Join the 36th annual Southern Cross Brigade to Cuba from 27 December 2018 to 16 January 2019! This three week trip gives Australians and New Zealanders the chance to understand Cuba’s unique, yet often misunderstood, political history and to participate in Cuba’s rich cultural heritage. As the Cuban Revolution celebrates its 60th Anniversary this coming January, there is no better time to join the brigade and to find out what life is like in socialist Cuba!

The Southern Cross Brigade offers the opportunity to experience the cultural, political and social conditions in socialist Cuba firsthand through visits to hospitals, schools, urban agriculture projects, historical sites and more! Brigadistas (brigade participants) will also meet with a range of Cubans who work for national organisations, such as the unions and the Women’s Federation, as well as people working in government, including economists and foreign affairs experts. Participants will also experience agricultural life, spending five mornings alongside Cuban farmers doing agricultural activities such as fruit picking, pruning or planting.

The majority of the three week trip will be spent in a camp about an hour’s drive outside of Havana. This year’s program will also give participants an opportunity to spend time in Havana and to travel from Havana, on the west side of the island, to the city of Santa Clara in the middle of the island and also to Ciego de Avila Province in the middle of Cuba.

The 2018-19 Southern Cross Brigade program can be found here.

The Southern Cross Brigade costs approximately $AU1160 in total, per person. This cost is paid in two parts.

1. There is a non-refundable* registration fee of $AU250 to be paid by 31 October to secure your place on the brigade.
2. On arrival at the camp in Cuba you will need to pay a further 670 CUC (Cuban Convertible Pesos) in cash, which equates to approximately $AU910. This cost covers all accommodation, food, travel and activities for the duration of the brigade. Please ensure you arrive with Euros, Canadian Dollars or Mexican Pesos, not Aus or N.Z. dollars as you cannot change this currency in Cuba. ACFS recommends that you avoid bringing US dollars, as these incur an extra surcharge to exchange in Cuba.

International flights, visas and health insurance are not included and must be arranged separately.

*Subject to usual consumer rights laws.