There’s no higher method to get a neighborhood perspective on life in Cuba than behind the wheel of a automobile.
Although Cuba’s roads – even the highways – might be in questionable situation and signage for drivers is scarce, the open street will open your coronary heart to an island crammed with wonders.
From a one-day drive out of Havana to idyllic Viñales to the final word two-week grand tour of the entire island, listed below are seven of one of the best scenic street journeys throughout Cuba.
1. On the street by western Cuba
Greatest street journey for quintessential Cuba
Havana–Viñales; 185km (115 miles)
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There are a lot day-trip choices in case you’re spending a while in Havana, however in case you solely have every week or much less on the island, this journey to Viñales is a must-do to find the quintessential Cuba.
Secluded pure reservoirs, homegrown native meals and world-class tobacco plantations await, all below three hours from the Capitolio Nacional.
Depart within the morning, taking the A4 west and sip your first espresso on the eco-village of Las Terrazas. Go on for a number of kilometers to admire the nonetheless lake at El Palmar whereas chatting with locals.
Again on the street, drive 18km (11 miles) west till you attain the waterfall in Soroa, then loop to the north earlier than rejoining the A4.
When the soil will get redder and triangle-roofed, thatched homes begin to seem on the roadside, take a proper on the exit in Ovas – and put together to be amazed by Viñales Valley. Cease on the Mirador del Valle for the photographs of the mogote rock formations in all their splendor.
Planning tip: Save a few days to drive round Viñales at a slower tempo, making time to hike, cycle and discover its caves.
2. Solar-and-sand street journey
Greatest street journey for sandy seashores
Havana–Varadero; 145km (90 miles)
Havana’s favourite seashores unfold alongside the shoreline of Habana del Este and northwestern Matanzas Province, and Varadero’s beautiful 20km-long (12-mile) strip of talc-white sandy seashores are a perfect venue for a number of days’ R&R.
Simply 20km east of Havana’s middle, the Playas del Este – together with Bacuranao, Tarará, Boca Ciega, Mégano and Santa María – provide a full day of leisure and sunbathing.
Proceed on the Through Blanca freeway to get pleasure from lesser-visited coves at Canasí and the fittingly named Puerto Escondido (Hidden Port), the place you’ll discover among the finest snorkeling close to Havana.
There’s greenery aplenty as you traverse the flatlands of Llanura Habana-Matanzas earlier than reaching the bay at Matanzas and eventually the Varadero peninsula. Cease to absorb the view from Puente de Bacunayagua, at Cuba’s longest and highest bridge.
3. Villa Clara causeway coast jaunt
Greatest street journey for coastal surroundings
Santa Clara–Cayo Santa María; 116 km (72 miles)
This street journey connects Villa Clara Province’s historic landmarks with the excellent coastal surroundings of the northern keys, cruising by a picturesque colonial city relationship from 1515 and alongside a 48km (30-mile) causeway.
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Begin at Che Guevara’s mausoleum in Santa Clara, stopping on the huge sq. guarded by a bronze statue of El Guerrillero. Subsequent, drive north to the small fishing “capital” of Caibarién – it’s arduous to overlook the enormous crab sculpture on the city’s entrance.
Additional north, park close to Remedios’ central sq. and benefit from the slow-paced magnificence right here – a stark distinction with the luxurious all-inclusive resorts of the keys that lie 60km (37 miles) forward.
A few of Cuba’s most spectacular seashores punctuate Cayo Las Brujas, Cayo Ensenachos and Cayo Santa María, lower than an hour from the mainland on a winding causeway.
4. Circuito Sur
Greatest street journey for coastal surroundings and colonial villages
Cienfuegos–Sancti Spíritus; 153km (95 miles)
This drive between Cienfuegos and Sancti Spíritus passes alongside the Circuito Sur freeway with the southern shoreline on one facet and the dense vegetation of Sierra del Escambray’s mountain vary on the opposite. Alongside the best way, you’ll go to small, almost abandoned seashore coves, verdant mountains and the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Valle de Los Ingenios.
After leaving Cienfuegos’s metropolis middle, take the Circunvalación onto the Circuito Sur and wind your manner southeast. The situation of the two-lane street will guarantee a leisurely tempo: be careful for potholes, bicycles, mopeds and pedestrians on the tarmac.
After passing Playa El Inglés, make a pit cease at pebbled Playa Yaguanabo, which has beautiful views of the Caribbean Sea. Drive on for an additional 25km (16 miles) earlier than reaching the stuck-in-time colonial city of Trinidad.
Spend time right here strolling its cobbled streets and visiting its Nineteenth-century mansions by day, and dancing to salsa beats after darkish.
Again on the street, proceed to the seashore strip at Peninsula Ancón earlier than heading to Sancti Spíritus, considered one of Cuba’s first colonial villages (based 1514). On the best way, cease within the Valle de Los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills) to witness its ruins of dozens of Nineteenth-century sugar mills and quarters for enslaved folks.
5. A drive on the wild facet
Greatest street journey for wildlife watching
Havana–Playa Girón; 215km (134 miles)
This street journey winds by the core and alongside the pristine shoreline of the majestic Ciénaga de Zapata, the Caribbean’s largest wetlands. Departing from Havana, take the Autopista Nacional (A1) for an hour and a half earlier than taking a proper at Entronque de Jagüey Grande.
Stretch your legs on the guests’ middle in Boca de Guamá, the place little ones will get pleasure from a go to to the crocodile farm, the hummingbird feeding mission or a ship journey to Laguna del Tesoro. Proceed south and also you’ll encounter a cenote, snorkeling websites, bird-watching trails and seaside villages that serve up among the finest seafood in Cuba.
Planning tip: The cities of Playa Larga and Playa Girón make nice bases for exploring the realm or diving within the wonderful websites simply offshore. Casas particulares (non-public homestays) are your finest wager for lodging right here.
6. Easternmost Cuba discovery
Greatest street journey for numerous landscapes
Santiago de Cuba–Baracoa; 226km (140 miles)
Essentially the most easterly area of Cuba affords quintessential landscapes of rugged mountains, zigzagging roads and epic shoreline. La Farola, which traverses Guantánamo’s part of the Sierra Maestra for 40km (25 miles), is considered one of Cuba’s signature driving routes – nevertheless it’s not for the fainthearted. Count on slender curves and precipitous inclines.
From Santiago de Cuba, comply with the Autopista Nacional (A1) north for about 12km (7 miles) after which take the primary proper flip for the Carretera Central towards Guantánamo metropolis.
After a fast glimpse of the Cuban facet of Guantánamo – with its small purchasing boulevard and dusty Parque Martí – proceed southeast for a visit alongside the southern coast. Count on a cacti-dotted semi-desert area with ocean-sprayed rocky terraces, stone seashores and intermittent riverside oases.
Simply 16km (10 miles) after Imías, flip left towards the zigzagging La Farola street. This drive takes in lush forests and impossibly winding curves as much as Baracoa. This city – relationship to 1505 and the primary Spanish settlement on Cuba – was reduce off from the remainder of Cuba till La Farola was constructed within the Nineteen Sixties.
Because of wealthy native traditions, scenic vistas and endemic wildlife, a go to to Baracoa feels almost like a visit to a special nation.
7. The complete west-to-east route
Greatest street journey for a Cuba grand tour
Havana–Baracoa; 1094km (680 miles)
This grand tour crosses virtually all of Cuba in a single, epic street journey, beginning in Havana’s hectic streets and ending at Baracoa on the island’s easternmost tip. Permit loads of time to cease in provincial capitals for a style of native life in these beloved cities.
You will drive by the flatlands of Occidente (western Cuba to Villa Clara) to the mountainous landscapes of Oriente (japanese Cuba from Camagüey onward). Important stops embody French-inspired Cienfuegos, historic Trinidad, cultural Santa Clara, maze-like Camagüey and picturesque Bayamo.
Alongside the best way, you’ll enter the humid and scorching area of Santiago and Guantánamo, with its mountainous Sierra Maestra and landmarks related to the well-known Fifties guerrillas.
Planning tip: In every place, take time to talk with Cubans; at a minimal, asking for instructions might be a necessity as signage is sort of nonexistent on most roads. The extra you work together with locals, the extra you’ll uncover the quirky corners and secluded pure wonders that make up the center of Cuba.
Suggestions for driving in Cuba
Roads in Cuba are often in poor situation, with many potholes and few street indicators. Count on a sluggish tempo on any street journey. Cuba is arguably higher explored with a guide-driver in an effort to give attention to the surroundings as an alternative of the street itself.
When renting a automobile, be certain that to guide forward; moreover, it’s endorsed to pay a “guardian” – often called parqueador – to observe the automobile at night time. As road lights are scarce in all places, together with main cities, rely on avoiding the street after darkish.
Cuba’s ubiquitous traditional American automobiles function as taxis, and these can solely be rented with drivers included – often for rides inside metropolis limits, although sometimes for intercity transfers. Many drivers provide day journeys from Havana.
