how crucial to plan ahead?

We are arriving in 11 days (the 22nd) -- and staying through Jan. 6. A "high season," I'm assuming.
If we want to travel low budget (with the Viazul bus as an option, too), is it crucial that we plan ahead, or does the infrastructure allow for whimsical plans?

You can do it on the fly down there,but I doubt you can do it low budget ,Cuba is not inexpensive and it's one of those places that unexpected expenses can easily happen,make sure you keep a back up stash of cash.

You can always ask where you are staying, where they would recommend to go next.
We have been to Cuba many times and never had an itinerary.

Hi: I have been to Cuba many times. We find the Viazul to be the most comfortable transportation next to hiring a driver. There are cheaper ways to get around. You could pay 2 cucs each to ride in a stand up open truck.... or there is also another bus service that is cheaper than the Viazul. Keep in mind that you have to book a day ahead with the Viazul bus. Apparently, you can now book on line which will save a bunch of time where you would otherwise have to stand in line. I have never booked on line however. Speak with your hosts they are a wealth of information and love to help. They could also call the bus station for you to book your tickets if your spanish is not up for such a conversation.

Our best adventures start out with no plans.... You can be as low budget as you wish. Beer is a buck....you can buy a 6 " pizza for .25 ..... breakfast at your casa will be anywhere from $3. to $5..... Dinner from $5. to $8. depending on if you have chicken or lobster.... most casas are $20- $30. most.... $25. depends on where you are.

Have fun.......What airport are you landing at?

Two CUC to ride in the back of a truck? Maybe for a trip from Vinales to Santiago de Cuba.

We were in Cuba the same period last year. Accommodation: not a problem at all. It sometimes took 2 or 3 phone calls to find a casa in the next place we were heading to - but generally not a problem. I think transportation is another matter though. We had a car (booked 3 months in advance) but we met (and gave lifts to) several tourists who were despairing because Viazul was fully booked - including a couple we met who were getting the Viazul in the middle of the night to somewhere they didn't really want to go as it was the only seats they could get to anywhere at all in the next 3 days. You might end up having to get taxis, which is not cheap.

If your time is limited to less than 2 weeks, planning and booking ahead is the way to go. Anything else and you risk blowing up your holiday in frustrating queues. Demand outstrips supply for both accommodation and transportation so do make a detailed plan for your journey and book in advance everything you can. This is particularly important for small places that score high on visitors wish list, typically Trinidad and Viñales.
Viazul: apart from limited availability, their booking system crashes on a regular basis. If this happens, they will refuse to sell you a ticket for the following day. You will be asked to show up an hour prior to scheduled departure and hope for a miracle. By booking your ticket online you beat the system. Your ticket is confirmed and reserved, whether their system is working or not. All you have to do is to hand over the printout of your confirmation and exchange it with the actual ticket. Even changing money can be a time-consuming operation. Calculate the total amount of money you will need for your trip and keep Cadeca (exchange office) visits to the absolute minimum.

Sorry for the confusion regarding 2 cucs for the truck ride. Some ladies I meet took the truck, it is not a cross island deal. They rode from Holguin to Herradura. I would liken it to a cattle truck. You don't want to do that unless of coarse you are looking for the cheapest mode of transportation.
Happy Trails

Yes even Cubans hate using the dreaded camiones to get around,more frequently used outside of Havana.

Hi, thanks! We fly into Habana on the 22nd, then rent bikes for 4 days. Most cities are booked on Viazul for the 27th, so it looks like it'll be taxi, stand-up truck, or ... hopefully train. But I imagine the train(s) will be booked as much if not more than Viazul, and they only run every other day or so. But a train ride would be awesome. Too bad we're going during the busy holiday season.
Would love to hitchhike, taxi, whatever, but others are saying it'll either be expensive or hard to find rides last minute. I don't know ... I'm not worried about spending money, but my partner is.

Thank you ... do you recommend we could go place-to-place in them? All we have booked right now is a bus ride back to Habana from Baracoa. Bookings on the Viazul are looking like nil to get us anyplace east on the 27th. I'd love to book a train ride, but wonder if it's just a matter of waiting in line? (a-la US Black Friday?)

You can go place to place in them cheap if you have the patience to wait a long time under a highway overpass with many Cubans, strong possibility that there won't be any room on the trucks or that you'll be packed in like sardines ,there's always room on the trains which the Cubans also dread because they're so slow and inefficient,watch your gear when you're on the train,not sure that hitch hiking is a practical option either. There is a transportation crisis for Cubans and to a much lesser extent tourists trying to do low budget travel across the island.

PS there is something called the Astro bus which is used mostly by Cubans,very,very slow way to travel across the island compared to Viazul,you're also taking seats from Cubans who use the Astro bus to see family ,so there's that.

