<![CDATA[ALUSOARE

<![CDATA[ALUSOARE - Cuba]]>Mon, 14 Oct 2024 16:56:30 +0200Weebly<![CDATA[What to see in Baracoa]]>Wed, 06 Jul 2016 07:50:49 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/cuba/what-to-see-in-baracoa

Hard to reach but totally worth it. Baracoa is a gorgeous area in Cuba. We only had very few time we could spend there but nonetheless we completely enjoyed our stay.

How long to stay and where to sleep?

I guess as always is best to stay 2 nights. If you come by car it is impossible to arrive during the day anyway unless you sleep over somewhere closer to Baracoa. We came from CamagÃ¼ey so we arrived somewhere around 8 PM. You can check where to sleep on my blog post.

Local culinary specialties

Cucurucho
it is a mix of coconut, sugar and other ingredients such as orange, guava and pineapple which is "served" in a cone made out of palm leafs. It is famous all over Cuba but you can only buy it locally. Our taxi driver bought like 20 for his family to bring back.

Canchanchara
It's a cocktail that you can find also in other places in Cuba. We drank it out of a fresh coconut and on top of the coconut juice you ad some rum, honey and lime.

Lechita de coco
most of the dishes in Baracoa come with coconut milk souce which gives a very nice flavor to the food

what to see around

I would have loved to be able to recommend places to see in the city itself, but as I was saying we only arrived late in the evening so we went out for dinner at Restaurante Calalu and we were happy with the food and after went for some drinks at El Patio where we had very good Mojitos & live salsa music.

Playa Managua

on the way to Baracoa coming from Holguin we wanted to stop for a quick swim in the sea and a bit of relaxing moments from the long road. Although we managed to get there it was only right before sunset so we only stayed for a bit. On the positive side we were all by ourselves :)

Yumuri Canyon

The YumurÃ valley is claimed to be one of the island's most scenic, noted for the biodiversity of its flora and fauna, as well as a variety of archaeological sites. (Wikipedia).

We went there before leaving towards Guantanamo and it is indeed an amazing place and totally worth it to add it to your itinerary in Cuba. I will write a separate post on this as I was quite impressed of the place and I feel it deserves a bit more than a few lines.

We paid 30 CUC for the trip to the Canyon (6 people) and it was 5 CUC per person the guide. you could get a fresh made Canchanchara for 2 CUC and buy cacao cream as gift to take home for 3 CUC (but you could negotiate)

]]><![CDATA[What to see in Trinidad]]>Wed, 29 Jun 2016 11:31:52 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/cuba/what-to-see-in-trinidad

Trinidad is a special place in Cuba and it has so much to offer from places to see in the area to party out till early morning hours. It was declared as an UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.

How long should I stay and where to sleep?

as always in Cuba I highly advise you to stay in a Casa Particular, we stayed with Senora Margarita, contact details HERE. I would say that Trinidad deserves 2-3 days to get to know it at least a bit.

What to see and do in and around Trinidad

on your way from Cienfuegos: el Nicho

this place is a little paradise. I've been told before I came to Cuba that this is like a do not miss place in Cuba and I confirm it now. It is one hour away on the road (a bit detour is needed) from Cienfuegos to Trinidad.

Don't forget to get your swimming suit along as there are a lot of bathing opportunities. I went with flip-flops but depending on how comfortable you feel in such a ground you could get some sneakers.
There are 3 main waterfalls that we stumbled over. This is the first one, clear blue fresh water

The second one you can see below. It is far bigger than this but it got difficult to capture everything without anyone around.

The third one looks a bit like this, very relaxing spot.

overall, it was a very nice and relaxing break. The ticket is expensive but if you are a group try to negotiate, we reduced it to 6CUC/person.

Discover the nightlife: salsa, salsa & salsa

there are a lot of places out there but as everywhere in Cuba the place for Salsa is Casa de la Musica. After 00:00 there is a club where you pay 2 CUC to enter. in a weird way inside they had only Brazilian beer. The place is open till 2 AM when you can just go across the street (back exist) and continue to party.

