Why you should go to Cuba?

Cuba is an archipelago of islands located in the northern Caribbean Sea at the confluence with the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

Cuba is a paradise for beach lovers. There are few places in the world with as many beaches as Cuba and as beautiful as the ones in this amazing Caribbean Island.

Cuba has some of the biggest and better conserved Spanish colonial architecture cores in America. No wonder Cuba’s Architecture is one of the most significant attractions for foreign visitors to the largest island in the Caribbean.

Cuban culture is influenced by its melting pot of cultures, primarily those of Spain and Africa.

Sport is Cuba's national passion. Baseball is by far the most popular; other sports and pastimes include basketball, volleyball, and athletics. Cuba is a dominant force in amateur boxing, consistently achieving high medal tallies in major international competitions.

Cuban music is very rich and is the most commonly known expression of culture. The central form of this music is Son, which has been the basis of many other musical styles like salsa, rumba and mambo and an upbeat derivation of the rumba, the cha-cha-cha.

Cuban cuisine is a fusion of Spanish and Caribbean cuisines. Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish cooking, with some Caribbean influence in spice and flavor. The traditional Cuban meal is not served in courses; all food items are served at the same time.

Animal life is varied in Cuba, with over 15,000 species of fauna, of which 10% could be on the verge of extinction: 250 vertebrate species are endangered, rare or have become extinct in the last 350 years. The total number includes 42 mammals, 350 species of birds, 121 reptiles, 46 amphibians, 2947 molluscs, 7493 insects and 1300 arachnids.

More than 6000 species of plants are present in Cuba, of which around 3000 are endemic, and 950 plant species that are endangered, rare, or have become extinct in the last 350 years.

Please, visit our Cuba Resources page for further details.

Fundraising ideas

Money is the greatest factor preventing Cuba educational travel. Yet this can be overcome by asking for help.

Fundraising is an excellent way to make your group Cuba tour affordable for more of your students. Because fundraising teaches organization and cooperation, it also enhances group bonding and the educational aspect of the entire experience.

Nothing will bring your students closer than working towards a common goal. It also gives students a sense of pride for financially contributing to their Cuba tour.

Easy fundraising ideas: Holiday gift-wrapping or flower sales are two fun and quick ideas.

Moderately easy fundraising ideas: If you want to make a few hundred dollars, a car wash, garage sale, sell art work or crafts you produce or a spaghetti dinner are great fundraising options. Try to get local businesses to donate supplies to keep costs down.

More challenging fundraising ideas: If you're trying to raise some significant cash, try a silent auction or gift calendar. The following fundraising projects may take the most time and advanced preparation, but they yield great results for your students.

• Talk with a merchant about selling an organic or fair trade product like coffee to your friends or door to door in your neighbourhood.
• Part-time jobs: keep your eyes open and let your friends know you need Cuba travel funds. They may point you to one-time jobs that can pay $50-$100 dollars for a day's work.
• Baby-sit for parents in need of free time. Use your time when the kids are sleeping for reading, study and planning.
• Tutor a youth in skills you have that they need.
• Yard work, trimming and mowing lawns is a sure bet. Everyone needs this service. Also think about house cleaning – it's easy, fun and appreciated.

Brainstorm with your teachers and friends and suggest anything that you think may work. Your enthusiasm and motivation will move others to help you. So keep a positive attitude and keep trying. In all of these cases, personal contact and accountability are key to the success of your fundraising efforts.

Get creative, and let us know what works for you so that we can continue to expand our suggestion list to assist others.

Cuba entry documentation requirements

Valid passport, Cuban tourist card, airline tickets, Asistur SA travel medical insurance.

Luggage weight limits and restricted items

Cuba restricts total incoming luggage weight to 25 kilograms (55 pounds). If you bring more you could be subject to a 10.00 USD (1,200 CUP- Cuban Pesos) surcharge per extra kilo (2.2 pounds) up to a maximum of 5 kilograms. An additional allowance of 10 kilograms (22 pounds) is made for medicines and medical items.

PERMITTED ITEMS: You can take photographic and video cameras, personal DVD, PDA, CD and game device, cell phones, including ones that are GPS enabled (all are costly to use), laptops, MP3 players, hair dryers, electric shavers, binoculars, portable radio receivers, musical instruments, and sound recording devices FOR PERSONAL USE. If you take more than one of the above items, Cuban Customs may ask if you intend to leave them on the island. If you do, tariffs may apply. If you take more than the equivalent of $5,000 USD in cash, you'll need to declare it. Prescription medicines should remain in their original containers with labels intact.

