A Taste of Cuba

• Accommodation: 7 Classic nights (Cuban guesthouses known as Casa Particulares)
• Travel by comfortable air-conditioned private coach
• Tour enables legal travel to Cuba for US citizens under the Support for the Cuban People program
• Cuban Tourist Cards included for most UK/Ireland residents
• Free arrival and departure transfers on trip start and end date

All breakfasts, two lunches and four dinners are included. The paladares are likely to be a highlight of any visit to Cuba – they are one of the few types of private enterprise allowed (although still heavily regulated). Think soul food – rice, black beans, slow-roast pork or chicken, fresh fish, lobster and plenty of tropical fruit. The atmosphere in private paladares and the opportunity to integrate with Cubans will absolutely enhance your stay! In general, Cuba is not renowned for its culinary excellence (although it is improving) and some ingredients are just not possible to acquire. Food tends to be simple and relatively expensive – in no small part due to the long trade embargo implemented by the US. Dishes tend to be simple, with most mealtimes consisting of meat or fish accompanied by rice and salad or vegetables. Seafood is widely available on the coast, including cheap and abundant lobster! Vegetarians will find that choices are limited, but it's still possible to eat well. Snacks are not freely available in Cuba so you may wish to bring some with you – particularly energy snacks, as food shops, cafes and restaurants are scarce in many of the rural areas we visit. It can be difficult to find quick lunches on the go as Cubans typically eat two meals a day – we provide packed lunches during the day and there are plenty of water and fruit refreshment stops. While food choice can be basic, on the plus side there is absolutely no shortage of rum! Havana Club, Black Tears, Ron Santiago, Caney… after your visit, you will be an expert. Some drinking water is available on the bus, but we ask that you bring a filter water bottle to refill at public fountains and taps along the way. This helps to cut down on plastic and the need to buy water.

The dry season runs from November to April (with December to March being the peak months for traditional tourism). It is very humid between May and October, with heavy rains at times and the possibility of hurricanes. July and August are some of the most popular months but are hot (average 28C/82F) and wet. Cuba has an average of six hours of sunshine per day with a more or less constant humidity of 62 precent. Water temperature is normally 24C-28C (75F-82F).

This trip is rated Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

Understanding Cuba: Cuba’s famously turbulent history and economic stagnation has resulted in daily difficulties: supermarket shelves can be bare, finding a working ATM is often tricky, wifi is unreliable and there are frequent power outages. Our tour leader helps to unravel the nuances and red tape of island life, allowing you to truly absorb this fascinating destination. We strongly recommend reading the Trip Notes carefully, there’s plenty of information in there that will enhance your experience!

Journeys: We travel in a private air-conditioned coach. The longest journey is seven hours on Day 3, and there is another long distance to cover on Day 6 (approximately five hours). Travel times can vary depending on traffic and weather.

Phone signal: Phone networks don’t make or receive calls particularly well in Cuba, and coverage may not be available in many locations. There is 4G but not all phone networks work here, so please check with your service provider before travel. Data roaming from your home network can be incredibly expensive – we recommend switching this off. There are several ways to connect to the internet using a mobile device, but it’s best not to expect a reliable internet connection. Most casas particulares have free wifi which, while much slower than your usual connection, is adequate for keeping in touch with friends and family via WhatsApp or email. If you have time, you could buy a Cuban sim card to access roaming; however, service is slow and it may take a couple of hours to buy and register your sim card.