother drove) and have a young driver, ask in advance what the fare will be as the taxis have no meters. We learned that even in a socialist country, everyone is a capitalist (although drivers in the 30-60 year old age group charged very reasonably).
We were a bit apprehensive in advance; after all, it's still Cuba. But our experience was 100% positive.