Restrictions on travel to Cuba may have been loosened recently, but there are still so many rules about what American tour groups can and can’t do, it’s no surprise most of the itineraries are pretty similar. These educational, people-to-people trips are quickly creating a beaten path in the small, still-sort-of-off-limits Caribbean country. On most tours, you’ll go to a cigar factory, you’ll have dinner at a local family restaurant, and you’ll visit a colonial city. It’s not that these and other iconic activities aren’t interesting, it’s just that some travelers want something a little different.
Here are seven companies offering just that, tours that provide a unique lens through which to see Cuba:
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Globus
Veteran tour provider Globus offers a boldly different itinerary with its Eastern Cuba's Hidden Gems. Bypassing tour-group standards Havana and Trinidad, the trip focuses on less-visited cities and towns including Holguln, Baracoa, Gibrara, and Velasco. The itinerary includes a visit to a musical organ factory, a workshop with local fisherman, a stop in a local's home, and a trip to a cocoa farm. The cost of the nine-day tour starts at $2,459 (land only).
Globus
Veteran tour provider Globus offers a boldly different itinerary with its Eastern Cuba's Hidden Gems. Bypassing tour-group standards Havana and Trinidad, the trip focuses on less-visited cities and towns including Holguln, Baracoa, Gibrara, and Velasco. The itinerary includes a visit to a musical organ factory, a workshop with local fisherman, a stop in a local's home, and a trip to a cocoa farm. The cost of the nine-day tour starts at $2,459 (land only).
BikeHike Adventures
Many Cubans travel by bike, making this nine-day cycling tour of Cuba a great opportunity to go at a local pace. The tour starts in Havana, then goes through rural villages, countryside, and colonial towns before ending back in Havana. In addition to cycling, there are cultural activities including salsa lessons, swimming, meals with locals, and free time to explore. The tour costs $2,499 per person (land only); there are no single supplement fees.
Latour
Latour's Shalom Cuba delves into Cuba's Jewish history and culture. The eight-night tour includes stops at Jewish community centers, libraries, schools, and cemeteries, as well as visits to synagogues and traditionally Jewish neighborhoods. Latour also offers an LGBT Cuba tour, with a focus on gay life and culture in Cuba. Shalom Cuba prices start at $4,299 and LGBT Cuba at $4,499 per person, including roundtrip airfare from Miami.
Related: Want to Visit Cuba? Read This First
Times Journeys
The New York Times' Times Journeys has teamed up with Academic Travel Abroad to offer a nine-day Cuba: The Time is Now tour with Times reporters and regional experts Anthony DePalma and James McKinley. The tour takes an in-depth look at the history, present, and future of Cuba, and is a good fit for visitors looking to delve into the economic and political issues that Cuba is facing. The nine-day tour starts at $6,495 (land only).
Natural Habitat Adventures
The Undiscovered Cuba tour has a nature focus, with access to biologists, scientists, and park rangers throughout the trip. Activities include touring Cienfuegos Botanical Garden, with its rare tropical specimens; birding in Zapata National Park, and visiting multiple UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. The 12-day tour starts at $7,695 per person (land only).
Related: Best Dream Trips for 2015
Group IST
The eight-day Havana to Cienfuegos tour is actually a cruise that circumnavigates Cuba, stopping to explore coastal destinations including Havana, Maria La Gorda, Cayo Largo, Trinidad, and Cienfuegos. Nights are spent onboard, and some meals are served on the ship as well. Sailings start at $3,999 per person, including roundtrip airfare from Miami.
Ocean Doctor
With its focus on scuba diving in the Gardens of the Queen—a marine park comprising 250 virgin coral and mangrove islands stretched over 75 miles of Caribbean waters—OceanDoctor's Learning Adventures in Cuba offers a different take on the educational emphasis of the people-to-people tours allowed under the current economic embargo. The 11-night tour, which includes accommodations on either a live-aboard ship or a floating hotel, starts at $7,474 per person, and includes roundtrip airfare from Miami.
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