Havana holidays - getting there

Prologue: I have been inundated with questions about travelling to Cuba recently, and while I'm pleased that more people are going - the traveller's life will be enriched while enriching the Cuban economy (everybody wins) - answering the same questions over and over again is exhausting. So I'm going to write a few posts that address some of the fundamental questions. Today it's how to get there; I'll follow it up with a post about their complicated monetary system.

Meanwhile, in the sidebar under the Timba Geek's Guide to Havana are some older, but still very useful posts. I've called it a Timba Geek's guide, but the posts about getting online, what to pack and getting around pretty much apply to any tourist. They could do with a tweak (articulated buses have replaced camellos in Havana for example, and some things I said to pack, I bought there last time - like vitamin C, though they didn't always have it).

Also, I mentioned the iPhone app Havana Good Time in my last post, but I can not emphasise enough how useful this is. For $3.99 Australian (it's probably cheaper in other countries) you get a travel guide in your pocket. It has restaurants, museums, transport - even accommodation (casas particulares) and gay friendly places, among other things. The money chapter is not quite accurate but there is a comment from someone more au fait than the author (who lives there) with the workings of Visa, Mastercard etc in Cuba that mirrors my experience, so always check the comments appended to the entries.

I've met some great people through the blog over the years and it's always good to meet people with a common interest, but please read my blog as thoroughly as possible before emailing me with questions. (There is a search field in the top left corner.)

CUBA - HOW TO GET THERE

Australians

It's no surprise that few Australians go to Cuba: Asia is right on our doorstep; it's exotic and cheap to fly there and to holiday there (with the exception of Japan). However more and more Australians are going to South America and including Cuba in their trip. The most direct and cheapest way to get there is through the States, but that pesky embargo means you will have to fly to another country (Mexico, Jamaica, Bahamas, Panama) en route as travel between the two countries is forbidden (so quaint!). You also run the risk of having everything you have bought in Cuba confiscated by US customs on your return, as trade is also forbidden between the two countries (it happened to myself and some friends when we went from Havana to New Orleans jazzfest in 1999). Of course you can lie by omission, and just neglect to declare your Cuban stay on your US immigration card (the Cuban consul here issues visas on a separate piece of paper which they collect when you leave, so there is no record of your trip in your passport), but I would never recommend lying to authorities. Also: fuck them and their embargo.

Since that last trip I have always travelled to Cuba through any other country but the US. For years I went with LAN Chile - you could go with them all the way Sydney/Auckland/Santiago/Havana with an over night stay in Santiago to buy some lovely handicrafts and have your last decent steak for a while. Unfortunately the flights between Santiago and Havana have been discontinued - possibly because Chile's new right wing president - a majority shareholder in LAN - has decided he doesn't want to deal with a socialist state. That's total speculation; I have no idea. In any case, now you have to fly from Santiago to Mexico or Panama then on to Havana.

Luckily another route has opened up: Air Canada used to stop in Hawaii en route to Vancouver, where passengers were obliged to disembark and go through US customs, ruling it out for anyone who didn't feel like being hassled on their way home. They now fly Sydney-Vancouver direct, you can then fly to Toronto and onto Havana (an over night stay is required on the way over, but not on the way back). I had fantastic service with them last time and will probably fly with them again, even though customs gave me the third degree (they didn't take anything from me though, so I got to keep my crocheted tops. Yay!). The other option for Australians is Sydney/Buenos Aires with Aerolineas Argentinas. They often have reasonable fares but getting to Havana from BA can be challenging. I believe Cubana have a couple of flights a week that are often booked up. I went with Copa (Panama) who kept me waiting about 20 hours while a plane flew in to replace the one that had broken down. When we finally arrived in Panama, we all missed our connections and they sent my bag to Puerto Rico. There is great shopping at Panama airport but that's not enough to tempt me to go that way again.

Americans and others flying through the States

As Obama has relaxed laws tightened by Bush, who was trying to appease Miami voters, more cities now offer charter flights, which fly directly from the US to Cuba. Unfortunately it seems the travel restrictions imposed on Americans also apply to any foreigner taking a charter flight, which probably rules it out for most people. There are some details on the site of charter flight company Tico Travel.

Europe and Canada

This is pretty easy for anyone from Europe and Canada, so I'll let you guys sort that out for yourself with the help of Google/your travel agent.