Office Staff
Lucy Davies
Director
Lucy was brought up in Latin America and started tour guiding while studying Modern Languages at Bristol University. After graduating she spent many years living and working in Italy before coming to Cuba on a whim as a cycle guide, in 1997. Instantly captivated by the country’s infectious atmosphere, Lucy spent the next three years cycling the length and breadth of the island, at the same time documenting the slow demise of the sugar industry through one of her passions, photography. The result was an exhibition and book entitled, ‘The Sugar Factory’.
Soon after, she decided to set up Cubania Travel in response to a real need for a serious incoming local ground-handling agency with expert knowledge on cycling and adventure travel in Cuba. As more and more people have wanted to get to know the real Cuba, Cubania Travel has added cultural and family trips to their adventure holiday portfolio.
Lucy lived in Havana full time with her husband and son since 2003 and relocated to set up the Cubania London office in late 2015, as demand for Cubania services increased.
Adam Roberts
General Manager
Adam joined the Cubania team in April 2017 after a memorable 6 month sabbatical spent cycling through windswept Patagonia. Having previously worked in commercial roles for leading adventure travel companies in the UK and for specialist inbound operators in other countries, Adam brings with him industry experience and a traveller’s perspective. He studied Business and Economics at Liverpool University, and Spanish Language at the University of Buenos Aires.Gradually adjusting to life in the Caribbean, his hobbies include photography, music festivals and football (he plans to start the Havana branch of Middlesbrough Supporters Club and is accepting membership applications)!
Liudmila Rodriguez
Operations
An Honours graduate of Havana University, Liudmila has a degree in modern languages and is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian and German. She spent three years working for ESTI, Cuba’s official translating and interpreting agency before moving into tourism, working with a number of European agencies before joining Cubania Travel in 2008. In charge of operations, Liudmilla’s strength lies in building and maintaining excellent relationships with our hotel and transport suppliers. In fact, she’s so good at it that she recently married one of Cubania Travel’s favourite drivers! A typical Latina, she’s chatty, fun and always perfectly turned out. And she simply cannot survive without her daily cafécito, the Cuban version of an espresso.
Jose Fuentes
Bike Operations
Jose was born and bred in Havana and has lived less that 100 metres from the sea all his life. He swims daily off the coast of capital’s coastline and loves snorkelling, fishing, sailing and scuba diving and his expertise in these areas is second to none. An Industrial Engineer by profession, Jose joined Cubania Travel at the beginning of 2011 but has been collaborating closely with us since 2006. The practical one of the team, he is also in charge of organising and maintaining our impressive fleet of bikes. You’ll see him at the airport meeting and greeting our groups and out and about showing Cuba novices how to get the best out of this complex and enchanting island. In the office Jose works on special itineraries and finding new routes and trails.
Anibal Paez Cruz
Marketing
Anibal was born in Havana and lives very near the famous Plaza de la Revolución (Revolution Square), the site of many historical activities in Cuban history and which holds a special place in the heart of the Cuban people.He studied Industrial engineering, graduating in 1988 but decided to move into the travel industry where he built up over 20 years of experience in Cuban tourism. For 10 of those years he has held the position of Director of Specialised Tourism at Cuban travel agents Cubanacan, organising trekking, cycling and cultural programmes. This experience has proven to be very useful for his new post at Cubania Travel where he creates and markets new programmes for clients, ensuring they get the best out of their Cuban holiday.
Anibal loves spending time in the outdoors and feels fortunate to be able to enjoy the many beautiful nature reserves and stunning beaches his country has to offer.
Carla Brito Paseiro
Operations
I started working at Cubania in February 2013. Prior to that I was the sales manager at one of Havana’s 4 star hotels, the HTL Occidental Miramar – Montehabana, now renamed Memories Miramar.The Memories Miramar is one of the main hotels that Cubania uses to accommodate their clients. It’s also the site of the Cubania bike warehouse, where approximately 350 bikes are stored and maintained in preparation for their cycling trips. I got to know the Cubania team very well and when I heard they were looking for another staff member I jumped at the chance to win them over with my enthusiasm!
