Cuba

We arrived on Sunday afternoon from NY and directly jumped into the Cuban atmosphere. The airport is very special, two large buildings, almost no staff for the reception, very quiet… to make it short you get off the plane to get to the “queue” of immigration, which is quite fast in general since there are several cabins.

You give the papers filled in the plane (visa, declaration, immigration), usually they do not ask you any questions, a small photo souvenir and hop you are in the line to go to luggage.

There is a small security check fairly fast and you can wait for the baggages.

So be patient, once at this level you will see that it is concretely a mess. Everything is defeated and dirty, Cubans returning from other countries with medicines, electronic products etc. are lining up to declare what they have, it’s quite unique and confusing. We immediately feel the misery and the demand of the country… Also be patient for luggage, everything is not really organized, I found my bags on an other trail from another flight…

A little about Cuba

Cuba is a Caribbean island state that is the second most populous island in the Caribbean with nearly 11,253,000 people. Its capital is Havana, its official language Spanish and two currencies are used: the Cuban peso and the Cuban convertible peso. The island was a Spanish colony then a Territory of the United States of America until May 20, 1902. Since the revolution of 1959, Cuba defines itself as a socialist republic, although Fidel Castro does officialise the socialist character during the episode of the Bay of Pigs, of which the Communist Party of Cuba, created in 1965, constitutes the “superior ruling force,” the country is regarded by its opponents as a dictatorship. The great political figures of the country were Hugo Chavez and Fidel.

What do you need to know before traveling?

Visa: it is necessary for anyone entering Cuba. It’s the airline who will deliver the visa.

Cash: you won’t have the choice, no place accepts credit cards (with some exceptions and you risk to have commissions). So change a minimum amount of money for your trip (there are change offices in all cities but you risk queuing for a moment… Otherwise you can withdraw money on ATM (but usually the banks’ commissions are strong). Make your choice but leave with a little money in hands!

Currency: Be careful there are two coins in Cuba, the CUC and the CUP. The CUC is an international currency equivalent to the dollar, the CUP is used by locals, you will never use them.

The food: it’s quite difficult. Cuba has a few imports only and many products are expensive. They have excellent fish, they’re cooking chicken in many ways (with honey, sooo good !!) but the sides are often the same, rice, rice with black beans (Cuban specialty), some vegetables (cucumber, tomatoes and butternut) but we stay on very simple things. They do a lot of things fried, everything really depends on your desires. But it’s not in Cuba that you will enjoy every day so go on simple things and especially never drink tap water!

WIFI: it is rare and you have to be patient with connections but you will usually find it on the squares, in the parks and near the big hotels. It is a public network, so you have to buy cards in ETECSA stores (Cuban network) or hotels.

Casa a l’habitant: you can choose between two types of accommodation, hotels and homestays. Frankly without hesitation, opt for the locals. It’s not always luxury but you will eat well, you will be very well received and you can learn a little more about Cuba and how the country works.

Taxis collective: your long distance trips can only be done with them, you share the trips with other people (you can also take a private taxi but you will pay the price for 4 people since they support 4 people per trip so your fare X4). Do not be afraid, the Cubans are used to it, everything is always good and we had no problem.

An itinerary?

The itinerary you choose will depend first of all on the length of your stay but also on what drives your trip (rather beach and chill, rather roadtrip or visits). Here are a few suggestions:

10 days or less:

• La Havane – Vinales (stop at Cayo Levisa or Jutias) – Playa Larga – Trinidad
• La Havane – Varadero – Trinidad – Playa Larga – Vinales
• La Havane – Vinales – Playa Larga – Trinidad – Varadero – La Havane

Two weeks or more:

• La Havane – Trinidad – Cienfuegos – Santa Clara – Varadero – La Havane – Vinales – Pinar Del Rio
• La Havane – Trinidad – Cienfuegos – Cayo Coco – Vinales – La Havane
• La Havane – Vinales – Cayo Jutias – Playa Larga – Trinidad – Cayo Coco
• La Havane – Trinidad – Guantanamo – Baracoa – Cayo Coco – Vinales – La Havane

Some personal opinions…

Varadero is a very tourist town, famous for its big hotels chains at the edge of the water, so we wanted to avoid that not to break the Cuban spirit by all-inclusives uninteresting stays (up to you to pass by but you can only go to the beach, nothing more). We did not do Cienfuegos (for lack of time and also by choice), because it did not attract us. Do not skip Playa Larga, there is not much to do but for a break on the road from Vinales to Trinidad, this is the perfect spot. A stroll along the Bay of Pigs and especially plenty of small beaches where there is nobody, we loved it! Do not miss Trinidad…