As they say the best place to party is La Cueva, for 5 CUC you get the entrance till 3 AM plus one drink of choice.

go to the beach: Playa Ancon

A fast getaway from the hot Trinidad is a 15 min trip by car to Playa Ancon. the taxis get you there for 2 CUC per person, not sure if they leave without a full car though. You can also rent a bike and it would take you about 40 minutes to reach the beach. You would maybe from the picture that we were unlucky with the weather, but actually after all the mojitos we had it was the perfect day to sleep on the beach and enjoy the very relaxing sound of the waves.

Valle de los Ingenios

A very nice half day activity is a horseback ride to Valle de los ingenios. The trip is 10 CUC per person. The trip is very nice and you also have the chance to take a small bath, make sure you have your swimming suit with you.

on the way we stopped for a fresh juice so we took the opportunity of some personalized live music by Don Jose and learned some new dance steps. :)

walk around the streets, Trinidad is a special place

Here some more pictures from around the city to give you a better overview.

I am sure you'll love the place so add it to your must see in Cuba list

]]><![CDATA[What to see in Vinales]]>Wed, 22 Jun 2016 07:20:01 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/cuba/what-to-see-in-vinales

The Vinales valley is encircled by mountains and its landscape is interspersed with dramatic rocky outcrops. Traditional techniques are still in use for agricultural production, particularly of tobacco. The quality of this cultural landscape is enhanced by the vernacular architecture of its farms and villages, where a rich multi-ethnic society survives, illustrating the cultural development of the islands of the Caribbean, and of Cuba. (UNESCO)

How long should I stay and where to sleep?

I would say at least 2 nights as there are a lot of things you can do around. Sleep in a Casa Particular, I highly recommend the house of Yuya & Boris. All contacts under this post.

It's all about the nature

visit local plantations of....

we got a sort of a tour that was 5 CUC per hour with the horse. The tour included to see how cigars are done, some time to spend at the lake and a tour through a garden where you can see local products such as coffee, chocolate, pineapple

The Cuban Cigars

one of the local producers will show you how a cigar is made. you can get one for free....I don't smoke so I did not try but the guys in our group did. It is said the best cigars are produced in Vinales

the magic view over the lake

I am not a big fan of lakes as I don't really see what is going on in the water, but this view and the relaxation around this lake was totally worth it.

the plantation

the view

Mural de la Prehistoria

well, if you really want the picture you can go till close take the picture and leave, no need to enter :). I think that there are also some trekkings available but would not be able to say for sure

Cueva de Santo Tomas

i did not take pictures, but you can consider visiting it. It has 46km and you can visit 3 out of the 7 levels.

Cayo Jutias

60 km away from Vinales, Cayo Jutias is one of the nicest places we saw around Cuba. â€‹

The blue water, the white sand and the possibility to be in a corner all by yourself enjoying the sound of the sea is priceless

at the end of the day, the tranquility of place is just amazing

Just get prepared for the excellent Mojitos & Pina Coladas ;)

]]><![CDATA[Walking around the streets of Havana]]>Wed, 08 Jun 2016 12:17:54 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/cuba/walking-around-the-streets-of-havana

Since the moment you set foot in Havana it impacts you. It has a completely different atmosphere than any other place. It is a place where for sure I will want to come back and get to know it better.

Before you arrive

download the offline maps maps.me It will help locating streets, restaurants, museums in Cuba without issues.

Jose Mart International Airport

Your first step on Cuban soil is at the airport. Here is the first time you experience one of the favorite sports of the Cubans the endless queues :). After the security check it will take a lot of time to receive your luggage. Once you have it's time to grab a taxi to the city. At arrivals there is a billboard on the right hand side that states 25 CUC official taxi to Havana. Keep that as reference. There are 2 exchange office at arrivals the one on the right (once you exit being with the back to the airport) is more crowded the one on the left less. You can negotiate a tiny bit with the drives to actually bring you for 25 CUC as they might ask for more. When I was there exchange rates were exactly the same everywhere.

