Figures and examples describe our operating model for Cuba 360–designed itineraries. Specific suppliers vary by tour, date, and region.
Private Cuba, person to person
Cuba’s most memorable travel happens in living rooms, on farmhouse porches, in family restaurants, and on quiet roads with a driver who knows every turn. That is the Cuba we curate.
We do not route guests through large state-run hotel complexes as the centerpiece of a trip. Instead, we work with privately owned casas particulares, licensed independent guides, specialist naturalists, paladar restaurateurs, and small transport partners who run their own businesses.
When you book a small-group departure, a private itinerary, or a birding expedition with Cuba 360, you are buying a chain of local services—not an anonymous package where spend disappears into a black box.
How spending flows on your trip
For a typical Cuba 360 program, guest payments fund a defined set of private services: accommodations in casas or comparable private stays, daily guiding, ground transport, included meals at independent venues, activity fees paid to local operators, and coordination by our Havana-based team.
We contract and pay Cuban partners directly for the services in your itinerary. Our margin covers trip design, compliance documentation, guest support before and during travel, and the operational layer that keeps complex multi-city routes running smoothly.
- Casas particulares and private hosts—not resort blocks—as your home base
- Independent guides, drivers, and activity specialists on the ground
- Paladares and local food experiences instead of institutional catering
- Family-run workshops, farms, and cultural visits where the itinerary includes them
Why this model matters
Tourism can feel extractive when travelers pass through a place without leaving meaningful support behind. In Cuba, private entrepreneurs—cuentapropistas—have built extraordinary hospitality despite structural constraints. Choosing their services is one of the most direct ways travel can strengthen households and neighborhoods.
Your conversations at dinner, your guide’s stories on a forest trail, and your stay in a casa are not staged performances. They are real economic exchanges with people who reinvest in their families, staff, and communities.
That is the trip we want you to remember: not only what you saw, but who you met and how your visit showed up in their work.
Beyond the itinerary
Cuba 360 also supports environmental and community initiatives through partners such as the Ariguanabo Foundation—work that connects travelers to Cuba’s ecological heritage and to local stewards who protect it.
When we add a conservation visit, a community project stop, or a specialist-led field day to a route, it is because it deepens your understanding of the island and channels attention toward Cuban-led efforts.
What you can do as a guest
Show up curious. Tip fairly where appropriate. Buy crafts and services directly from artisans when you can. Respect casa house rules and neighborhood rhythms. Ask your guide who else in town they recommend—you will often discover a musician, a home restaurant, or a family museum worth an hour of your afternoon.
If you want to understand how a specific tour allocates services, ask us before you book. We are proud of this model and happy to walk you through it.