Cuba
A rich fusion of Caribbean spirit, cultural icons and natural beauty, Cuba is a land of fascinating contrasts.
The largest and most populous island in the Caribbean, the ‘Pearl of the Antilles’ is a melting pot of cultures and cuisines. Largely uncorrupted by the over exposure to commercial tourism that has blighted some other Caribbean destinations, Cuba still retains its sense of adventure and mystery and its reputation as one of the most fascinating countries in the Americas.
Spain’s gateway into the New World, it is blessed with a colonial heritage that spanned nearly 400 hundred years and produced cities like Havana, Trinidad and Santiago de Cuba. A dazzling enigma, it is one of the last bastions of socialist reform and yet is home to no fewer than nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Blessed with some of the best beaches and some of the finest colonial architecture in the Americas, its vibrant culture is a mulatto mix of Spanish, Caribbean and African influences.
This is the country that introduced to the world two of the most iconic figures of the 20th century - Fidel Castro and Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara - yet its most famous exports are rum and cigars. Certainly one of the most unique destinations anywhere in Latin America, the island of Cuba remains (for now) a largely undiscovered gem.
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What to do in Cuba
Dive the Caribbean
Cayo Largo
Cuba is blessed with a wealth of dive sites and some ideal conditions for exploring the rich offshore waters of the Caribbean. With average year round temperatures of around 24C and visibility averaging 30 to 40 metres, the island is a perfect destination for a diving holiday and offers a range of dive experiences, from drop-offs and reefs, to wrecks and caves. Besides its staggering diversity of marine life, which includes moray eels, barracuda, rays and even the occasional shark, Cuba’s waters are also home to some 50 different species of coral and around 200 species of sponge. Generally the south and west coasts of the island offer the best conditions during the winter months (November to April), with the Jardines de le Reine and Isle de la Juventud providing some of the best dive spots. During the summer though (May to September) the north coast tend to fair better.
Trek the Vinales Valley
Vinales
Surrounded by the Sierra de los Organos Mountains, the Viñales Valley presents us with one of the most spectacular regions in Cuba. A UNESCO World Heritage setting, it is home to an incredibly varied landscape of karst limestone hills, subterranean rivers and traditional rural villages. Ideal trekking country, the area is a wonderful mix of natural and cultural highlights, where Cuban trogons share the landscape with surreal limestone formations called ‘mogotes’ and some of the largest cave systems in Cuba. A network of hiking trails takes you across a fertile cultural landscape that has remained unchanged for generations, where farming, music and crafts still adhere to traditions that can trace their origins back to before the arrival of the Spanish. Little wonder then that the Viñales Valley, a national monument, remains for many one of Cuba’s most diverse and fascinating regions.
Visit Cigar Factory
Havana
Cigars are as much a part of Cuban culture as rum and salsa. Started by the Taino Indians and cultivated by the Spanish, the Cuban tobacco industry was at one time second only to sugar as a Cuban cash crop. Today, Cuban cigars still maintain an elevated position amongst smoking aficianados and a visit to an authentic cigar factory provides a fascinating insight into one of the world’s most iconic status symbols. Cuba exports some 65 million cigars a year, with over 80% of its tobacco coming from the Pinar del Rio region (the region along the Rio Cuyaguateje is believed to produce the best quality). At the factory you can watch the dried leaves being sorted by hand, cut and then rolled into a high-quality wrapper leaf. Only the finest leaves are used for the cigars, the rest being shredded and used for cigarettes.
Watch a Baseball Game
Havana
Baseball was introduced into the country back in the 1860s, by college students returning from the United States and by American sailors putting into Cuban ports. As it grew in popularity during the 19th century, the sport went on to become a symbol of Cuban pride, especially after it was banned by the ruling Spanish after the first Cuban War of Independence. Today it is the country’s national sport and, in spite of their status as amateurs, the Cuban national team ranks as one of the top teams in the world. The main season runs from November to March and, as with most things Cuban, the atmosphere at the games is always festive. Cubans are passionate about their baseball and a trip to a Cuban Federation game offers a unique insight into a side of post-revolutionary Cuba that few visitors ever see.