I have a degree in French language and Literature and also studied English at the University of Havana. When I first joined the Cubania team where a great deal of their business is done in English, I asked myself “How hard can it be?”. I won’t lie, – it was much harder than I imagined especially as I had not practiced any English at all in my previous role.
What I enjoy most about working at Cubania is the variety. I’m not only involved with creating budgets, charts and tailor-made itineraries for our clients, I also learn something new each day, be it English grammar, Cuban geography or bike sizes.
In the year and a half since I first joined the team, I’ve been able to visit many beautiful towns and cities across the island from Viñales to Baracoa as part of my training. I can still say though, that my favourite place is Havana, the city where I was born, – a vibrant city full of traditions and culture.
Betty Madrigal
Operations
Born in Santa Clara in central Cuba, Betty has lived in Havana since 1975. In her younger days she studied for 3 years in Russia and afterwards worked as a bilingual secretary in the Russian school of Havana. For nearly two decades she worked as a coordinator for two different specialist travel agencies of the Cuban government, before following in the footsteps of Anibal by moving from Cubanacan to Cubania! Assisting Liudmila in the operations department, vital tasks include processing hotel and supplier confirmations and giving guide briefings. With an infectious laugh and smile, she loves to dance, travel around the island, and share with others. Betty has a large family both in Cuba and in the US, and has a granddaughter who she adores!
Serafina Vick
Operations
Joining Cubania in Autumn 2017, Serafina is the newest and youngest member of the office staff. Serafina graduated with a 1st class degree in French and Hispanic studies at Kings College London and studied Cuban Literature at the University of Havana as part of her degree in 2014. Since then she has translated a variety of Cuban poets and her translations have appeared in Modern Poetry in Translation and on the Radio 4 production, Mother Tongue. Aside from translation, Serafina has 2 years’ experience in the Travel Industry, working as Assistant to the Managing Director of a leading Bhutanese travel operator. Ever since leaving Cuba Serafina has been plotting a way to get back and when she got in contact with Cubania, the stars aligned. As well as working in the Havana office, Serafina often accompanies tour groups and researches new places for Cubania clients to discover.
Liset Cordero Cendoya
Accounts
Liset was born in Havana and currently lives in trendy Vedado, just a stone’s throw from Havana’s famous seawall, the Malecon. Before graduating in Economics at the University of Havana in 1994, Liset studied Russian in Moscow for 4 years. Whilst studying Economics, she was manager of the Accounting Department at the National Bank of Cuba for 7 years. In 1994 she moved into Tourism and has never looked back. Racking up 17 years of experience in Tourism Accountancy, Liset was more than qualified when she joined Cubania in March 2017. Though sometimes a little shy, Liset loves music and is always the first to hit the dance floor. Her greatest treasures are her two beautiful daughters.
Our Guides
Freddy Cámara García
Guide
I have an MSc degree in Geography and have been leading tours ( mainly ecotourism ) , mixing natural and cultural heritage, but also leading specialist tours such as bird-watching. I am a keen photographer and, unusually for a guide, I’m the one most likely to be taking photos on any trip! Even when leading bike tours you’ll see me with a large camera strapped to my back.In 2011 I was lucky enough to receive two guiding awards – Exodus clients’ votes put me on the shortlist for best guide WORLDWIDE, an achievement I’m really proud of. I was also awarded Guide of the Month by The Adventure Company. I’m happiest on the road with a group of inquisitive and energetic visitors to my country!
ALEX BERJAGA HIDALGO
Guide
I was born in Bayamo in the Eastern part of the island. When I was a year old my family moved to the capital, Havana.I have a background in sports training and graduated with degrees in History, English and Italian. Prior to becoming a professional tour guide I worked for an electronics company in their I.T. department.
In 2011 I joined the Cubania team of guides taking groups around Cuba on cycling, trekking and cultural tours. Cycling tours are my favourite as they offer a unique opportunity to discover the island that is not possible in other more conventional tours.