Thank you all for your help. My response to this thread was to, regrettably, begin to craft an itinerary, spending most of my time seeing what Viazul trips were available, and contacting Taxi Vinales for the rest. In two weeks, it looks like we're spending only a day in several places: Havana, Playa Larga o Giron, Trinidad, Camaguey, Santiago, Baracoa (after reading a post here highly recommending it), Havana. Ending with a 21-hour bus ride Baracoa-Havana.

So ... I'm thinking I'm probably going about this all wrong, and should cut the itinerary in half. What was I thinking? Feels opportunistic, hurried, rude to travel like that. Thoughts?

Thank you so much for your help.

My thoughts are that even the worst places deserve 2 nights!
Yes it sounds like a rush but who knows what travel style suits you. Wouldn't suit us.
Fly back to Havana from Baracoa?

Otra molesta: Is it very easy, or not very easy, to find a taxi to the outskirt Viazul stations? Just worried about high season. And, if transportation is that overburdened with tourists -- travel style besides, maybe we're asking for most of our itinerary to be canceled by unpredictables. Wondering if we should stop our stay in Santiago.

Taxi prices online are going to be 2-3 times as much, you mentioned in FAQ. But I wonder, if in high season, it's worth it booking in advance. ... and we'd keep our eye out for more riders on the road who need it! We can vacate our seats for the roof if need be! They allow that, right? ;)

No probs getting taxi to Viazul but also keep in mind that Conectando goes to city centres (but can only be pre booked at least day before ONCE in Cuba).
Havana is already going to be the busiest EVER for the time you are travelling.
So although we have never pre-booked any transport or virtually any accommodation in 10 years of travel there I would be tempted to at least have Havana-Trinidad pre booked.

Some reflections on a trip ... cautions due for it being two weeks during high season, plus everything always changing. Like many others have said, unless you are going for a short time span and have your heart set on certain towns, it may not be necessary to plan travel in advance. Having heart set on certain places, also, may also not make for the most graceful and plentiful travel experience.
1. One planning-ahead highlight: taxi from Havana to Bahia de los Cochinos: main benefit here being the opportunity to stop at places along the way. Not sure if that bay shuttle is running. Cueva de los Peces was very busy, and Punta Perdiz much less so. Didn't make it to Caleta Buena We took our first (spontaneous and cheap) scuba diver ever, at the latter, after a 10-minute quick lesson. Expensive to have a personal taxi hired all day. There were others who did the same, but I'm not sure which of those was a colectivo. Ours (through Taxi Vinales) refused to pick up other travelers, regardless that we didn't need them to chip in $. Taxi Vinales did allow us to pay in full online after we asked, due to our cash shortage.
2. All other transport was fine. We got some spontaneous rides, and quickly, and generously. Who knows if you or others could count on that (we even had bikes to stow aboard), but luck and generosity does happen. "Anything is possible" and "if you keep asking..." the Cuban hope we heard. Mixed info: whether tourists are "allowed" on Cuban buses. But the colectivos across from bus stations may be worth an effort.
3. Depending on the town, a trip on Viazul may be pale in comparison (waiting in line, price, comfort) to a trip in a colectivo. We got a ride from Cienfuegos to Havana for $25 each in a classic car.
4. Snorkeling highlights: Jibacoa and Punta Perdiz
5. Close get-away from city highlight: Castillo de Jagua from Cienfuegos. A bit of classism there, and a history of such, but a scenic place to stay. Also a lovely casa there: Punta Pie. If you go on a walk, try to meet Mercedes and Leonardo's small tract of land at the northern shore side end of town. Poorer and hardworking people, and with their own little pier for swimming they say many tourists manage to find.
6. If I were to pick a "must" -- the Hershey train (maybe any train? As it will likely take you away from main roads to the back country). We disembarked at the town (renamed of course) of Hershey and got a cheap bus ride into Santa Cruz and then the Campismo at Jibacoa. Wonderful, exhilarating ride, that train. All the bucolic rural scenery you can imagine, and locals who still depend on the train for trainsport. Schedule changes, but not exasperating by any means. Just may need to wait for a few hours or until the next morning for the next train.
7. We met some bikers -- who said they camped plenty a time, even asking homeowners to let them camp out on their land (I'm sure for a small donation). While the casas were fine, and affordable for us, we would have liked to camp for that much more of a nature experience. Nice to find out that locals are okay with campers, and mystified by tents and water filters.
8. Helpful donation ideas: many asked for shirts, T-shirts. Also: maybe tools, machetes, pens and pencils. Service ideas: folks in smaller towns --even those with burgeoning new tourism, like Playa Giron -- would like English classes. One may have mixed feelings about that influence, but a thought. Also would have loved to teach and give snorkeling gear to towns kids. We met many locals who were afraid of going underwater. But what a protective mass that may be, if the locals love their coastline and want to keep it pristine.

