Climate
Cuba has a very pleasant average temperature of 24,6ºC (76,3ºF) year round. However, knowing exact forecasts will help you pack your suitcase for the specific dates of your trip.
Average 24,6ºC (76,3ºF)
Summer Average 25ºC (77ºF)
Winter Average 22ºC (71,6ºF)
For more information on the Presage of the Time in Cuba: www.met.inf.cu
US Dollars in cash won't be accepted as a payment for any service (hotels, restaurants, taxis, shops, cinemas etc) in the island. The CUC (Cuban Convertible peso) can be acquired in any Exchange Houses available in the country or in the Banks at the exchange rate of
1 USD = 0.82 Pesos Cubanos Convertibles (CUC).
The change of cash will have a tax of 10%. When leaving the country, the remaining CUC can be changed in the Exchange Houses available at the Airport at a rate of 1 USD = 0.82 Pesos Cubanos Convertibles (CUC) and won't be applied any tax for this. Any other currency in cash, can be changed to CUC considering the current exchange rate with USD, considering 1 USD = 0.82 Pesos Cubanos Convertibles (CUC) no tax will be applied.
Custom:
The Custom allows personal belongings free of tax. This belongings may be used or new but in a reasonable quantity accordingly with the duration of the trip of each passenger. For more information on this topic: www.aduana.co.cu
Electricity:
The voltage in most residential and trade areas, offices and hotels is 110 V / 60 HZ, though some facilities already have 220 V / 60 HZ. Wall outlets are for flat plugs.
Geography:
Cuba, the largest of the Antilles, is an archipelago consisting of a main island named Cuba, the Isle of Youth and about 4,195 keys and islets. Its elongated and narrow shape propitiates circulation of trade winds from the Atlantic, which cool its tropical, humid climate. Only one fourth of the land is mountainous being its main systems.
The Guaniguanico mountain range at the west region; the Sierra del Escambray to the south centre of the country; and to the east the Sierra Maestra with its Pico Real del Turquino, climbing to 1,974 meters above sea level, the island's highest point.
The island's has more than 200 rivers of short course and flow impetuously, which hinders navigation. The biggest river is the Cauto, east of the country, with an extension of 250 km of which only 112 are navigable by small crafts. Subsoil is rich in nickel and nature shows a variety of plants and flowers as well as a marvelous diversity of animals. This Caribbean island has more than 280 charming beaches, virgin keys, caverns and caves for exploration, as well as forests and swamps for pleasure trips. Overall surface is 1 220 km.
Immigration:
All travelers are required to get a Visa. You can obtain a Tourist Visa in the Cuban Consulate in your country. Also you can get the Visa in most of the airports (Airline - counter) prior to departure to Cuba.
Cuban nationals living in another country must contact with the Cuban Consulate in your country for information prior to departure.
Interesting cities:
Havana :
Havana is the centre of all things Cuban. There's an air of faded glory about the city; streamlined 50s and 60s American cars cruise the streets as the paint peels from the walls of almost everywhere. The city is lined with glorious Spanish colonial architecture, much of which is under restoration.
Santiago de Cuba: Santiago de Cuba, the second biggest city in Cuba, is Havana's rival when it comes to literature, music and politics, and is regarded as the 'cradle of the revolution' because of the pivotal role it played in overthrowing the Batista regime. The city overlooks the Bahía de Santiago de Cuba and, unlike other Cuban towns, has a distinct Caribbean flavour due to the influence of French planters and Haitians who settled in the 19th century. The city's character is also due to its isolation from Havana, and its history is just as colourful.
Trinidad:
Trinidad was founded in 1514, but remained a backwater haven for smugglers until the late 18th century. This changed in the early 19th century when a slave revolt in Haiti caused French planters to flee to Trinidad, where they re-established their mini-empires. Trinidad boomed until the Wars of Independence devastated the region's sugar plantations and the town again fell into obscurity. The legacy of this short-lived sugar-boom wealth can be seen in the town's baroque church towers, Carrara marble floors, wrought-iron grills and run-down mansions.
Baracoa:
Laid-back Baracoa, with its palm tree-lined coast, sits on a headland between two picturesque bays near Cuba's easternmost point of Cabo Maisí. Founded in 1512 by Diego Velázquez, this is Cuba's oldest European settlement. Baracoa, accessible only by sea up until the 1960s, was an important Spanish outpost, as evidenced by the three impressive forts: Fuerte Matachín, now housing the museo municipal; Fuerte de la Punta, now refitted with a restaurant; and El Castillo de Seboruco, now a pleasant hotel.
Pinar del Río Province:
Naturalists will love this westernmost part of the country. It boasts two UNESCO biosphere reserves protecting some of the country's loveliest landscapes, including parts of the 175m-long (574ft) Cordillera de Guaniguanico, which is something of a hiker's paradise. The province is famous for its surreal and beautiful limestone pincushion hills. The area is riddled with caves carved by underground rivers, some of which make for great diving. If you'd rather scuba through saltwater, María la Gorda boasts some of the finest underwater scenery in the Caribbean.
Bayamo: Bayamo is the capital of Granma Province, the country's southernmost point. Rarely visited, the area boasts many historic places of interest, including the site where José Martí was shot, and one of Cuba's greatest national parks, Gran Parque Nacional Sierra Maestra, to the south of Bayamo township. This area was important in the Cuban struggle for freedom: Castro and 81 rebels landed here aboard the Granma (hence the province's name) in 1956, and the first War of Independence was launched here in October 1868 when a Creole planter freed his slaves, formed a militia and overran the region.
Isla de la Juventud:
Although 350 islands make up the Archipiélago de los Canarreos, Isla de la Juventud is by far the biggest one. Most of it is pretty flat but it does have the Ciénaga de Lanier, Cuba's second-largest swamp. This region is administered from the island's capital, Nueva Gerona. Isla de la Juventud is the least populated region of Cuba, with most people living in the north of the island. Once known as Parrot Island, it was a hideout for pirates like Francis Drake, John Hawkins, Thomas Baskerville and Henry Morgan, and it inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island.