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Where to stay in Cuba
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Suggested Itineraries
How to book a trip
Cuba Travel Guide
Havana
Founded by the Spanish in the 16th century, Cuba’s vibrant capital is the largest city in the Caribbean and remains, even today, one of the most engaging colonial cities left in the Americas. An intoxicating mix of grandiose architecture, revolutionary zeal, 1950s Cadillacs and crumbling old tenement buildings, Havana is a real feast for the senses and can boast some of the most diverse architecture in the world. At its heart lies the city’s Vieja district, a wonderfully evocative UNESCO World Heritage Site that is filled with a dazzling collection of Baroque and Neoclassical buildings. Noteworthy landmarks include the National Capitol building and the Plaza de la Revolucion, with its huge iconic image of Che Guevara. A visit to the city’s Museum of the Revolution provides a fascinating insight into the struggle that introduced Che and Castro to the world stage, whilst for something a little different, the magnificent Necropolis Cristóbal Colon presents visitors with one of the city’s more unusual attractions. Built at the end of the 19th century, it is one of the most famous cemeteries in Latin America, filled with a unique collection of nearly one million tombs that range from the pious to the downright extravagant.
Vinales
Vinales was founded in 1875, along the main route between Pinar del Rio and Puerto Esperanza, the region’s main outlet to the sea. Blessed with fertile, iron-rich soil and a favourable climate, the village prospered following the expansion of Cuba’s tobacco growing industry and today is renowned for producing some of the best tobacco in the world. In spite of the passage of time, Vinales itself has managed to retain much of its original charm, still possessing some of its traditional colonial architecture, as well as a rich mix of Spanish and Caribbean traditions. Located in the centre of Vinales, besides the church in the town’s main square, the Casa de la Cultura is an old mansion house that provides a fitting venue for a series of cultural events each day. Four kilometres to the west of the town, nestling at the foot of the Sierra de Vinales, is the Mural de la Prehisoria, a 180 metre long mural that was designed by Leovigildo González, a devotee of the great Diego Rivera. Meanwhile, for those looking for some local interaction, the town has a farmers market in the central plaza every Saturday morning.
How to book a trip
Cuba Travel Information
Insurance:
Insurance that provides cover for emergency repatriation in case of a medical emergency is compulsory for all tours.
You should be aware that many standard insurance policies may not cover you adequately for all aspects of a Wild Frontiers trip and so we strongly recommend that you purchase a suitably designed insurance policy.
One such policy is the "Wild Frontiers" policy underwritten by Ace European Group Limited (ACE " firm reference 202803), which is available to EU residents (which excludes Norway & Switzerland) through our website or via the insurance company direct on 0845 345 3456. Under this policy there are two different levels of cover available.
Standard policy: a comprehensive travel insurance policy that provides cover for all Wild Frontiers activities, including trekking up to 6,000m. This policy does not provide cover for travel to areas where the FCO is advising against all or all but essential travel.
Elite policy: provides the same comprehensive level of cover as the standard policy. In addition the Elite policy also provides cover for travel to areas where the FCO is advising against all or all but essential travel. The policy will not provide cover for any claims arising from or relating to the reasons why the FCO is advising against travel.
If purchasing the Elite policy you also have the option to extend the cover provided by the policy to include cover for claims arising from a terrorist act in an area where the FCO is advising against travel. You can add this cover to your policy when purchasing online or over the telephone.
These policies are only available to those travelling on a Wild Frontiers holiday.
For more information and to purchase your policy online please visit the Insurance section of our website.
The cover is underwritten by Ace European Group Limited (ACE), and is arranged by Travel & General Insurance Service Limited. Both companies are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Wild Frontiers Limited is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Travel & General Insurance Company plc, details of which can be found at the FSA's website www.fsa.gov.uk.
To contact them please visit their website at www.travel-general.com or call 0845 408 0583.
