Our Cuba travel orientation guide is for US group travelers. Much of its information is useful for independent sojourners from any nation. Things change in Cuba at a dizzying pace. We update this page regularly based on reports from our American guests and our expert island staff who update fun Cuba experiences daily.
Cuba is extremely safe. But things can still go wrong before and during travel. We strongly recommend trip interruption and cancellation insurance to safeguard your Cuban holiday investment. Even you decline travel insurance, take a moment to review costs and benefits.
Passport Must be valid for two weeks beyond your stay.
Buy airline tickets now See list of US commercial flights to Havana.
Cuban Tourist Visa Your tour package includes a visa to enter Cuba. Keep it with your passport.
Certificate of Legal Cuba Travel Your Cuba visit is 100% legal. This document provided by Cuba Explorer verifies your Cuba trip conforms to US government Cuba travel regulations.
Cuban emergency medical insurance Included with US airline tickets. This coverage is not a substitute for trip interruption and cancellation insurance.
Cash is king US credit, and debit cards don’t work in Cuba. Yikes! Don’t get caught short of funds while abroad. Carefully study Money matters in Cuba.
Trip insurance documents If you purchase this option.
There is no dress code in Cuba. However, you still want to be comfortable and not stand out like a Christmas tree. Review What do I pack for Cuba travel? Some bright ideas for what to wear in a warm climate, plus essential medicine and hygiene products to bring that aren’t available in Cuba.
Permitted items You can bring cameras, personal DVD and CD players, and gaming devices, mobile phones, laptops, MP3 players, hairdryers, electric shavers, binoculars, radio receivers, musical instruments, and sound recording devices for personal use. If you bring more than one of these items, Cuban customs may ask if you intend to leave them on the island. If you plan to, duty may be charged.
Money If you bring more than the equivalent of USD 5,000 in cash, you have to declare it or risk confiscation.
Prescription medicines Must remain in original containers with prescription label intact. Bring all that you’ll need for the duration of your stay.
Prohibited items Narcotics (Cuba is a zero-tolerance nation). Explosives, pornography, anti-Cuba literature, aerial drones, stand-alone GPS devices, walkie-talkies, and things considered to be weapons are no-nos.
Can I drink the water? We recommend you avoid tap water and drink bottled water at all times. Cuba Explorer supplies bottled water during your coach excursions. Bottled water is always available at your accommodations.
How about street food? It’s a personal decision. You have to weigh missing out on tasty treats over possible digestion issues. Very few visitors report tummy troubles from eating cooked street food.
What if I get sick or injured? A doctor or nurse is always available during your Cuba Explorer trip, at your accommodations, a nearby clinic, or enroute to tour activities.
Visit our Vaccinations for Cuba page for updates about coronavirus, and general health and safety concerns in Cuba.
Should I believe Trump’s ludicrous travel alerts about Cuba? All advanced nations consider Cuba to be one of the safest travel destinations. The Trump administration is the only government that issues unfounded politically motivated travel warnings about Cuba. Sigh.
Paper maps can be hard to find, costly, and awkward.
Download the super best offline travelers’ map of Cuba at Maps.me.
Visitors and locals love Maps.me because it is so easy to get lost in Havana. Maps.me is a comprehensive offline map app for Android and Apple phones and tablets.
Download Maps.me now before you come to Cuba because internet on the island is slow.
You can take your mobile phone, laptop, or tablet to Cuba and connect to the internet from local hotspots or at your hotel. WiFi rates range from 1.00 to 2.00 CUC (Cuban Convertible Pesos) per hour. Be prepared for the Cuban internet connection to be slower than at home.
Notice Our Havana office provides emergency internet and US telephone calls to our guests at no charge.
Easiest mobile access in Cuba AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile offer voice and data plans for Cuba. This is the surest way to stay in touch with family and work. Carefully study roaming plans before you arrive in Cuba. Mobile phone and data use in Cuba can be expensive.
A more expensive alternative is to rent a Cuban SIM card or rent a Cuban cell phone. See Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or contact us for details.
