We're going to Cuba. A journey through the island of salsa and rum. How to travel around Cuba cheaply Cuba on your own

Be realistic - demand the impossible
Ernesto Che Guevara

What associations did Cuba evoke in me before the trip? Like many - rum, cigars, Che Guevara, revolution. I dreamed of going there for a long time, but the right opportunity never presented itself. The impetus for my trip was a big event on the personal front - divorce. When I asked myself the question of where I would like to go in order to perk up and find strength, the answer came instantly and automatically - of course, Cuba. After all, Cuba is the “island of freedom,” and it was there that I was going to find it again.

The plane to Havana takes a long time - about 13 hours. All this time, in breaks from sleep, I read the city guide and felt my anticipation growing. I had to stay in Havana for two days, after which I planned to move to Varadero for a week - the land of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

On the first day, I decided to walk around Havana without resorting to the help of a guidebook, that is, I went “wherever my eyes looked.” My eyes and intuition led me first to the José Martí National Library (Avenida 20 de Mayo). The library is considered the largest in Cuba; its collection contains more than two million books.

Then, heading towards the Malecon, through alleys and back streets, I came out into a street with a lot of graffiti and a cluster of Cuban taxis - “tuk-tuks”, where I got into one of them and went for a ride around the city.

Havana is a city of contrasts, and this will probably be confirmed by everyone who has been there. The poverty of city neighborhoods and the wealth of the fashionable Miramar district, bright colored cars and dark dirty entrances of houses, historical monuments and mountains of garbage, dark skin and snow-white smiles. And how memorable the views of the residents of Havana are. When you meet their eyes, you feel the very spirit of a freedom-loving, independent people who, despite the lack of luxury, have never lost their enthusiasm and thirst for life.

After the taxi driver dropped me off near the Malecon, I went to an inconspicuous local cafe and ordered a Cuba Libre cocktail. The cocktail turned out to be very tasty, because it was prepared from the broad Cuban soul for the no less broad Russian soul.

The day was approaching evening, I went for a walk along the embankment, enjoying the sea air, and every minute becoming more and more convinced that now I was exactly where I should be.

I spent the next day exploring classic Havana sights. The walk began from Revolution Square, where the Jose Marti memorial and the Ministry of Defense building with a huge portrait of Che Guevara are located.

Then I came to the majestic building of the former Cuban Parliament, now the Congress Center - the Capitol. Near the Capitol, bright American and Soviet retro cars are lined up, inviting everyone to take a photo.

And then the streets of Old Havana led me to Cathedral Square. One of the main decorations of the square is the cathedral, which is stunning in its architecture (its second name is St. Christopher's Cathedral).

Ernest Hemingway’s favorite hotel is located nearby, from the terrace of which you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Old Town, where you can take spectacular photographs.

In the same part of the city there is also a cigar factory, where everyone can watch the process of rolling cigars and, of course, buy them as souvenirs.

In the afternoon I went to the souvenir market located on the Malecon embankment. Here I bought a bunch of little things to remember Cuba and again went for a walk along the embankment, sipping a fresh coconut cocktail along the way.

The rest of the evening can be spent in the famous Havana nightclub Casa de la Musica or in one of the Cuban restaurants, where a tourist from Russia will definitely receive a warm welcome. It was in one of these restaurants that I had a farewell evening with Havana, a city that will forever remain in my heart.

The next day the bus took me to the Hicacos Peninsula, which is 140 km from Havana. On this peninsula is the resort town of Varadero, whose beach in 1992 was recognized by UNESCO as one of the cleanest in the world.

For me, this beach also turned out to be the most beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life. An absolutely transparent ocean of all shades of blue and green, changing depending on what point you look at it from, sand that creaks under your feet like starch, unforgettable sunrises and sunsets...

Deciding to diversify my vacation, I purchased a circular sightseeing tour throughout Varadero on a double-decker open bus. You can board this bus at any stop and get off at any convenient place. I decided to take a walk through the Hosone Natural Park, where parrots and lizards live and rare plants grow. The park is simply surrounded by greenery; there are many gazebos and several small interconnecting lakes on its territory, on which I took a boat ride. Hosone Park is a great place for those who want to get some shade from the sun.

Seventy-five kilometers from Varadero is the city of Matanzas, where I went to get away from tourist Cuba and look at the life of ordinary Cubans.

