Cuba Getting Around

Getting Around

By car The easiest way to explore Cuba is to rent a car. The roads are fairly good and very quiet. Just beware of the many pedestrians, bikers, horse carts and even oxen that travel slowly even on the high ways.Anyway consider that in some parts of the island driving is for the adventurous, and car rentals are not inexpensive. Many drivers do not use their lights at night, and many roads have few or no markings. You may be able to hire a car and driver for nearly the same cost. This varies by city; in some areas tourists are forbidden to ride in private vehicles and must use only the hard-currency taxis. Cars can be rented everwhere. It's even possible to return the car in a different city than where you rented it. Car rental starts from CUC 65 per day (including insurance) plus the cost of a full tank of gasoline. The refundable deposits start around CUC 200. Rental cars are for the most part fairly new, imported European or Asian models. Any traffic tickets received are noted on a rental car sheet and are deducted from your rental deposit. Generally traffic is medium, especially away from Havana. Outside of towns and cities traffic is usually very light, with no cars for miles. Be warned - you also share the highways with cyclists (sometimes going the wrong way, and at night usually without lights) and horse-drawn vehicles. Also note that the Autopista (the main highway running down the center of the country) is crossed at occasional intervals by railway tracks - take care to slow down before going over to avoid damage to the tires or suspension. Many of these have a stop sign - "Pare" - drivers can be fined CUC 30 for not obeying that, even if no train is coming. Expect to encounter checkpoints when traveling in the interior of the country. $10.00 and an American passport will get you though in most cases. It is often useful to travel with a national of a country that has an embassy in Cuba. This will give you recourse to an embassy should unexpected difficulties arrise (for instance having a GPS unit can be considered spying) . If traveling with a Cuban national expect to pay additional "taxes" to get them through the checkpoint. Gasoline costs CUC 0.85/Regular, CUC 0.95/Special and 1.10/Super per litre. Tourist rental cars are not supposed to use regular. Hitchhiking is common in Cuba and it is generally recognized as being safe to pick up a hitchhiker. People hitchhiking wait on the side of the road and extend their arms to flag down a ride Many Cubans hitchhike as a means of getting around and locally the activity is known as hacer botella (literally 'to make a bottle' with the hand). Government vehicles are legally required to pick up hitchhikers if they have the room and town exits and major crossroads often have yellow-clad amarillo officials armed with clipboards to organize the Cubans waiting for a ride. By Air Cuba has an extensive domestic air network that services all of the regional centers and flights within the country are not very expensive. Most domestic flights are on smaller propeller aircraft and they are 25% cheaper if booked in conjunction with your international ticket. Cuba's national carrier is Cubana de Aviación. If you want to reach a distant part of the island (like Santiago de Cuba from Havana), you can make this trip fast and comfortable with one of the domestic flights. Domestic flights can be booked with Aero Caribbean By bus Since 1991 long-distance bus services have been wound back and nowadays getting a ticket can be difficult - an in-person advance purchase will be required as will an in-person reconfirmation two hours prior to departure. Although train travel is now much more viable there are still some important connections that are only serviced by bus. Some enterprising locals have converted large trucks ( camiones ) into public transport vehicles and offer trips along the popular bus runs. The Viazul bus system is an efficient and comfortable mode of intercity transportation in Cuba. You can see their schedules and prices on their websites; sometimes reservations csan be made this way. Sometimes they'll email you, but you may have to wait a day or two for a reply. It should be quite easy to obtain a ticket at the station. The buses are clean and run on time. Few Cubans travel by Viazul due to the cost, which must be paid in hard currency. Be aware that Cuba has some tremendous distances between cities. The trip from Havana to Santiago de Cuba can take nearly 15 hours by bus. Better to fly that long way because the bus goes through some very rural areas (nothing to see) and most of the trip is at night. However, if you plan to visit intervening stops the bus may be a good choice. By Rail The demise of the Jamaican railway in 1992 means that Cuba is now the only Caribbean country with a functioning railway. Trains service all of the regional capitals and are a much more reliable and hassle-free way of getting around Cuba than the buses. Tickets are easy to get and Cuban train travel can be a relaxing and colorful way to see the country. A train runs between Havana and Santiago, a trip lasting around 12 hours. The trains, imported from France, are modern, comfortable, often too-heavily air-conditioned, and also feature snack service. However they do not always run according to schedule. Local transportation If you stay in a resort or a hotel in a resort area, it is easy to get a taxi, horse drawn buggy or a little motorcycle/golfcart type of vehicle to take you where you want to go. Make sure you confirm a price before accepting the ride. We found it quite easy to walk up to the main road and wait for a bus going in our direction. The driver has a partner who decides if they are going where you want to go and then decides on a reasonable fare. For the nimble, traveling by camioneta is remarkably cheap-only a few pesos around or between cities. The camioneta is a lorry-style truck that may or may not be enclosed with a tarp to shield passengers from sun and rain, and involves a high step up to an often-crowded truck bed. Seating on a metal bench may or may not be available. Due to the close conditions, consider securing your valuables. By taxi Official taxis are pretty expensive for long distances. For example, the Havana-Vinales route runs about CUC 90-100, which can be cheaper than travelling by bus or train if you split the fare between several people. However, there are some locals who are willing to illegally play "taxi" with their old car for somewhat less money, if you are open to adventures (and don't mind the smell of gasoline). Taxis are the most convenient way to get around the big cities; there are several types of taxis, including the official government taxis, the private and potentially unlicensed "yank tanks", and the small three-wheeled coco-taxis. There are usually several different taxis by the major tourist hotels, and are not difficult to find elsewhere.