Cuban Highlights Ride

The tour is 8 days long with 6 days of cycling.

This trip is classified Road and Activity Level 2 (Leisurely/Moderate).

 Average daily distance: 25mi (40km)
 Vehicle support: 100 percent
 Terrain and route: 90 percent paved, 10 percent dirt roads; some hills

The trip is not too strenuous but a reasonable level of fitness is required. Many of the roads are in good condition but you should expect potholes and poor road conditions in some sections. The roads are almost always free of heavy traffic, except in the towns.

Trek Dual Sport 2 (touring/hybrid) rental bikes are included in the tour price.  They have front suspension, hybrid tyres (700x38c), disc brakes (cable), 24 gears, a sporty saddle, flat pedals with a water bottle cage.

Alternatively, you can bring your own bike (BYO). Mountain bikes with hybrid tyres are ideal for this trip and flat bars are preferable, but a good strong tourer will suffice (though make sure you have suitably low gearing).

Yes. It is a condition of joining this holiday that you must be fully insured against medical and personal accident risks (to include repatriation costs and air ambulance or helicopter rescue services where appropriate). On arrival in destination for your trip, you will be asked to present details to your leader or local representative of your policy.  You may also be asked at the airport to present your travel insurance.

There are no mandatory vaccination requirements. Recommended vaccinations are: Tetanus, Hepatitis A. We are advised that there is no risk of malaria. Dengue fever is a known risk in places visited. It is a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for Dengue, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. It is recommended you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Zika fever is a mosquito‐borne viral disease and a known risk in places visited on this trip. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available, it is therefore strongly recommended you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

The above information can change at short notice; as we are not qualified to answer all your questions about travel health it is recommended that you confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Customers from the UK or EU:
Travellers from the UK and EU do not need a visa to enter Cuba but do require a tourist card. A Cuban tourist card (valid for 30 days) is included (see below) and will be posted to you by the tour operator approximately three to four weeks before travel. They will send instructions on how to fill it in but please be careful doing this as any mistakes may result in you having to purchase a new card at a cost of £25GBP per person. They will send one tourist card free of charge as long as you live at a UK or Ireland address and are a national of an EU country, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Japan. If you are not a national of one of these countries or are not resident in the UK or Eire you must contact your nearest Cuban consulate to check what visa is required – the tour operator cannot provide a tourist card for you. Please note, tourist cards supplied by the tour operator will not be valid if you are travelling via the US. If you are travelling via the US, you will be subject to compliance under the same regulations as an American citizen. You cannot use a tourist card purchased outside the US but will have to buy a ‘pink’ tourist card sold only in the US (at a US airport or from a US travel agent). For UK or EU customers, it is not recommended to travel to Cuba via the USA.

Customers from the USA:
Any US citizen wishing to travel to Cuba should be fully aware of current legislation before committing to any trip to Cuba. The main requirement is that for legal travel to Cuba, all US citizens must comply with the requirements set out by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC). As an American-owned company, Exodus programs to Cuba are fully compliant with the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) general licence under the Support for the Cuban People category of travel.

Travellers from the USA are required to buy a ‘pink’ tourist card sold only in the US (at a US airport or from a US travel agent). It is recommended that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through. For travellers from the USA, please check: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html where you can also find more information about the Support for Cuban People and OFAC requirements.

Customers from Canada or Australia:
Please check with your nearest embassy or consulate about how to obtain a tourist card prior to travel to Cuba (links below).

IMPORTANT FOR ALL CUSTOMERS:
Cuba now requires all passengers to fill in a locator form prior to travel – this form is mandatory. You can access the form here: https://www.dviajeros.mitrans.gob.cu/inicio Make sure to keep a photo of the QR code generated so that you can easily present it on arrival. Please note, you can only fill in the D’Viajeros form 48 hours prior to entry into Cuba.

The Cuban entry immigration is time consuming and most visitors encounter delays: it may take up to two hours to clear immigration and collect your bags, so please be prepared for a long wait on arrival. The Cuban government passed a law stating that all tourists visiting Cuba must have travel insurance to cover medical costs. You may be asked to provide proof of your travel insurance policy when you arrive at Havana Airport, so please ensure your documents are easily accessible. Remember to check the expiration date of your passport if travelling internationally. Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after the date of your scheduled return, and to have at least two clear pages for entry stamps.

Visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to organise this element of your trip. We recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through. Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

    Australia:smartraveller.gov.au/destinations
    Canada: travel.gc.ca/destinations
    United Kingdom:gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
    USA: travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html

The dry season runs from November to April (with December to March being the peak months for traditional tourism). It is very humid between May and October, with heavy rains at times and the possibility of hurricanes. July and August are some of the most popular months to visit Cuba by sunseekers from Europe and Canada but are extremely hot (average 28C/82F) and wet. Cuba has an average of six hours of sunshine per day with a more or less constant humidity of 62 precent. Water temperature is normally 24C-28C (75F-82F).

Note that although the trip is considered leisurely/moderate, if you are not used to cycling in hot weather it can be more strenuous.