Responsible Travel to Cuba - Espíritu Travel to Cuba

At Espíritu Travel we are passionate about Cuba, as is natural we want to help to maximize the benefits that tourism can bring to Cubans. Responsible Travel to Cuba does not mean having to compromise on the enjoyment of your trip or the quality of your accommodation.

We strongly believe that your trip should directly benefit the communities that you visit whenever possible through the principles of sustainable travel; minimizing environmental impacts and optimizing community benefits, without sacrificing comfort or the character of your vacation. In a place like Cuba, where sustainable tourism is practically unheard of, it is no easy task but we believe that slowly this will change and we hope to be a part of that change.

For this reason, at Espíritu Travel we offer responsible travel helping in different areas, such as the ones we tell you below.

Positive Impact Trips

Trips to create jobs, help local families, collaborate with artisans, and endorse real connections between countries and people.

As an example, one of our eight-day trips to Cuba supports a number of entrepreneurs/small businesses and their families as well as the subsequent indirect linkages with other sectors. Over the last five years we have maintained working relationships with a plethora of small businesses, from casas particulares, family-owned restaurants to local guides and shop owners.

We endeavor to provide plenty of information so that travelers can also support small businesses that sell unique souvenirs or one-of-kind home decor or even locally designed fashion. This support allows businesses to flourish, grow, and expand.

Carbon Neutral

As responsible citizens of planet earth, we are also painfully aware of the impact humans are having on the climate.

Espiritu Travel now offers carbon neutral travel for all trips to Cuba. We see it as yet another important step in our journey towards creating a more sustainable travel company. Greenhouse gas emissions are calculated for all our customized trips to Cuba, taking into account the use of fuels in local travel, emissions from food, and energy used in accommodations. We work with Carbon Credit Capital to ensure accurate results and come up with simple metrics like emissions per person, per trip while in-country.

We have chosen to support a carbon offset project in the Amazon rainforest. The project protects over 149,000 hectares of virgin rainforest from deforestation which houses 44,000+ species of plants and animals, including over 30 vulnerable species. The project also provides improved quality of life for over 6,200 local community members—including paths to land ownership, and improved diversity of the local economy with capacity building for cultivating new and highly valuable forest crops and products. You can find out more about this verified gold standard project here.

Animal Welfare

We love animals, we care about them.

We provide monthly donations to AniPlant, an independent membership organization dedicated to the protection of domestic animals in Cuba. During your trip, you will see that there are many sick and injured animals roaming the streets of Havana and other
places throughout Cuba. Aniplant works on sterilization campaigns, educating the public about animal welfare as well as helping as many of them get adopted. Also, travelers are able to bring much needed veterinary supplies to Cuba in their luggage.

Moving Forward

Travel can create enriching personal experiences as well as greater cultural understanding and connection.

The journey towards becoming a purpose-driven company has no end, we continue to seek ways to make our trips a force for improvement in the lives of those who are touched by our trips. One of our aspirations is that want to move towards plastic-free trips. Another ambition is we would like to provide our travelers as well as guides and drivers with Water to Go bottles in order to eliminates the need for single use plastic bottles especially true for Cuba.