Unique Cultural Tours
Unique Cultural Tours
Spring Migration tour is offered only once a year!
Cost: $4,195 (market value $6,495). A $500 deposit secures your space. Single rooms are available for $500 additional. On this tour only, your deposit is refundable until 6 months before departure.
Save $200 with Early Bird registration by registering six+ months in advance.
March 22-April 1, 2025
Explore best birdwatching Cuba hotspots in the prime migration season! More than 400 bird species have been recorded in Cuba, including 27 endemics of which 18 are considered globally threatened. We’ll meet with local bird specialists in various ecosystems including interior tropical forests, salt flats, and swamps. You’ll experience local culture, arts, and lifestyle as part of our unique cultural experiences in Cuba.
Discover prime bird spots, stunning national parks, and diverse habitats including interior tropical forests, salt flats, swamps, and ocean shorelines.
Most days, birdwatching activities at sunrise and sunset, with free time after lunch. The itinerary will flex as needed to help us find our target birds.
Learn from nature reserve staff and ornithologists about the changing environment and its impact on many species.
In addition to birdwatching, activities offered include a cooking class, a classic car experience, live music, and snorkeling.
We will visit the prime places for these endemic species:
Bee Hummingbird, Cuban Trogon, Cuban Green Woodpecker, Cuban Pygmy-Owl, Cuban Tody, Bare-legged Owl, Cuban Oriole, Blue-headed Quail-Dove, Gray-fronted Quail-Dove, Cuban Black Hawk, Cuban Bullfinch, Cuban Gnatcatcher, Cuban Grassquit, Cuban Parakeet, Cuban Parrot, Cuban Pewee, Cuban Solitaire, Cuban Vireo, Fernandina’s Flicker, Cuban Nightjar, Oriente Warbler, Yellow-headed Warbler, Zapata Wren, Zapata Sparrow, Cuban Crow, Palm Crow, Cuban Martin, Cuban Emerald, Thick-billed Vireo, and Western Spindalis. Check out Birds of Cuba for more information on local species.
Tour destinations in Cuba include: Soroa, Las Terrazas, Viñales Valley, Cienaga de Zapata, Cienfuegos and Havana.
Biosphere Reserve with Soroa Orchid Gardens & Las Terrazas - ecological restoration project and many pollinators
Viñales Valley-UNESCO site - known for the famous tobacco farms, these limestone mountains and caves provide important bird habitats
Playa Larga and Zapata Swamps - ornithologist’s yard known for the Cuban Bee Hummingbirds, and experiences at the salt flats and swamp habitats
Cienfuegos and Guanaroca Lagoon - botanical gardens/arboretum and flamingo lagoon
Havana - cultural experiences include '55 Chevy Bel Air driving tour of Havana, visit to Hemingway’s home, Fuster artist neighborhood, the Hotel Nacional and historic architecture.
Flights - Arrive in Havana by 1 pm on the first day of the tour in order to be in the countryside for sunset birding. You will explore Havana at the end of the tour.
Activity Level - Walking up to three miles at a time, often on dirt paths, cobblestones, or other uneven terrain.
Lodging - the finest air-conditioned Bed and Breakfasts in each destination. To maximize our nature experience, we will stay in some primitive areas where lodging is less elegant and electricity may be unreliable.
Social Responsibility & Eco-Friendly Practices - These values are embedded in all of our tours. We partner with local entrepreneurs which includes lodging, restaurants, and limit plastic waste wherever possible.
No vaccines are required for travel to Cuba.
Roger, our bilingual Cuban guide with birding/photography expertise. 3 local guides in natural reserves and more!
Travel licenses, mandatory Cuban health insurance and visas.
9 nights in Casas Particulares, Cuban Bed & Breakfasts (a better option than government-owned hotels).
17 meals, almost always at paladares. The paladares of Cuba are unique in that they are privately-owned restaurants where the staff takes great pride in their delicious meals and hospitality.
Private, air-conditioned ground transportation for the whole tour with our own driver.
Purified water is included and always available (bring your favorite water bottle for refills).
Curious About Cuba educational program (two 3-hour sessions of instruction available on demand and sometimes in-person).
Steve and Jenny, Vive Mas Tours owners and avid birdwatcher (Jenny), will be on this tour!
Airfare to/from the US
Trip Insurance
9 meals
Tips for Roger (primary guide) & the driver
Roger, your guide.
A Cuban, he has been an avid birdwatcher and photographer for over 15 years. Every Cuban bird photo on the Vive Más Tours page belongs to him.
Review from W. Perry Conway (Colorado raptor specialist):
“Having taken my own groups all over the world, I recognize a good leader when I travel with one…and Roger was!
One of his skills that I really liked was that he is also an excellent birder. Not only knowing them visually but knowing their songs as well. For example, he showed me the Cuban Trogon, the national bird, as well as many, many others. He found the trogon first by hearing its call, then locating it high in the canopy of the trees.
I would welcome the opportunity to travel with him again.”
