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A very informative trip – excellent guide (Freddie) & support team.Transfers were much better than expected and meant we got to see more of the island
Loved the Mojitos Staying at the jungle lodge - waterfall and pool
Freddie was brilliant - loved cycling, his country and telling us about it - along with his great stories and jokes
Go with an open mind - Cuba is quite different and very laid back
Fancinating country.. and no better way to see it than by bike.
Trinidad! So beautiful!
He was phenominal. He really exceeded all expectations. He had so much knowledge about the history and make up of the country and he cared for the group so well. I learnt so much from him. He really made the trip.
Go for it! The bus is ALWAYS there if you're tired!
This was a lovely trip but some things do need to be changed.
Dificult to pin point - the first day in Havana, Trinidad and going on the Catamaran, Santiago. The scenery was lovely, the people friendly.
Raimon(do) was fantastic - an excellent source of knowledge, good organisational skills, friendly approachable. All the drivers were fabulous.
Don't go in the summer if you can help it - it is very hot indeed.
Hot, humid, pina coladas, great scenery and people and some fab cycling
Cycling all of Day 9, seeing history come to life, the friendliness of the Cubans....and of course discovering as the Cubans already know, that rum is the cure for everything!
JC was a great leader - knew everything about everything and brought it all to life. Pretty nifty on a bike as well!
Mosquito spray! Cuba was much cheaper than I expected it to be. Buy your cigars from the cigar shop in Trinidad - much better selection than in Havana and much, much better personal service. And pina coladas are much nicer than mojitos (don't expect to lose any weight on this holiday!!!). Cycling was great - Day 9 is the hardest day, but there's a great hotel at the end of it :-)
The holiday was pretty much as described in the Trip Notes – a chance to see beyond the beaches and bodegas and experience, as much as you can as a tourist, a little bit more of real Cubans living their lives, as well as visit some of the different areas of this fascinating country in a period of transition. The cycling was challenging but it certainly did improve my fitness. The food was rather unexciting and the lavatory arrangements unpredictable, but these had been well signalled by the literature. The weather was consistently hot and humid, so the excellent backup from the support team, whether water, fruit, local knowledge or just encouragement on the road, was very much appreciated.
A few inspirational moments would include: - Cycling along the Malecon in Havana - the first day in a city laden with atmosphere.- Jamming with a Cuban guitarist on the Cuban local instrument, the 'tres' - a humbling experience.- Seeing firsthand the bullet holes and torture chambers associated with the first, abortive, uprising, reminding us that revolutions are about people, not necessarily ideology.- Visiting a tobacco famer's tiny plantation, cmplete with hand-cranked water pump and drying shed: micro-agriculture in action.- Exchanging a very limited Spanish vocabulary with a populace who were almost entirely polite, appreciative and friendly (the exception being staff in the large hotels, for whom tourists have become walking ATMs). - Being able to explore both Trinidad and, to the East, a sugar plantation, both of which gave a sense of how the country must have been not so long ago.- An impromptu dancing lesson in the one restaurant where we defied the Leader's choice of eatery and went off on our own. Although Juan Carlos' choices were in fact consistently better. - The scenery overall, although the view of the mountains on the third day, leaving Cienfuegos, remains memorable.- The polite, neat, well-dressed school children, who always waved and yelled at us (though, perhaps forutitously, we couldn't understand what they were yelling..)
Juan Carlos could not have been better: experienced, supportive, polite, well-briefed, patient and firm when necessary. He went to bed last, was first up, and despite plainly having to spend half the day organising suitable venues that were prepared to take 18 tourists at a sitting, appeared consistently unruffled. He was also extremely well briefed on the history of all the locales we visited, and all of the local trips maintained their interest, although I did skip the castle in Santiago. Juan Carlos would also travel at the back of the line of cyclists when he felt it was necessary to give encouragement or help. In short, a real professional.
Read the Trip Notes - they do explain pretty much everything. Things I found useful: medical kit, clothes washing liquid, toilet roll, indigestion tablets (helpful for another member of the team), headscarf (the sun is very hot), Factor 30 sunscreen, a single room, my own gel saddle, lots of change in Convertible Pesos for tips, anti-insect spray.Unbelievably, I only got bitten by a mosquito once, which I attribute to my ingestion of 6 yeast pills daily for 2 weeks prior and throughout the trip. Things I didn't need - jacket, shirts, shoes - all venues were informal. Although the Trip Notes and the guide books advise extreme caution re: pickpockets and camera snatchers, I didn't in fact feel threatened and wished I'd brought my posh camera - although I didn't go out clubbing or stroll the streets late at night.Things I wished I'd bought - a Cuban tres 6-string guitar, some percussion instruments. Things to avoid - any CDs on sale by all the musicians who play at every lunch and dinner without exception - unless you particularly like their music, of course. Things I did buy - cigars. You can get more at the airport, but they are certainly more expensive back home, so worth stocking up on. Similarly, the authentic rums of Santiago de Cuba - Santiago and Caney. You can get them at the airport as well.
