Cuba - Lonely Planet [387]
Mexicana also has frequent flights from another dozen cities to Havana including Mexico City, Mérida and Tijuana. Cubana flies to Havana from Mexico City daily.
From Mexico City to Havana, a round-trip fare will cost around US$450, from Cancún about US$275. Mexicana has reservations offices in Mexico City ( 5-448-0990, 1-800-502-2000; www.mexicana.com) and Cancún ( 98-87-4444). Mexicana offices in the US are prohibited from booking these flights.
Cubana also has offices in Mexico City ( 5-250-6355) and Cancún ( /fax 98-86-0192).
Also check these agencies:
Acuario Tours (www.acuariotours.com); Acapulco ( 74-85-6100); Mexico City ( 5-575-5922)
Divermex ( 99-8884-2325; www.divermex.com)
Sol y Son México ( 98-87-7017; www.mx.solyson viajes.com)
Taíno Tours ( 5-259-3907; www.tainotours.com.mx)
South & Central America
From Caracas, Venezuela, Aeropostal flies to Havana five times weekly. Cubana flies from Caracas to Havana six times weekly. Book in Caracas through Ideal Tours ( 2-793-0037/1822; idealtours@cantv.net) or go straight to Cubana ( 2-12-286-8639; cubana@intercon.net.ve).
Cubana flies to Havana from Bogotá, Buenos Aires and Saõ Paulo. There’s also a weekly flight from Buenos Aires to Cayo Coco and Varadero. Cubana has offices in Buenos Aires ( 1-326-5291; cubana@tournet.com.ar), Quito ( 59-32-243-073; cubana@hoy.net) and Bogotá ( 571-610-1676; solyson@colomsat.net.co).
Cubana flies to Havana from San José, Costa Rica, and Guatemala City twice weekly and from Panama City three times a week. Lacsa (Líneas Aéreas de Costa Rica) has flights to Havana from San José, Guatemala City and San Salvador several times a week. Copa Airlines also has frequent flights between Central America and Cuba.
The Cuban regional airline Aerocaribbean flies from Managua to Havana weekly.
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SEA
Thanks to the US embargo, which prohibits vessels calling at Cuban ports from visiting the US for six months, few cruise ships include Cuba on their itineraries. European lines, however, tired of being locked out, are starting to trickle in. A specialist travel agent will be able to tell you what cruise ships currently call at Cuban ports.
If you have your own private yacht or cruiser, Cuba has seven international entry ports equipped with customs facilities. They are Havana (Marina Hemingway), Varadero (Marina Dársena), Cayo Guillermo, Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos, Cayo Largo del Sur, and Puerto de Vita (near Guardalavaca in Holguín province).
There are no scheduled ferry services to Cuba.
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TOURS
A quick internet search delivers scads of tours focusing on the beach, culture, the environment, adventure, cycling, bird-watching, architecture, hiking, you name it… Note that many outfitters anxious to sell packages to Americans aren’t always providing ‘legal’ travel; Americans are still subject to Treasury laws; see the Department of the Treasury (www.treas.gov) website for details (type the word ‘Cuba’ into the site search engine). Persons holding US passports will find agencies handling ‘air-only’ packages on Click here and tours for US-license holders following.
From the US
United States citizens eligible for a US government ‘license’ to visit Cuba should contact Marazul Charters Inc ( 305-263-6829, toll-free 800-223-5334; www.marazulcharters.com), which books charter flights direct from New York and Miami to Havana.
ABC Charters ( 305-871-1260, toll-free 866-422-2247; www.abc-charters.com), with flights from Miami to Havana, Santiago de Cuba or Holguín, has been recommended for its user-friendliness.
Since the people-to-people educational exchange license was revoked in 2003, some of the most rewarding tours from the US have been scuttled