Healthcare Study Tours to Cuba for US Academic Institutions 2025

Cuba Study Tours® for Spring Break, Summer & Winter 2025

From January to December 2025

Go to Cuba legally from USA and partake in healthcare exchanges with Cuban healthcare professionals

Start planning a Cuba tour for your students today!

In January 2016, the US Government announced further enhancements to the 12 categories of authorized travel to Cuba that previously required a specific license (this is, lengthy applications to OFAC). Now travel to the Caribbean island is allowed under a general license (this is, self-completed paperwork with no application to OFAC needed).

After President Biden’s policy change on USA Cuba travel on June 9, 2022, the General License for Educational Activities remains in place. Accredited U.S. graduate or under graduate degree-granting institutions; U.S. Academic Institutions; and U.S. Schools can organize and sponsor an educational trip to Cuba for their students, faculty and staff under the General License for Educational Activities, provided that the trip meets OFAC guidelines; and that an employee or other representative of the organization escorts the trip to make sure such guidelines are followed by all participants.

University Schools of Medicine, College Schools of Medicine, Medical Sciences Schools, Nursing Schools, Colleges and Universities and other Academic Institutions from USA can organize and sponsor a trip to Cuba for educational activities.

Do not wait any longer. Now is the time to start planning the next Cuba trip for your students. Cuba trips for students are hard to find these days, especially if traveling to Cuba from the United States of America. Your students will consider traveling to Cuba an experience of a lifetime. They will come home optimistic and inspired by fresh perspectives on what is possible not only personally but also socially. Request a custom-made no-obligation Cuba School Tour for your students today, and check some of the resources we put at your service.



What's Included in our Educational Tours to Cuba?

With customizable CUBA STUDENT TOURS, it is easy to offer North American Universities and Schools the educational experiences they expect out of Cuba travel. Not only is there a Cuba study trip to fit any group size, educational interest and budget, but each one also immerses Canadian and US Professors and students in the authentic Cuba and takes you deep into the heart and soul of the Cuban people.

Cuba Study Tours® Include:

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  • Nice, Safe, Clean 3 & 4 Star Hotels

  • Most Meals

  • Official Asistur Cuban Health Insurance

  • Luxury Air-conditioned Coach Transportation

  • An Expert Cuban English Speaking Guide

  • Activities & Exchanges as Described

  • 24/7 Support Before, During and After your Cuba Study Tour

Resources for Educators

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  • Free Exploration Tour

  • 100 Educator Loyalty Points per student!

  • Complimentary Custom Website

  • Complimentary Facebook Page

  • Fundraising Ideas

  • Parents Updates

  • Won’t be alone when introducing your Cuba Educational Tour

Cuba Education Tours

Cuba Education Tour1

Feb 22- Mar 1, 2025

Havana, Cienfuegos & Trinidad

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Cuba Education Tour2

Mar 1- Mar 8, 2025

Havana, Cienfuegos & Trinidad

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Cuba Education Tour3

Mar 8- Mar 15, 2025

Havana, Bay of Pigs, Santa..

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Cuba Education Tour4

Mar 15- Mar 22, 2025

Havana, Las Terrazas & Vinales

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Cuba Education Tour5

Jun 7- Jun 14, 2025

Havana, Cienfuegos & Trinidad

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Cuba Education Tour6

Jul 5- Jul 12, 2025

Havana & Santiago de Cuba

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Cuba Education Tour7

Jul 12- Jul 19, 2025

Havana, Las Terrazas & Vinales

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Cuba Education Tour8

Aug 9- Aug 16, 2025

Havana, Cienfuegos & Trinidad

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Cuba Education Tour9

Dec 26- Jan 2, 2026

Havana, Cienfuegos & Trinidad

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Cuba Education Tour10

Dec 26- Jan 2, 2026

Havana, Bay of Pigs, Santa..

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Cuba Education Tour11

Dec 26- Jan 2, 2026

Havana & Santiago de Cuba

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Are you a US K-12 teacher, university or school professor? Check these tours for as low as $2,599 (taxes included)!



