Various tips... and other Cuba Transportation Tips

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Getting TO/AROUND: Trasnportation in Cuba is a hell so my advice, use taxis whenever U can. There are particular taxis, in old american cars. But they cannot transport tourists so if U catch one of them arrange the price before departure, it cannot be more than 5 cuc and this is only the case if U are going from one extreme of the city to the other and they usually don´t do that. They have a route, they go from one point to another so is usual to take maybe 2 of them to go from one place to the other.

If U plan to go outside havana, U can rent a car, it can be really expensive in high season. Better, take Via Azul. This is a specialized bus agency that takes U everywhere on the island and is not too expensive.

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Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: Hello...first of all let me give U an advice about cuban roads. There are almost no signs, no fences so U can see cows, cows or even horses wondering around in the highway on the countryside. Also the roads are usually in bad conditions, lot of pot holes everywhere and U can see pieces of anything just lying in the floor. Drive carefully, many accidents ocurs because tourist drive too fast without knowing that. There are people of course that drive at 150km/h but that's is your choice.

Havana-Vinales: Take the Pinar del Rio highway from Havana and after around 2 hours U'll see the signs of Vinales at the 140km point, then turn right some 15 more km. It will not be so hard to drive until Vi?ales. It?s true there are some mountains but not so much.

Santa Clara-Varadero: Here are some 3-4 hours drive. Take the 8 vias highway until Jaguey Grande, the turn right to Jovellanos and from here just follow the signs to Cardenas, Matanzas and then Varadero.

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Getting TO/AROUND: Don't forget to check out the pics on this tip, there are usefull road maps to help U understand better this tip.

Cienfuegos-Trinidad: 1:30 hours maximum. This is a small road, U can find here tractors, small cars pulled by horses or even bulls so be carefull.

Trinidad-Sancti Spiritus: U can go through the mountains until Cabaiguan and then to Sancti Spiritus, it is the longest way but as is it through the mountains the views are amazing. The other option is take from Trinidad bording the mountains head south to La Guira, Elanao and Sancti Spiritus. Always remember to drive carefully because the roads are in bad shape.

Havana-Cienfuegos: Take right to "8 vias", U'll see some signs where U can read Santa Clara, Cienfuegos and some other cities. "8 vias" is the longest highway in cuba starting from Havana it goes almost until Ciego de Avila for around 450km. My advice is to go until Aguada de Pasajeros and from there take right 40km until Cienfuegos. The usual timing will around 4 hours until Aguada and maybe 2 more hours until Cienfuegos.

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'Mode': AROUND
Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: U can check out the pics to see the detailed road maps of each province...

Sancti Spiritus - Santa Clara: Easy, maximum 2hours. Drive until Cabaiguan and then take the "8 vias" until Santa Clara.

Sancti Spiritus - Ciego de Avila: Easy, maximum 1:30h. Only 78km of easy driving but be carefull because the "8 vias" only goes until Taguasco and from here U must take the "Carretera Central" an old road that used to be the main road in Cuba that goes through every small town everywhere. Here U can find lot of animals, bicycles and even people walking so be carefull.

Ciego de Avila - Camaguey: 100km, about 2 hours drive. Take the "Carretera Central" until Camaguey. Can stop in Florida, the 2nd most important town in Camaguey province together with Vertientes

Camaguey - Las Tunas: 125km, around 2-3 hours drive. Can stop in Guaimaro or Sibanicu to strech the legs and have some fresh drink.

Camaguey - Cayo Coco: 200km, around 3 or 3:30 hours drive. Cayo Coco is a well known resort in the northern coast of Camaguey. Worth visiting but think ahead as here there are only hotels, no casas particulares or cheap places to stay.

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Category: Car/Motor Home
Getting TO/AROUND: Don't forget to check out the pictures for a detailed road map of each province...

Las Tunas - Holguin: 80km, will take around 1:30h. Can stop in Buenaventura to strech legs.

Holguin - Granma: 73km, will take up to 2h. Can be more as the road can be in bad conditions. It goes until Bayamo, a city worth visiting. Also Granma, as Santiago de Cuna and Guantamo is where Sierra Maestra mountains are located. And here U can find the Pico Turquino, with 1972m high, the highest peak in Cuba.

Granma - Santiago de Cuba: 127km, be carefull, the last 40km is between the mountains so the road can be dangerous, drive carefully and don't go too fast.

Santiago de Cuba - Guantanamo: 86km. All the road is through the mountains and ir can be annoying. So take a rest before doing this last kilometers to reach the eastern point of Cuba.

Guantanamo - Bayamo: 177km of hard drive through mountains and bad shape roads. Can take up to 3 hours. Can stop at Arroyo Frio to strech legs.

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'Mode': AROUND
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Getting TO/AROUND: As I understood U'll be arriving to Jose Marti, Havana international airport and renting the car right there. From Havana to Trinidad U must drive about 4h, its a 300km trip. Search on my Transportation Tips for a specific tip about driving in Cuba.

From Havana to Trinidad is easy, U could go all through the highway ("ocho vias" we call it in Cuba) until Cienfuegos and then from here there are 50km more until Trinidad.

Back to havana U can either go back on your steps to Cienfuegos and then to Havana using the higway or U can go through the mountains until Santa Clara and from here take the highway until Havana.

Be aware that there are few signs and U can find pot holes everywhere so drive carefully.

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