There are a huge number of interesting places in Cuba, which, unfortunately, I was not able to see during the 10 days of the trip - this is the unique city of Trinidad, the Viñales Valley, the statue of Christ in Havana. Every traveler will find something of his own in Cuba.

But whatever attraction you choose, it’s definitely worth:

• Try a cocktail made from sugar cane juice and rum;
• Take a walk along the Malecon promenade;
• Ride a Cuban tuk-tuk;
• Watch the “exhibits from the car museum” drive by;
• Dance salsa with a Cuban;
• Sing the song “about Che Guevara” a thousand and one times.

And if you ask me why Cuba has taken a special place in my soul, then I will answer with conviction that Cuba is a mixture of memories of colorful cars and houses, wide smiles of passers-by, the taste of rum in the evenings and strong Cuban coffee in the mornings, the melody of a song Hasta Siempre Comandante Che Guevara. Cuba is exactly the place where you will definitely want to return after learning Spanish and learning how to dance salsa. Cuba is an island where a piece of your soul will forever remain after returning to your homeland...

Helpful Tips:

• Do not touch the Portuguese man-of-war jellyfish, it is very dangerous;
• Bring euros, not dollars. Due to the tense political relations between the United States and Cuba, it is very unprofitable to exchange dollars for local currency;
• Take a Spanish phrasebook with you if you plan to travel further from tourist areas.

Personal experience

Discussion

My friend lives there, but she still doesn’t have time to come. It's really beautiful there.

I would also recommend sea urchin slippers; my husband managed to step on a urchin in Havana. . Well, if suddenly someone decides to swim there. And the beaches of Varadero are really wonderful and I really want to come back)

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Not everyone knows that there is not a single supermarket in Cuba (in the usual sense), most products are sold with coupons, the famous Havana Club rum is drunk by the poor, and the most beautiful beaches are not in Varadero, but in Maria La Gorda. And that's not all.

Currency

There are two types of currencies in use in Cuba: cookies (CUC) and Cuban pesos or cupas (CUP). Cookies are for tourists, kupas are for Cubans. The exchange rate for cookies is the same throughout the country and is approximately equal to one dollar. It makes sense to buy cookies in large hotels; this will save you from huge queues at city exchange offices.

You can’t just buy kupas, since they are not intended for tourists, but if you’re lucky, they can give you change in the store. One kuk is equal to approximately 25 kupas. Externally, the currencies are very similar, only the cookies are brighter and the kupas are paler.

Kupas are convenient for paying for hotels, gasoline and restaurants, but with kupas it is profitable to buy bread, vegetables, fruits, as well as any products that are mainly intended not for tourists, but for the local population. When paying with cookies, the price of the product can be four times higher!

Transport

Public transport in Cuba is rather poorly developed; Cubans themselves prefer to hitchhike, which is very popular here. The taxi mainly consists of retro cars, which are good not only for their intended purpose - driving along Cuban roads, but also as a generator of likes on Instagram and Facebook.

You can rent a vintage car only with a driver. There is absolutely no need to go to a special agency to buy such a car; owners of rare cars offer their services everywhere. On average, a trip over a distance of 10 kilometers will cost 5 cookies (≈ 300 rubles). When traveling a longer distance, it makes sense to bargain.

And we also have

In July 2016 we visited Liberty Island - Cuba. There were 6 willing people who had never been there, but had long dreamed of it. To make our dream come true, we did everything on our own, without travel agencies, because we have little experience in preparing a trip to China and other countries. It turns out a little cheaper and more confident in the future.

We started preparing by purchasing an air ticket. Two years ago I found out that Aeroflot operates direct flights, about 12 hours of flight, but when I looked at the prices that summer to fly in August, the price was 100 thousand rubles. scared. This time we began to prepare in advance. In September 2015, I began to receive daily information about prices for flights to Cuba from the Skyscanner website and stopped in the month of November, bought all the tickets, the price for Aeroflot was 47,500. Then I also looked at prices, but did not pay attention to flights and airlines. It seems that the price is the same or even dropped by 2 thousand rubles once. As it turned out later, when we met Russian tourists in Cuba, in December Aeroflot raised prices to 100 thousand rubles and they flew at the same price as us, but with a transfer. Maybe someone will find it more interesting this way, sitting in other people’s airports for several hours, but with a break from the flight. Everyone chooses for themselves!

When everything was determined with the dates, it was time to think about accommodation, a tour guide, transport for moving around the country and transfer from|to the airport.