Cuba Tour Itinerary

  • Day 1. Saturday. INTRO to Cuba's Healthcare and Medical Travel

    Our Cuba Healthcare Tours for US Academic Institutions represent a rare in depth exploration to Cuba's unique Medical System and Health Care Model. American university schools of medicine, college schools of medicine, medical sciences schools, nursing schools, colleges and universities and other academic institutions can customize our Cuba Study Tours® to develop complete Cuba travel educational experiences that meet their academic objectives.

    Group welcomed by the Authentic Cuba Travel® Cuban guide and driver.

    Private transfer to your hotel Valentin Quinta Avenida (Valentin 5th Avenue) or Luxury Casa Particular located at the cultural center of Havana City.

    During the Obama and Trump administrations, the Cuban government significantly eased restrictions on Cubans to rent out rooms in their homes to foreign travelers. Soon Casas Particulares (private rental accommodations owned by a Cuban family or individual) boomed all through the island. Today some of these humble businesses have evolved into high-end full service boutique hotels offering high quality amenities, food and beverage services, wireless internet connection, and the highest level of customer care.

    The luxurious 186-room Valentin Quinta Avenida was previously operated by US Starwood Hotels & Resorts. In 2016, this hotel opened as the Four Points Havana becoming the first American hotel in Cuba after the Revolution. The hotel is currently managed by the Valentin Hotel Group, a hotel chain based in Mallorca, Spain.

    5-Star Valentin Quinta Avenida (Valentin 5th Avenue)
    Address: 5ta Ave, e/ 76 y 80, Miramar, Playa, Havana, Cuba.
    Postal Code: 11300.
    Telephone: (+53 7) 214 1470 Ext. 8070 & 8071 / (+53 7) 214 1476

    Breakfast and dinner are complimentary.

  • Day 2. Sunday. Preventive Health Care Cuban Model

    Morning: Enshrined in the Cuban constitution, Healthcare is a primary human right for all Cubans. Healthcare study tours to Cuba for US academic institutions should take time enough to explore Cuba's unique preventive healthcare model in depth. Healthcare in Cuba is provided by the Cuban government for free to all Cubans. At the primary healthcare level is the family doctor and the community clinic, the foundation of preventative healthcare model in Cuba.

    This morning we will visit a Community Clinic and Family Doctor Office at 10 de Octubre municipality, Havana's largest municipality (or boroughs) with the second highest population density in the Capital.

    As part of our Support for the Cuban People tours to Cuba, we put emphasis on the cultural exchange with ordinary Cubans and Cuban entrepreneurs. We will enjoy a complimentary lunch at a family run restaurant, Paladar El Litoral.

    Afternoon: Visit to Maternity Home “Leonor Perez” in Old Havana to exchange with Cuban doctors and nurses about the maternity home model, which is at the heart of the Cuba's preventive healthcare system. This visit will help US students of medicine; medical sciences and nursing students participating in our healthcare educational trips to Cuba understand why Cuba has been able to reduce the infant mortality rate so dramatically. You will meet with doctors and nurses who work 24/7 with mother with high-risk pregnancies or other special needs.

    Followed by guided walking tour of Old Havana, UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    Free time in the famous handicraft market of Old Havana where you can purchase all sorts of crafts and souvenirs by local artisans.

    Return to hotel. Evening: attend baseball game at Latinoamericano Baseball Stadium in Havana. Healthcare travel to Cuba for educational activities by US schools of medicine, medical scienses and nursing will not be complete without getting up close and personal with Cubans at a baseball game. No wonder President Barrack Obama himself attended a game at this stadium during his official trip to Cuba in 2016.

  • Day 3. Monday. Medical Education in Cuba

    Morning: healthcare travel to Cuba for US universities, colleges and schools of medicine as well as US medical sciences and nursing schools, colleges and universities will have ample opportunity to explore the educational medical system of Cuba today. This morning we will visit Cuba's most iconic Medical School “Victoria de Giron” founded more than 50 years ago by President Fidel Castro to counteract the exodus of doctors to the US that followed the Cuban Revolution. Over 50,000 medical students, medical technicians and other medical professionals have been trained at this Higher Institute of Medical Science, making Cuba the country with most doctors per person in the world.

