Program Reviews

Cuba is an incredible country, but the reason I feel this way is because of the people I met there, from the amazing staff to the other travelers. From day one, I was welcomed with open arms by the Corazon Cuba team. Leonel and Leandro, the program managers, have build an incredible team of spanish teachers, a security team, wonderful cooks and more people who made my stay there super pleasant! I’ve followed 2 other language courses overseas and this was the first one where I actually learned new things, I was challenged to speak more to get over my anxiety. The spanish program was personalized specifically for my wants and needs. This was a huge plus. You’re not going to follow a random text book, but you go out, into the field, into the city to practice your spanish. The volunteer program was also very interesting, there was always someone guiding and assisting us on the project. This made me feel very safe! Nothing but love for the Corazon Cuba team. Thank you for everything.

My review is from the perspective of a parent; ie., I didn’t participate in the program to Cuba, but my daughter did. As a parent of a teen, I was full of trepidation for my daughter going to Cuba, but the attention to detail and the staff were amazing! The teachers were incredibly patient and kind, which my daughter appreciated as she doesn’t
Find learning languages easy. The companionship of the group (of other ttravelers) was key to her experience, but there was ALOT of heavy drinking, which did make my (tea-totaler) daughter feel very uncomfortable. Be warned that this was a nightly party for most of the travelers! That being said, she was still included (& accepted, despite being unwilling to participate in the drinking culture), and she really enjoyed the walking tours/cultural tours, and said the FOOD was amazing! She even loved the salsa lessons. I say “even” (loves the salsa lessons) because she can be a bit
of an introvert, so was absolutely dreading the dancing. However, to her — and my— great surprise, she saide it was “the best fun!” The teacher made it so relaxed, and
only emphasized enjoying the music & having fun. Finally, Tim P-P, the program coordinator was so wonderful. He never tired of my long list of (almost daily) questions on the lead up to the trip. He was so knowledgeable, friendly, and personable, yet
his professionalism & knowledge of Cuba/adventure travel) is outstanding. I’ll end on this —- my daughter contracted a tropical
Illness, and the staff were on it immediately, as was Tim, who communicated with me until we both felt all my questions were answered and that we both felt she was being well taken care of; she was! The staff could not have been more kind and
concerned, and I had complete
Confidence in the team, as did my daughter. I can’t recommend this program enough! Do NOT hesitate
to sign up your daughter or son for this experience of a lifetime!

Take it! Take another little piece of my heart now Cuba! (sung to the tune of Janice Joplin's 'Piece of My Heart). I honestly think I left a piece of my heart in the country. My stint there ignited in me a great love for Latin American culture - the sumptuous sights, sounds and energy of Havana's city streets are still throbbing in my veins. The local's gave us a royal welcome....fun, adventure and broad smiling faces never more than a few feet away. The teachers on the Spanish programme were incredible; they offered a window into the culture that I wouldn't be able to get through a guide book. They were friendly, accommodating and altogether encouraging in their teaching style. I learned lots!!! Not just about the language, but through the leaning, a whole different experience of Havana and broader Cuba. And I can dance a mean salsa now and haven't broken anyones toes since! ;P

I can't wait to return xxx

I've travelled solo for a few years, making holiday itineraries on my own watch, doing the things that I only wanted to do. It's a nice way to travel and for the most part - you can create the exact kind of holiday/travel experience that's right for you.

I've always wanted to go to Cuba and I thought for this trip I wanted to go a little deeper with the travel experience. Normally for me I'm pretty happy if I can take some cool pictures and some videos but I thought for this trip I would step outside of my comfort zone a little and try immerse myself into the culture and genuinely learn about a new culture in a deeper way.

After spending 4 weeks with the guys at Corazon I'm really glad I decided to do this program. For one, I feel like a did get a proper insight into what it means to be Cuban. Hanging out with Cubans is the best way to do this and I was really happy that there was so many Cubans as part of the team - along with that, they were all super interested to share their experiences and offer some insight into their country.

I also realised I am not a horrific dancer as I thought! I do say this modestly of course.

Now - to be fully honest - Cuba can be quite a frustrating country. Terrible internet, minimum selection for certain things, food is so-so... But it good to know these things AHEAD of coming to Cuba so that you enter into the experience knowing you are putting your western comforts to one side and are opening yourself up to a completely different cultural experience.

There is so much that I enjoyed in my trip and I really do thank Corazon for much of this. The girls and guys who run the program are super friendly and nice and the way the programs are structured it's easy to come away improving a ton on your skills going into it... I would recommend this program.

Now I'm still not fluent in Spanish (to my girlfriend's continuing disappointment) however I don't completely suck in conversation, but more importantly I feel I found a better frame of reference when it comes to talking about Cuba, Cubans and latino culture......

