Havana Cultural Tour & Mindful Retreat

 

Holistic, Hip, Intimate, Connected, Fully Engaging for All the Senses:

A dynamic experience of Havana’s richly textured culture of food, art, music, & agro-ecological revolution, bridging youthful new Cuba w/ generations of deep tradition!

Plus Yoga, Wellness, & Mindfulness!

 

Our Tour / Retreat Hybrid is… An all-encompassing cultural tour of Havana including visits to an organic farm, tropical beach, Spanish architecture, art galleries, live performances, restaurants, cafes, shops, & more…

Combined with… Retreat Elements of daily yoga, fresh juices, herbal teas, wellness & culinary lessons, mind & body workshops, movement, celebration, rituals, & more…

In order to… Most deeply experience the colorful aliveness that is Havana through connecting mindfully and joyfully to one’s self and present moment, a moment in Cuba!

And that fosters… Mindful acknowledgement of our privileges, different perspectives, and presence as outsiders in a foreign country & culture; open mindedness and shedding of pre-conceptions; intention to honor & respect difference, diversity, and the solidarity of the Cuban people.

 

*** This tour is vegetarian, vegan, omnivore, and gluten avoidant friendly! ***

 

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

  • Activate w/ Morning Yoga for all levels, ages, abilities, in a beautiful space, led by a certified Yoga Instructor
  • Drink, Cleanse & Refresh w/ Local Fresh Tropical Juices papaya, mango, guava, pineapple, coconut, soursop, banana, mamey, & more!
  • Restore while Sipping Medicinal Herbal Teas, Tinctures + if you choose, ritual celebratory tastings w/ Cuba’s finest rums & cocktails & elixirs.
  • Learn to Cook Cuban Dishes w/ healthful holistic twists at a cooking lesson / Chef’s Farm to Table Dinner prepared in a private home w/ local ingredients paired w/ a ritual of local herbal teas and/or fine rums.
  • Savor Dinner at the Best Cuban Owned Paladars while learning about ingredients, processes, & history of the dishes & cocktails. From authentic hole in the walls only Cubans know about to the hippest in International fine dining. Our team on the ground secures exclusive reservations.
  • Visit Vedado Farmers Markets & Juice Stands to source local tropical fruits, veggies, & medicinal herbs & Field trip to a lush Organic biodiverse Urban Agroecology Farm
  • Experience Havana’s dynamic nightlife of live Afro-Cuban music, dance, DJs, & Performance at the city’s most famed & underground venues where some of the greatest talents in the world perform!
  • Relax & Connect with local hosts at one of our hand selected boutique Villa accommodations
  • Bond & Engage with new & old friends on this intimate tour/retreat of only 10 participants maximum!
  • LGBTQI optional for those interested: with each visit we’re seeking to get deeper into Havana’s underground LGBTQ culture. We’re happy to share our findings if you would like to join us! The gay beach, drag shows, queer dance clubs and parties, Afro-Cuban women performing Vagina monologues, theater, ballet & more

Meet your tour/retreat leaders!

Christina Bouza – Cuban American, artist, holistic wellness chef, founder/owner of Cubana Social- organic restaurant in Brooklyn NYC, & musician with a Bachelors from Berklee College of Music. Chris in her mid 30s, is a queer intersectional bruja feminist, passionate about nature, intentional living, social justice, agro-ecology, & radical sovereignty. As a holistic chef, her culinary influences include: plant based, macrobiotic, Ayurveda, auto-immune, Afro-Caribbean, & farm to table. Chris seeks to feed people well & celebrate music & dance as present embodied playfulness to activate connections back to our ancestors & mother earth. She believes that food & music traditions surviving over generations, lead us toward joy, wellness, & gratitude based reciprocity. More info: www.sangwitch.com/about

Alexandra Cordovi – Cuban American, healer, certified yoga instructor RYT 500, founder of Shadow & Light Yoga, jewelry maker, & musician with a Masters degree from New School University of NY. Alex in her early 30s, is passionate about connection, nurturance, building community, social justice, & her morning cafecito. As a healer, she employs modalities of yoga, meditation, ritual, malas, essential oils, & stones towards bringing the chakras & mind/body/spirit into balance. With both individuals & groups, Alex seeks to facilitate transformation, growth, self love, & embrace of ones own shadow & light.  More info: www.shadowandlightyoga.com

Chris & Alex are both bilingual, LGBTQ, & based in South Florida.

(( If some of the words or ideas in Chris & Alex’s bio are unfamiliar to you, that’s okay! Feel free to contact us and ask any question. We love talking about it all – bruja, feminism, queer identity, radical sovereignty, chakras, ritual, reciprocity, etc. Can’t wait to share & connect with you! ))

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN MY TOUR?

