Yoga Retreat Cuba

Yoga & Salsa Retreat In Cuba

Includes :

5 nights accommodations in a Casa Particular

Yoga practice daily as per the itinerary

Breakfast daily

Donation offerings for families and working artists

Salsa Music & Dancing Workshops at local dance school as per itinerary

Beach day with clean up with lunch

History talk with Cuban local guide

3 dinners together as a group; 2 on your own

Classic Car ride along the Malecon

Day trip to Viñales includes a visit with an artisanal cigar maker & tobacco farm followed by lunch at an ecological Farm-to-Table restaurant with garden walk and agricultural discussion

Roundtrip airport transfers from Havana International Airport

What’s not included

Airfare, tourist visa, and health insurance
Alcohol, bottled water
2 lunches & 2 dinners on your own
Travel insurance
Extras
Staff Gratuities (suggested between $35-50usd for the incredible staff)

Direct flights into Havana are available from several airports in the USA as well as most hubs abroad. Health insurance and a tourist visa is required by Cuba to enter the country and is available with the airline directly.  Please let us know if you have any questions about travel details.

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ITINERARY

DAY ONE : 

 Arrival Transportation from Havana International Airport
3:00pm  Casa Particular arrival and check-in
6-8pm  Welcome circle & opening yoga practice
8:30pm  Dinner together as a group at our host house

 DAY TWO :

8am Coffee, tea & fruit available
9-10:30am Yoga Practice
10:45am  Breakfast at Casa Particular
1-2pm Salsa Dancing & Music workshop at local dance school
2:30-4pm Lunch at private resto in Old Havana (not included in pack)
 6pm Classic Car rides back along the Malecon
8pm Dinner together with local historian to chat about Cuban history

DAY THREE :

8am Coffee, tea & fruit available
8:30am Sorting donations and offerings
9-10:30am Yoga Practice
10:45am  Breakfast
12-4:30pm Beach Clean-up day & lunch included
8pm Dinner at FAC (together but not included)
Optional Gallery visit & night out at Fabrica De Arte Cubano

DAY FOUR :
 

8am Coffee, tea & fruit available at host house
9-10:30am Yoga Practice
10:45am Breakfast at Casa Particular
1-2pm Salsa Dancing & Music workshop at local Dance School
2:30-4pm Lunch (not included in pack) at restaurant in Old Havana
4:30pm Deliver supplies to resident artists
Free time & Dinner on your own
Optional Dance workshop with Cuban dance instructors

DAY FIVE :

8am Coffee, tea & Breakfast available at host house
9am – 7pm Day trip to Viñales to learn about local agriculture. Visit a local cuban cigar and tobacco farm with interviews about growing tobacco and how to roll and treat the product. Lunch at an ecological farm with guided tour of local plants and growth time tables for production as well as discussions with Cuban farmers and produce sellers about cooperative farming and agricultural practices.
7:30-9pm Yoga practice & Closing circle
9pm Dinner together at home

DAY SIX :

8am Coffee, tea, fruit & breakfast available
Leave for Havana airport

*Please note that our Itinerary is subject to change as necessary according to circumstances and any unforeseen changes in our plans.  Our intention is to keep as close to this schedule as possible but this is Cuba and at times we could find ourselves at the mercy of the powers that be. We will adjust and accommodate as best as possible if this occurs. Havana operates on a later schedule which is why our days are running later than our typical retreat schedules.

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Accommodations

We have an amazing casa particular just for our retreat! Casa particulares are private homes that rent out a few rooms to travelers. Staying in a Cuban home is an incredible way to get a real taste of the culture and to experience this unique Caribbean lifestyle.

Our homes for the retreat are particularly charming and hosted by amazing families. Each house we choose is unique and we are sure you’ll love the experience of staying in a Cuban home!

We practice yoga surrounded by either gorgeous interiors from yesteryear or in the open air on the rooftop of Vedado. Evening practices offer spectacular sunsets and a cool island breeze.

This unique perspective on the neighborhood is such a special treat. Each evening the sun sets over the malecon but the views from our rooftop are phenomenal.

Havana has a charm like no other. Step back in time with us, support the Cuban people when they need it most, and find a new perspective on life that you didn’t think was possible. Cuba is a game changer.

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Pricing

PRIVATE ROOMS

Private rooms have one bed and an ensuite bathroom.

1 Double Bed with private bathroom ensuite.
Double Bed $2,825usd private; $2,675usd shared bed* per person

SHARED ROOMS

Some shared rooms are split-level and others have the beds on the same floor. All have ensuite bathrooms.

Double Bed $2,775usd  +  Twin Bed $2,575usd
Private bathroom ensuite

Please inquire for Shared Triple availability if there are 3 of you looking to book together.

All rooms are part of a beautiful Colonial style home in the neighborhood called Vedado which is close to a variety of restaurants, bars, nightlife, and art galleries.

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Retreat Payment

Historically when any policy changes have been made towards Cuba travel, the US government has honored travel by any American who has already made payments toward their trip as a way to ‘set the wheels of your Cuba trip in motion’. US Airlines are flying to the island daily both direct and with layovers. IF anything is different and travel is banned we will refund your deposit in full, but this should not be the case. Please be brave and join us for these epic adventures to Cuba to SUPPORT THE CUBAN PEOPLE! They need it now more than ever…

CONTACT US WITH QUESTIONS

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Some of our ‘intermediate’ salsa dancers showing their moves after a retreat.

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An adorable short film about our adventures in Havana and beyond as created by our friends and local artists.