Internet

is limited and it is a good thing in a way. To be honest I enjoyed the relaxed no social network experience for a while. Of course this is not something I would not have huge issues getting used to for longer times but for 2 weeks of holiday was a good break.

You will need to buy Internet cards from ETCSA. As a tourist you can buy as many as you want. You do need an ID to get them. Price is 2 CUC/h and you can find 30 min, 60 min and 5h cards. Remember you need to queue at the ETCSA office to get the cards. Alternativelly you can buy them a bit more expensive on the street. The places where you can connect to WiFi are either hotels or some squares around the city. it is easy to spot them

Where do I sleep?

well, best for the complete Cuban experience choose a Casa Particular. I recommend casa de Daniel y Fina, you can get all the details HERE.

Where should I eat?

Ask the people at the Casa Particular where you stay as they will be able to guide you at the places they know. We had no problems with the food we had anywhere in Cuba but is good to get a recommended place. I will have a post of dishes in Cuba and the restaurants we ate, but this is not limited to that of course.

What to see & do?

Depending on how much time you have in Havana you can see a lot of things around Habana Vieja, but what I found the nicest thing to do is just walk around. Below some of the highlights of what we saw. Remember real Cuba lays all around you and not in museums but on the streets where it's people are.

Callejon de Hamel

Easy to miss but for sure nice to pass by and see the exposed art of Salvador GonzÃ¡les Escalona. I am big fan of street-art and consequently enjoyed discovering this place by "pure" coincidence.

Salvador is a world renowned Cuban artist. This place is used to expose his art but also to give art workshop to kids or there are organized rumba performances on Sundays.

El Malecon

Take a walk on Avenida Maceo, el Malecon. It's a 8km roadway & promenade from Havana Vieja to Vedado.

below the view at sunset from the beginning of the esplanade at Havana Vieja.

one of the top hits of when we've been there and what turned into our roadtrip hit was the reggaeton song of Jacob Forever - Hasta que se seque el Malecon :)

Jump in a old American Taxis on Calle 43

don't forget to change a few CUC in CUP and enjoy a ride on Calle 43 in an old American car. Ask them to drive you till calle 12, from there you can walk down to the Cementerio de Colon. there is an entrance fee of 8 CUC if I am not mistaken. We decided not to enter but had a look from the entrance

Selfie with Che in Plaza de la Revolucion

if travelling from Europe you will arrive in the night in Havana and on your way to the city you will see the faces of Che and Cienfuegos on the buildings in tha Plaza de la Revolucion and then of course you will want to come during the day to take a picture as did we

on the opposite side of Che you can find the Jose Marti Memorial. We could not get close to it as apparently there were some meetings going on, the security officers were not very keen in giving us more information.

El Capitolio

still some energy left? take the road back and stop for lunch at Nardos. This is located opposite to the Capitolio on Paseo de Marti, the Capitolio is still under constructions but you can already see how the area will look like when ready.

Here is also where you can pick an old card for a tour of Havana (25 CUC) or see people dancing Salsa.

Plaza de la Catedral

The Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception is one of eleven Roman Catholic cathedrals on the island of Cuba. (wikipedia). and is located in the very specious Plaza de la Cathedral.

Plaza de San Francisco

Here you can find a post office if you need to drop some postcards and also an exchange office.

Plaza Vieja

It looks very relaxed and full of energy and color in the same time. We did not stay at one of the cafes around due to lack of time, but you should for sure not miss it.

When we've been there in March 2016 there was a temporary exposition representing famous artists from around the world. It was for sure an interesting approach.

Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta

The best part of the trip till here is the view. We did not enter the museum but just walked around.

Museo de la Revolucion

I am not a person that likes museums but there are some that should not be missed as for example this one :)

The entrance fee is 8 CUC. You can read the story of the revolution and how the museum was founded and at the end you will find some caricatures....I won't comment will let you make your own impression on them ;)

just walk the streets you will find so much more....

I selected some pictures that I though would give a good overview of what Havana is. Have a look.

