Low-budget guide for CUBA

Great photos Augustas. I also am interested in that question, as I visit my Cuban family and ride in vehicle with them. We did get stopped once in Stg de Cuba, but so were others, and nothing came out of it. Is there a special document needed?

Caney ...
Forget it ... I think I have to take a flight over to explain it properly to you :)) LOL

There is no law prohibiting Cubans transporting foreigners in their cars. There is however of course, as is the case in most every country, a law that prohibits unlicensed non tax paying taxi service. Of course, police officers that see foreigners in cuban cars will (rightfully) assume that it is a case of a black market taxi service and stop the car. This is why you are often asked to remember a story about how you know the person in question that is driving in order to "prove" a friendship relation.

Generally they manage to talk themselves out of the situation. I believe the fine if they dont manage to do so is around 30 CUC.

Hello 2025.

Answers to your questions.

The best to search for a boat is to go to the marinas in Cuba where International clearance-out is possible.
We targeted mostly on the boats in Cienfuegos marina. Other international clearing-out marinas are Marina Hemingway (near Havana), Cayo Largo, and I guess, Santiago de Cuba (here marina is 15-20km out of the city somewhere).

We were comming to marina evry 3-4 days and asking boats around for a lift. There was another French man who was asking for 15eur/person/day (incl food) if we want to be onboard. We refused, but another travelers (with 2 bicycles) travelled with him and were paying only 10 EUR for both persons excluding food.

No problem with immigration. Nobody cares. It is normal that yachts might change crew members. The captain of the boat has to provide a new crew list upon leaving. For each new crew member marina in Cienfuegos charged us 15 USD/person.

Since we arrived to Cuba by boat, we never paid initial fee for the tourist card (unless our 1st captain paid for us and we did not know that). Visas we extended in Cienfuegos Immigration office (Ministerio del Interior). Ask Casa Particular - i am sure they will know where it is in your city. You have to buy special stamps in one of the banks of value 25 CUC. Go to immigration office with the stamps and your passport, wait in a queue and here you go.

If you sleep on a boat - no cost. Of course the captain has to pay daily for marina for parking his boat.

Any other questions - feel free to ask.
Augustas

Very strange that you did not require a Tourist Card to enter or to leave Cuba, that goes against all conventional knowledge, Cuba is very paranoid about who enters their country.

There is no visa, if you did not get a tourist card what visa did you renew?

Please provide information how to do these things, was it very difficult to go the the marina every 3-4 days, did you hitchhike?

Hi again.
sorry for not being clear.
We had tourist cards(these small piece of paper with stamp), which we got upon arrival at the first marina. But we did not pay for it.
Was not difficult to come to marina in Cienfuegos regurarly, because it is in the city. We stayed in casa particular in Cienfuegos all that time (2 weeks).

#14

Jacques, this may come as a surprise to you but it is an imperfect world, even in Cuba. It is entirely possible that they were actually loose in Cuba in an undocumented fashion. The extension to which the OP refers was probably / or coulsd have been just an initial issue of another tourist card. Hell, you were a bureaucrat. If someone showed up at your desk - what would you have done (to solve the problem and create as little as possible fuss for yourself)?

Thanks Augustus, how much did you spend per day while you were in Cuba ?

Attention, Posters! Thorntree Cuba will now be closed, as we fumigate this branch for pests & nasties who adamantly insist that its impossible for travelers to get to Cuba by boat, there are no boats to Cuba, you cannot go by boat, etcetera etcetera.

All together now, "Row, row, row ye boat..."

Ms. Whosie_Who
Chief Hostess and Ambassatrice of Goodwill
Lineas Fantasias, The Very Ferry Cruise-Time

In 40 days we spent 930 USD for two people. Which is about 12 USD per person per day.
Including accommodation, food (cooked ourselves always with our camping stove), two bus tickets for 33 USD and two train tickets for 32 USD, visa extensions 25 USD each. Accommodation 10-15 USD per day for both. Food - few dollars a day. 11 nights spent in a boat (=no accommodation cost): 3 nights when we arrived to Cuba, and 8 nights we were sailing and staying in Cayo Largo with our new yacht we hitched.