stridetravel.com

We have newly accessible Cuba, where beautiful national parks beckon, to Romania, a hidden secret for adventurous travelers. These destinations offer a variety of ‘soft’ adventure activities, like hiking, cycling, rafting, wildlife viewing, mingling with local residents, and sampling eclectic, local foods. Americans are finally discovering what Europeans and Canadians have known for years - that Cuba is blessed with amazing architecture, friendly locals, and beautiful, empty national parks, all within an hour flight from Miami. Nature lovers will head straight to the country’s many parks and nature reserves, some nestled right next to city skyscrapers while some, like Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve, are a bit further afield, and best explored on an organized tour.

Carnival Cruises is sailing into Cuban ports and American diplomats occupy the US embassy in Havana for the first time in 54 years. In the past, American tour companies were required to apply for a ‘people to people’ (P2P) license, granted by OFAC, in order to take American tour groups to Cuba. As long as travel activity falls into one of the OFAC general categories, tour operators are free to bring in groups of Americans; no special license required. Tour companies work directly with services such as these to both secure your Cuban travel visa and all necessary documents, including airline tickets and Cuban visa.