This summer, my brother and I spent 12 days in Cuba. I would be lying if I said we weren’t nervous about how things would pan out (limited internet, the buses, the local B&B’s, foreign exchange…). This was probably the trip that I did the most research on before going!
After almost 48 hours of bus rides and four stops across the island, it turned out to be one of the most eye-opening trips I’d taken. In those 12 days, we got a sneak peek into a world that functions so differently from the rest of the modern world and a brief understanding of the dramatic history this Caribbean island has been through.
Our itinerary
We covered the cities of Havana, Viñales, Trinidad and Santiago de Cuba over 12 days. The country is huge and long so don’t underestimate the time that is required to get around. Flying is also an option but much more expensive, and only available in major cities.
Just to illustrate the vastness of the country, I have superimposed the maps of Singapore over Cuba. As you can see, Singapore (the pink oval) is barely the size of Havana, Cuba’s capital city.
Our itinerary took us across the entire length of the island. After arriving in Havana via our international flights, we first went westwards to Viñales (a 4.5 hour bus). From there, we took a 10 hour bus east to Trinidad. Subsequently, we took another 15 hour (including delay) bus to Santiago de Cuba all the way in the Southeast. Our journey back to Havana was an 18 hour overnight bus. Needless to say, our butts were sore by the end of it.
According to googlemaps, it takes 29 hours to cover these places but we ended up spending close to 48 hours on the road due to stops and vehicle problems (not uncommon as their vehicles are way too old!).
We took the tourist-friendly white and blue Viazul buses. The indefatigable Viazul bus drivers are truly the unsung heroes of our trip, driving in shifts during those killer 15-18 hour bus rides and still looking smart in their blue uniforms at the end of it. Much respect!
We suggest arriving at least 45 minutes before your departure to check-in for the buses. Also, these viazul buses are VERY COLD so do have some layers or a jacket on you.
A more detailed breakdown of our itinerary is as follows:
Day 1: Late arrival in Havana
Day 2: Quick tour of Havana Vieja (Old town). Afternoon bus from Havana to Viñales (4.5 hours)
Day 3: Day excursion in Viñales valley – horse riding and visiting a tobacco farm
Day 4: Bus from Viñales to Trinidad (10 hours)
Day 5-6: Day trips from Trinidad to Vega Grande and El Nicho waterfalls, exploring the old town, learning salsa and percussion and enjoying great live music.
Day 7: Bus from Trinidad to Santiago de Cuba (15 hours, with delays).
Day 8-9: Exploring Santiago de Cuba (historic centre, Castle El Morro, listening to live music). Overnight bus (18 hours) from Santiago de Cuba to Havana.
Day 10-12: Back in Havana
If you’re not already put off by the crazy long bus rides and are thinking of visiting this beautiful country, read on!
Should you go to Cuba?
Travelling to Cuba is definitely a place for the self-motivated, curious traveler. Unless you’ve got a budget to splurge, amenities and accommodation are generally very basic. The scorching heat is a challenge. The lack of internet connectivity is also likely to be daunting for us Google-era travellers.
Nonetheless if you go with an open mind and you will learn a lot and be in for an adventure!
Cubans are very friendly people. Obviously you want to keep your wits around you in a foreign country but it felt really easy to make friends here. These were some folks I met and hung out with at a fiesta along the Malecon after hitting Havana on my first day!
Socialism and the state
There’s no other place in the world, other than perhaps North Korea, where you’ll see socialism in its rawest form.
Pro-revolution and pro-state propaganda is common.
Everything from wages to monthly household rations are controlled by the state. As with many things that are arbitrarily decided by a central body, wages in Cuba don’t make sense:
Monthly wage of a doctor / engineer: 40/60 USD
Return taxi from Trinidad to El Nicho waterfalls (50km): 70 USD
Monthly income from operating a B&B in Old Havana: 300-350 USD
This explains why our Havana hosts, both engineers by training, no longer work as engineers but instead just run their B&B! Many professionals (teachers, doctors..) have also resorted to driving taxis as it is much more lucrative.
The amount of bureaucracy in all aspects of life is almost kafka-esque, from requiring every foreigner to show proof of medical insurance at immigration, to having to show your passport to purchase your internet cards. The ironic thing is the people implementing these checks don’t seem to care and often just close one eye.
Day-to-day shopping often involves queuing at an over-staffed state-run shop to get items from behind the counter. As you can see, consumer choice is not the name of the game here. Many things from back home would be a struggle to get here, so pack well!