Ernest Hemingway

Both places are in all travel guides because Ernest Hemingway used to come here for drinks. I was disappointed for the quality of the cocktails in both places, but we had to try ... :D

La Bodeguita del Medio

Famous for it's Mojitos (5 CUC!!!)..not really bad but far under expectations, I would recommend you to try the Camarones Enchilados best I had in Cuba ;)

La Floridita

I had so many better Daiquiris around the world, these were definitely overpriced at 6 CUC

Where do I go out?

La Fabrica de la Arte Cubana

is a place where art and music combine in an awesome way. Students from the art faculty expose their art and in the same time you can get cheap cocktails and different music styles in the same place. GREAT initiative!

Casa de la Musica

we did not manage to get there in the end unfortunately but you should definitely try it out. I heard so many good things about it. live bands and you can learn some salsa steps.

the 24/7 bar at the corner of the street

true they don't have it everywhere but hey, if you find one take the opportunity. you will have cheap drinks and a lot of fun. Cuban people are nice so they will help you on the dance floor with any steps from the latin repertoire.

Havana should be on everyone's bucket-list

]]><![CDATA[13 things you need to know before travelling to CUBA]]>Thu, 02 Jun 2016 06:12:53 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/cuba/13-things-you-need-to-know-before-travelling-to-cuba

1. Get you VISA

It is actually a Tourist card not a real VISA. The procedure is very easy. You just need to go to the embassy with a valid passport and have 20-30Euros with you (different price per country). You could maybe check with your airline they might also help you with it.

2. Health Insurance?

Nobody asked us in Cuba for it, but it is recommended to get one if you don't already have one from your work. For Belgium the mutualiteit has a health insurance included but you need to contact them as they will need to send you a letter confirming this in Spanish.

3. Announce anyone that you will be hard to reach

Internet

I would take the huge advantage of Cuba not having internet to just disconnect from social media for a while. But ok if you can't and can't here you go the details.

You can buy internet cards from ETSCA which is the phone company. you can get the cards in 30min for 1 CUC; 1h for 2 CUC and 5h for 10CUC. you will get a user number and a password. enter your browser to connect usually it works better then from the pop up.

â€‹Second part of the story is that you don't have interent everywhere. Hotels usually have and then the city center in most of the cities and in several places in Havana. It's easy to find them as you will see a bunch of people with the heads down

4. Queues are a national sport

arm yourself with patience, you will need to queue for everything.

5. Download maps.me

this app was a great help. it's free, works both on Android and iOS. Download the country you go to beforehand. No internet needed once you have the map. it gives you direction and also you can spot different landmarks or restaurants along your way
http://maps.me/en/home

6. Cuba is safe

I don't know if it is safe for tourists only, but we had no problem going around the streets in the middle of the night. Maybe a bit more careful in Santiago de Cuba after 2AM but the rest is very nice and relaxed

7. they have 2 currencies CUC and CUP

Cuba is working with 2 currencies
CUC - pesos convertibles
CUP - peso nacional
1 CUC approx 27 CUP (2016)
1 CUC approx 1 Euro

it's good to change some CUC into CUP if you plan to travel by bus in Havana or you do a road trip to buy food from local stands. CUC is accepted everywhere.

8. Bring Cash (EURO, GBP)

you can take out money from your VISA but best would be to have enough Euro with you. I guess British pounds will also do but for now US dollars are not recommended as the exchange rate is very bad.

9. Inform your Bank that you go to Cuba

don't forget to call your bank before leaving to Cuba. Also for any transaction Cuba related, best to avoid adding comments like Cuba as the transfer might be stopped as it comes under the highlighted words in bank systems.

10. Power

They usually have the same plugs like in US mainly 110 volts with 2 legs. You can find in modern hotels 220V

ï»¿11. Bring giveaways with you

we discovered once there that we would have made a lot of people happy by bringing some pens,towels or cloths to give away with us. so if you can spare some space in your backpack will be highly appreciated

12. Drink bottled water

best to drink bottled water. if you find buy as it is not everywhere. the food usually is cooked with filtered water so you should have no problems.

