Sustainable Eco-tourism principles
Sustainable tourism is an industry committed to making a low impact on the environment and local culture, while helping
to generate future employment for local people. The positive of sustainable tourism is to ensure that development is a
positive experience for local people, tour companies, and tourists themselves.
All Authentic Cuba Travel® tours and itineraries are designed within the guidelines of Cape Town Declaration on Responsible Tourism.
In that sense, all our educational, cultural and nature tours meet the following considerations:
minimise negative economic, environmental, and social impacts;
generate greater economic benefits for local people and enhance the well-being of host communities by
improving working conditions and access to the industry;
involve local people in decisions that affect their lives and life chances;
make positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage and to the maintenance of
the Cuba’s diversity;
provide more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a
greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues;
engender respect between tourists and hosts, and builds local pride and confidence.
Sustainable tourism is where our tour participants can enjoy their holiday and at the same time respect the culture of
local people and also respect the environment. It also means that local people get a fair say about in the design of our itineraries
and receive most of the money that our tours generate.
Access Wildlife Research Centers
The quality of the nature, bird watching and ecological tours of Authentic Cuba Travel® is unparallelled in the travel industry.
Our nature tours are the result of the effort and direct involvement of Cuba's most important nature conservationist and
environmentalist institutions, organizations and groups in the design and operation of our programs.
During your Cuba nature and bird watching Cuba tour you will meet with scientists and directors of the Cuba’s National Center
for Protected Areas (CNAP), the organization responsible for the management of Cuba's National System of Protected Areas that operates through a network of 15 provincial environmental groups.
You will also visit wildlife research centers for the conservation of endemic fauna such as the Guama Crocodile Breeding Farm, that has
successfully bred one of the largest reptiles of Cuba, the Cuban Crocodile (
Crocodrylus rhombifer Cuvier) since 1974; the Wild
Life Breeding Centre (Estacion de Reproduccion de Fauna Silvestre) where the endangered jutia (
Capromys) and other mammals are bred;
the Manjuari Breeding Farm (Estación de Reproducción de Ictofauna), that breeds the endemic alligator gar fish (manjuari)
(
Atractosteus tristoechus), considered a living fossil; and more.
Travel to UNESCO Biosphere Reserves & Heritage Sites
Working under the auspices of Cuba’s foremost environmentalist and nature conservation organizations, Authentic Cuba Travel® gains
access to the most pristine natural Cuban sites of this tropical paradise, from UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and National Parks
to Protected Areas, and offers nature lovers, bird watchers, naturalist, biologists, environmentalists and
nature conservationist the opportunity to witness the great biodiversity of
the largest and most unspoiled island in the Greater Antilles.
Our official Cuba nature tours capture the Cuban natural beauty and biodiversity of
flora and fauna that defines the island as a unique Caribbean destination for eco tourism. As you travel through UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, national parks and protected areas, you will interact with local communities, ornithologists,
scientists and naturalists, and enjoy cross cultural/ people-to-people experiences that will remain with you for the rest
of your life.
Our nature, bird watching and ecological Cuba escorted tours also provide a unique opportunity to explore Cuba's UNESCO
World Heritage sites- considered as the biggest and better conserved Spanish colonial architecture cores in America.
Guided by Cuba renowned guides, you will travel to historical sites such as Old Havana,
Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Bayamo and Trinidad.
Tour Cuban National Parks and Protected Areas
There are 80 protected areas dispersed throughout Cuba and its territorial waters. The total area covered by these areas is approximately 22% of the country’s territory. They constitute a huge variety of ecosystems of the highest value in representing nature in Cuba, its unique character, its fragility, its state of conservation and biodiversity.
The highest peaks of the eastern and western parts of the Cuban mainland, and of the Isla de la Juventud, and some of Cuba's finest coastal reefs, cays and islands are included within this system of reserves.
The participation in our Cuba nature tours will grant you access to most of Cuba’s National Parks and Protected Areas, and the unique opportunity to exchange with Cuban environmentalists and nature preservation officials.
Top-notch Cuban Guides, Naturalists and Birders
Our nature, bird watching and ecological escorted Cuba tours are the result of the effort and direct involvement of Cuban
nature conservationist and environmentalist organizations as well as universities and colleges; local tour companies;
Cuban ornithologists, scientist and birders; small communities and other hosts in the design and operation of our nature programs.
Each one of us, from directors to tour leaders, nature and bird watching guides and naturalists in Canada and Cuba has lived and worked in the Cuba
travel industry for a minimun of 10 years.