    Lunch hosted by Jose Fuster, one of the most important Cuban ceramists and painters today.

    Afternoon: American medicine and nursing students will have the opportunity to meet with Cuban nursing students and faculty this afternoon during an exclusive visit to the Nursing Faculty “Lidia Dolce” of the Higher Institute of Medical Sciences. We will tour this very iconic school of nursing and exchange with faculty and students at the school's main auditorium. The education curriculum of this prestigious Nursing Faculty of Higher Education is to train nursing professionals on the highest standards of medical and technical skills as well as the moral and ethical values of the Revolution.

    Evening: attend one of the most traditional and popular ceremonies in Cuba, The Fire of the Cannon of 9 O'Clock at the Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabana.

  • Day 4. Tuesday. International Higher Medical Education in Cuba

    Morning: our Healthcare tours to Cuba for American schools include visits to world-class educational institutions such as the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), the largest medical school in the world. This Cuban medical school teaches hundreds of international students for free every year, mainly from low-income communities in different countries, including the United States. The full scholarships' only request from young doctors is the commitment to serve unprivileged areas in their home countries upon graduation.

    Complimentary lunch will be served at El Aljibe, one of Cuba's most popular restaurants. Hollywood stars (Jack Nicholson) and US presidents (Jimmy Carter) are among the patrons of this well-run business that was founded by Cuban businessmen Sergio and Pepe Garcia back in 1947.

    Afternoon: next US medical and nursing students and faculty will pay a visit to the International Clinic “Cira Garcia”, one of the first medical facilities to offer medical tourism in Cuba: another highlight of our healthcare trips to Cuba from US. Although it was originally founded to provide healthcare and medical services to the diplomats accredited in Cuba, it soon became a pioneer of medical tourism. Nowadays, the clinic provides all sort of clinical and surgical specialties to foreigners. With state-of-the-art intermediate and intensive care units, four operating rooms, and high level medical professionals, the clinic provides its medical and surgical services at a fraction of the cost of similar treatments in other countries.

    Followed by panoramic air conditioned coach tour of the most important historical sites in the Modern Havana neighborhoods of Vedado, and Miramar including the Revolution Square, University of Havana, Habana Libre Hotel, Coppelia Ice Cream Park, Plaza Jose Marti (in front of U.S. Interests Section), Monument to the Battleship Maine, Malecon seawall, Prado promenade, Central Park, The Great Theatre and the Capitol building.

    Evening: meet with acclaimed Cuban filmmaker Rafael Rosales at his privately owned restaurant, El Madrigal. Like many Cubans we meet during our Cuba Study Tours®, the entrepreneurship spirit of Mr.Rosales made him turn his 1919 Vedado mansion into a bohemian venue that displays his 20-year- old career in the Cuban film industry through art and images, pictures and artefacts.

  • Day 5. Wednesday. Healtcare in Cuba's Countryside

    Morning: travelling to Cuba from US to learn about Cuba's healthcare system is traveling to Cuba's countryside to see how medical services and healthcare is provided to Cubans living in picturesque colonial towns, Caribbean coastal villages and rural areas. We will leave Havana today to travel to the Caribbean southern-central city of Cienfuegos City, also known as the Pearl of the Caribbean. Upon arrival we will explore Cienfuegos' Historical Centre, declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the well-preserved wealth of imposing neoclassical buildings it contains.

    Lunch is included at Paladar Ache, one of Cienfuegos top ten private restaurants, serving local specialties in a pleasant courtyard.

    Afternoon: As part of our healthcare tours to Cuba, we will take American students and faculty to visit the Cienfuegos Provincial Hospital “Doctor Gustavo Lima”. As we tour this medical institution led by the hand of Cuban doctors and staff, we will learn about the excellent results achieved by the intensive care unit which serves over 600 patients any given year. The Cuban government is responsible for the financing and administering of health care for all Cubans. There are no private hospitals in Cuba, so all hospitals are run by the Government.