PROHIBITED ITEMS: Narcotics, explosives, pornography, anti-Cuba literature, stand-alone GPS devices, walkie-talkies, and items that might be considered weapons.

Internet and Telephones

You can take your laptop to Cuba without complications, but connecting it to the internet is much more difficult than elsewhere (minimal bandwidth, limited service) and there’s no such a thing as free internet or WIFI.

The easiest way is to purchase a WIFI NAUTA card and connect to the internet at airports, hotels (usually best internet connections) and public Wi-Fi hotspots (public parks, plazas).

You can purchase a WIFI NAUTA Card at your hotel or at any of the offices of the Cuba’s Telecommunication Company SA (ETECSA). 1-hour cards sell for 25 Cuban pesos (CUP) while a 5-hour card costs 125 CUP. Please, do keep in mind that long lines are common place and sometimes cards are sold out at the ETECSA offices. So it is not unusual for locals to resell them at higher prices to foreign visitors.

The easiest way to call home is using your smart phone or mobile phone. Some North American companies such as Sprint and Verizon (USA) and Rogers and Bell (Canada) now offer international roaming services for their customers while in Cuba at premium rates. So please check with your carrier about any additional charges for voice calls, data, roaming, and text messages that you may incur during your trip.

You can also connect to the internet using your smart phone if you purchase a WIFI NAUTA Card. So you could access your emails and use applications such as WhatsApp for phone and video calls.

We strongly discourage the use of hotel room phones for local or long distance calls – it can prove costly! If you call North America collect, the connection fee is about $10.00 plus $3.50 per minute.

Donations and Gifts

Cubans welcome and need donations.

Please consider focusing your donation efforts towards schools, teaching aids, student supplies, and toys for kids!

These could include memory sticks, calculators, pens, markers, games, pencils, erasers, flashlights and note pads. Also appreciated are multiple vitamins (for children and adults), toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and good quality used clothing and shoes. Baseball bats, balls, gloves, caps and T-shirts are very popular!

Do not distribute donations on the street. Your guide will suggest schools and institutions in need.

NOTE. Please do not tip your guide, bus driver, chambermaids or restaurant staff with leftovers or gifts in place of money.

IMPORTANT. When entering Cuba do not declare any items you intend to leave behind as donations as it could result in lengthy delays and possible confiscation of materials. If your luggage is searched and you are questioned as to why you're bringing 100 pencils (for example), say, "they are for friends" and leave it at that. Luggage inspections rarely happen unless your bags exceed weight limits.

Laundry

There are no public laundry facilities in Cuba. If you need laundry services, ask your chambermaid or hotel front desk. They'll give you costs and instructions for this service.

Electrical standards and time zone

Electricity in Cuba is 110 volts, 60Hz (same as Canada), however some hotels and resorts also have 220 volt service and outlets. An electrical adapter is rarely needed.

Eastern time is observed across Cuba, the same as Toronto, New York and Miami.

Arriving in Havana, your guide, bus driver and hotel

Your Authentic Cuba Travel® guide and bus driver will meet you at the airport. Once you collect your luggage and pass through Cuban Customs into the main airport lobby, your guide will have a sign displaying the name of your tour.

Your guide will help you with currency exchange at the airport, ensure your luggage is put onto our bus, then take you to your hotel and assist with check-in.

Money matters

The Cuban Peso (CUP) is the official currency in the island. All goods and services are priced and paid for in the CUP. The CUP floats in value against world currencies. Exchange rates vary daily. Today's rates are based on 1.00 USD equals 120.00 CUP.

Participants should carefully evaluate daily spending needs prior to departure. A minimum of $50 USD (CASH) per day is recommended. It is better to plan to take more money than to get caught short of funds.

Most private business such as casas particulares (guest houses/ bed & breakfasts), private bars and restaurants prefer cash payments in US DOLLARS or EUROS but Cuban pesos will be accepted too.

Change your money into CUP at a bank, your hotel, or at a CADECA (Casas de Cambio SA – exchange bureau). Never exchange your money on the street or through an individual Cuban.