In such situations, you can get a lot of hints by reading reviews from tourists on various sites, which is what I did. On one of the reviews I read about a guide who did a good job for individual tourists, they left his email address, I started corresponding with him and we agreed on our meeting in Havana and further joint activities. Why is it good to have your own assistants in an unfamiliar country? He is Cuban, local, knows everything, and most importantly, speaks Russian, and Cuba is a former Spanish colony, where you need to know Spanish (Cuban Spanish). He suggested in advance what to take with us, what we would carry, and what not worth it. He developed a 6-day program for us so that we could enjoy the sea and not get bored in our free time from the sea. He conducted excursions to interesting places in his country. He adviced. where in Havana you can eat deliciously and inexpensively, where to go, what interesting things to see and listen to, where it is, how to get there, where to find an exchanger or something you suddenly need. In an unfamiliar country it is very difficult without a local assistant, and so that you can still trust him that he will not deceive you, reviews are very useful for this. Those tourists were advised by others who were confident in it. Those tourists told me who they could trust, and I tell those who are planning to visit this country who they can definitely trust. His name is Armando. He selected transport for our group, which was ours for all the days we spent in Cuba, from meeting us to seeing us off to the airport. We could afford to slightly change something in the program, go somewhere extra, and no one changed or inflated the price set from the day we started communicating on the Internet. Maybe the price will seem high to some at first, but try to count the entire program separately, practically the same thing comes out, and most importantly, they are really one hundred percent guaranteed with a reliable guarantee for today and tomorrow, and our vacation in Cuba went without bitch, no problem.

Travel companies mainly offer trips to Varadero in a hotel using the "" system. While vacationing in Varadero, you will, of course, enjoy the sun and the Atlantic Ocean, but you will never know the real thing. Varadero is a tourist area where Canadians, for example, come like Russians come to Turkey.

To get to know the country better, you need to travel around it, visiting several cities.

The most expensive thing is the air ticket. Average price from Moscow and St. Petersburg: 35-40 thousand rubles in both directions. You can search for tickets on aggregator sites, where offers from all airlines are shown at once and prices are compared. Direct flights can only be found with Aeroflot and Transaero; European companies operate flights with transfers. Keep an eye on promotions: you can find tickets for 25-30 thousand, if you have a Schengen visa, you can look for flights departing from European cities: Rome, Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam and others. If you are not tied to a date, there is a chance to find last-minute tickets that travel agencies sell a few days before departure; they can cost 20–25 thousand rubles in both directions. Flights can be found to Havana or Varadero, you need to see which is more profitable. From Varadero to Havana takes 2 hours.

Now you need to decide where you will live and make a route. Hotels in Cuba are very expensive, so most travelers prefer to stay in “casas particular” (casa is Spanish for “house”), that is, in private apartments. The good thing about Cuba is that you don’t have to book anything in advance; walking down the street you can always see blue signs indicating that rooms are legally available for rent here. Even in “tourist” Varadero, you can recently find cash registers, for example, not far from the Pullman Hotel. Typically, part of an apartment is rented (one or several rooms) with a separate bathroom and toilet. The kitchen is usually shared with the owners. A room will cost you 25–35 cookies (1 cookie is equal to approximately 30-35 rubles, depending on the exchange rate). Also at the cash desk you will be happy to be offered breakfast for 3-5 cookies per person, lunch and dinner for 10-15 cookies. Moreover, some owners are offended if you eat elsewhere. Don’t forget to bring the owners of the house some souvenir from Russia, they will be very happy.

If you still want to book a hotel or casa for several nights in advance, keep in mind that, firstly, there are problems with the Internet in Cuba, and secondly, people there are not in a hurry at all, and you can wait a long time for confirmation of your reservation.

The route can be drawn up in advance, or you can determine it during the trip, stopping where you like best. For example, starting your journey from Havana, you can go to the Caribbean coast, to Cienfuegos and Trinidad, and then drive east to Santiago de Cuba.

How to get around. There are regular buses between more or less large cities. If you are traveling with three or four people, it will be more profitable to take a taxi. You can also rent a car; the roads in Cuba are almost empty and relatively good.

Currency. It is better to bring euros or Canadian dollars with you. The American dollar is not held in high esteem; the exchange rate for it is not at all favorable, since a commission is being paid. You can change money at official banks. Cuba has cookies (convertible currency) and “peso cubano”, which is what locals usually use to pay.