Your tour includes the following:

  • Accommodations at hand selected Private Villa / Casa Particular 
  • U.S. based, bilingual Tour leaders 
  • People to people interactions with local Cubans
  • Detailed Itinerary
  • Breakfast & dinners daily
  • Entry and reservation into each scheduled event, museum, etc
  • One group cooking lesson / demonstration
  • One Chakras / movement workshop
  • Daily group yoga class led by certified instructor
  • Transportation to and from José Martí international airport and all scheduled events & activities.
  • Flight concierge (flights are not included, but we help you book the best one).
  • Restaurant reservations and recommendations.

Cuban Visas are to be purchased at your last airport before departing to Cuba. They are typically around $50-100. If you were born in Cuba, please contact us as you may have different Cuban visa requirements.

2018 TOUR DATES & PRICING

**Dates for 2019 TBD (Also available for personalized tours)

  • March / April  – ($1,950)
  • July / August  – ($1,950)

*Prices are per person based on shared rooms in a luxurious villa. Each room & bathroom are shared between 2 to 3 persons. This is a small boutique tour/retreat with a maximum of 10 participants.

*Minimum $300 deposit per person required at the time of booking. We have flexible payment options as well, but all tours must be paid in full 30 days before tour start date.

*If you pay the full price at the time of booking we will take $100 off per person.

SAMPLE ITINERARY

SAMPLE ITINERARY:

Thu DAY 1 – WELCOME / RITUAL /HABANA VIEJA / ART / PERFORMANCE / MINDFULNESS

  • Arrivals & Check into the Villa in the neighborhood of Miramar
  • Orientation / Meet & Greet / Homemade Bocaditos, Juice & Tea 
  • Welcome Ritual / Talk over Itinerary, hopes, expectations.
  • 2 Habana Driving Tour – Malecon, Plaza Del Revolucion
  • 3 Habana Vieja – Smoothies, Cuban Art Museum, Tour of a Screen Print Studio
  • 7 Dinner at a paladar in Habana Vieja – Mindfulness Talk
  • 10p Optional rest up OR Attend Live Music at a famous Jazz Club

Fri DAY 2 -VEDADO / FARMERS MARKET / HEALTH & HERBS / MOVEMENT

  • 830 Herbal Tea & Local Fresh Juice  
  • 9 Yoga for all Levels
  • 10 Homemade Brunch at the Villa
  • 12 Vedado Farmers Market Field Trip
  • 2 Health & Herbs Workshop in the Park/Plaza
  • 330 Afternoon Cafecitos & Postcard Writing/Reflection at a LGBTQ friendly Cafe
  • 430 Early Dinner at BBQ, Authentic Cuban locals restaurant, Traditional Foods Talk
  • 7 Group Chakras/Movement workshop at the Villa
  • 9 Attend a Live Theatre or Dance Performance

Sat DAY 3 – ORGANIC FARM FIELD TRIP / AGROECOLOGY / FABRICA DEL ARTE

  • 9 Herbal Tea & Local Fresh Juice  /// 930 Yoga /// 1030 Brunch
  • 12 Field Trip to an Agroecology Organoponico Farm
  • 430 Back to the Casa, Recharge & Prepare for Dinner
  • 630 Dinner at a “paladar” in Vedado – Kitchen Tour, Agriculture Revolution Talk
  • 9 Optional Fabrica Del Arte – Art, Music, Performance, DJs, Dancing, Cocktails

Sun DAY 4 – BEACH YOGA / TRADITIONAL & PLANT BASED COOKING LESSON

  • 930 Tea, Juice, Breakfast at the Casa
  • 11 Yoga at the Beach- Playas Del Este
  • 4 Back to the Casa, Recharge & Prepare for Dinner
  • 5 Farm to Table Plant Based Cooking Lesson-Demonstration / Dinner at the Villa
  • 9 Final Night Cocktails, Music, & Ritual at a Famous Hotel on the Malecon

Mon DAY 5 –  FAREWELL BREAKFAST & DEPARTURES

  • 9 Herbal Tea & Local Fresh Juice 
  • 930 Yoga 
  • 1030 Closing Brunch at the Villa
  • 12 Optional – Habana Vieja – Art Galleries, Souvenir Shopping, Cafecitos, Bocaditos
  • Taxis to the Airport

About August in Cuba:

Temperatures: High 90, Low 72

Tropical Storm/Hurricane Season in Cuba is June 1 – Nov 30.

“There’s a small dry spell most years during August, which is also the hottest and most humid month to visit Cuba.” https://www.frommers.com/destinations/cuba/planning-a-trip/when-to-go

ACCOMMODATIONS - THE VILLA

   

Ready to book your trip?