Active Holiday in Cuba — Hike, Snorkel, and Cycle

What you get on this adventure:

• • An experienced, local hiking guide with extensive knowledge of the area
  • 10 days of guided hiking, cycling, and snorkeling
  • 8 nights of accommodation in guesthouses (twin-shared, air-conditioned rooms with an ensuite bathroom)
  • 1 night camping in tents
  • Some meals — all breakfasts, 2 lunches, 1 dinner
  • Transportation during the tour — private air-conditioned minibus, taxi, jeep, open-sided truck
  • Half-day cycling excursion in Vinales, 2-day trek in Sierra Escambray Mountains, visit to Che Guevara Memorial
  • Airport pick-up

What’s not included:

• • Transportation to Cuba
  • Airport drop-off at the end of the tour
  • Accommodation prior to and after the tour — guides can arrange this, just let us know in advance
  • Drinks and some meals
  • Optional activities, day-tours, and excursions
  • Visa and passport fees
  • Travel medical insurance — required
  • Guide gratuities — optional

The great thing about this guided hiking, cycling, and snorkeling tour is that it’s beginner-friendly!

The most strenuous thing on this tour is hiking for 6 miles (10 km) for 2 days in a row and a half-day cycling tour. Still, if you’re not up for it, your guides can always arrange some other activities for you—or simply let you chill in the guesthouses or at the beach. Other than that, it’s up to you how you want to spend your free time. You always have the option to tailor this tour to your expectations and wishes.

It can get very hot and humid in Cuba in the summer months of June through August, when lightweight clothing is recommended. In the winter months, it can get colder, particularly in the evenings. Although the temperatures generally don’t get very low in Cuba, the cold can be hard to escape from due to the humidity levels and the fact that Cuba houses aren’t set up for cold weather. During the day, the climate in Cuba is hot and tropical.

Here’s a list of clothing we recommend bringing:

• • Fleece top or similar
  • T-shirts
  • Shorts
  • Pair of long trousers
  • Sandals and footwear for walking
  • Water shoes — optional
  • Swimwear
  • Small towel and swimwear
  • Sun hat

Here’s a list of personal items you need to bring:

• • Day pack large enough to carry all the items listed (around a 25-40L bag)
  • Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L capacity)
  • Toiletries (sunscreen, soap, hand sanitizer, bug spray, toilet paper, etc.)
  • Sunglasses
  • First-aid kit (lip salve, aspirin, band-aids, antihistamine, Imodium or similar)
  • Binoculars — optional
  • Money belt — optional
  • Camera — optional (but recommended)

It’s best to bring a backpack, a duffel bag, or a small travel case with wheels. Our advice is to pack as lightly as possible since you’ll normally have to carry your own luggage from the minibus to the accommodation. It’s possible to leave some luggage in Havana, just ask your guide to help you arrange it—it only costs around 5 euros per week.

If you have special dietary requirements or are traveling with children and like to eat snacks between meals, we recommend bringing your own snacks to Cuba, especially for travel days. Though they are available in Cuba, they may not be readily available or to your liking.

Make sure to bring plenty of cash. Almost no card issued by a U.S. institution will work in Cuba and access to your funds may not be possible, so bring more than you’d expect to spend, just in case. EUR and USD are the most useful currencies—they’ll be accepted in many places, but you can also exchange them once you’re there. Cryptocurrency is also sometimes accepted.

Your guides have breakfast arranged for you every single day—you’ll have breakfast at the guesthouses, and you can expect coffee, milk, fruit juice, bread, eggs, and fresh fruit.

In general, many travelers are pleasantly surprised with the quality and variety of food that can be found in Cuba. One of the highlights has to be fresh fruit and vegetables—think mango, pineapple, papaya, guava, coconut, grapefruit, breadfruit, and avocados. And the drinks? Start looking forward to world-famous Cuban cocktails, such as Daiquiri, Mojito, or Ron Collins. Excellent draught beer as well as coffee are also very popular.

If you’re vegetarian, you won’t struggle finding a vegetarian meal, though there won’t be much variety. Gluten-free options should also be possible, but let your guide know in time.

Guesthouses, bed & breakfast, casas, casas particulares—these are all names for the same type of accommodation you’ll be staying at. Casas are generally run by local families and located in residential areas, which gives you a great opportunity to interact with local Cubas.

Guesthouses are generally quite basic, but reasonably comfortable and very clean—the families will try to make you feel at home as much as possible. The level of service and personal attention is generally far superior to the hotels in Cuba.

While the style and comfort levels of casas may vary throughout the tour, you can always expect air-conditioned rooms with an ensuite bathroom. Your guides work hard to select the best guesthouses for your adventure. Keep in mind that the group will likely be placed in a number of different houses within a short walking distance. Every day you’ll meet your group at the “base house”, a central one with the biggest capacity.

All accommodation is based on a twin-shared arrangement—two people per room and if you are joining the tour as an individual, you may have to share the room with another member of the group. If there’s no one to share it with, you’ll end up with a room to yourself—and you don’t have to pay a single supplement. If you’d like to guarantee a single room to yourself, you can add the option of a single supplement upon booking.