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What to expect on your cuban adventure

Travel to Cuba for US Citizens is legal with our yoga retreat programs. We operate under the US Department of the Treasury, Division of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Support for the Cuban People general license §515.574. This license allows us to travel as a group to Cuba and participate in a full schedule as outlined by the US government while we are in Cuba.

What exactly does ‘Support for the Cuban People’ mean? This is a category of license set up by the US gov’t that encourages connection between the people of Cuba and the people of the US (and beyond so don’t worry if you are from another place! It is really for everyone). This means we will only be directly supporting the Cuban people with our activities and plans while on the island.

Flights are available directly from the USA to Havana and are very affordable. We send you with all the legal documents you need to travel in and out of Cuba as required by US law.

Once travel plans have been made, regardless of any future changes in regulations you are still allowed to follow through with your original plans as they were when set in motion. That said, we do not anticipate any further setbacks in this area of the government.

You will travel to Havana with your own tourist visa just like any country. You purchase this on your own through your airline at the airport in the city in which you are flying into Havana from. Your airline can offer further guidance in this area. The visa costs between $30-50usd in addition to your flight (note that flying through Miami you’ll see a visa rate of $100usd so try to avoid that if at all possible). There is also a way to obtain your travel visa in advance online but shipping costs apply so it might not be cost effective to order in advance. Please contact your airline directly for options and pricing once you have your flights.

You are required to hold onto this visa throughout the duration of your time in Cuba as they ask for it on your departure from the country. There are no departure taxes leaving Cuba.

Please feel free to contact us with any other specific questions or concerns you have regarding travel. We are here to set your mind at ease and help you in any way possible. We have been running retreats in Cuba for more than three years now with much consistency and have not had any problems thus far whatsoever and do not anticipate any to come.

 DONATIONS AND WHAT TO BRING FOR OFFERINGS

Please plan to bring a duffle or suitcase full of items to be donated to children, women, men, and families in need in Havana. Plan to bring a variety of items of clothing (remember the climate is hot and hotter but chilly in winter so a hoodie and long pants also could serve especially this time of year), toys, books (in Spanish if you can find them or basic workbooks in English), hygiene products, underclothes, and any other items you feel appropriate or that you have to offer. Sizes can range from babies to teens, both boy and girl please as well as adult clothing and other items that you may have around. If you have items in your own closet that you can forego feel free to add those in.  Think basics as those tend to be the most treasured. Items that are always cherished are fabric softener, warm light bulbs, and clothes hangers. It’s the little things…so if any of those are overflowing from your cabinets feel free to toss them into your bags!

We also will be supporting local artists with hard to get supplies so please drop by your local art store or your own studio and pick up oil paint tubes. A variety of brushes, palettes, and canvas rolls if you can fit them into your suitcase (you could roll up some canvas and fit it inside your yoga mat or fold up both when packing.  They can iron out the creases later!)  These are a few suggestions.  We will separate them out on opening night and distribute them throughout our stay. We are very close with a leader in the Cuban art community who will accept our offerings and distribute them as needed throughout the city and beyond.

Thank you so much in advance for your generosity. Keeping in mind the recent hurricane that pummeled the island, Caritas Cubana the organization we work with on the ground distributes their accumulated donations across the island far and wide to reach those most in need. We will also be carrying a few items with us as we make our way around the island to personally deliver to those that cross our paths.

COMMUNICATION AND WHERE TO FIND YOU IN CUBA

Getting online in Cuba is tricky. If you need to check in there is a place you can do so a couple blocks away at a wifi park. You need to get a scratch off card from a guy on the corner (hopefully he is around) and enter it into your phone or computer. Bringing a laptop seems excessive so I think it’s best to embrace the idea that you are literally ‘offline’ and enjoy that. It’s kind of fabulous and freeing!

In case of any emergency have your people send an email to us with URGENT in the subject and we will get the message to you. Also we have a Cuban cell phone if you or your people need to reach me directly there. We will provide that in our group email the weeks leading up to the retreat.

MONEY : HOW MUCH AND WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING

Cuba operates on 2 currencies: CUC, the Cuban Convertible Peso which is for tourists and CUP, the Cuban Peso which is for national use only.

You should bring EUROS to spend in Cuba as they take 10% of US Dollars when exchanging to CUC. Most major US banks have Euros in stock or can be ordered with a little advance notice. Please heed this warning and bring Euros with you to spend in order to make your money last longer while on retreat. There is a currency exchange desk at the airport in Havana (one inside upstairs and one outside when you exit from customs). You will need your passport to make these transactions. Just let your driver know that you have arrived before your exchange and he will wait for you to do so! Please keep in mind that the items not included in your retreat are :

– Alcohol or any nightlife you’d like to enjoy and taxis getting to and from
– A few Lunches
— Bottled drinking water
– Any extras like souvenirs, cigars, art, or rum
– Staff Gratuities which is always much appreciated (and well deserved!)

We recommend that you start out exchanging the equivalent of $200usd and then if you need to exchange more there wil be opportunities in Old Havana to do so during the retreat.

For Americans, your bank card will not work in Cuba (and shouldn’t be used anyway) so you want to make sure to bring enough money with you. Cuba is not as inexpensive as you might think so plan to spend what you would in say Manhattan or San Francisco daily for food and other purchases.  With that in mind you’ll have enough and likely go home with some cash.

We will be taking balances in Euro upon arrival at the daily rate IN CUBA for the Euro. Typically it is around 1cuc/usd : 0.869 Euro so around 85 cents to the Euro. We will email you the details of the rate with your balance due email a few weeks prior to the retreat. Rates don’t tend to fluctuate too much from day to day.

NAVIGATE THE CITY AND BEYOND OFFLINE :

Before you leave home please take the time to download maps.me for Havana so you can navigate the city in your free time!