13. Exit tax not is not more applicable

as of November 2015 you don't need to pay the tax anymore as it is included in your flight ticket. you can check it with the airline but this is what I have been told when I left (with Iberia)

]]><![CDATA[Propaganda billboards across Cuba]]>Wed, 18 May 2016 09:48:26 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/cuba/propaganda-billboards-across-cuba

All over the country you can find billboards or graffiti with messages related to the Cuban Revolution to Che Guevara, Cienfuegos or encouraging education and work. I took a photos of some. It is all about the heroes of the Revolution, everywhere around.

Just to give you an Idea., below you can see some examples:

and I only added a few not to overload with pictures and also leave some for you to discover once you visit Cuba.

]]><![CDATA[Food & Drinks in Cuba]]>Wed, 18 May 2016 08:59:43 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/cuba/food-drinks-in-cuba

Food in Cuba is not as typical as you would find in other places in the world, but for sure it is very tasteful.

Breakfast

â€‹If you eat breakfast at a casa particular then the price would be around 5 CUC per person. The breakfast will include: Fresh Juice, Coffee + Milk. Fresh fruits, guava marmalade and eggs which you can get either as an omelette or scrambled eggs, The food is usually more than enough so no worries about the portions.

Lunch/Dinner what we tried around

â€‹We had Langosta a la plancha at one of the restaurants on the street Callejon del Chorro in Havana, it was the first one on the left hand side as you enter the street. We paid 10 CUC for the dish and one Mojito. Service was nice, food was good. On top of the plate we also got salad and a plate of Moros y Cristianos
â€‹

We ate at a resturant next to Nardos (instead of going up on the stairs to Nardos just go to the right) as for Nardos there was an endless queue. The food was very good. We had lamb with Cuban souce (criolla sauce) and pork steak Cuban way. Both were very good.

Make sure you try the Lechon Cubano, it is extreme tasteful and a very typical dish in the country. We had it iberostar mojito at cayo coco.

Ropa Vieja is one of the very typical dishes in Cuba and if you eat beef, then you should definitely try it.

As sea food is almost everywhere around so are the shrimps. check in the menu for Camarones Enchilados, they taste super good. This ones are from Ibis Restaurante, Calle Aguacate en Havana, but the best we had were at La Bodeguita del Medio

The security guy from Cuartel de Moncada (santiago de Cuba) recommended us to eat at El Barracon so we asked for the specialty of the house which was a lamb dish with a secret sauce. Excellent ;)

Just to have an idea so there is this side dish that is called Morosy Cristianos which you can also order separate (Moros one dish, Cristianos another dish). The dish is actually rice cooked in black beans and orderd together it is far less heavy than getting the beans sauce separately.

If you reach Baracoa you will notice that the food here is different than on the rest of the Island, namely the food is cooked in lechita which is coconut milk with some spices. Most of the seafood is served with this sauce. You should definitely try it out.

Also in Baracoa you can find some extra specialties. For example the Cucurucho which is a coconut candy wrapped in Palm leaf (left picture) You can buy them for 1 peso national on the road to Baracoa or 1 CUC in Baracoa. The option on the right is similar but without being wrapped in the palm leafs

If you want to get chocolate back home, best to buy it here, we could not find it in Havana (they do have it at the shops for tourists but not always.

Drinks

National Beers are Bucanero and Cristal. They are quite light beers but perfect hor the hot days to refresh.

There is of course the Mojito, most famous place to drink it is at La Bodeguita del Medio where Ernest Hemingway was a customer, but it costs 5 CUC and it is not that good, so definitely try it somewhere else at 2 CUC and tasting far better.

and here we go with the other bar that Hemingway made famous La Floridita, this time special honor gets the Daiquiri (again too expensive and not as good as you could find it in other bars)

A new cocktail that I discovered and did not know about was the Canchanchara (Rum, Lime, Honey and Ice) we had the coconut edition.