    Check in at your Luxury Casa Particular, located in Punta Gorda, a district in the southern part of Cienfuegos with beautiful views over the waters of the Bay of Cienfuegos.

  • Day 6. Thursday. Healthcare in Cuba's Countryside

    Morning: US Academic Institutions traveling to Cuba to conduct research on the Cuban Medical System and Health Care Model need to visit medical service facilities outside of the Cuban capital of Havana to really comprehend the way the Cuban Health Care System is financed, administered and structured. Today we journey on to the historic city of Trinidad.

    Lunch at family-run Paladar Solananda, Trinidad's top private restaurant.

    Upon arrival, we will visit Trinidad's Community Clinic “Manuel de Jesus Lara” for a presentation on healthcare and medical services in this colonial town. Then we will have a discussion with teaching faculty, doctors and staff about the main health challenges the town faces giving its unique geographical characteristic.

    Afternoon: Visit to Trinidad's Maternity Home. This visit provides an opportunity for US students of medicine; medical sciences and nursing students participating in our Healthcare and Medical Tours to Cuba to compare Cuba's preventive healthcare system both in Havana and in the countryside. Similar practices are observed in the countryside maternity homes such as around-the-clock medical staff, attention to nutritional needs of mothers with special needs, etc.

    Followed by a guided walking tour of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Trinidad's Historical Center, a perfect relic of the early days of the Spanish colony with beautifully preserved streets and buildings with hardly a trace of the 20th century anywhere.

    We will stop at a mirador (lookout) over the Sugar Mill Valley, where the sugar barons used to have their countryside mansions and mills. This site is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    Trinidad is well known for its pottery makers. We meet with a family that has been passing the tradition for generations: the Santanders.

    Return to Cienfuegos city.

  • Day 7. Friday. Cuba's Premier Hospital

    Morning: early departure to Havana City.

    As part of our Support for the Cuban People trips to Cuba, we put emphasis on the cultural exchange with ordinary Cubans and Cuban entrepreneurs. We will enjoy a complimentary lunch at a family run restaurant, Paladar Caleza Real.

    Afternoon: this afternoon our educational healthcare tours to Cuba feature a very special visit to Cuba's largest hospital, the Hospital “Hermanos Ameijeiras”. Inaugurated in 1982, the hospital tower stands tall by Havana's seafront featuring a monumental lobby with a 15-meter-high ceiling and beautiful murals by Sandu Darie. Escorted by hospital doctors and staff we will tour this medical facility and have a chance for a Q&A period at a conference room.

    Check in at your hotel Valentin Quinta Avenida (Valentin 5th Avenue) or Luxury Casa Particular located at the cultural center of Havana City.

    Evening: enjoy Afrojazz, Cubajazz and Sonjazz at Club La Zorra y El Cuervo, Havana's most famous Jazz club, located just around the corner from the National Hotel of Cuba. The club features astonishing performances by island bands and soloists! (optional, not included)

  • Day 8. Saturday. Departure

    Early morning departure to Havana City International Airport for departure.

Want to Take Your Students to Cuba?

Authentic Cuba Travel® operates courses, programs and exchanges sponsored by Cuba’s top educational schools and organizations such as the University of Havana, Cuba's National Ballet School, Cuba's Sports Ministry, San Alejandro’s Arts School, Insituto Cubano de La Musica, Conjunto Folklórico Nacional de Cuba. Request custom-made no-obligation Cuba Study Tours® for your students and check all the resources we put at your service. Do not wait any longer. Now is the time to start planning the next Cuba tour for your students.

