Transport on the Tour

All transport for the tour itineraries in Cuba is included. Day trips and side excursions that are optional will be at your own expense. The transport on the tours is generally a mixture of public buses, private buses, taxis, bicycle taxis, by foot, and where a domestic flight is included - by aeroplane.

The transport system in Cuba

As you would expect, the transport system in Cuba is different to anywhere else in the world. We make all efforts to provide transport between our destination cities in Cuba with as much local character as possible. This is limited in a large way by the local transport laws. Much of the transport for locals (buses, trucks, tractors, horse-drawn carriages) is subsidised by the government, and it is illegal for tourists to take this transport. If the driver is caught with a tourist on-board, it is assumed that the driver is taking extra money for this from the tourist and the driver can be fined.

The government therefore has a separate bus company for tourists to take - called Viazul, which in effect is “public transport for tourists”. The Viazul buses are large modern buses that are quite comfortable and have air-conditioning, and sometimes movies onboard.

Our private transport

We find that the best way - as far as convenience and having more of a local experience in Cuba - is to hire our own private minibus. This way we can make interesting stops enroute, and also pick up some locals along the way to help them to their destination. It also has the advantage that we can depart and arrive at times that are more convenient to us. We sometimes take the Viazul bus (see above) for variety, for long journeys - where we have few opportunities to stop, and for smaller groups. We arrange a private mini-bus for our tours in Cuba where possible and practical.

Domestic Flight

The internal (or domestic) flight that is included on some of our itineraries, is either with the airline Aerocaribbean or with Aerogaviota. The flight from one end of Cuba to the other takes about 1.5 hours. The plane currently programmed by Aerocaribbean for these flights is the ATR-72 - which is a twin-turboprop short-haul regional airliner built in France and Italy, and comparably has a good safety record. Aerogaviota uses a similar plane the ATR-42 500.

Airport Arrival Transfer

It is very safe and simple to catch your own taxi from the Havana Airport to the joining hotel. Only official tourist taxis are allowed to pick up tourists at the airport, and the standard fare is 25CUC (don't pay more than this!). If you prefer us to send someone to pick you up at the airport and provide you with this transfer, our price is US$63 for up to 4 people.

If your flight arrives to Varadero airport you can catch a taxi to the Viazul bus terminal. Click here to see the timetable. We provide transfers in private taxi from Varadero airport to Havana for US$137 for up to 4 people (2 hours travel time).