Our Havana office provides emergency internet and US telephone calls to our guests at no charge.
You are hosted from touch down to departure, always with 24/7 VIP attention. Two weeks before you arrive in Cuba, we’ll send you a detailed Arrival Instructions letter.
You are family Cuba Explorer staff meet and greet guests upon arrival at your Cuban airport. We return you to the airport for departure following your tour. Cuban airport-hotel transfers are included in your travel package. If you are arriving early or departing later than scheduled tour days, we help with airport-hotel transfers for the cost of a taxi.
Cubans welcome gifts, however small. Gift giving is an island tradition.
We have a list of suggested gifts for Cubans, things most needed during these difficult times.
You’re bringing gifts – not donations On arrival, if Cuban customs asked about items you intend to leave behind, describe them as gifts. The word donation raises concerns because, in the past, bad people brought harmful things into Cuba disguised as donations.
There are no public laundry facilities in Cuba. If you need laundry services, ask your chambermaid or hotel front desk. They’ll help you. Generally, the cost is between 6 and 8 CUC for a plastic shopping full bag of clothes. Ask the price first.
If you are staying at a private Cuban home, ask your host for assistance.
Electricity in Cuban hotels is often 220 volts. We suggest you purchase a Type ‘C’ European Travel Plug Adapter for electrical devices you bring to Cuba. You can buy Type ‘C’ adapter from Amazon, Walmart, or electronics stores. Here are examples from Amazon. Example ONE, example TWO, and example THREE.
Most private homes have both 220 and 110 volts. Still, a Type ‘C’ adapter will always come in handy.
Eastern Time is observed across Cuba, the same as in New York and Miami.
Cuba, unlike some Central and South American countries, doesn’t operate on Latin time. Being on time is the same as in the United States. If you are late for tour activities, the whole group is held up.
Cubans who have worked hard for months preparing your special activities will feel bad. Perhaps they planned a special meal, guest, or presentation. If our bus is delayed, then the whole group schedule will have to be juggled.
Your guide announces the bus schedule the day prior. Your accommodations have wake-up call services.
All is copacetic for free spirits If you don’t want to participate in a scheduled activity, or if you had a really good time the night before, that’s ok. We don’t judge. Just tell your guide in advance, so she/he will not worry or lose time attempting to track you down.
Feel good about tipping When you give a tip to a Cuban, the whole island benefits. Cuban tourist staff share tips with their co-workers and family who live on incomes. Cuban guides and bus drivers contribute a portion of their tips to the national health, housing, and education systems.
Hint Treat tipping in Cuba as you do at home. Be generous with those who assist.
Here’s the amount of tips most Americans share. You can always leave more. The amount you give is totally optional and up to you. See How much should I tip in Cuba? for more info.
Tour guide 8.00 to 10.00 CUC per day per tour participant
Tour driver 5.00 to 7.00 CUC per day per tour participant
Restaurant staff 1.00 CUC or 10% per meal per tour participant
Hotel porters 1.00 CUC or more if you have lots of luggage
Chambermaids 1.50 CUC per day per participant
Museum guides and special guides 1.00 CUC per participant
Musicians at restaurants 1.00 CUC per participant
What about gifting instead of tips? Cubans in the service industry need money they can spend on the things they really need. They already get a lot of leftover toothpaste, toiletries, and other stuff. Give personal items you don’t need to your new Cuban friends.
Cuba is among the safest countries in the world with a meager crime rate. However, precautions with personal belongings are necessary as you would in Paris, London, or Barcelona. Don’t leave small items unattended in public areas. Don’t wear expensive jewelry. It attracts pickpockets. Keep cameras and handbags secure to your person at all times.
Participants must use a hotel lockbox for valuables, travel documents, air tickets, passport, and cash.
Only carry the amount of cash you need each day. We suggest no more than 100 CUC. Leave the rest of your money in your hotel lockbox, along with your travel documents, passport, and other valuables. (Your actual passport is necessary to exchange money.)
