Adventure Unbound has been sharing its love of adventure without borders since 1979. Since the beginning, it has been a family affair, with family and connection being at the root of its values and continuing to drive its mission.
For 44 years, it has researched, experienced, and curated one-of-a-kind human-powered itineraries that support the local communities of destinations it visits across the globe. After creating the first sea kayaking and camping tour of the Galapagos Islands, it turned to explore more of Latin America, with vibrant Cuba catching its eye. Few countries are as compelling and flavorful as Cuba. This Caribbean gem is as complex as it is colorful between classic cars, tobacco fields, rum, and untouched wetlands, reefs, and forests. Cities and communities scattered throughout Cuba are a vivacious blend of past and present, rich with Spanish colonial architecture, music, dance, and cultural celebration.
Only Adventure Unbound offers a truly immersive Cuban experience, where you can connect with the locals, explore the hidden pockets of cities and forests, and view wildlife from the seat of a kayak atop warm Caribbean waters, all in support of the Cuban people.
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SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL
WHAT DOES SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL MEAN TO ADVENTURE UNBOUND?
Adventure Unbound believes that sustainable travel demands constant dedication and innovation. Its responsible travel practices follow the highest criterion of environmental and cultural stewardship in the locations it operates.
Sustainable travel puts into action practices which respect and protect the natural environments visited as well as the sociocultural environment. It also raises awareness of the impact travelers can have on the environment they visit and inspires others to become active advocates for further conservation efforts.
Adventure Unbound aims to connect people in a sincere and personally meaningful way to each of the locations it visits.
MINIMIZING FOOTPRINT
Adventure Unbound's travel practices are founded on the core ethics of protecting and respecting the Earth in all of its unique beauty, following Leave No Trace (LNT) principles. In practice, this means they try to minimize their footprint through discriminating energy use and the principles of reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle. They tailor these ethics into all of their practices, from their field operations to their office operations.
Here are some of the ways Adventure Unbound minimizes their impact on the environment:
Many of their trips are largely human powered—exploring countries by foot, kayak, raft, or bike. When they travel by motor, they partner with local operators who use the most fuel-efficient vehicles available.
All of their camping trips practice Leave No Trace procedures and have since they began in 1979.
They respect wildlife and their habitats on all of their trips, making sure they don’t disrupt them or make them uncomfortable as they witness them in their habitats.
Adventure Unbound is committed to sustainable travel and is always looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact. They believe that everyone has a role to play in protecting the planet, and they hope to inspire others to do the same.
CONNECTING PEOPLE TO PLACE
Sustainable travel necessitates learning about and understanding the wildlife, ecosystem, and culture of the places we visit. We believe that having guides who can share the region’s natural and cultural history with our guests in a meaningful, relevant way enriches the travel experience and encourages further stewardship.
The guides are dedicated to illuminating the natural history of the animals and plants we observe as a way to forge intellectual and emotional connections between people and the places we visit.
FAQs
Small Group Scheduled Tours & Custom Travel
Whether you’re looking for a custom tour for just 2-4 people or want to join one of our scheduled tours that are generally limited to 12-14 guests, we offer you a wide variety of choices that include the better-known destinations within Cuba as well as those well off the beaten path.
Custom Tours
In addition to our carefully-crafted itineraries, about half of our business is designing custom tours to Cuba. These can be a mix of culture and nature, or whatever you may wish. Past guests have included people that were born in Cuba and hadn’t been back since their parents brought them to the US in the early 1960’s. We’ve had veterans involved in the Bay of Pigs operation who wanted to go see what Cuba is about. We’ve designed custom Cuba tours for bird watching, scuba diving and even for reptile enthusiasts. We have women-only Cuba tours, gay travel tours in Cuba and more. We’ve arranged trips for cigar and rum aficionados, dance and music lovers, and those wanting to discover the Cuban culinary scene. For hikers, they have several amazing tours, including National Parks walking tour and options in eastern Cuba.
Corporate Social Responsibility
GIVING BACK TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Travel is one of the best ways to spread wealth from more developed to less developed countries. Adventure Unbound's tours support many local communities by dining with locally-owned establishments, hiring local guides and support staff, visiting and supporting local non-profits, buying local supplies, and forging friendships that offer support and learning for all.
Adventure Unbound is genuinely invested in the people and culture of the places they travel. They believe that travel is a powerful tool for understanding and appreciating different cultures, and they are committed to supporting the communities they visit.
HIRING LOCAL
Hiring local guides plays a significant role in the authenticity of Adventure Unbound's international and national adventures. Local guides provide guests with an inside-perspective of the country and location visited, enriching their travel experience. Adventure Unbound carefully selects each of their guides to ensure that they are knowledgeable, experienced, and passionate about sharing their culture with others.
In addition to providing a more authentic experience for guests, hiring local guides also serves as an excellent opportunity to support the local economy and give back to the community. When travelers spend money with local businesses, it helps to create jobs and stimulate the economy. It also helps to preserve local culture and traditions.
Adventure Unbound is committed to supporting the communities they visit, and they believe that hiring local guides is one of the best ways to do that.
Our guide and driver were very good with their knowledge and were very helpful with our questions. It was a very pleasant visit that would have been impossible to do on our own. Hotels and restaurants were fantastic. The special places we got to go to, like the kitchens, were great. Enjoyed the entire trip!
Meyer Smolen
1 day ago
The persons I spoke with knew the material. I wont know until I actually take the trip if it was all correct but at this point they were helpful in finding a trip that met my criteria
SS
5 days ago
Creating a checklist was very beneficial and meeting objectives on certain dates helped as well (to keep my trip organized). The Adventure Travel personnel helped keep me on track which is why my trip was so successful. Communication from both travel agencies (AT/MT) was vital.
Iziah Carthens
6 days ago
This is an amazing company to work with. I generally do not use tour companies as I am more of an independent traveller so I was slightly reticent. They were fantastic from the start - 10/10 - from lining up a phone call to discuss requirements, then their ongoing communication in the lead up to the tour and during it (thank you, Franny and Phen). They also explored cost-effective options (eg group transfers). The tour was in Patagonia so Adventure Life organised a pickup from the El Calafate airport to the El Chalten accommodation, two day hikes with a private guide and then to the El Calafate accommodation. A tour coordinator came to the hotel to explain, using the maps, what was involved in each day tour and what should be expected, and patiently answered all questions. The tour guide Marcos was excellent - very professional, knowledgable, communicative and at all times felt very safe with his navigational skills (important in the Patagonian wilderness). On the second day I forgot to take hiking poles so Marcos kindly gave me his. I honestly wouldn't have changed a thing and would happily recommend and book through them again.
Petrina Sta
1 week ago
Adventure Life has been great throughout my planning process for our up and coming Galapagos cruise. Kevin Moore, in particular, was very helpful in assisting me in making choices and providing me with options. He was also very patient, as I worked through figuring out what I really wanted in this vacation.
Lucy Greenway
1 week ago
Adventure Life was a pleasure to work with. They helped us find different options for our charter and answered a lot of questions with patience and clarity.