Don't forget to try also the Pina Colada which is excellent (I missed to take the picture but for sure a must try in Cuba)

]]><![CDATA[Some of the Cuban beaches]]>Wed, 18 May 2016 08:45:30 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/cuba/some-of-the-cuban-beaches

oh Cuba, I am getting nostalgic now thinking at all the pretty beaches out there and that considering that I have only got time to visit a few of them. Here some pictures of what I got to see, you should definitely try them out if in the area.

Cayo Jutias, Pinar del Rio

If you go to Vinales you have to book some time in your trip to come and enjoy this very nice beach.

Rancho Luna, Cienfuegos

A small detour to El Nicho from Cienfuegos is Playa Ranco Luna. If you go there in the morning you have the chance to be alone with the sea.

Playa Ancon, Trinidad

you can get a taxi for up to 2 CUC per person to drive you here from Trinidad, it cools down the heat from the city

Cayo Coco

all Cubans I have talked to highlighted to me that The Cayos are NOT Cuba and indeed they are not, but if you have the time you will enjoy the white sand and the ultra clean and clear turquoise water.

Playa Managua, Baracoa

we arrived exactly at sunset so could not enjoy it in it's full glory but for sure it's a place to take a break on your way to Baracoa if coming from Camaguey

]]><![CDATA[Yumuri Canyon, Baracoa]]>Wed, 18 May 2016 08:39:57 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/cuba/yumuri-canyon-baracoa

I decided to write a separate post about Yumuri for 2 reasons. First because the place is very very nice and second for the people we met over there.

We drove over from Baracoa, the road is well indicated and once we arrived a lot of people welcomed us, offering us tours, cacao cream, cacao balls, coconut oil and so many others. The problem is that the people can't afford to buy material things such as pens, towels or simple cloth so they take any opportunity to get some extra money. If you go get along a hand-full of pens to giveaway

The tour

There are several tours that you can take with fewer or more hours and more or less walking of course but as we were in a bit of a hurry but still wanted to enjoy the place in a relaxed way â€‹thus we took the shortest one. This was 5 CUC per person including the boat trip (very short one) and a guide.

so we first find out that there was a legend about the name of the place. Namely the princess of the Indian Tribe who was living there was cursed that when she falls in love misfortune will come over her and her land. A young man from CamagÃ¼ey heard about her beauty and wanted to meet her, they fell in love and in that moment the earth started to shake forming the river but also taking in the fall the couple. When she died it is said that she screamed Yu...muri which would mean I died

The tour starts with a short boat trip and then you walk around, the guide will show you different medicine plants and will explain what they are used for. Also he will try to spot and show you birds that are living around the area. We had a cute surprise in the tour.

mother hummingbird

We all know the cute tiny birds called hummingbirds, well can you imagine how tiny the babies of the hummingbirds are? oh well VERY have a look. â€‹

2 baby hummingbirds

Besides the gorgeous nature, in the Yumuri Canyon you have the chance to be alone, there is not too much tourism at the moment so you can enjoy a lovely and relaxing walk around and a nice swim in a natural pool

of course we should not leave aside the fresh coconut cocktail, the lovely canchanchara (coconut juice, rum, lime and honey). Our guide climbed in the coconut and brought back for us 6 fresh coconuts.

Here you can also get loads of useful souvenirs to bring back home such as cacao cream, coconut oil or cacao balls, there are a lot of people offering them, you can negotiate the prices but I would not over do it as it is also a material support for the local people.

Our guide was called Yorli and is the guy on the left in blue and on the right with the cap is Joel from whom I got the cocoa cream. If you want to get Yorli as a guide (which I recommend) contact
e-mail: Joelandy82@nauta.cu
phone:+5353211389

you'll have a very nice experience and hopefully you have more time to enjoy than we had.

I leave you with this view! Going to and coming from Yumuri you can stop at any of the several (black) beaches that are along the way

]]><![CDATA[Taxi Prices across Cuba]]>Mon, 04 Apr 2016 16:40:35 GMThttps://www.alusoare.com/cuba/taxi-prices-across-cubaOur aim was to rent a car which would get us around Cuba leaving us with loads of Flexibility. The first question was rent a car and drive it ourselves or rent one of the cars that has a driver. Well we heard a lot of stories, most of the Cubans that we talked to recommended to get a car with a driver as it is safer other tourists said they rented a car and had no issues with the road or anything. Well it is a matter of personal choice as of course for both options there were advantages and disadvantages.

