Discover Cuba
Cuba is the largest in a group of Caribbean Islands known as the Greater
Antilles and is the 15th largest island in the world. The Cuban nation is
situated 90 miles south of the United States state of Florida. Cuba is made
up of the large Isla de la Juventud, or Isle of Youth, (136sq. mi.) and more
than 4000 coral cays and islets. One fourth of Cuba is covered by three
mountain ranges: the Oriental range, the Central range and the Occidental
range. The highest point in Cuba is the 6470' Pico Turquino. The flatlands
are utilized for agriculture such as grazing cattle, sugar cane, coffee and
Cuban tobacco. Cuba has a rich array of tropical and sub-tropical plants and
animals, many species are rare and unique. Cuba is also the home of the
world’s smallest known bird, the Bee Hummingbird, which weighs only two
grams.
Situated between Jamaica and the Bahamas, Cuba has a delightful tropical
climate with year round sunshine, a daytime temperature that rarely falls
below 26°C and warm, clear waters that gently lap against
idyllic beaches of fine white sand and shady palm trees.
Cuba is considered to be a developing country that is dominated by a
totalitarian communist government. This will most certainly change. Cuba,
with all of its beauty and potential will soon open its doors of opportunity
to citizens of the United States. Trade and tourism with its close neighbor
to the north will begin and quickly be measured in billions of dollars
annually. The prepared will be there!
Further out to sea this fine sand gives way to some of the most exquisite
coral reef to be found anywhere in the Caribbean, providing a perfect
natural habitat for a wide array of underwater life... a mesmerising
spectacle which no visitor should miss.
Yet if you do manage to drag yourself away from the sea, you'll find a
fascinating country, one that beguiles it's visitors with a heady
combination of Spanish, African and Caribbean influences, evident wherever
you go, in its sights, sounds and tastes. Most of all though, you will
remember Cuba for the people. Naturally open and friendly, you are assured
the warmest welcome in the Caribbean, a welcome that lasts from the day you
arrive till the day you leave... awaiting your return.
Getting There
Almost all visitors to Cuba arrive by air, with scheduled flights arriving
from Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Europe. The main
gateways for US travelers continue to be Cancún, Nassau and Toronto.
There are direct flights available from the USA, but US citizens will need
the permission of the US Treasury Department, which restricts travel to Cuba
to journalists, researchers and a handful of other groups. There's a US$20
airport departure tax.
Thanks to the US blockade of Cuba, very few cruise ships call into Cuban
ports, and there are no scheduled passenger ships that service the country.
Private yachts regularly call into Cuba's plentiful harbors and anchorages.
Cubana airlines has an extensive domestic air network that services all of
the regional centers, and flights within the country are not expensive, but
prices have been on the rise. Most domestic flights are on smaller propeller
aircraft, and they are 25% cheaper if booked in conjunction with your
international ticket.
Asociaciones de Transportes por Omnibus (Astro) operates Cuba's national
bus service which links all the provincial capitals and many outlying towns
once or twice a day. Foreign tourists now enjoy some priority on Astro
buses, with four seats available for dollar sale on most departures. Apart
from Astro, there's a hard currency company called Viázul, which
requires all passengers to pay in dollars. Privately owned trucks (camiones
particulares) have taken over much of the passenger transportation business,
especially in eastern Cuba.
The train system has deteriorated rapidly over the past several years.
Although there are still some inexpensive, comfortable ruotes, particularly
between major cities, bus is now the way to go.
