Developing your Tour

Things we think about when developing your tailor-made tour

Where are you coming from – currently US flights arrive in Habana only. Less expensive flights from France come in through Santiago and fly on to other islands in the French Caribbean. There are flights from Jamaica arriving in Santiago and Habana. Before the pandemic there were direct flights from Cancun to Habana and Santiago. Canadian airlines fly into various airports. We can book your flights. We arrange meet and greet, airport transfers, airport pickup.

If you want to see all of Cuba or both Oriente and Habana/Western Cuba – we recommend always that you start in Eastern Cuba and go out through Habana/Varadero. Internal travel works better that way round.

Cuba is a very large island. 1000Kms between Santiago on the south coast and Habana on the north coast. Flights hub through Habana. There are no multi-city internal flights. Not all cities are linked by air. Not all cities have daily flights. Internal flights are weather dependent as they fly lower. If you are stuck we will do our best to help you – but in an emergency it is often difficult to find alternative transportation – weather sufficiently difficult to stop flights is likely to disrupt all travel. We try to leave space for unforeseen happenings. We like people to be in or near their departure cityat least 48 hours in advance of their flight. Airlines sometimes change their flight times.

Train travel – is uncertain – Cuba received new coaches just before the pandemic – they were running on trial schedules.

Road travel – only parts of Cuba are serviced by a divided highway. Road surfaces are dependent on the latest hurricane damage, and availability of supplies.

Until the pandemic we relied on inter-city buses for non-tour intercity travel. This was mostly reliable and affordable – depending on weather, state of the roads and traffic. We are waiting to find out when schedules will be resumed and under what conditions.
Accommodations – we can book hotel and bed and breakfast stays throughout Cuba.

Food – in most of the houses food is good to excellent. In restaurants – we have tried to select ones with interesting food, well prepared, and with reasonable service. If you have a vegetarian diet please let us know – Cubans in general don’t understand that vegetarian means no meat, and sometimes no fish, or eggs, but should be much more than a salad. Gluten free is more understood, but products are generally only available to Cubans on special diets.

Prices – Cuba has undergone a major restructuring of its monetary system, wages, and prices. This process began on January 1st 2021 and continues rippling through the economy. See Pre-Tour Information for more on this. (john this should be a click)

If you have an overall budget – please share it with us. We can advise where it is worthwhile spending and where it is possible to reduce costs.

Enjoy visiting our tour pages and telling us about your dream holiday. (this should be a click)

Travel with children – Please see our Family Holidays. (this should be a click)