We were a group of 6 and after checking and checking the best (cheapest) option was to rent a car for 6+driver. We found the contact of Santiago (e-mail: santiago.flores@nauta.cu) who seems to have a sort of a business that is arranging drivers. I would say he was one of the very few not good experiences we had in Cuba, so I don't recommend to contact him. Yet again, I left his e-mail in case you run out of any other possible option.

The agreement was, to be picked up in Havana and have an american car for 140 CUC a day with driver at our disposal for 10 days leaving the car basically in Santiago de Cuba from where we had a flight back.
Unfortunately after a good start the organization of the guy was very bad, we also lost 1/2 because of him and in the end we decided to continue the trip on our own.

The prices per route + contacts where available

Our first driver outside Havana was Reisel. He is 23 but very nice driver (a bit shy :) ) anyway we had him for 2 days. Picked us up in Havana, drove us to Vinales and next day to the Gran Caverna de Santo Tomas, from there to Playa Jutia and back to Vinales, the price was as agreed 140 CUC per day. His car in the picture above.

Now if you book him outside the arrangement with Santiago it should be cheaper.

Contact details:
Name: Reisel
ph#: +5353220379
e-mail: reiselms@nauta.cu

Vinales to Cienfuegos, Santiago sent us a driver (Javier) under the same agreement but instead of arriving at 8:00 he arrived at 12:15 so we of course could not to follow our plan and had to drive directly to Cienfuegos.

Special Thanks to Nati for the picture

From Cienfuegos till Trinidad we had again another driver. He was subcontracted by the driver that was sent by Santiago to pick us up from Vinales (Javier). Normally this was supposed to fall under the same initially agreement which also happened after some discussions in the end but initially he asked us for 20 CUC extra for the trip to Rancho Luna which he suggested. The route was: Cienfuegos - Rancho Luna - El Nicho - Trinidad.

Contact details:
Name: Luisito (not really his name but this is how he was called.
ph#: +5354572170

Trinidad - Moron is a semi hard piece to get a good price deal as it is not convenient for the driver to get to Moron as he would not come back with someone from there. Anyway we were in contact with a nice guy (don't know his name) not a very good car but anyway we had no issues in getting to Moron. We negotiated the price to 100 CUC

Contact details:
ph#+5353420998

To get from Moron to Cayo Coco you need to get a separate Taxi. An approximate price should be around 45 CUC.

Contact details:
Name: Ernesto
ph# +5358163813

but a more Cayo Coco to Camagüey we got an official taxi (not american but a modern car) for 140 CUC. No contact details available.

By asking other taxi drivers on our way to Camagüey we knew that it was very expensive to book a taxi directly to Baracoa (our next night) so after still asking around and hearing prices between 300 - 400 CUC we decided to follow the advise we received and split the trip in Holguin.

Camagüey to Holguin in a normal American car but where if you squeeze you can get 6 plus the driver for 100 CUC.

In Holguin we negotiated and we found a very nice driver who we booked actually to driver us to Santiago de Cuba via Baracoa for 220 CUC + 30 CUC that we added for a detour we made for checking the Yumuri Canyon. This was one of the oldest cars we drove from '48 .. imagine! :)

Contact details:
Name: Erlin
ph#: +5353268444

Last Contact details I have of 2 guys that can help you around Havana.

Contact details:
Name: Raul
ph# +5354393697

Name: Michael
ph# +5353639739

Note:
if you are calling from a landline in Cuba you will need to drop of course the +53 and add a prefix depending from where you are calling. I would try with 01 or 05. Please just FYI if you call from landline to a mobile number, the mobile number is paying the cost, if the person you are calling does not have credit anymore you will receive a sort of number can't be located. Try calling from a mobile number in such a case.

Hope all this will be helpful for discovering as much as possible from Cuba.

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