During your tour, transportation to and from activities is included. During your free time, you’ll want to explore on your own. We recommend official taxis only. However, private cars are quite common. Both are ok. Be sure to agree on a price for your destination before you enter a taxi.
Everything is very different: language, climate, customs, and demeanor.
Cubans are courteous, emotive, candid, and have a great sense of humor. Yet, all of the small material conveniences and services we take for granted are absent in Cuba.
While Cubans are punctual delays can happen because of transportation and communications problems. The latter does not impact our programs because our services are independent.
Extreme shortages of everything require great innovation. Cubans continuously rise to the challenge. We advise coming to Cuba with an open mind until you get a lay of the land. Patience and understanding are the watchwords.
Words from wise travelers If you go to Cuba looking for problems, you will be inundated, as they exist in abundance. On the other hand, if you visit with an open mind, in the spirit of learning about a wonderful people and their unique society and culture, your journey will be unmatched. Cubans are as thrilled to have you as their guest as you are about getting to know them.
Race and sex and LGBT+ issues are upside down compared to the United States.
Skin color is nebulous. A minority of Cubans are white or black. The vast majority of Cubans fall many shades in between. Don’t assume local comments about color are necessarily racist. The historical context is different. There are scores colors in Cuba. Best to assume every Cuban is proud of their place on the color spectrum.
Cuba is not like other Latin countries where women get pinched and squeezed on their private parts in public. Some Cuban men are not beyond issuing flirtatious comments to women. Female travelers can respond as they please – consider it as a compliment or insult. When women tell men in Cuba to desist, they do. “No means no,” reigns supreme in Cuba. Suffice it to say Cuba is among the safest nations in the world for female travelers.
Homophobia like racism in Cuba cannot be compared to the United States, where hostility and physical violence is a daily occurrence. There are no laws against LGBT+ in Cuba. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people don’t get shamed or beat up. They share the streets and public spaces equally. The vast majority of heterosexual people in Cuba consider homophobia to be a significant problem rather than homosexuality.
We strongly advise against giving money to individuals who approach you on the streets. While in tourist areas, you may encounter professional scam artists who pester foreign guests with sob stories that win them hundreds of dollars a week. When an individual approaches you on the street and asks for money, or with offers to provide guide or other services, just say no. Wag your finger back-and-forth with determination (indicating you are not interested) and move on.
Failure to do so means you risk getting ripped-off. Don’t be shy or feel bad. To do otherwise could cost you heartache and your wallet!
There is no limit on the amount of money you can spend in Cuba. Nor is there a limit on the value or quantity of items – including alcohol and tobacco products – you can bring back to the US for personal use. However, when returning home, US customs may charge duties on excessive amounts of alcohol and tobacco products.
Original works of contemporary art require a stamped export permission letter to leave the country. The artist or gallery will provide this documentation. Souvenirs and handicrafts require no export permission.
Don’t take Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUC) home! It is illegal. Exchange your CUC into American dollars before you enter the airport. Note Cuban airports only accept foreign currencies for fees and purchases once you pass airport security.
Did you know that American visitors to Cuba have a significant impact on improving US-Cuba relations?
Recording your trip and sharing photos, videos, and blogs with friends helps build ties of understanding between regular Cubans and Americans. Visitors before you have helped shift majority public opinion to favor normal relations with Cuba.
When visiting Cuba, locals see you as a representative of your nation and its people, reflecting the enlightened outlook of kindhearted Americans. Cubans endure extreme hardships. Their material conditions are similar to the poverty line in the United States. Many problems Cubans face are a result of the 60+ years economic blockade enforced by Washington.
Nonetheless, Cubans view regular Americans as their best friends in the hemisphere. Islanders welcome you graciously.
In Cuba, we say, “A true friend remembers the song in your heart when you have forgotten the lyrics.” 
Photographs on this page are by Cuba artists Ana Lorena Gamboa Fernández, Norlys Pérez Padrón, and René Silveira Toledo. Contact us for use of their images.