Cuba is a wonderful country offering something different to everyone that comes here. My favourite places to guide are Viñales, Cienfuegos, Trinidad and the Sierra Maestra.
JOSE ANTONIO LEYVA MORENA
Guide
I was born in Guanabacoa, a town to the south east of Havana. I studied languages and have been working as a Cubania guide for nearly 6 years. Being a tour guide is one of my passions (especially on cultural tours), scuba diving is another. Cuba has some of the world´s finest dive sites though this isn´t common knowledge.My favourite cities in Cuba are Trinidad and Cienfuegos. Trinidad is the perfect place to have a great time, – you´ve got the magnificent mountains, beautiful white sandy beaches and a wonderfully preserved colonial city with plenty of culture and nightlife. Cienfuegos is a beautiful, clean city with stunning examples of architecture, and I should also really include Baracoa in the east for its great nightlife and spectacular nature.
Enio Gonzalez
Guide
I´m from Havana and have been working as a professional tour guide for 18 years. After studying Russian and serving 2 years in the Navy, I changed tack and became a tour guide. Initially I spent 3 years doing biking trips and tours in nature reserves, and in the past 15 years I´ve done a lot of trekking, walking and bird watching tours in many of Cuba´s spectacular mountain ranges. I´m also an experienced fishing and kayaking guide.My advice to anyone coming to Cuba for the first time is to keep an open mind. There will be a lot you won´t be able to understand but what you will enjoy is our hospitality, our happiness, and our pride of being Cuban. We live on an island which has so many great and unforgettable experiences to offer.
YAZEL PETERSSEN GUERRA
Guide
I was born and raised in Cuba´s capital, Havana. After a stint at military school in my teens I studied languages and realised my dream was to be a tour guide. I went through many jobs before I started guiding, including teaching English and history classes at high school level, selling underwear in a department store and working as Head of Security at a tourism school. It was here that I heard about a travel agency that was looking for a guide, and the rest is history!My favourite places in Cuba are Baracoa, for its unspoiled nature, cleanliness and friendly locals and Santa Clara for the Che Guevarra mausoleum and museum – a very interesting and emotional place to visit. I also love Trinidad for its charming colonial architecture, rich cultural history and stunning nature, and of course I can´t miss out our vibrant and fascinating capital, Havana.
Lazaro de la Maza
Guide
I´m from Arroyo Naranjo, a suburb of Havana. My inspiration to learn English was a pretty 6th form teacher; I then went on to university to study English and French, graduating with joint honours, and in my third year I decided to add on German as well.I had many different jobs before becoming a tour guide including working in a bakery, working as a welder, renting out VHS movies, painting tourist handicrafts and of course, working as an English teacher.
Anyone who wants to discover something different (and be technology free for a week or two) should visit Cuba. I assure you you´ll go back home with a new understanding of the country and its people who are proud of their culture and heritage. We may be a small island in the Caribbean but the world certainly knows we exist!
JORGE SANCHEZ FERNANDEZ
Guide
I am what you call a Villa Clareño, someone who was born in the province of Villa Clara, in a small town called Miller.From a young age I enjoyed going to school and practising sports, in particular Karate. Thanks to my enthusiasm for the sport I was spotted by a sports specialist and continued my education within the educational sporting programme that Cuba offers to those who show a talent in a particular area. I was recruited to the national team but sadly had to cut short my sporting career due to an injury. I decided to go to university in Havana to study languages and graduated with a degrees in French, Italian and English. It made sense to me to use this to my advantage and pursue a career in tourism.
In the last 14 years I have worked for a Cuban tour operating company, the past 10 of which have been as Head of the English speaking guides which are contracted out to various foreign agencies who work in Cuba. Although I enjoy meeting and working with tourists of all nationalities, I particularly like the British for their great sense of humour.
I like walking and spending time outdoors, dancing and generally enjoying the positive and vibrant opportunities that my country offers. I try to put this positive attitude across to all the people I meet during my work.
