Despite increasing hardships for locals, the Caribbean's most impressive island offers one of the world's great travel experiences, from its music and culture to Havana and its other cities, as well as beaches and nature.

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Las Terrazas, a Woodsy Cuban Eco-Treasure

The main reasons millions come to Cuba each year are (primarily) beaches and (secondarily) culture. But the lag in the country’s development since 1959 has been a boon for ecotourism, leaving the island with quite a few natural treasures for visitors to discover, from hidden waterfalls to castaway beaches, national parks, and conversatories. I recently discovered one such gem in the Sierra del Rosario mountains just over an hour’s drive west of capital Havana.   Allow me to introduce you to Las…

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Started by Iberia Airlines
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Havana´s gracious Vedado district

 Ivan2010 Though mostly shabby and decrepit except for its UNESCO World Heritage colonial core, Habana Vieja, being restored for the tourism trade with the help of the Spanish government, the European Union, and other international donors, the capital of Cuba is truly one of the more remarkable cities in all the world, as millions of new visitors have been discovering each year since the régime started increasingly opening up the island to visitors in the years following the 1991 collapse of…

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Started by Iberia Airlines
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In Cuba, Go West, to Pinar del Río & Viñales

  marcin jucha For visitors to Havana, one of the most popular day and overnights trips besides colonial wonder Trinidad is a visit to the far west of Cuba, the mostly rural province of Pinar del Río (whose locals, by the way, have over the years endured much teasing by other Cubans as guajiros – "country-bumpkin" peasants – though at least these days inaccurately, as far as I’ve been able to tell).  It’s home to not only the eponymous city – which makes for a charming visit in its own…

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Started by José Balido
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  • Tripatini January 1, 2011 at 1:20am
    A final interesting note for 2010: iconic Havana tourism stalwart the Hotel Nacional may be a little grubby around the edges but is still going pretty strong as it marks its 80th anniversary this week: http://bit.ly/hGrHSH.
  • David Paul Appell October 29, 2010 at 9:14pm
    For those who read Spanish, check out CubaEnLinea.net, with lots of great forums for:

    Cuban art
    Cuban music
    "Cubanisms"
    Cuban humor
  • The Penguin October 7, 2010 at 11:00pm
    Hello, I just joined this group. Looks like a nice one.
  • Sam Scribe September 29, 2010 at 8:33pm
    I don't know this group's members (I'm new), but I'll assume that if you're in this group, you favor lifting the embargo. However, "More than half of the members [of the House Foreign Affairs Committee] received contributions from the pro-embargo anti-travel U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC," reports John McAuliff, director of the Fund for Reconciliation and Development.
    That's not a good sign.
    When will this embargo finally end?
  • Northeast News August 30, 2010 at 5:00am
    LEASE LAND IN CUBA

    Last week I asked, "What next?" Now I just saw the answer to my question:

    http://s.marketwatch.com/media/swf/main.swf
  • Northeast News August 19, 2010 at 4:03pm
    Sutro Media has just released an iPhone app called Havana Good Time. Also, New York City's American Ballet Theatre just announced it will perform in Cuba. What next?
  • Max Pesling August 17, 2010 at 8:53pm
    Funny you should say that, NN. I've followed the Cuba story since the beginning, practically (yes, I am that old), and I've often thought that right-wing Cubans in Miami were not the only reason for the embargo barring US tourists from the island. There are a lot of vested interests with a stake in the status quo, and I'll bet anything that many of them lobby quietly in Washington to keep American tourists out of Cuba. Among my suspects: Florida would lose a lot of $$$ if Cuba opened up. It's far more beautiful and interesting! What about Mexico? Did it ever occur to anyone that Cancun was built from scratch on a remote island to answer gringos' need for tropical island vacations not too long after Varadero was closed off to them? With all due respect to Cancun -- it's a lovely destination -- how many gringos would still go there if Cuba opened up?

    I'm not saying Mexico or Florida or any other particular destinations lobby to keep us out of Cuba... but could you blame them if they did?

    Personally I stand for freedom, freedom to travel being one of the most important. Our presence as tourists and the ability to mingle with regular Cubans far outweighs any geopolitical considerations. And anyway, 50 years of embargo haven't changed one thing on the island. Isn't it time we opened up, and tried another way?
  • Northeast News August 17, 2010 at 8:39pm
    Travel Restrictions to Cuba Easing?

    A few days ago the Miami Herald reported, ""The Obama administration will soon ease some restrictions on US travel to Cuba and other sanctions following Havana's promise to free political prisoners, according to growing but unconfirmed reports."
    I wonder: Which other Caribbean islands would be hurt the most if the U.S. eased travel to Cuba?
  • David Paul Appell January 1, 2010 at 4:14pm
    Cuba gets a shout-out in this week's Tripatini blog survey of 2010 hotspots. Check it out!
    blog.TRIPATINI.COM
  • John Lamkin October 8, 2009 at 12:27am
    Thanks for the updates David! Maybe I can go there from Mexico this trip.
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