CUBA 101: Bite The Dog Before It Bites You

What exactly am I getting myself into:

By far, the safest place out there

As a traveler, your safety in a new strange land is always a bit of a worry. You wonder where you should hide your cash before leaving the room, you tend to have your hand over your bag at all times and of course, depending on the place, you may not stay out too late as to avoid getting mugged (cause that’s never fun).

I’ve had my share of travel adventures, in Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia but never have I been in a place, safer than Cuba.

Forget what you heard or read! Leave your worries behind and head to the land of peace, happiness and serenity.

Me and my hobo friend were both sharing a room at a ‘casa’ (Casas are homes that are licensed to rent rooms). and just like in any other casa, we were provided with our room key which we hardly used. We would leave our cash back at home and not worry a single bit about it being stolen.

On the streets, all you’ll come across are friendly, cheerful people who would only spread their positive vibes and offer you guidance if needed.

Whether it’s 3PM and you’re walking in a busy street or 5AM and your way home forces you to walk in a dark street, fear nothing — You’re in Cuba!

Note: There’s also a police officer at every corner of the street (that being said to comfort you not scare you of course).

Planning?

Let’s just have a look around..

1. What happened to the act of planning?

Forget planning and simply head to Cuba! Me and my travel pal did what everyone does before heading out for an adventure — did the research, reserved our hotels and bus tickets. Big mistake! Here’s the thing about Cuba, to have the perfect adventure — you have to let it be (or go with the flow).

We let our plan swift down the drain when we decided to stay 6 nights in Vinales, instead of going with the initial plan, in which we would only have spent 2 nights there. Of course with that, we had missed our hotel and bus reservations for the rest of the trip. Instead, we decided to let our intuition guide us.

Throughout your trip, you might have underestimated the amount of time you’d need to fully explore a city and thereby you might decide to stay longer, which would be no problem since in every city there are a dozen of “casas” to host you and a bus station in which you could make your reservation. If you go to a city that was unplanned for and you end up going to a casa that is fully booked, the host will do a few calls for you and in no time you’ll be guided to a casa that is both: available and affordable.

As for the bus reservations, ensure that you book your ticket one or two days before your initial departure and then you’ll have no worries.

Bottom line is: Don’t make any reservations. Pre-plan and have an idea of where you’d like to go and let cuba grow on you.

So how should you REALLY prepare for Cuba?

Most travelers tend to use LonelyPlanet and TripAdivsor as their main sources. Here’s what’s not so exciting about that — both sites, although well trusted, will only recommend the ‘IT’ spots that everyone knows and talks about. Although the IT spots may have exciting experiences to offer you, they won’t guide you to the places in which you’ll experience the real Cuban vibes!

I would recommend to either ask someone you know who has traveled to Cuba to get you in touch with a local or use the Instagram hashtags to find travelers who had backpacked across Cuba and direct message them for recommendations. That’s one of the things that I’ve done and it worked out perfectly. Some of the locals had some great recommendations that I couldn’t find elsewhere.

Instagram Accounts that you may find helpful:

• cuba_gallery
• unacubalibre
• samgillespiephoto (A traveler who has recently been to Cuba)
• 1001angles (A photographer who gladly recommended me a few spots)

Accomodation..

Forget hotels, let’s get cozy at home!

In almost every corner of the street you’ll come across a “Casa” sign. Not only are Casas a lot cheaper than hotels but they’re also equally clean, you’re free to choose your preferred location (if you have one) and your hosts will always have a lot of advice and knowledge to shed which will make your experience even more memorable.

Note: Individuals with a diplomatic passport are legally prohibited from staying in a Casa and since the house owners must report back with the personal information of the individuals being hosted, this may be a problem. (If you’re traveling with someone who is not a diplomatic passport holder, the host may offer to only report the other person)

* For Casa recommendations and contact info in: Havana, Vinales, Varadero or Trinidad, feel free to contact me (Find my contact info below).

Spending: Wait, what happened to my money?

Two Currencies?

In Cuba, there are two official currencies: CUP and CUC. The locals use CUP (also known as local pesos) whereas foreigners will be given CUC.

Why is this worth knowing?

When being charged, CUC holders will be charged a higher price than CUP holders. Taxis are a good example — for a 15 minute ride, a Cuban may be charged 50 CUP(2 CUC) whereas a tourist may be charged anything between 5 and 20 CUC.

How to avoid getting ripped-off?

If you’re staying in a Casa, (which odds are you will be after reading this article) — ask your host to exchange a portion of your CUC into CUP, so you’ll be paying less.

Transportation..

Hop Into a classic car! Share your ride and split the fare.

Wouldn’t we all love to hop into a classic car? Hell yeah! In Cuba classic cars are being used as taxis (although not all are licensed — look out for the Taxi Sticker on the front window if you’d rather take a licensed cab). If you’re heading in the same direction as the cab and/or passenger, you can hop in and share their cab. You might meet some great fellas throughout your ride, and you’ll pay less since you’re not riding solo.

Wait..How do I get to the next city?

Alright so the best means of transportation from one city to the other, is using a bus. Either Transtur or Viazul (simply ask the cab driver to take you to their stations and they’ll know the way). However, if you’re up for an even more exciting adventure that will save you a lot of cash, why not hop into a taxi or perhaps even a truck?

When I was in Vinales, I found it a lot cheaper to take a “Taxi Particular” (the local cabs which are always parked around the plaza center of each city). Head to Pinar Del Rio then hire another local cab to Havana. I saved up 5–10 CUC (15–20$) Cab rides are also offered to other destinations and if you bargain enough, you’ll get a fairly good price. As for the truck, ride your way with the locals!

*Note: I wouldn’t recommend you to use the truck for long distance drives, since you’re sitting in the back with no personal space, but it would be fairly exciting for a 2–4 hour trip!

• Also, if you had already purchased your Transtur or Viazul ticket and wish to change it, you can do so without paying any fees. However, if you want to refund it, you’ll only be given 50% back.

For recommendations, contact info of locals and/or Casa hosts, feel free to contact me directly:

Email: lara_ahmed_sabry@hotmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lara.sabry

• For further readings about: exact prices/budget needed, Humans of Cuba and more, redirect yourself to my profile.