Language. Knowing English is unlikely to be of much use to you; it is spoken only at the airport, at banks and at hotel receptions. Everyone else speaks Spanish. But this should in no way scare you or be a reason to refuse to travel. After all, you are not going to have philosophical conversations in Spanish, but to communicate at the everyday level, it is enough to learn a few basic words; for the rest, a phrasebook and sign language will help.

Weather. It is not always hot in Cuba; from November to February it can be cool in the evenings and the water, especially in the Atlantic Ocean, may not be very warm.

Safety. There is a myth that in Cuba you cannot leave the hotel; most likely it is cultivated by travel companies. This has nothing to do with reality. Cuba is the safest country for tourists in the entire Caribbean region. You can walk completely calmly in the evenings, without fear of robbery and robbers. Of course, you shouldn’t leave things unattended; even slippers and a towel on the beach can be stolen, but no one will put a knife to your throat and nothing threatens your life here. People from all over the world travel freely through this wonderful country.

Shops and restaurants. Large supermarkets can only be found in Havana. In regular stores, they often don’t put price tags on products, and they can sell you a bottle of water for 2 cookies instead of 0.75. In the markets, they will also sell you everything at “tourist” prices, so it’s easier to order fruit, for example, from the owner of your cash register. There are restaurants in all cities, often they are located right in apartments. Dinner for one will cost you from 10 to 20 cookies. Prices are lower in Camagüey and Santiago.

Rum and cigars. In shops and duty free shops you can buy excellent quality rum at a very low price. They will offer you cigars at every step, and they sell them “underground”; everything happens in conditions of strict secrecy. The cost of 1 cigar purchased secondhand is only 1 CUC (35 rubles); in stores, of course, it is more expensive. National cocktails - mojito, daiquiri, kanchanchara (in Trinidad). Ask to make you a fuerte cocktail (strong, strong, Spanish), then the bartender will pour more rum.

Dancing and music. Music is in the blood of Cubans. They seem to be born with the ability to sing and dance. Be sure to visit a disco for Cubans somewhere away from the tourist spots. Every city has a “Casa de la musica” (house of music), where musicians play and everyone dances salsa right in the street. It's worth seeing! Also, musicians play in almost every restaurant in the evenings.

Local residents. They are very smiling, welcoming and hospitable. But a tourist is seen a mile away and for them, first of all, he is a source of income, so every day you will receive a lot of tempting offers: taxis, excursions, dinner, cigars. If you look at the cashier and then choose the one next to you, they may be seriously offended and not say hello to you afterwards. Take it easy. The main thing is to be open, smile, dance and enjoy life in Cuba, as they know how to do.

Thus, an unforgettable bright two-week trip to Cuba will cost you 50 - 60 thousand rubles per person, including tickets and all expenses. Bon Voyage!

Sources:

• solo travel to cuba

Cuba has gorgeous beaches and streets of old cities, fragrant cigars and famous rum, salsa and Latin American songs, a unique national flavor. Coming to Cuba to live permanently in Varadero is almost a crime, since you can feel all the energy of the country only by driving around the island and visiting the most interesting places.

Traveling around Cuba is very easy. Firstly, it is one of the safest countries for tourists in Latin America. Secondly, renting a car here costs , and the roads are almost empty, which makes traveling by car convenient. Yes, and a taxi is worth it if you travel with a group. Thirdly, there is still inexpensive housing here, “casa particular”, the name given to private houses of Cubans that are rented out as hotels. In any city, such houses can be found on site; it is not at all necessary to book in advance. This gives you additional freedom, as you can change the route at your discretion and stay in each place as long as you want.

Of course, you can’t ignore Havana. This is an amazing city with beautiful architecture, very expensive hotels, narrow streets and squares where salsa dancers dance. Here you can visit museums, go to artists’ studios, sit in the Bodeguita and Floridita bars, where Ernest Hemingway loved to drink daiquiris, and stroll along the Malecon embankment. It is better to allocate at least two or three days to the capital, but most likely, Havana will charm you and you will want to stay longer. As in any big city, you should follow basic safety rules here; robberies of tourists are rather an exception here, but petty theft is very common.

Cienfuegos

This is a small, calm town on the Caribbean coast. There are no special attractions in the city itself; one day is enough. Nearby is Rancho Luna Beach, small and calm, you can get there by taxi or bicycle. There are also private hotel houses on the beach itself.

Santa Clara

For fans of Cuban culture and Ernesto Che Guevara, this is one of the main destinations. After all, this is where the grave of the famous Che is located. There is no sea in Santa Clara, and therefore it will be enough to spend one day or just a few hours here.

