Cycling Cuba

Cycle the length of Cuba on a road-based cultural adventure

Cuba’s music, beaches, classic cars, striking architecture and revolutionary history combine to make the perfect cultural destination with a lively atmosphere. Our cycle route passes through stunning countryside with a patchwork of plantations, fields and jungle, allowing us to appreciate the traditional way of life that continues today. Out of the saddle, we can experience the vibrant music scene of Trinidad, the crumbling colonial buildings of Havana and learn about the revolutionary history of Santiago. After a day of cycling, you’ll no doubt welcome Cuba’s speciality – a refreshing mojito!

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Every day of this trip is focused on activities that provide direct income for local people. This is in compliance with the United States’ Support for the Cuban People scheme, which allows legal travel to Cuba for US citizens.
• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned casas particulares, paladares (restaurants), and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible.
• We are joined on several stages of the trip by cyclists from local clubs including the Cuban Masters Road Cycling Club. These interactions allow the local people to improve their English skills (which can help widen employment opportunities) while giving visitors an insight into competitive cycling in Cuba.
• We take a cookery class at a paladar in Trinidad, raising the profile of Cuban cuisine and encouraging further cultural exchange between the Cuban people and visitors.
• This trip goes to many locations off the main tourist trail, such as Remedios, Mayajigua and Biran. This helps to spread the economic benefit to communities that don’t often see an income from tourism.
• Read more about our other initiatives here.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for reusable bottles and encouraging visitors to bring filter water bottles, which can be refilled at public fountains and taps along the way.
• We meet a local nature expert in Playa Larga, who gives precious insight into the natural landscape and wildlife of the Zapata Peninsula.
• We visit the Botanical Garden of Cienfuegos with our entrance fee going towards the upkeep and development of the project.
• We rewild 1,075sqft (100sqm) per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• Cycling trips like this have very little detrimental impact on the environment and the locals, as it is a quiet, low-impact activity requiring comparatively few resources to support.
• Casas particulares are small guesthouses that have a lower carbon footprint than larger hotels.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

 Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring a reusable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Visa

Cuba

Customers from the UK or EU:
Travellers from the UK and EU do not need a visa to enter Cuba but do require a tourist card. A Cuban tourist card (valid for 30 days) is included and will be posted to you by Exodus approximately three to four weeks before travel. We will send instructions on how to fill it in but please be careful doing this as any mistakes may result in you having to purchase a new card at a cost of £25 per person. We will send one tourist card free of charge as long as you live at a UK or Ireland address and are a national of an EU country, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Japan. If you are not a national of one of these countries or are not resident in the UK or Eire you must contact your nearest Cuban consulate to check what visa is required – Exodus cannot provide a tourist card for you. Please note, tourist cards supplied by Exodus will not be valid if you are travelling via the US. If you are travelling via the US, you will be subject to compliance under the same regulations as an American citizen. You cannot use a tourist card purchased outside the US but will have to buy a ‘pink’ tourist card sold only in the US (at a US airport or from a US travel agent). For UK or EU customers, we do not recommend travelling to Cuba via the USA.

Customers from the USA:
Any US citizen wishing to travel to Cuba should be fully aware of current legislation before committing to any trip to Cuba. The main requirement is that for legal travel to Cuba, all US citizens must comply with the requirements set out by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC). As an American-owned company, Exodus programs to Cuba are fully compliant with the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) general license under the Support for the Cuban People category of travel.

Travellers from the USA are required to buy a ‘pink’ tourist card sold only in the US (at a US airport or from a US travel agent). We recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through. For travellers from the USA, please check: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html where you can also find more information about the Support for Cuban People and OFAC requirements.

Customers from Canada or Australia:
Please check with your nearest embassy or consulate about how to obtain a tourist card prior to travel to Cuba (links below).

IMPORTANT FOR ALL CUSTOMERS:
Cuba now requires all passengers to fill in a locator form prior to travel – this form is mandatory. You can access the form here: https://www.dviajeros.mitrans.gob.cu/inicio Make sure to keep a photo of the QR code generated so that you can easily present it on arrival. Please note, you can only fill in the D’Viajeros form 48 hours prior to entry into Cuba.

The Cuban entry immigration is time consuming and most visitors encounter delays: it may take up to two hours to clear immigration and collect your bags, so please be prepared for a long wait on arrival. The Cuban government passed a law stating that all tourists visiting Cuba must have travel insurance to cover medical costs. You may be asked to provide proof of your travel insurance policy when you arrive at Havana Airport, so please ensure your documents are easily accessible. Remember to check the expiration date of your passport if travelling internationally. Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after the date of your scheduled return, and to have at least two clear pages for entry stamps.

Visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to organise this element of your trip. We recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through. Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia:smartraveller.gov.au/destinations
• Canada: travel.gc.ca/destinations
• United Kingdom:gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
• USA: travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html

Vaccination

Cuba

There are no mandatory vaccination requirements. Recommended vaccinations are: Tetanus, Hepatitis A. We are advised that there is no risk of malaria. Dengue fever is a known risk in places visited. It is a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for Dengue, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Zika fever is a mosquito‐borne viral disease and a known risk in places visited on this trip. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, we therefore strongly recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

The above information can change at short notice; as we are not qualified to answer all your questions about travel health we recommend that you confirm with your doctor or travel clinic. 

Eating and Drinking

There are 14 breakfasts, 13 lunches and 10 dinners included, allowing you to try some local restaurants on the other evenings.

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. Flavours are relatively 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 probably find they have the most limited choice. 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.

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), where families or entrepreneurs are allowed to set up a restaurant. 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!

Weather

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 to visit Cuba by sunseekers from Europe and Canada but are extremely 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).

Is this trip for you?

This trip is classified Road and Activity Level 3 (Moderate).

• Average daily distance: 37mi (60km)
• Number of days cycling: 12
• Vehicle support: 100 percent
• Terrain and route: 90percent paved, 10 percent dirt roads, some hills

The trip is not too strenuous but a good level of fitness is required. The route mainly follows quiet backroads and covers some remote parts of the island. Expect potholes and poor road conditions in some sections. The roads are generally free of heavy traffic, except in some of the bigger towns/cities.

Terrain varies from flat around Las Tunas to hilly and mountainous in the Sierra Maestra. In the harder areas, we face some longish climbs, which require good fitness (particularly as Cuba is invariably hot and humid) and some steep descents. Day 7 is particularly strenuous as we are cycling in a mountainous region.

Staying hydrated

When cycling, please drink lots of water as the heat and humidity can be high (especially June to August). Some group members may prefer a slightly reduced distance each day to avoid cycling in the middle of the day. If this is the case, our back-up vehicle is available. The rest of the group can continue on the itinerary as planned.

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 in Cuba, 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 on the whole it’s best not to expect a reliable internet connection. Many casas particulares have free wifi, but download speeds are likely to be slow. You can purchase wifi scratch cards at official shops, but often you encounter long queues. Alternatively, buy a Cuban sim card and roaming package valid for 30 days to use in an unlocked phone.

Travelling in Cuba

It is possible you will face minor frustrations in Cuba. We encourage all travellers to go with an open mind, and with realistic expectations at what a visit here entails. If your guide announces a change of plans then please be assured everything possible has been done behind the scenes to make satisfactory alternative arrangements.

Please note: As an American-owned company, Exodus programmes to Cuba are fully compliant with the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) general license for Support for the Cuban People.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.