This private, invitation-only Bike Tour presents a unique opportunity for People of Color and their Families to explore and connect with Cuba’s diverse ethnic and cultural roots.
Cuba is a unique country with a fascinating history and is a current important diasporic community in the world today. As a multi-ethnic nation Cuba’s ancestry hails people from various racial and ethnic backgrounds including Indigenous/ Amerindian, European, African and Asian. This blending of peoples has created a uniqe tapestry of customs, language, music, art, cuisine and traditions.
We invite you to join us, to experience and enjoy the people, the land and the culture of Cuba!
Please check the Cuba Bicycle Tours home page and the Itinerary and FAQ pages for additional information.
Our tours have a limited group size to ensure a personal experience for participants. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Please note:
There is a fascination with Cuba that I share with many Americans as well as people from around the world. Years ago I found myself drawn to this unique place and decided I had to experience it for myself. As I biked and stayed in small towns in the countryside, beach communities and cities it was the beauty of the land, the people and the culture that touched my heart. As a bike tour professional, I knew I had to provide this experience for people to connect with Cuba in the way I had, on the ground and in a direct and personal kind of way. I wanted travelers, particularly Americans, to form their own stories about Cuba… to set free their curiosity and spirit of adventure, to dispel myths and make connections with the real people of this place. This resilience of the Cuban people has transformed genocide, colonization, slavery, revolution and more into the rich culture and heritage that permeates the island today. This legacy is akin to America’s story and countries across the world. As a boy who grew up in a poor multi-ethnic community, as a child of immigrants that fled genocide and as a white man with friends and family members of color, I’ve come to appreciate how race and class affect the lives we all live every day. I am honored to collaborate with Norma to create this tour for People of Color and their families. I know the experience will enrich your connections of both heritage and history.
Herschel and I are good friends and he invited me to join his Cuba Bike Tour in 2019. Well, that tour influenced my life in such a magnificent way that I wanted more people to have this experience, especially People of Color and their families. As an American who is Black, I find reflections of my own history and culture everywhere in Cuba. It is there in the history of slavery and colonization, and it merges with the culture, language and history of the Europeans, the Indigenous peoples and the immigrants that continued to arrive. As a healer, inspirationalist, poetic storyteller and racial justice facilitator, I use oral forms of storytelling to highlight stories of our shared humanity, history, and heart. I’m honored to have my work featured in racial justice courses taught by educators across the country, because at the core, our stories are what matters most. A well-known Nigerian author and storyteller, Chinua Achebe, says that “Stories are not just meant to make us smile. I think that our lives depend on them.” The power of the stories and history of the Cuban people gives us insight into our own humanity, the richness of our cultures and our indomitable quest for freedom. Herschel and I talk about Cuba, we talk about race in the U.S. and we talk about the ways we like to show up in the world within our communities. And all this talk eventually led us to a heart-to-heart conversation about collaborating to bring a special Cuba Cultural Bike Tour experience to People of Color and their families.
Indigenous Cuba: Hidden in Plain Sight
AMERICAN INDIAN
Cuba is picturesque everywhere, but most visitors trek to the more accessible western end of the island – Havana and the nearby white-sand beaches, the historic bay, and its boardwalk (malecón). This is the tourist mecca of colonial architecture and burgeoning arts, old time cars in a modern metropolis.
Wikipedia
Many Cuban people still locate their origins in specific native African ethnic groups or regions, particularly the Yoruba, Akan, Congo, Igbo, Carabalí, Mandingo, Kissi, Fula, Makua and others.
Wikipedia
Slavery in Cuba was associated with labor demand to support the sugar cane plantations. More than a million enslaved Africans were brought to Cuba as part of the Atlantic slave trade.
Chinese-Cubans Keep Their Culture Alive
Document Journal
Photographer Sean Alexander Geraghty shares stories from Havana’s Chinatown—once the largest in all of Latin America, home to thousands of Chinese men and their mixed-race families.
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