Trinidad

Charming colonial town on the Caribbean side. There are houses with huge windows, paving stones, roof terraces and very friendly residents. Musicians play in the central square every day and Cubans dance salsa, just for their own pleasure. There is also the famous nightclub "Cueva", in a real cave. The beach is nearby and taxis are inexpensive. The two closest beaches are Ancon and La Boca. If you have enough time, you can easily live here for several days or even a week.

Camagüey

This is a bigger city, the Peoples' Friendship Institute is located here, there are large parks. People here are not so spoiled by tourists, so prices for “non-locals” are noticeably lower than in Havana and especially Varadero. Here you can enjoy real Cuban life for at least a couple of days, and then go to Santa Lucia Beach, one of the most beautiful on the Atlantic side. It is approximately 120 kilometers from Camagüey.

Santiago de Cuba

As they say, this is the most “Cuban” city in Cuba. There are practically no organized tourists here, and not many travelers at all. Hence the low prices for housing and food. The city is the second most important, after Havana. It is multifaceted, there is both beautiful architecture, museums, magnificent landscapes, and the dirt inherent in a large Latin American city. Santiago is simply a paradise for lovers of Cuban culture and dance; authenticity is most preserved here.

Perfect fine and white sand can be found on the small islands. It would be good to include at least one of them in your travel plan. Please note that prices for everything on the islands are very high, even by European standards. Therefore, the number of days on the islands will most likely depend on the budget. The most accessible by transport is Cayo Coco, you can get there from the city of Moron along a dam.

Varadero

This is the territory of package tourists, of little interest to the independent traveler. The only thing worth going there for is the huge beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. Otherwise, there are rather shortcomings: high prices, drinking tourists in all-inclusive hotels, greedy locals trying to make as much money as possible from tourists, a complete lack of local flavor. More precisely, there is a likeness of it, played out to amuse tourists and make money.

Having traveled through Cuba, you will leave unforgettable impressions for yourself for life.

In December I had the opportunity to visit Cuba. Without hesitation, we decided, because... the tour was not expensive at all, 54 thousand rubles for two. The trip took place from December 10 to 27.
We arrived in Havana. A guide met us at the airport and took us on a transfer bus to a three-star hotel in Varadero. From the airport to the hotel 150 km. The weather during our stay was: air +20-23, water +25-27.

It was immediately decided to rent a car in order to experience and get to know Cuba as closely as possible. Renting a car in Cuba is expensive, so we decided to team up with inquisitive tourists like us. The pleasure of renting a car cost us $75 per day. In total, we paid 400 dollars for five days. Hyundai car. This was the lowest price offered in Havana. In general, there are many rental offices in Havana, there are no problems with this. When renting a car in Cuba, you must present our Russian license, pay in cash and go ahead. If you want to rent a moped or scooter, keep in mind that they won’t rent you without a driver’s license.

View from a hotel window in Santa Clara.

On the first day we decided to get to know Havana. Parking in Havana is paid and free. For half a day it costs about 2 dollars. At every paid parking lot there is a parking attendant to whom you need to give money. However, you may not be given a receipt.

On the roads of Cuba.

Havana is a very contrasting city. Along with expensive hotels, there are outright dilapidated ones, as if after an artillery shelling. At the same time, the hotels themselves are very expensive. If you want to stay overnight, it is better to look for a private hotel, it will be cheaper and more romantic. Cubans are very hospitable people, so when you stay in an apartment, you will receive no less attention than in an expensive hotel. During our trip around the island, we did just that; we specifically tried to find the private sector. And they are not difficult to find. Each house where you can rent a house has a special sign painted on it.

A sign with a blue sign next to the door means that rooms are available for rent in this house.

Many Cubans in large cities speak English, but in villages and small towns only Spanish, so they had to communicate using gestures. At the same time, we understood each other quite well. The main thing is to smile and not be impudent. Treat them as equals and everything will be fine.
In Havana and other large cities, on average, you can rent a double room in a hotel for $90. For comparison, the private sector for five people with three bedrooms in a house cost us $80. They also gave us coffee in the morning.

The private room in Santa Clara where we stayed.

Santa Clara. Courtyard in the private sector. There was also enough space for our car.