This was a fantastic trip, everything I would look for in a holiday – cycling, sightseeing, Cuban history and all the camaraderie amongst the group.
Cycling through the Sierra Maestra, the most challenging day of the trip and it was also very hot. The sense of achievement was great amongst the team, and the hotel that night was picturesque hidden away deep in the forest.
Our group leader was very professional, rarely expressing opinion and remaining calm and patient with often very weary travellers. He answered all our questions, and gave us a great insight into Cuban life.
If you are female definitely consider taking your own saddle, the saddles currently provided are for males and proved very uncomfortable. Other than that most things are provided, I didn't have to think about much at all!Other general advice - stating the obvious, this is a LOTof cycling so you should be prepared for that. General fitness is obviously necessary, but I would say personal endurance is more key, there are some very long (boring!) stretches.
I throughly enjoyed the trip, the company, the country, the history, the locals and the food and I am a VEGETARIAN!!! The local people went that extra mile to ensure that I did not have omelettes every meal. I would say htink very seriously about the time of year that you cycle as it did get very hot for me… also try and get a few weeks in the saddle before you go so as the cycling is not too ardous and you can enjoy the early starts from breakfast :-0)
The fact that all cubans are cuban, the people pull together...
An absolute gem!!
Cycle before you go, don't pack too many items, take a lot of sun screen, take an attachment to fit on your bike to carry items such as camera. Take protein bars if you are a veggie.
Overall a very good holiday. Cycling is great way of seeing Cuban life and it justifies the numerous mojitos every evening… Some of the cycling days were a bit boring though – long straight roads with headwind and not much of a scenery to look at. Would have liked to spend more time cycling in the Sierra Maestra (day 9) and on the Northern Coast (day 13).
Cycling in the Sierra Maestra. The scenery was brilliant all day long and the couple of steep uphills were always followed by long downhills. Definitely the most interesting bit of cycling. The hotel up in the hills in the lush green surroundings (despite the dry season) with some of the best food of the trip made the day even better.The next day's hike in the hills visiting a small coffee farm and swimming in the river were brilliant too.
Raymond was funny, well organised and gave us a very good insight into Cuban life. The drivers Jose Louis and Tomas were both great, very realiable, helpful & always smiling.
It was much hotter than indicated in any temperature charts & trip notes (30-35C) most days. So it's worth taking long sleeved tops for cycling to cover from the blazing sunshine.There is very little time spent in Havana. It would be worth adding an extra day at the end of the tour to allow exploring the city on your own. It's worth keeping a camera with you while cycling - some of my best photos were taken on a saddle.
A great introduction to Cuba, away from the beach resorts. The cycling is easy and the general arrangements were very good. Good hire bikes. On the down side the Havana hotel (Occidental Miramar) is truelly awful and should be replaced with something much smaller and much more central. The group size of 16 is too large, suggest limit to say 8 people (I realise this could increase costs but the benefits would be well worth it.)
Visiting the smaller town en-route. These are a real joy with something of the way of cuban life accessible.Some great music and dancing that was not just a show for the tourists.
Very good (refering to Hose, the local leader who accommpanied the trip throughout). Clearly passionate about Cuba and really knew his facts. Very jovial and enjoyable company. He did show a few signs of fatique and maybe he is being overworked with so many back-to-back trips. This will inevitably reflect upon performance in due course.No idea of the purpose of the Havana tour rep. Lucy. Whilst pleasant enough she was not at all necessary as far as I could see.
Find your own resturants/bars/music etc. rather than just follow the leader or the whole group. There are very many to choose from, Cuba is easy to get around and safe, so just go for it.Carry some loo roll. Many toilets dont have any.Be prepared for a few failures eg power, menu options etc. Nothing serious however.Learn some basics of Spanish and Salsa dancing if you need to.They use a lot of rum in the cocktails so beware.
If you think you might enjoy this trip – you will. Cuba, cycling, cocktails, Che, camaraderie. If possible, go before the Castro brothers are out of the picture.
Difficult to pick one, but maybe it was the arrival en masse at the beautifully located hotel that awaited us at the end of the last day's cycling with everyone in the highest of spirits.
Ramon worked ceaselessly on our behalf. Jose-Luis was a permanent ray of sunshine. Tomas was totally reliable and a very careful driver. The crew are an integral and very important part of the whole experience.
Just go and enjoy it.