Expert’s Corner

Expert’s Corner

Hello! I’m Bernt Dietmar. Over 20 years ago, I visited Cuba as part of a delegation of American scientists interested in exploring opportunities for research and business collaboration. I was surprised by Cuba’s high academic standards, and the methods used in the educational system. We founded Authentic Cuba Travel® to show that Cuba is more than another Caribbean tourism destination and promote the understanding in between Cuba and North America. I kindly invite you to join us. We'll explore UNESCO World Heritage Sites, exchange with Cubans, partake in local food dishes, music, rum, and much more!

Cuban Festivals

Every year Cuba’s International Festivals brought travellers to Cuba from all over the world. Every year Authentic Cuba Travel® makes sure that those attending international events such as the Havana Jazz Festival, the Havana Book Fair, the Havana Film Festival, the Havana Art Biennial, the Fire Festival, the Havana Ballet Festival or the Habano Cigar Festival get the most out of their Cuba travel experience and get to know the authentic Cuba.

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Cuba Themed Tours

If you’ve got an idea of which style of trip will suit you best, take a look at our different trip themes below, as there’s something to suit everyone. Not only are there themed tours to fit any budget and interest, each Authentic Cuba Travel® experience immerses you in the authentic Cuba so hard to explore while just staying in full packed beach resorts.

Festival Tours

Our festival tours give travelers VIP access to all venues and happenings of Cuba’s famous international events such as the Havana Jazz Festival, Book Fair, Ballet Festival and others.

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Study Tours

Through peer to peer interaction, our Cuba Study Tours® transcend ordinary tourism by immersing American students in the local culture, history, politics, music and contemporary arts.

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Cultural Tours

Cuba Pathfinder® is your gateway to discover the unique Cuban cultural heritage, a set of traditions & memories not showcased in museums but much alive & thriving.

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Architecture Tours

An architectural passage through Cuba’s best preserved colonial cities and unique architectural heritage, our architecture tours visit all UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Cuba.

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Photography Tours

Capturing stirring pictures of authentic Cuban destinations it is not the only mission of our photography tours. Capture the essence of the Cuban culture and the kindness of its people.

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Educational Tours

Our educational tours represents a great opportunity for K-12 teachers, university & college professors to explore Cuba’s education system while exploring colonial cities, towns and villages.

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Nature Tours

An odyssey into Cuba's tropical paradise, our nature & bird watching tours gain access to the most pristine natural sites, from UNESCO Biosphere Reserves to National Parks.

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Jewish Tours

A journey into the Jewish history in Cuba, our tours will strengthen the ties between Cuban Jewish communities and North American Jews. All while visiting 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites!

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Sports Tours

What sets our sports tours apart are the private exchanges with players, coaches & staff as well as sports journalists & personalities. Then you have best seats at the games!

List of Cuba Tours 2025

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Memberships & Affiliations

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Logo ACTA, Association of Canadian Travel Agents
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Logo ASISTUR, Cuba's Medical & Travel Insurance Provider

Bella Travel Group Ltd. (Federal Corporation number: 765324-7) owns and operates the following registered trademarks: Authentic Cuba Travel® is a trademark registered at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), Registration No. TMA975677 | Cuba Pathfinder® is a trademark registered at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO), Registration No. TMA997988 | Cuba Pathfinder® is a trademark registered at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Registration No. 5498353 | Cuba Study Tours, Make Cuba Your Classroom® is a trademark registered at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Registration No. 5833051.

LIVE CHAT

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Authentic Cuba Travel® offers travelers a $100 referral discount per person in all our Cuba tours to make it more affordable for friends and families travelling together.

Couples traveling together automatically get a $200 discount ($100 per person).

You will also receive a $100 discount per each person that joins you on the trip. Invite 1 friend to join you and pay $100 less. Invite 2 friends and pay $200 less. Invite 3, and pay $300 less, and so on.

The people that travel with you will be grateful as they will also get an additional $100 per person discount.

For example, if you invite 8 people to join in, you will receive an $800 discount. Your friends also receive a $100 discount per person, for a total group discount of $1,600.

If you happen to recruit 2 more travelers, for a total of 10 people besides you, you will receive a complimentary ground package! Yes, if you are able to recruit 10 travelers, you will pay nothing, cero, nada for your ground package!