Cuba - Lonely Planet [1]
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Getting Started
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WHEN TO GO
COSTS & MONEY
TRAVELING RESPONSIBLY
TRAVEL LITERATURE
INTERNET RESOURCES
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Cuba is a unique country with many distinct characteristics. Travel here not only requires a passport, money and a good sturdy rucksack; it also requires flexibility, creativity, good humor, patience and a healthy sense of adventure. Speaking Spanish, though not a prerequisite, is undoubtedly a huge advantage, and will allow you to travel further and dig deeper than the average tourist.
Linguistic dexterity aside, Cuba remains an easy country to travel in and there are few barriers stopping you from wandering around pretty much how and as you choose. A slight loosening of the screws since Raúl Castro took office in February 2008 has allowed Cubans access to cell phones and entry into tourist hotels, meaning interaction with the locals is now simpler and often surprisingly candid.
Legislation under the Bush administration tightened the rules governing travel of US citizens to Cuba, though early signs from the Obama camp suggest many (if not all) of these limitations could soon be lifted. The thaw began in April 2009 when President Obama signed a law permitting unlimited travel to the island for Cuban-American families visiting relatives; they had previously been restricted to one visit every three years. For more information on legal travel to the island check out the Center for Cuban Studies’ website at www.cubaupdate.org. For additional advice see the boxed text.
WHEN TO GO
The best time to go to Cuba is between December and April, after the lashing rains of the hurricane season and before the hot and sticky discomfort of the scorching summer months. The downside is that during this period – the high season or temporada alta as it is called in Cuba – accommodation prices are hiked up by about 20% (Click here). You’ll also find the country a little more crowded at this time, particularly in the resort areas, although, off the beaten track, it is unlikely that you will ever have trouble finding a room in a casa particular.
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See Climate Charts for more information.
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Weather aside, Cuba has few other hurdles for visitors. Culture vultures should keep a close eye on the annual arts calendar Click here for festivals and other events; baseball fans will certainly not want to miss the postseason, which runs from April to May; and political junkies may want to catch important days in the socialist calendar, particularly Labor Day (May 1) and Day of the National Rebellion (July 26).
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COSTS & MONEY
For seasoned budget travelers Cuba can be a bit of a financial shock. There’s no network of dirt-cheap backpacker hostels here and not a lot of bargaining potential. In fact, compared with, say, Guatemala or Peru, you could feel yourself staring at a veritable financial conundrum with little or no room to maneuver. Furthermore, there is a tendency in Cuba to herd all foreign visitors around in one state-controlled tourist sector. Follow this well-trodden path of organized excursions and prepackaged cultural ‘experiences’ at your peril. The costs will soon add up.
With a little guile and a certain amount of resilience, however, it needn’t all be overpriced hotel rooms and wallet-whacking credit-card bills. Underneath the surface (and contrary to what a lot of tour reps will tell you), Cuba has a whole guidebook’s worth of cheaper alternatives. On the accommodation front, the vibrant casa particular scene can cut costs by more than half, while do-it-yourself grocery purchasing and an ability to muck in with the resourceful locals on trucks, buses, trains and bicycles can give you access to a whole new world of interesting food and transport opportunities.
For those more interested in service and comfort, prices are equally variable, from CUC$50 per person