1. If I were to pick a "must" -- the Hershey train (maybe any train? As it will likely take you away from main roads to the back country). We disembarked at the town (renamed of course) of Hershey and got a cheap bus ride into Santa Cruz and then the Campismo at Jibacoa. Wonderful, exhilarating ride, that train. All the bucolic rural scenery you can imagine, and locals who still depend on the train for trainsport. Schedule changes, but not exasperating by any means. Just may need to wait for a few hours or until the next morning for the next train.

I read this with real mixed emotions as the Hershey train and staying at the campesimo (I assume Los Cocos) in Jibacoa are favorites of mine. I am happy that some others my experience the same same delights that I have done. Yet, I have concerns that these generally undiscovered delights, once pure Cuban in nature and untarnished by foreigners, are in the process of being discovered by tourists and will ultimately change in nature.

that some others my experience the same same delights that I have done. Yet, I have concerns that these generally undiscovered delights, once pure Cuban in nature and untarnished by foreigners, are in the process of being discovered by tourists and will ultimately change in nature.>

At least you have seen them before mass tourism and modernisation will have ruined these experiences.

I'm pretty sure about the future of the Hershey train:

More and more tourists will take it. Travel agencies, cruise ships want to run special trains to accommodate large groups. The cash-starved railway operator will be only too happy to run these special trains, but they have only as many trains and no money to invest in buying new trains. Trains will be tourist only, locals will take the bus. Or a somewhat better prospect(for the long term), the railway will be modernised and the locals will travel in sleek new air-con trains, while the old trains will run tourist only services.

See it while you can!

Ruined for you,Cubans would be grateful for modern reliable transportation as they suffer through a transportation crisis.

mixed emotions, too. Thank you. I echo those throughout my whole commitment to this trip and my motivations for going. Almost considered staying home for fear of being an energy that was incongruent with keeping Cuba its integral self. But in the end, for the purposes of this forum, I consider that while I am a tourist, my experiences and knowledge should not be mine alone or that they contribute to the process of more regrettable tourism. My purposes for travel in the future will stick more closely to low impact and service, or I'll stay local. Crucial considerations. Thank you for responding!

mixed emotions, too. Thank you. I echo those throughout my whole commitment to this trip and my motivations for going. Almost considered staying home for fear of being an energy that was incongruent with keeping Cuba its integral self. ...............

Rest easy. There is the other 98% of Cuba that tourists never visit. There remain places where friendly Cubans will invite you into their homes then have friends and neighbors come see these odd creatures that they have heard about but never actually met in person.

Nice report thanks.

Yes, thank-you for your report. My hubby and I are leaving on the 23rd of this month. Heading to Baracoa and Maisi.

They are waiting with open arms for our arrival in Maisi as we sent some money to people who were hit very hard by the hurricane. Just the other day we received pictures of the finishing of the roof on their new home which I might add has running water. In the distance I could see new leaves on the palm trees...

I asked for suggestions as to what we could bring along for them.... the reply, just yourselves. I love the heart and soul of the people of Cuba. We will of coarse bring tools, and clothes, sheets, herbs and spices, a little something for the kids. Perhaps garden seeds.... and more.

I understand your comment regarding the impact of your presents on the limited resources of the island. Knowing Cubans are not allowed beef or lobster, we will not eat them. I have heard the lobsters, for the tourist, are being harvested in such a way their numbers are being depleted. There is much to learn from these people.

And to anyone who has been there you will likely return and to those who have not yet made it, when you go, please leave as small an impact as possible regarding the eco system. Let's contribute to it being the most pristine ecological place in the world as long as possible. thank-you

On one of my previous visits, I rented a scooter and traveled away from the tourist area. I was waved down by a family who were on their porch so stopped there to chat, and they invited me for dinner. What an amazing visit, and now am planing my next visit for 3 weeks and hope to find similar people to visit in out of the way places.

I have justnoticed your comment about beef. It is not that Cubans are not permitted beef. It is that they were supposed to be able demonstrate that they obtained it legally.

I remember on one of my earliest trips to Cuba early 2000s talking with a Cuban about eating beef,lobster,chicken breast and he telling me how on his block in his neighborhood someone had gotten a hold of fresh horse meat and they had to eat it undercover as it wasn't permissible to be in possession of it at the time,they bribed the cdr by providing him with some so no one ever was wise to it.I asked how it tasted,he replied just like beef except bloodier and they enjoyed every bit of it.

Didn't Pedro Juan Gutierrez have a story about black-market meat ?

He has a title called dog meat,never read it.

Knowing Cubans are not allowed beef or lobster, we will not eat them.

Nor are Cubans not allowed to eat lobster.

About fifteen years ago, the owner of my casa particular, Maria Rosa in Santa Clara , asked what I would like for dinner. I said, "Maria what are the choices?" Maria said, " I have chicken, pork, fish, beef, shrimp and lobster." I asked, " Isn't beef, shrimp and lobster prohibited in Cuba?" Maria said, " So what, everything is prohibited in Cuba!"

I said, " you are right, I will have lobster".

He,he,he,he !!!!

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