-
Visiting Artemisa and Pinar del Río
Pinar del Río is Cuba’s westernmost province. Ox-drawn plows transport you back in time amid quintessentially Cuban landscapes that attain their most dramatic beauty in Viñales Valley, known for its incredible limestone formations called mogotes. Here, and in the neighboring region of Vuelta Abajo
-
Average Seasonal Weather in Cuba
Cuba lies within the tropics, though its climate—generally hot and moist—is more properly semi- or subtropical. There are only two seasons: wet (May to November) and dry (December to April), with regional variations.
Havana after the rain. Photo © Rinaldo Wurglitsch, licensed Creative Commons
-
Cuba Travel Planning: Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey
These contiguous and geographically similar provinces are dominated inland by rolling savannas and off the north coast by the Cayería del Norte, low-lying, sandy coral islands, where Cuba’s most spectacular beaches dissolve into mesmer-izing peacock-blue waters. Officially called the Archipiélago
-
Plan a Trip to Cuba: Mayabeque and Matanzas
Created only in 2011, the province of Mayabeque lies between Havana and Matanzas. It’s almost predominantly agricultural. Its northeast is scalloped as the Valle de Yumurí, a huge basin lushly cultivated with sugarcane. It is enfolded by a crescent of low mountains famed for their mineral springs.
-
Visiting Cuba's Cienfuegos and Villa Clara Provinces
Villa Clara and Cienfuegos Provinces lie due east of Matanzas Province, with Villa Clara north of Cienfuegos. Together they share some of the prettiest scenery in Cuba.
Here, the historic town of Remedios is caught in a delightful time-warp.The southern and eastern portions of Villa Clara Province
-
Planning a Trip to Sancti Spíritus
No visit to Cuba is complete without a visit to Trinidad, Cuba’s best-preserved colonial city. Its unique combination of 18th-century architecture, breeze-swept hillside setting, and pickled-in-aspic way of life is irresistibly charming.
A horse-drawn buggy on Plaza Mayor, Trinidad. Photo © C
-
General Licenses for U.S. Citizens Traveling to Cuba
Photo © Greg Blomberg/123rf.
The following categories of travelers are permitted to spend money for Cuban travel without the need to obtain special permission from OFAC. They are not required to inform OFAC in advance of their visit to Cuba. However, they must be able to document that their t
-
Visiting Santiago de Cuba Province
Santiago de Cuba Province is one of the most historically important regions in the country and claims to be the Cradle of the Revolution. The first charge of machete-wielding Mambí was at Baire in 1868. And in 1953 Fidel Castro’s attack on Batista’s barracks took place at Moncada, in the city of S
-
5 Ways to Immerse Yourself in Cuba
The sheer beauty of Cuba is often overshadowed by politics. In Cuba, nature offers endless beaches bordering warm seas; mountains, valleys, and forests ready to explore; deep-sea treasures; and some of the rarest wildlife on the planet. Colonial cities with cathedrals and cobbled plazas are slices
-
Plan a Trip to Cuba's Guantánamo Province
Guantánamo. The name reverberates around the world. Everyone knows it as a U.S. naval base and a humiliating thorn in the side of Castro’s Cuba. In fact, Guantánamo is also both a city and province, which tapers eastward to Punta Maisí, the easternmost point of the island. The province is almost w
-
Planning a Trip to Las Tunas and Holguín
Las Tunas and Holguín
Rich in history and physically diverse, this region is as interesting as any in the nation. Holguín, rather than Las Tunas, steals the show.
The scenery begins to grow more lush and interesting eastward.Las Tunas Province forms a flat, narrow band across the island, broadenin
-
Learn About Cuba's Climate and Landscape
Cuba (full map)
Cuba lies at the western end of the Greater Antilles group of Caribbean islands, which began to heave from the sea about 150 million years ago.
Cuba is by far the largest of the Caribbean islands at 110,860 square kilometers. It is only slightly smaller than the state of Louisiana
-
Planning Your Time in Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey
Running through the center of the provinces, the Carretera Central connects Ciego de Ávila and Camagüey cities with Havana and Santiago de Cuba. The cities are also major stops on the main east-west railway. The paved and less-trafficked Circuito Norte highway parallels the north coast at an avera
-
Planning a Trip to Cuba's Granma Province
Cuba’s southwesternmost province abounds with sites of historical import. Throughout Cuba’s history, the region has been a hotbed of rebellion, beginning in 1512 when Hatuey, the local Indian chieftain, rebelled against Spain. The citizens of Bayamo were at the forefront of the drive for independe
-
The Flora and Fauna of Cuba
Cuba touts the most impressive species diversity of any Caribbean island. Despite four centuries of devastating deforestation, extensive tracts remain cloaked in a dozen shades of tropical green. Coastal mangroves and wetlands, dry forest, scrubby pine forest, pockets of lowland rainforest and mon
-
Planning Your Time in Santiago de Cuba Province
Santiago has enough to keep you intrigued and engaged for three or four days. Downtown, plan on walking the narrow, traffic-clogged streets. The list of must-sees includes the Casa de Don Diego Velázquez (reputedly the oldest building in Cuba); the excellent Museo Municipal Emilio Bacardí Moreau,
-
Cuban Restaurant Scams
As infamous as they are, the various small-scale scams used in Cuba work because they’re simple and because vacationers are relaxed, looking for a good time, not a conflict. Being aware is the best way to avoid becoming a target. In restaurants especially the creativity that Cubans apply to
-
July 2015 Cuba Events with Christopher P. Baker
Join Cuba expert and Moon Travel Guides author Christopher P. Baker for two lively Bay Area discussions and presentations on Havana and Cuba.
Green Apple Books
San Francisco
Thursday, July 16th at 7:00 pm
Green Apple Books
506 Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
Book Passage
Corte Madera
Sat
-
Havana's Plaza de San Francisco
Cobbled Plaza de San Francisco, two blocks south of Plaza de Armas, at Oficios and the foot of Amargura, faces onto Avenida del Puerto. During the 16th century the area was the waterfront of the early colonial city. Iberian emigrants disembarked, slaves were unloaded, and galleons were replenished
-
Planning a Trip to Havana: Before You Go
Thanks to lightened travel restrictions, U.S. citizens are now permitted to visit Cuba as participants in “people to people” programs, and a trip to Havana is a travel opportunity not to be missed. To make the most of the trip, plan ahead for seasonal weather and be certain before you
Total
729 -travel
FirstPage PreviousPage NextPage LastPage CurrentPage:
35/37 20-travel/Page GoTo Page:
