Essence of Cuba Group Tour

Cuba is very safe for its residents and tourists. This is also because Cubans know how important tourists are for the economy in their country. However, we recommend paying attention to the following:

• Don’t walk alone through completely unfamiliar parts of town. Valuables such as expensive jewelry, camera equipment, etc. should be carried hidden on your body or, ideally, left in the hotel safe, especially if you are traveling at night or in poorly lit areas.
• We recommend that you also make a copy of your passport and leave all original documents, identification papers, flight tickets and large sums of money in the hotel safe. Fraud and theft are becoming more and more common, and occasionally robberies or violent crimes are also occurring.
• For Cuban airports, we recommend carrying valuable items in your hand luggage.
• You should also be careful in the event of a flat tire and at gas stations, as thieves take advantage of the distraction of vehicle occupants when changing tires or refueling to steal valuables and luggage unnoticed.

We are often asked for useful souvenirs for the people of Cuba.

Body care products, deodorant, soap, perfume, etc. are welcome gifts because they are either very expensive locally or the quality leaves much to be desired. Writing utensils, balloons (for the children) and sweets are also welcome.

However, we recommend that you do not hand out such small gifts indiscriminately on the street, but give them away on suitable occasions (to hosts, particularly friendly or helpful people). As long as you do not overdo it with the quantities, customs will not be interested in them when you enter the country. Alternatively, you can support a local social project and, for example, take on a sponsorship with Kuba Hilfe in order to ensure that disadvantaged children receive a good education. You can find more information here: http://www.kuba-hilfe.de/

At the moment, the import of GPS-enabled devices, including GPS-enabled smartphones, is (actually) prohibited. As I said: “actually”. We have never heard of a case in which Cuban customs officials confiscated a cell phone from someone upon entry. The same applies to GPS trackers.

We keep hearing that GPS-enabled devices don’t work in Cuba. That’s not entirely true. In the Sierra Maestra, we had a GPS tracker with us on our hike and it worked perfectly.

In the meantime, the laws in this area are being relaxed step by step. Nevertheless, GPS navigation systems are still not allowed in Cuba. It is best to get a map in advance or install an offline map. That’s what we do when we travel with Cuba Buddy. One recommendation that we use ourselves is Map of Cuba offline.

If you need more tips, please feel free to ask us. The current apps have the advantage that they contain street directories, maps, points of interest, etc. and you can also enter your accommodation, for example.

We can also recommend Maps.Me, as the app works great offline. Install the apps while you are still in Germany and start them to test them. Often some settings still need to be updated or maps downloaded. So really take a short time in Germany and test all the apps. Try to see it as the start of your Cuba adventure. That way it will be more fun and easier.

The Cuban power grid operates on 110 V/60 Hz alternating current. Sockets and plugs are American-style, so bringing an adapter is highly recommended. There are a few 220 V sockets. It is important to know that Cuba suffers from power shortages. In order to save electricity, power cuts are carried out, especially outside of tourist centers, which can also lead to disruptions in the water supply and communication.

If you have any questions or problems during your trip, first contact the emergency numbers provided in your travel documents. You can reach our office in Havana at this number. If you have any questions for the Cuban Embassy, ​​you can use the following contact details:

In Germany

Embassy of the Republic of Cuba

Stavangerstrasse 20, 10439 Berlin

Email: consulberlin@t-online.de

Homepage: www.botschaft-kuba.de

In Austria

Embassy of the Republic of Cuba

Kaiserstrasse 84 Vienna 1070

Email: secembajador@ecuaustria.at

Homepage: www.ecuaustria.at

In Switzerland

Embassy of the Republic of Cuba

Gesellschaftsstrasse 8, Bern 3012

Email: consulcuba.berna@bluewin.ch

For emergencies that need to be dealt with locally, such as if you have lost your passport, you can always contact your respective embassy in Cuba:

German Embassy Havana

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany

Calle 13, No. 652, esq. B, Vedado, Havana, Cuba

Phone: +53 7 833 25 69

Emergency telephone number: +53 5280 5942 (can also be reached via SMS and WhatsApp if necessary)

Swiss Embassy in Cuba 

Embassy of Switzerland

5ta Avenida no. 2005, between 20 and 22, Miramar, Playa, Havana, Cuba

Phone: +53 7 204 26 11

Austrian Embassy Havana

Embassy of Austria

Avenida 5ta A No. 6617, esq. a calle 70, Miramar, Havana, Cuba

Phone: +53 7204 28 25

Of course, depending on how you travel through Cuba, you’ll need different equipment. If you’re taking a sailing tour along the cays, you’ll probably need less mosquito repellent than the birdwatchers in the swamp of Cienega de Zapata National Park.

Whether you’re a last-minute packer or planning weeks before departure so that you don’t forget anything and have everything with you, we’ve put together a packing list for you based on our experiences in Cuba. You can find it here .

Then all you have to do is pack, tick off the list and set off. We wish you an unforgettable trip!

Checklist before your trip:

• • Check if your passport is still valid
  • Read the Foreign Office’s travel advice
  • Organize tourist cards (e.g. About us )
  • Take out international health insurance and request proof in Spanish
  • Possibly take out travel cancellation insurance

In our opinion, the blog of viel-unterwegs.de offers a very good packing list