Credit cards and travelers checks issued by Canadian and European banks are accepted (AMEX is never accepted).

But please confirm with your bank before you depart as regulations change constantly. Canadian travelers If you have a MasterCard issued by a credit union or caisse populaire it won't work in Cuba. Contact your branch for more information.

Credit cards and travelers checks issued by US banks are not accepted. Debit cards do not work in Cuba.

A photocopy of your passport is sufficient identification. However, your actual passport is necessary when conducting banking transactions in Cuba.

The Cuban Peso (CUP) can only be purchased in Cuba. Spend it or exchange it on the island before you return home.

You are advised to spend your CUP or exchange your CUP to a foreign currency in a CADECA or Bank in the city before reaching the airport on departure, as this service may not be provided at the CADECA money exchange counter there. Foreign currency in Euros, US or Canadian dollars can be used for cash payments in duty free shops or cafes in the departure area after passing immigration.

There is another currency in circulation in the island: the Moneda Libremente Convertible (MLC) or Freely Convertible Currency (MLC) is a digital currency (as no physical MLC bills or coins exist) used by Cuban residents at the so called “MLC stores” (tiendas MLC).

Foreign visitors can purchase prepaid MLC cards at a CADECA (Casas de Cambio SA – exchange bureau) using any foreign currency accepted in Cuba such as Canadian dollars, Euros, British pounds, Japanese yens and Mexican pesos. USD dollars are now accepted too. Keep in mind that 1 MLC equals 1 USD.

However, the use of the MLC card is pretty much limited to hotels, rental car companies, some restaurants and the MLC stores. Most government-run and private businesses and tourist attractions will accept payments in cash in CUP.

Tipping in Cuba

Tipping can be done in either foreign currency (such as EUROS or US DOLLARS) or in the local currency, CUBAN PESOS. However, it is also generally acceptable to tip in major foreign currencies such as Canadian Dollars (CAD) and Pound Sterling (GBP).

In the event that you develop a special connection with a staff member, it is appropriate to offer a thoughtful gift along with any personal items you no longer need, as a token of appreciation. Don't leave toothpaste, leftover toiletries and other used items, or foreign coins in place of tips.

We recommend the following amounts:

• Tour Guide: 8.00 USD/ EUROS per day per person
• Tour Bus Driver: 5.00 USD/ EUROS per day per person
• Porters: 1.00 USD/ EUROS per person or more if you have lots of bags
• Restaurant staff: 10% of cost of meal or 1.00 USD/ EUROS whichever is greater, per meal per person
• Chambermaids: 2.00 USD/ EUROS per day per room (can be split with your roommate)
• Taxi Drivers: 10% of total fare in USD/ EUROS
• Museum guides and special guides: 1.00 USD/ EUROS per person
• Bartenders: 1.00 USD/ EUROS per drink

Health and safety

Cuba is considered among the safest countries in the world with a very low crime rate. However precautions with personal belongings are necessary – do not leave things unattended. Don't wear expensive jewelry – it attracts pickpockets, which are a growing problem. Keep cameras and handbags secure to your person at all times.

Participants should use a lockbox at hotels for valuables, travel documents, air tickets, passport and cash.

Always carry some cash in small amounts each day, we suggest between 40.00 and 60.00 EURO or USD Dollar and about $500.00 (Cuban Pesos). The rest of your money remains in your hotel lockbox, along with your travel documents, valuables and passport.

While Cubans have no problems with the water, we recommend you drink bottled water at all times for peace of mind. You can buy a small water bottle for $15.00 CUP at hotels, small shops and local stores.

A doctor or nurse is available to participants throughout the tour either at your hotel, nearby clinic or en route to destinations.

No vaccinations are necessary or required to enter or travel to Cuba.

Panhandlers and hustlers

We strongly advise against giving money to individuals who approach you on the streets. When an individual approaches you on the street and asks for money, or with offers to provide guide or other services, just say no with determination and move on.

You risk getting ripped-off. Don't be shy, don't feel bad, and don't let them waste your precious time in Cuba. To do otherwise could cost you heartache and your wallet! Remember, nearly half of every dollar you spend on this trip goes into the island's health care and education system – to Cubans who need and deserve it.

Leaving Cuba

The Cuban airport departure tax is usually included in the cost of your flight ticket.

Please, visit our Travel Formalities page for further details.