Highlights of Cuba

I’d been feeling myself drawn towards Cuba for many years. I almost went five years ago but chickened out, then spent the next four years working in Australia to be able to go back. I am very grateful I did because Cuba is now one of my top favourite countries I’ve ever visited. It’s hard to describe the allure of Cuba with its cheerful yet dilapidated buildings, the strong sense of Communism on every corner, the broad smile on the faces of grandmothers sitting out the front of their ‘Casas’. It’s a magical country in a very different way. Here are just a few of the best things I did in Cuba:
1. Wandering the streets of Old Havana (Habana Vieja) taking in the interesting, decrepit buildings, eating dirt-cheap lobster and interacting with the locals when they all come on to their balcony towards the end of the day.

2. Being driven around the sights of Havana in a purring Chevrolet Bel Air. We hired the car for an hour for 25CUC to zoom around the main tourist attractions of Havana such as the Plaza de la Revolución and Parque Metropolitano.

3. Salsa-ing until the early hours of the morning with local Cubans. Many nights we club-hopped around Havana going to the most vibrant and interesting bars in the area. Cubans are great salsa teachers and they’ll constantly ask you to dance.

4. Relaxing on Playa Santa María; Havana’s most beautiful pearly-sand beach. The water is clear and calm and it’s easy to find a secluded spot with coastline this long. Bring some snacks as there aren’t many food places nearby.
5. Watching the sunset over the entire city while sipping Cuba Libres from the rooftop bar in Hotel Inglaterra, Old Havana.

6. Travelling Cuba like the Cubans do. To go between cities in Cuba we preferred to have an adventure by taking local transport. We caught local buses (güagüas) shared taxis (taxi collectivos) and open back trucks (camiones). Frantically running after these hot, sticky trucks and fighting for a seat was the norm.

7. Having front-row-seats to a criminal being apprehended on a local bus. The guy being arrested made a run for it as soon as he got off the bus and everyone whooped and cheered when the police ran after him. Read the whole story here.

8. Continually running into the group I met at Hamel Hostel in Havana, splitting up then meeting again in Casa Particulares across the entirety of Cuba. Due to the lack of Internet, every reunion and goodbye was emotional; not knowing if we’d manage to encounter each other again in the next town.

9. Lazing on the beautiful white-sand of Playa Ancon near Trinidad, relaxing under grass shelters, drinking coco-locos (coconut, honey and rum drink) and occasionally making a sand castle next to the crystal-clear agua.
10. Setting out at around 5pm each day to photograph the colourful heritage buildings and the Cubans who live in them. Each afternoon, after the heat of the day had passed; everybody would come out on the street to play music, games of chess or dominoes. Trinidad is exciting and dynamic at this time of day. As the sun slipped away I would climb the hill and go to one of the roof-top bars for a Mojito as I watched the sunset over the distant ocean.

11. Experiencing the enthusiastic music culture of Trinidad. We spent our nights dancing to live local music either in the plaza or at the famous Casa de la Música before heading to Disco Ayala; a nightclub in a cave which has 5 dance-floors and plays pop and reggaeton music. The cave-nightclub is dreamlike, a once in a lifetime kind of experience!

12. Exploring the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy on Cayo Granma near Santiago de Cuba. The complete island was totally flattened and because most of the inhabitants were poor fisherman they have not been able to rebuild. Instead, houses are spliced together using recycled metal and woods collected after the storm.
13. Trekking to viewpoints and water-filled caves in Baracoa National Park near Boca de Miel. After clambering up to the top of a mountain to see a panoramic view of Baracoa, we waited out the rain drinking fresh coffee with locals. Next we trekked to an underground cave and swam in the pure, translucent waters inside before heading to deserted white-sand beach; Playa Blanca.

14. Rocking out at a live music set for famous Cuban singer Laritza Bacallao. She just happened to be in town when we were in Viñales so we snuck in a bottle of rum and danced alongside huge congregations of Cuban families.

15. Horse riding around the limestone mountains and tobacco farmland surrounding Viñales for only 5CUC per hour (that’s seriously cheap!). I was taken to gorgeous viewpoints, rustic tobacco farms and a huge cliff painted with a prehistoric mural.

16. Taking a day trip to one of Cuba’s most stunning but remote beaches; María la Gorda. This bay has some of the best diving in Cuba with black coral, reef walls, deep drop-offs and swiss-cheese swim-throughs. Some of the best diving I’ve ever done!

Discover Cubas Unique Ecosystem 

Cuba offers a beautiful mix of different ecosystems, which ranges from its stunning seabed to its intense, rocky mountain ranges. These natural extremes have been an integral part of the nation’s history and have impacted its culture to create the place many people know and love today.

Cuba can be visited easily on an independent trip but some folks still prefer to organise everything with a specialist travel company. Most visitors discover how diverse Cuba is as soon as they step off the plane…

With white sandy beaches and crystal blue seas surround the compact island, this is the perfect place to go on an adventure. Then as they journey through the island, they’ll find surprise after surprise as they venture through modern and ancient cities, mountains and savannahs. Running through the jungles and amidst the country’s cays and islets, theres so much to discover in Cuba, which makes it the perfect place for a wide variety of travellers.

Under the Sea

When visitors delve below the surface of the water in Cuba, they find a vast array of coral reef life, which are hidden away in the island’s deep and shallow areas. Around every corner, there’s something new to discover, including bars and communities that have nestled themselves amongst nature and live in perfect harmony.

Cuba boasts over 4,000 islets and cays, which, in turn, have their own individual ecosystems. Some have become tourism-driven whilst others remain uninhabited, untouched and are as nature left them. Some of the most visited areas include Jardines del Rey, the Colorados, and the Carneros.

The Mountains and Plains 

In Cuba, some of the plains are incredibly extensive and have been largely turned into areas for agriculture and livestock. However, within the plains are two very different types of land – the limestone flatbeds and the marine terraces. The marine terraces are yet another striking feature in Cuba’s landscape, as these formations sometimes have up to 24 steps and reach heights of 100 metres.

Last but by no means least, there are the mountains, with several different formations being found across the island. In the south, there is the Sierra Maestra and to the west, there is the Guaniguanico range and the Guamuhaya / Escambray mountains.

With all of these unbelievable landscapes and diverse ecosystems, Cuba offers visitors everything from scuba diving to bird watching and from relaxing beach holidays to sightseeing tours in the cities. And with one of its most important ecosystems being the people who tirelessly retain the country’s heritage, this is a must-see destination for all types of travellers.

Cuba is a truly incredible destination and it’s opening up fast! The time to visit is now, to plan your own Cuban adventure, check out Don’t Forget to Move’s Cuba travel itinerary so you don’t waste any time looking at god-awful guidebooks…

Check out Anna’s article for more Cuba travel tips.

Info
Country: Cuba
Language: Spanish
Currency: 2 Currencies – Peso (CUP) and Convertible Peso (CUC)
$1 USD = 26.5CUP or 1.00CUC
I was here: January 2015

Have you been to Cuba? What did you love?