Cuba Packages

Cuba Vacation Packages, Last minute flights Vacations, cruises, car rentals, flights & Hotels.

Welcome to the Island of Cuba, the largest in the Antilles. With almost 6 000 km of beaches of white sand, its tropical flora covering its many mountains, its colonial cities and its peaceful countryside, it is easy to fall in love with Cuba.

The diverse influences gave birth to a very characteristic and diversified people. They are a warm people and very sympathetic. Their blood is hot, especially when the hypnotic rhythms of Cuban music are heard nearby.

The Cuban economy consists mainly of sugar cane, rum, tobacco, coffee, exotic fruits, fishing, pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries, nickel mining and especially tourism. Education is free for all the levels and is obligatory until the end of high school. Medical services are free for all Cubans.

Capital :
Havana

Currency :
Cuban convertible Peso

Driver's License :
An international driver's permit is recommended.

Electricity :
110 V, 60Hz, American plugs. Hotels often have 220 V .

Entry Requirements :
A passport valid for at least 1 month beyond the date of expected departure from Cuba is required.

GMT Time :
-5hr. Daylight savings time is applied.

Government :
Communist state

Land size :
110 992 km2

Language :
Spanish

National Airlines :
Cubana

Population :
approx. 11,239,004

Religion :
The catholic religion is the most widespread but the afro-Cuban practices are very present.

Required Vaccines :
None

Tourist Season :
Novembre through April

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada :
Consult the "Country Travel Advice and Advisories" of Cuba

Cuisine

The Cuban kitchen blends many dufferent cultures. Aliaco is the national dish: a kind of stew including vegetables, meat (traditionally pork) and seasonings. Other traditional dishes include seafood, roasted pig, fried plantains, black beans with rice, tamales and baracoa chicken.

The national drink is rum, whether it is refined, white, amber or aged. If one likes to drink it alone or with ice, it is preferable to choose an amber or aged rum. For cocktails, on the contrary, the white rum (carta blanca or carta plata) is preferred because it is at the base of most cuban cocktails such as the Cuba Libre, the Mojito, the Daiquiri, the Cubanito and the Saoco.

Culture

The Cuban culture is much diversified with its Spanish, African, French and Chinese roots. Many Cuban artists have greatly influenced, on an international level, the worlds of literature, fine arts, cinema, dance and theatre.

Several prestigious cultural events are organized regularly in all these disciplines, as for example the literary contest of Casa de las Américas, the international Ballet Festival and the New Latin-American Cinema Festival.

Cuba has seven cultural sites inscribed on the World Heritage list of UNESCO; the Archaeological Landscape of the First Coffee Plantations in the South-East of Cuba, the Historic Centre of Camagüey, Old Havana and its Fortification System, the San Pedro de la Roca Castle in Santiago de Cuba, Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios, the Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos and the Viñales Valley.

Geography

Cuba is located between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. This archipelago consists of two large islands, the Island of Cuba and the Island of Youth, and nearly 4195 tiny islands.
The Island measures 1200km (from the Cape de San Antonio, western end, to the Point of Maisi, in the East) where close to 300 beaches natural are to be found.
The plains prevail but it has a few mountainous areas: the Cordillera of Guaniguanico, the Escambray and the Sierra Maestra.

History

Its history begins in 1492 when Christopher Columbus landed on its shores. Not long after the conquest and the colonization of Cuba followed. At the beginning of XVIe the first seven cities are founded: Baracoa, Bayamo, Santiago of Cuba, Santísima Trinidad, Sancti Spiritus, Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe (Camaguey) and its capital San Cristòbal de Habana.

After the exhaustion of the natives, African slaves were imported to work. The latter largely influenced the population and the culture of this island.

With the end of the XIX century a series of battles for independence fail until the Triumph of the Revolution in 1959. Fidel Castro then installs a socialist republic. Cuba lives by modest means since the embargo of the United States in 1960.

Nature

In Cuba, the flora and fauna are very rich and diverse, making it a paradise for ecotourism. One finds more than 300 protected areas, accounting for approximately 22% of the territory. Cuba counts two natural sites inscribed on the World Heritage list of UNESCO; the Alejandro de Humboldt National Park and the Desembarco del Granma National Park.

The lush tropical forests, the mountainous masses and the semi-desert regions shelter exotic orchids, cacti and mangroves.

Its fauna includes parrots, pelicans, turtles on the coast, iguanas, crocodiles of Guama, as well the smallest frog (12 mm long) in the world.

Cuba displays magnificent coral reefs, underwater caves, vertical walls, cliffs and channels. More then a thousand fish species are to be viewed, 200 types of sponges and 60 varieties of coral. Several sunken pirate ships and Spanish galleons can be found.

Sports

Cuba has produced great medaled athletes in sports such as boxing, judo, athletics, volley ball, fencing, wrestling, chess and in weight lifting. But baseball remains the most popular sport.
Diving enthusiasts will appreciate the magnificent coral reefs, underwater caves in the Cayo Piedra, Cayo Coco, Guardalavaca Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos and Camagüey areas.
Many Jeep safari tours are offered in the countryside of Cayo Coco or the Peninsula of Zapata where the largest marsh of the Caribbean is.
Trekking in the area of the Sierra Gran Piedra has gained enormous popularity in recent years.