Nobody knows Cuba as we do! Call us and you will find sales representatives that are fluent in English and Spanish and who
have lived and worked in Cuba Travel Industry for over 10 years minimun. Guarantee!
Most Authentic Cuba Travel® revenues remain in Cuba. In other words, your money generates greater economic benefits for
local naturalists, nature and bird watching guides, and birders and enhances the well-being of our host communities by improving working conditions and access to the travel
industry. Your money also makes positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage of Cuba.
Most experience staff in Canada and Cuba
Each one of us, from directors to tour leaders, guides and representatives in Canada and Cuba has lived and worked in the Cuba travel industry for a minimum of 10 years.
Nobody knows Cuba as we do! Call us and you will find tour directors that are fluent in English and Spanish and who have lived and worked in Cuba Travel Industry for over 10 years minimum. Guaranteed!
You can't be in better hands when it comes to Cuba Nature and Bird Watching Tours!
Add to your birder life-list 21 endemic bird species!
With more than 350 bird species, Cuba is an ornithologist’s paradise. Birders flock to spy the isle’s 21 endemic species found nowhere else, and these will form the principal focus of our bird watching tours.
Our nicely-paced but comprehensive bird watching trips should produce a very good list with a good chance of finding most of Cuba's endemics, many Caribbean specialties and North American migrants.
Birds which we would expect to see include most of the endemics such as Cuban Solitaire, Cuban Tody, Zapata Wren, Fernandina's Flicker and the Bee Hummingbird - the world’s smallest bird.
Experience breathtaking natural Landscapes
Cuba's natural side offers a great variety of landscapes and habitats, from lush forests and mountains to expansive wetlands and fields.
Our nature, bird watching and ecological escorted Cuba tours will give you the opportunity to capture the beauty and majesty of Cuba’s natural landscape.
Join us in exploring Cuba’s coral reefs, swamps, forests, and caves to uncover the astonishing diversity of life on the island!
Lifetime and Transferable nature tour Deposits
Understanding that travel plans change and sometimes need to be delayed, we’ve established the Lifetime Transferable Deposit option, designed to ensure that if you need to cancel or delay a trip, you’ll be able to find another time to take your next, great life-changing educational or cultural tour to Cuba.
Lifetime Deposits offers any of our tour participants forced to delay a departure to retain their initial deposit for use at a later date at no extra charge—and with no questions asked. The Lifetime Deposit policy allows you to save your initial deposit (one per person, per confirmed tour) for an unlimited time, be it 10 weeks or 10 years.
Put simply, we want to do the right thing by our travellers and ensure you can still take another trip if your plans have to change.
Please, do notice that if you cancel your participation within 60 days of tour departure you lose 50% of your ground tour payment. If you cancel your participation within 30 days of tour departure you lose 100% of your ground tour payment. Please refer to our
Terms and Conditions for further details.
We also realize that your travel preferences can change over time, so your Lifetime Deposit can be used on any future tour and is not limited to the original tour you booked. Use your Lifetime Deposit to select the dream trip that suits your interests when you plan your next cultural and educational experience with us.
Under this policy, Lifetime Deposits are also transferable. That means you can transfer your initial deposit to another traveller of your choice at no additional charge!
Applies to the “deposit” value of your payment only. All other payments and final payment amounts subject to
Terms and Conditions. Not redeemable with any other offer, discount or promotion.
Authentic Cuba Travel® knows that safety always comes first. From performing rigorous safety checks, to providing constant on-tour safety expertise and immediate on-site assistance through our Cuba staff, our dedication to your safety is our top priority.
Our Cuba operation experienced staff visits each and every hotel, restaurant, and site to ensure they meet our safety and security guidelines. We won’t book you in 4 or 5 bed share dormitories, like other companies do to reduce costs, but in clean, comfortable and safe double/ single rooms at the best hotels and resorts available in the area we visit.
Most important, the hotels we work with are used to and happy to receive our tour participants. The hotel staff provides a level of attention, quality of service and friendliness to our foreign visitors that are unparallel in the Cuba travel industry.
Authentic Cuba Travel® has partnered exclusively with the best Cuba transportation company in Cuba: Transgaviota that operates the largest, newest, safest and most advance fleet in Cuba. We only provide luxury air conditioning motor coaches with the most experience drivers for our school Cuba education tours.
An expert Authentic Cuba Travel® Cuban guide and bus driver will be with your group every step of the way, providing constant and immediate guidance. They have been fully trained to handle any safety situations that may arise.
