Loading...
AltruVistas – Transforming Communties Through Sustainable Philanthropic Travel2022-07-26T17:50:18-07:00

We are a winner of Newsweek’s “Future of Travel” Awards 2021!

We were a 2019 AFAR Traveler’s Choice Awards Finalist!
We’re honored to be nominated for “the trips that do the most good in the world”!

AltruVistas’ Custom Group Tours

AltruVistas’ Custom Journeys are privately branded trips that are personally tailored for our clients business or organization. We utilize the pillars of experiential education, philanthropy, and social responsibility to craft your custom journey. By supporting socially responsible travel we ensure that we work in partnership with all stakeholders in the destinations where we operate so that our hosts truly benefit from our tourism dollars.

By acting together we create a better tourism experience that safeguards the destination, its culture, economy, and environment. Altruvistas has a minimum benchmark of 50% of every tour dollar stays in the local economy. Remember this is the base minimum of our standard, additionally, there are donations and funds raised for our partners in the US and around the world.

Our Clients:

  • Foundations

  • Organizations

  • Membership Associations

  • Education Institutions

  • Businesses

  • Travel Agencies

  • VIP

AltruVistas’ Custom Cuba Journeys are legal customized tours to Cuba that are personally tailored for our clients business or organization. Since 1993, our team has overseen over 20,000 American travelers to Cuba and is currently organizing over 50 Cuba trips for Americans per year. AltruVistas’ works as a consultant and primary organizer that then works with the licensee(s) to ensure all is legal. We offer an inclusive package and share our extensive network of on-the-ground contacts, knowledgeable trip facilitators, and proficient translators. Together we are excited to share with you a place close to our hearts.

Journey Testimonials

I would like to express my greatest gratitude for the amazing experience my students and I had during our ecotourism trip to Costa Rica in spring 2013. The trip Altruvistas designed for my students increased their understanding and awareness of sociocultural, economic, and environmental tourism impacts faced by small communities on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica and exposed them to unique community-based development models introduced by local communities to alleviate these impacts.The guest lectures by local scientists, biologists, and historians on different issues local communities face, interaction with indigenous Bribri community, and community service learning component specifically contributed to students’ personal transformation and enhanced their understanding of global citizenship. Thank you again for the lifelong memories. I am looking forward to our future collaboration.

Dr. Pavlina Látková, San Francisco State University

I traveled to Cuba with Altruvistas. This is not your typical tour company. Tell me how many tours take you to Pablo Mendez’s house where you can listen to the band jam in the living room and drink Cuba libres from the makeshift bar in the kitchen? Chat with Roberto Salas, famous personal photographer for Fidel and Che in his home? I look forward to more “tours” with Altruvistas! 

Joey Merrifield

This was an extraordinary experience in every aspect. It’s unfortunate that so many Americans have a distorted view of Cuba. I came away with a profound sense of the pride of the Cuban people in their society, their warmth and generosity, and the great strides they have made for every Cuban in areas such as education and health care. I’m eagerly telling friends about the experience — how we felt safe, comfortable, and welcomed. The more Americans visit Cuba, the closer we will come to normalizing relations in an atmosphere of admiration and respect. Thank you for all you did to make our trip a success. We look forward to returning to Cuba.

Robert Inman

The trips that Altruvistas plans for my groups of women are filled with thoughtful events, meaningful interaction, and stellar guides. When the most stressful part of you trip is packing— you know you’re in good hands! Every trip has had amazing moments in it that were pure magic because of the local connections they have and their commitment to creating special trips where engaging with people matters.  Thank you Malia and team!

Shasta Nelson, Girl Friend Circles

I went to Cuba April 2014 with Ethical Traveler. I am not much of a “tour person”. However, when I was walking the Mallecon chatting, sipping rum, singing and dancing with the locals, watching a private ballet performance, enjoying musicians jam in their casa, eating roasted pork fresh from the Bar B Que with the vacqueros (cowboys) on the ranch and meeting a Horse Whisperer in Trinidad whose wife brought their horse, Luna de Miel, into their living room I thought to myself this is not your “usual tour”. No tour buses outside these adventures! Gracias ET for sharing Cuba with me. Saludos de Mexico

Joey Merrifield

I’m writing to enthusiastically recommend Malia Everette  and Altruvistas as a fantastic organization to work with for an upcoming educational experience in Cuba.  As a university administrator who runs over 13 international programs a year, I know how important it is to work with a trusted organization that has a strong vision, a focus on learning outcomes, and attention to safety, risk and liability.  I can attest through my many years of working with Malia when she was the director of Reality Tours at Global Exchange that she will organize a top-notch educational experience for your students.  I traveled with Global Exchange on several journeys to Venezuela and the level of organization was great, the meetings and activities planned were always great, and the community leaders that we met were always inspirational. 

I had such an amazing adventure in Cuba!  It was the perfect combination of wonderful experiences, decompression from my day-to-day life, and educational/eye opening experience about what Cuba has to offer and what they have and continue to endure. It will be interesting to see what the next few chapters have in store for this country as tourism in all of its forms continue to grow throughout the island. I already have a list of people that I will be talking to (including my parents) about the trip as a “must do” for them!!!

Kei Grant

Education and Excellence in the African Diaspora in Cuba

< Back To Browse Upcoming Journeys Tour Sponsor: AAREA: African American Regional Educational AlliancesCuba is one of the most dynamic and colorful nations in the Americas, famed for its music, rum, distinctive architecture, and [...]

A Culture of Arts and Jazz in Cuba

< Back To Browse Upcoming Journeys Tour Sponsor: Cubanakoa Foundation Havana is one of the most dynamic and colorful capitals in the Americas. Famed for its music, rum, distinctive architecture, and dynamic culture of [...]

AltruVistas is Proud to Be a Member of:

Partners & Affiliates

Special Thanks to Our Collaborators:

  • Adelphi University
  • Airbnb
  • Amazon Watch
  • Artful Living Magazine
  • Austin College
  • Benedictine University
  • Cheetah Watch
  • Community Technology Network
  • Cultural Explorers
  • Delegation of Friendship Among Women
  • Dining for Women
  • ECPAT
  • Ethical Traveler
  • Flo’s Body Shop
  • Food First
  • GirlFriendCircles
  • Global Shapers
  • Grace Cathedral Episcopal School
  • Growing World Wellness
  • Keuka University
  • Knowmadic Consulting
  • Lake Forest Academy
  • Luxury Studio Events
  • Mary Paffard Yoga/or LYRICA
  • Middlebury Institute for International Studies
  • MIIS (Monterey School of International Studies)
  • Oceanic Society
  • Portland Community College
  • Purdue University
  • Questex
  • Ron Herman Photography
  • Satya Retreats
  • SEE Turtles
  • Science Leadership Academy
  • SFSU
  • Skyline College
  • Soul Journeys
  • St. Stephens Episcopal School
  • Stanford University
  • Trinity University
  • University of New Mexico
    (LGBYT Resource Center)
  • University of Massachusetts
  • UCSF
  • Viridian Tours
Go to Top