In Santa Clara we rented the same apartment for $40. It was really cold at night. What is unusual is that there is no glass in the windows, only wooden blinds.
After spending the night in Havana, the next morning we continued traveling by car around. We decided to drive mainly along the coast, to also swim if possible.
Traffic on the roads in Cuba is not intense, the roads are almost free. I must say that we never met any police officers. However, local residents assured us that the attitude of the local traffic police towards tourists is loyal, and a lot is forgiven. The Cubans themselves also drive carefully, do not speed or cut off. So they can be called disciplined drivers.

Departure from the tunnel to the town of Holguin.

Roads on Cuba also wonderful. The autobahns are easy to drive, there are no traffic jams, you can even accelerate to hundreds.
It is better to take euros with you to Cuba. If you take dollars, then a high commission is charged when exchanging, which is not the case when exchanging euros. You also need to know that it is better to change currency (euro) at a bank by presenting your passport.
On Liberty Island, local dollars, the so-called convertible pesos or simply cookies (cuc), are used. 1 cook = 1 US dollar = 25 local pesos. In shops and restaurants in the provinces, it is better to pay using cookies and receive change in cookies too. At the same time, for example, lunch for two in Havana costs $30, but in the provinces the same amount of food will cost you only $2. Seafood is not expensive at all. For example, one large lobster in Varadero costs from 10 to 15 cookies. Exactly the same one in the province will cost you 5 cookies.

This table in the paladar for three cost us 30 cookies.

In the provinces it is more convenient to eat at the paladar (el paladar). These are private restaurants. Their peculiarity is that there should not be more than twelve visitors in it and you will never be able to try beef, fish or seafood there. These are the rules for paladars. Products listed are available only in government agencies. But it’s cheaper and more original here.
During our trip by car in Cuba, we drove 2,500 km, one might say that we traveled the entire length and breadth of Cuba. I really liked the cities of Holguin and Trinidat. One can talk endlessly about the Cubans themselves. We were greeted with a smile everywhere and were welcome everywhere.
If you travel around Cuba without a car, on your own, it will be much more expensive. For example, the price of an average excursion around the island will cost you $100.

Varadero beach.

There is a city tourist bus running around Varadero. A ticket for it costs only 5 cookies for the whole day. This is a normal bus, like in Europe. The rest of public transport in Cuba is an ordinary Soviet ZIL with a body. For some reason, tourist guides do not advise using this type of transport, but we rode it normally without any problems. There is a local taxi in the form of an auto-rickshaw, the so-called “coco-taxi”. The cost of travel is one kilometer - 1 CUC.
In Varadero we were offered marlin fishing. You go out to sea on a yacht for the whole day, and if you catch something, you can immediately prepare your catch on the yacht and cook it yourself. Fishing rods are included in the yacht rental price. For this pleasure you had to pay 350 cookies. Similar fishing on a yacht or boat, but in Holguin, costs only 40 cookies. Unfortunately, our fishing did not take place due to the weather: the sea was stormy and there was a strong wind.
On the first day of our rental car trip in Havana, our camera was stolen from the car. It's their own fault, they didn't lock the car when they went for a walk. In general, there is practically no crime in Cuba. In villages and towns, you can generally leave things unattended. But it's better not to do this.

Public transport in Cuba.

We crawl through the narrow streets of Trinidad.

Some customs regulations in Cuba.
Cigars of more than 50 pieces and objects of cultural value, for example, paintings by local artists, cannot be exported from Cuba without an appropriate certificate. We bought a painting on canvas as a souvenir and had to pay a fine at customs. True, only 8 dollars. By the way, the picture should have the seller’s stamp. It is also prohibited to export lobsters in any form, birds or sea shells.
Upon arrival in Cuba, you must fill out a special card. You keep one half of this card, the border guard takes the second. The one that remains with you should be protected, otherwise you will not be allowed out of the country.
Cubans always welcome tips, so do not leave money in the room, otherwise the maid may regard it as a tip and take your money.
There is no need to worry about vaccinations when going to Cuba. Cuba has always been famous for its medicine; moreover, there are no dangerous or poisonous animals or insects in Cuba. And there are no sharks there either.
Cuban souvenirs. This is primarily black coral and various jewelry made from it. Nice souvenirs made from turtle shells, all kinds of hairpins and bracelets. They say that not a single tourist has ever left Cuba without a T-shirt with Che Guevara on the chest and without a bottle of Cuban rum. Do not buy crocodile leather products in the market, because they require a license, and no one will give you one in the market. Licenses for these Cuban souvenirs are issued only in stores.