I feel very lucky to have found a program which provides an authentic experience where get to know the real Cuba but is at the same time safe and allows you to meet great people.

Famously Cuba is difficult with food but the food at the cubicle result was outstanding. Amazing accommodation in the heart of old Havana.

Also, the Spanish teachers with quality for the first time and months to actually use my Spanish and communicate with the local people. It was also to wait to dance salsa of the local people!
Kuba Corazon team was very helpful and fun.

Vines was truly magical - One of the most beautiful places I’ve seen - We really enjoyed the crossroads, and bike rides and visits to local tobacco farms.

I will be definitely coming back!

I would recommend this programme to anyone! But especially to (first time) solo travelers. Everyone is very welcoming, the staff is great and the environment they create is amazing. You will make real friendships and memories to never forget. You will learn Spanish in a very fun and free environment and can use and practice it right away! The culture walks are great, it feels like going on a walk with friends and in the meantime you get to see a lot of Havana in a fun and NOT boring way!
And the Spanish teachers are the best! They really try to help you in everyway possible and make it so you can immediatly use your Spanish in the streets of Habana Vieja.
The dance teachers are great too! They're very skilled and professional, you will be dancing at Salsa clubs in no time!
I loved it so much I actually went back this year!

This trip was one of the best travel and learning experiences I have ever had. Not only have I been able to improve my Spanish significantly, acquire some basic salsa dance skills and learn about Cuba and its culture, but I also had the time of my life and met people I know I will always have a special bond with. I had a very fun trip and came back super happy and ready to go back any time again. The Spanish classes may have been a bit more structured (the placement test could be improved/fine-tuned as well to guarantee that everyone can join a group representative of their level.). I also faced some issues with not having water at home for days, but looking back, these things did not really matter that much if looking at how great everything else was.

I would definitely recommend this program!

I feel compelled to leave a great review for these guys. Tim and Roxandra have set up a phenomenal program here. This city has so much to offer in terms of history, music, art, and a fascinating culture; Corazon Cuba and Casa Jakera provide the perfect jumping-off point whether you are naturally an independent traveler or require a little more structure. Special thanks to the Casa Jakera teachers, specifically Dalber, who was such an interesting and honest person to ask questions to. The tour guides, including Dayron, were a lot of fun to walk the city with. Leonel and Leandro were both very helpful in helping me find the people and places I was looking for. Another note: I was initially apprehensive about attending the included salsa classes, but I highly recommend them (a) because the teachers are funny as hell and (b) because you're going to need at least a foundational understanding of salsa if you want to find yourself in the more local nightlife which will require that you understand the basic steps. It seemed like every day was more fun than the last. I could go on forever about how enjoyable my time there was. Thanks again to the whole team.

I would highly recommend this Learn Spanish, Dance, & Culture program with Corazon Cuba (formerly Jakera Cuba)! I’m very grateful that I was able to attend this program for a week and experience all that Havana has to offer. It’s an amazing city with so much culture and the people were amazing. I found it very easy to get around (with only basic Spanish knowledge) and the staff were great at showing us around. The program was laid out perfectly - a great balance between learning and fun.

We had Spanish class in the mornings for 3 hours, lunch, and then either dance class or culture walks. I had Darbel as a Spanish teacher and he was great! The dance classes were a blast as well as the culture walks. On our culture walks we went to the Malecon, Central Havana, and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana. The day ended at 3pm and then we had the evenings to explore.

I met such great people on the program and we spent the evenings together walking around the city, eating great food, and going to salsa dance bars. It was such an easy environment to make friends and from all over the world! I can’t wait to travel more and meet back up with all the friends I made in Cuba.

The hostel was a great place to stay - I always felt very safe, the staff was accessible and helpful. I stayed in a shared room which had 6 bunk beds and it was very comfortable.

I do have a few tips for anyone going on this program or traveling to Cuba.
1. Download the app “maps.me” before you go. It gives you an offline map of Cuba for when you don’t have service or wifi (which is all the time).
2. On the Google Translate app you can download the Spanish language which is great for those times when you can’t remember something or need something translated.
3. If you are traveling from America BRING ALL THE CASH YOU’LL NEED. This is super important because American cards (no matter which bank - even Charles Schwab) don’t work in Cuba. The only way is to bring cash with you and exchange it for Cuban Pesos when you get there. They have 2 different currencies, CUC & CUP, but you will just use CUC the whole time.

This program was an incredible experience and I could not recommend it enough!! If you can, ABSOLUTELY go for 4 weeks. 1 week just wasn’t long enough, but better than nothing at all.

Thank you to Go Overseas for introducing me to this program and thank you Corazon (Jakera) for everything you do for your participants! You guys are amazing!