It is also not uncommon to see shops that look half stocked.
That being said, the country is opening up with the entry of foreign brands. We were surprised to see many people owning the latest smartphones (probably through a black market?)
Casa particulares – The local experience
Staying in casa particulares gave us a taste of what local life was like and this was a crucial part of our Cuban experience. It was humbling to speak with the locals and learn first hand what life is like.
Our casa hosts (a family of engineers and dentists) in Old Havana. We highly recommend their B&B (link here) – very centrally located, great breakfast and really friendly people.
Accommodation is really cheap (10-20 CUC per room per night). Note: 1 CUC = 1 USD. More below on how their currency works. That being said it is often quite basic, but enough i.e. clean, with air-conditioning and hot water. Our casa in Santiago de Cuba didn’t have hot water at times but it was plenty hot already so we got by!
Our casa in the small village of Vinales for 10 CUC per night
Our modest room in old Havana for 20 CUC per night.
Breakfast is often provided by your casa host for an additional 5 CUC per person. It often comes with a platter of fruits, omelette and a ham and cheese toast. Very good value!
Afro-cuban music and salsa
Cuba is the home of Afro-cuban music and Cuban salsa – Be treated to great live music everywhere. Take a percussion class. Learn to dance!
Just another night at Casa de la Musica in Trinidad 
Casa de las Tradiciones in Santiago de Cuba
Casa de la Trova, an institution in Santiago de Cuba
I took salsa classes at two schools in Havana and had a great experience at both!
- Casa del Son. 18 CUC / hour for the first hour, 15 CUC / hour for two hours and more.
- Salsabor a Cuba. 14 CUC per hour.
Feeling accomplished at the end of two hours of women’s styling class with Jessica of Salsabor a Cuba in Havana
In Trinidad, we took a class with master percussionist David Lopez Garabito who taught us basic rhythms on clave, güiro, tumba / conga, maracas and campana. It was so eye-opening and great fun!
Mountains and mother nature
Immerse yourself in Jurassic park / Lost-esque mountains of the Sierra Maestra, Sierra Escambray and imagine the guerrilla fighters hiding out in these mountains back in the day
Vintage cars
The streets are a living car museum. ‘Nuff said.
Food
Food isn’t terribly exciting as there isn’t much choice available. Fruits for breakfast, ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, rice, black beans and meat for dinner.. On repeat.
That being said, they have the freshest fruits and the best drinks (we lost track of the number of pina coladas we had on this trip). Just look at the size of those avocados!
And it is definitely possible to find good restaurants. We have listed our top picks in each of the city sections.
Ropa Vieja (literally means ‘old clothes’) is a typical local dish comprising rice, black beans and shredded pork. This one was at a local place in Havana, which cost 2 CUC (very affordable!). Dining in more touristy restaurants would cost upwards of 5-10 CUC for a main course.
Another Pina Colada for the road… 
Internet connectivity
There is very limited connectivity so get ready for an internet detox! Sim cards are not available to tourists so internet comes in the form of pre-paid scratch cards. Each card gives you one hour of internet and costs 1 CUC from the official vendor. If you are desperate, you can also get them from hustlers on the street for a slightly higher price e.g. 2 CUC / card.
Even if your casa says it has wifi, clarify with them! Some of them try to be cheeky. For example, their wifi may only be available in the park across the street, or on the far edge of their rooftop.
Survival tips
If you are planning a trip, here are some tips:
Do as much planning and bookmarking of places before you go. Save locations on google maps / maps.me which still work okay on GPS while you’re there.
There are two forms of local currencies (CUC and CUP) and both are accepted but you should hold most of your cash in CUC, and a small amount of CUP for when the occasion arises. CUC, pronounced ‘kook’, is pegged to the US Dollar. As at September 2019, 1 CUC is worth 24 CUP. The CUP is also called ‘Moneda Nacional’. Look for the word ‘convertible’ on the notes to distinguish between both. Although things are priced in both CUC and CUP (local stores mainly price in CUP), sometimes it might be more economical to pay in CUP, so it’s useful to have some of each currency.
Image credit here
Taxis – Haggle as much as you can – this is going to make up the heftiest costs on your trip! Beware that the cheaper they are, the worse the condition of the car (and they get very very basic…). The yellow taxis are the official ones and more expensive, but at least they are air-conditioned. The non-official vintage car ‘taxis’ are cheaper but their conditions vary a lot.
Next:
Havana
Viñales
Trinidad
Santiago de Cuba
