Neem

I went along on the agricultural delegation to Cuba last December. My main issue was the cost of the tour. I booked a double occupancy which amounted to $ 600/​day for two people. The trip included 8 nights with breakfast and guided tour bus for 5 days and a few other meals thrown in (3 – 4). The accommodations were mediocre — hotels without toilet seats and with smoke filled lobbies, and fairly appalling coffee, which was surprising because coffee is one of the crops that Cuba is known for producing. The hotels were one of the few places on the island where we found internet access, but these hotels were not consistent, so if you must have it, you may need to research to find better options. Expect to pay extra (sometimes standing in long lines) and get up at 5am. The «casa particulares» were an interesting diversion for one of our 8 nights, but Neem’s cost of $ 300/​day double occupancy comes no where near what these Cubans actually receive for their hospitality. The tour bus, bus driver and interpreter were provided by the national company and was included but expect to pay extra since the tip does not come out of the cost of the tour. The Neem representative came along with our delegation, but had few language skills or practical knowledge to share. The best advice he gave was to not depend on the Cuban mail system. As far as I’m aware, not one of my 40 odd postcards that I mailed from Havana and Trinidad has made it to the US.
The aspect of Neem which sets it apart from other tour operators was the introduction to the 3 growers and 1 research facility. These agricultural experts have a lot to share with the rest of the world and were eager and interested in meeting our small delegation. The question is… is Neem the only way to accomplish this?