What follows is a brief report of my March 1997 one-week cycling trip in the Santiago de Cuba region of Cuba.

The Santiago de Cuba region boats the highest mountains (the Sierra Maestra) on the island; the highest peak being almost 2000 m above sea level. If you plan to cycle in this area come prepared for hills!

The climate in March is wonderful - particularly for a Canadian escaping the snow! The daytime highs are somewhere between 25^oC and 30^oC, and the sun is usually shining. At night, the temperature dips to 15^oC and 20^oC. Personally, I found it to be a little too hot to cycle comfortably between noon and 2 p.m. - an excellent time for a beer followed by a siesta!

I would not recommend camping in Cuba. The campsites leave a lot to be desired and, besides, the good hotels are excellent. Contrary to what the "officials" would leave you to believe, you really do not need to make hotel reservations ahead of time. In fact, it is less expensive if you simply turn up and ask for a room, and none of the hotels appeared anywhere close to being full.

Five of my seven nights were spent at the Hotel Bucanero, a Cubanacan resort hotel located on the coast approximately 25 km east of the city. I traveled from the airport to the hotel by taxi at a cost of US$20. In 1997, if you booked a single room from Canada the (all inclusive) cost is US$84 per night - if you simply turn up, the cost is US$67 per night! "All inclusive" includes room, three meals and as many drinks as you can possibly consume in a day.

There are several excellent day cycling trips that one can do from the Hotel Bucanero. One can, for instance, cycle 35 km east to Bacanao. This road starts inland and is quite hilly. It then comes down to the coast and the cycling becomes a lot easier. The Hotel Carisol is to be found close to Boconao, and would be another excellent place to stay. It is also a great place to stop for a beer (on the beach!).

Another excellent day trip would be to cycle the 30 km to La Gran Pedra ("the big rock"). You have a good climb to get there, but the view is worth it - and so is the descent on the way back!

The 25 km trip into Santiago de Cuba is also worthwhile, but you may wish to stay overnight there to really appreciate this interesting city. I stayed for two nights at the Casa Granda Hotel, an excellent four star hotel located right in the heart of the city. It is not cheap at US$64 per night, but it is well worth the money.

It is certainly different cycling in Cuba when compared to North America. The good news about Cuban roads is that they are not very busy; the bad news is potholes! I felt quite safe cycling around on my own, even though I was very conspicuous on my 24-speed touring bike. There are a lot of bicycles on the roads in Cuba, but almost all them are one-speed Chinese models. The mix of motorized vehicles on Cuban roads is a sight to behold. There are still a number of old American (pre-'59) cars around, mixed with more recent Russian (Lada, etc.) vehicles that seem to be continually breaking down. Then there are the trucks; not the North American tractor-trailer variety, but old American, and more recent Russian, trucks that transport everything including people. It is very common to be passed by an old truck loaded up with people - a typical Cuban "bus", I guess. Combine this with old buses, lots and lots of bicycles, horses with carts, horses without carts, people walking, etc., and you have a sight to behold on Cuban roads. This mix is also what you find on the autopista - the Cuban four-lane "expressway"!

One final word of advice - take lots of gum with you when you cycle, and you will make the Cuban kids very happy!

page updated on 25 Jan 2004