Banks & Money

All purchases have to be made only with the Cuban convertible Peso (which is par with the American dollar). It is recommended to exchange Canadian dollars into Cuban convertible pesos.
Credit cards are widely accepted unless they are issued by an American bank.
Usually hotels will exchange money but you will get a better rate at an exchange office.

Climate

Cuba has a moderate subtropical climate. One distinguishes two seasons: the rain season (May-October) and the dry season (November-April). The average air temperature is 25,5degrees C and that of coastal water 25degrees C. There are nearly 330 sunny days per year. The annual average of relative humidity is 78%

For monthly average temperatures please refer to your destination of choice.

	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SSEP	OCT	NOV	DEC
Air Temperature (ºC)	23	23	24	25	27	28	28	28	28	28	25	24
Water Temperature (ºC)	25	24	25	25	26	27	28	28	28	27	26	25
Rainfall (mm)	45	38	47	72	177	216	139	158	184	190	79	41

Cuba is equipped with a network of telephone services which guarantees direct communication to any part of the world, and within the territory.

The country code for Cuba is 53.

Health

Cuba has a system of primary care considered unique in Latin America. All medical services are free for all Cubans. In addition to specialized units, there is a vast network of centers for special care. Cuba leads most countries in the world in production of interferon, a protein that is naturally produced in our bodies to fight viruses by boosting the immune system.

There are no required vaccines to enter Cuba however precautions do need to be enforced. The most common illness is the traveler's diarrhea (turista), usually showing up on the third day. Drink bottled water and wash your hands often. Make sure your food is thoroughly cooked and avoid open-air stands.

The following vaccines are recommended for any tropical destination: hepatitis A and B, rabies, typhoid, tetanus and yellow fever.

Official Holidays

January 1: Liberation Day. Anniversary of the Triumph of the Revolution
May 1: International Workers' Day
July 25, 26 and 27: Festivities for the Day of National Rebellion
October 10: Anniversary of the beginning of the Independence Wars
December 25: Christmas Day

Safety

It is important to remember that as you travel in Cuba you may witness very different life styles and attitudes, such as poverty, from what know in Canada.
One can photograph and film freely, except in zones subject to restrictions or signposted, particularly those of the army.

Shopping

Cuban cigars and rum are the most popular souvenirs.

Taxes & Tips

Tourism employees count on tips to make a living. Tipping can quickly open doors or clear up situations, but one should never offer money to officials or give money to beggars. Taxi drivers will appreciate 10% of the price of the meter.

Paladares (small family run restaurants) may add 10-20% on your bill as a service tax. Do not agree to be lead or accompanied to a restaurant by a taxi driver, because their fee will be added to your bill.

Transportation

The country has nine international airports, and eight regional airports. Cuba counts more than 50,000 km of roads and lanes, 14,000 km of which is asphalted, to be discovered with a rental car. Train travel is not advised.

Cuba has taxi, minibus and motor bikes services. The bus circuits in Havana and Varadero include the most interesting sites. Budget travels by bus, in the popular destinations of the country, are also proposed by the Viazul company.

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Terms, conditions and restrictions apply; pricing, availability, and other details subject to change and/ or apply to US or Canadian residents. Please confirm details and booking information with your travel advisor.

You will visit the following 5 places:

Varadero

Varadero is a resort town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean. The place was first used as a dry dock and the salt mines of the peninsula (closed in 1961) supplied most of the Spanish Latin America Fleet since 1587. However, the foundation date of Varadero as city was only on December 5, 1887, when ten families from the city of Cárdenas obtained a permission to build their vacation homes between today's 42nd and 48th Street. Varadero is foremost a tourist resort town, boasting more than 20 km of white sandy beaches. The first tourists visited Varadero as early as the 1870s, and for years it was considered an elite resort. In 1910 the annual rowing regatta was started; five years later the first hotel, named Varadero and later Club Nautico, was built. Tourism grew in the early 1930s as Irénée du Pont, an American millionaire, built his estate on the peninsula. Many famous and infamous people stayed in Varadero, for example Al Capone.

Holguín

Holguín is a municipality and city, the capital of the Cuban Province of Holguín. It also includes a tourist area, offering beach resorts in the outskirts of the region. After Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Camaguey, it is the fourth largest city in Cuba.

Havana

Havana, officially Ciudad de La Habana, is the capital city, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city is one of the 15 Cuban provinces. The city/province has 2.1 million inhabitants, the largest city in Cuba and the second largest in the Caribbean region, after Santo Domingo. The city extends mostly westward and southward from the bay, which is entered through a narrow inlet and which divides into three main harbours: Marimelena, Guanabacoa, and Atarés. The sluggish Almendares River traverses the city from south to north, entering the Straits of Florida a few miles west of the bay.

Santa Clara

Santa Clara is the capital city of the Cuban province of Villa Clara. It is located in the most central region of the province and almost in the most central region of the country. Founded by 175 people on July 15, 1689, Santa Clara is a place to enjoy romantic sunsets, colonial history and fun times.

Cayo Largo

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