Group sizes and prices:

• • For this guided hiking, cycling, and snorkeling tour in Cuba, the maximum client-to-guide ratio is 14:1.
  • It takes a minimum of 2 people for this tour to operate.
  • The cost does not decrease as the group grows.

Active tour in Cuba can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

Min. age requirements:

• • If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  • Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to join the hike on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.

If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

To get to your Cuba adventure, fly into Havana Airport (HAV). Airport shuttle to Havana is included, even if you arrive in Cuba prior to Day 1 of the tour, as long as you arrange your pre-tour accommodation through your guides. At 7 pm, the guide will meet with those who have already arrived and go for an optional dinner.

Almost all tourists visiting Cuba need to obtain a visa called the Cuban Tourist Card. The tourist card is valid for 90 days. Make sure you do not misplace this while in Cuba—you cannot leave the country without it. If you’re a U.S. citizen or are flying in via the U.S., a new set of rules applies to you. Find more information in the FAQ below.

The most important thing is to check your entry requirements with official websites or embassies. Here are some general suggestions on how to get the “Cuba Visa”:

• • Apply through the Cuban Embassy or Consulate closest to you.
  • When you purchase your air-tickets, check with the airline to see if they provide the service of arranging visas for you.
  • Tourist cards for Cuba have been available for purchase for many years at airports throughout Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean and can be purchased in a matter of minutes at the time of check-in. NOTE: Please ensure you check the status of this service before heading off to Cuba, these regulations are subject to change—it cannot be guaranteed!
  • Some airlines (Virgin Atlantic, Air France) will not permit you to board the flight without a Cuban tourist card. NOTE: check the regulations with the airline in advance.

This applies to all U.S. citizens as well as people traveling via the U.S. Yes, that’s right, even if you aren’t a US citizen or resident, if you travel to Cuba via the U.S. (specifically if you fly directly to Cuba from a U.S. port or fly from Cuba directly to a U.S. port) then you will need a different Visa (the “pink” one) that you will purchase during check in for your Cuba flight.

If you are flying directly to Cuba from the U.S. (e.g. Miami, Tampa, NYC) you can purchase the visa in the airport before you board your flight to Havana. This will cost between $75-100 and the transaction takes just a few minutes, no need to worry about adding extra time to your layover to get it. Some US airlines will also allow you to buy the visa in advance and ship it to your home. Do not call the airline to ask, instead search the airline’s website (Airline name + Cuba + Visa in a Google search).

You must also be prepared to comply with legal travel to Cuba under US regulations as if you were an American! In simple and somewhat misleading terms, this is often called a “license”, but it is really just a set of guidelines to adhere to. More detail about the license below.

You’ve heard that you can’t travel to Cuba as a tourist—and that’s true, but that doesn’t mean you can’t visit Cuba and book a trip with a responsible travel company! All you have to do is to fit your travels under one of the 12 categories of a general license for entry. That makes your visit a meaningful one and allows you to come to Cuba. This applies to U.S. citizens, foreign citizens living in the U.S. and foreign citizens transiting through the U.S.

None of these general license categories require any prior government approval. If you follow the rules of the license you selected, you’re automatically considered “authorized”. You need to be able to state this category to anyone that asks (such as the airline or a border agent) and document what you do and spend while in Cuba. You must save the documentation for 5 years. It’s also recommended that you carry an affidavit with you because it helps to show paperwork even if it’s not required. If you join this tour, your guides will send you an affidavit.

Keep in mind that this general license is not the same as a tourist card/tourist visa, which is a requirement of the Cuban government. If you’re a U.S. citizen or traveling via the U.S., you will purchase your visa during check-in for your Cuba flight

The easiest category to qualify under is Support for the Cuban People (SCP). Your guides created a tour which is specially designed for compliance with the SCP. Here is a summary of the 5 requirements:

• • Use privately-owned businesses (e.g. private restaurants, private shops, private taxis, etc.)
  • Stay in privately-owned accommodation—these are the casas particulares you’ll be staying at.
  • Maintain a full schedule of meaningful interactions for 6-8 hours a day.

“Enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities and that result in meaningful interactions with individuals in Cuba.”
Here are some suggestions that are considered acceptable:

• • • Supporting local artists by visiting galleries and/or purchasing art
    • Conversing with your hosts at casa particular
    • Volunteering
    • Taking lessons (dance, language, music, sport…)
    • Shopping in privately-owned businesses
    • Eating at privately-owned restaurants
    • Taking guided tours

Avoid transactions with Cuban Government entities on this Prohibited List. The most important thing is to avoid the hotels and shops listed. For example, most 5-star hotels are prohibited so you wouldn’t want to make purchases there.

Document your activities and transactions in a ledger or travel journal and maintain the records and receipts for 5 years.

As soon as you join your tour, you’ll be spending time with your local guide—thus having a “meaningful interactions” and “promoting independence”, which is a part of SCP.

If you are not a U.S. citizen or are not traveling via the U.S., please check the entry requirements for your country. Keep in mind that the tourist visa—also called the Cuban Tourist Card—is a must. Apply through the Cuban Embassy or Consulate closest to you.

57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.

We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, their guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Cuba, please refer to Cuba travel advice and entry requirements by the U.S. Embassy in Cuba.

Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!