Traveling off the beaten path in Cuba
Shaping Cultural Experiences
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
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Of all the places I’ve been, Cuba is the most challenging for those looking to truly get “off the beaten path” in travel. The standard tourist path is so carved out, and so far from the realities of most local Cubans, it can be easy to feel like you missed Cuba altogether.
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This isn’t exactly for reasons you may think – it isn’t some attempt by the government to hide the reality of daily life in Cuba, as many are keen to think. It’s more the result of the economic reality that faces the average Cuban. The average monthly wage hovers around $30-40, while dinner in a moderately-priced, foreigner-focused restaurant in Cuba can cost $10-15. It means you won’t see a lot of Cubans and tourists occupying the same spaces, because most Cubans can’t afford to.
However, it is definitely possible to discover the undiscovered and experience the local in Cuba – and when you do, it feels like a real discovery, the way that fewer and fewer travel experiences do these days.
Here are my tips for doing just that in Cuba:
1. Stay with a Local!
If you haven’t jumped on the Airbnb or home and apartment rental trend yet, Cuba is definitely the place. Homeowners in Cuba have had an incredible offering of private rentals long before Airbnb existed. Staying in a rental offers not only an incredible value for your money, but an incredible opportunity to get to know locals and learn about Cuba for those who know it best.
Hosts are generally extremely excited to show off Cuba to visitors, which is one of the greatest advantages to a rental stay – get their recommendations for what to see and do in the area, and then make taking take their advice a priority for your trip! Ask which neighbor sells the best coffee, where they eat (not necessarily where they think you’d like to eat), and the street food they recommend. This is the best and easiest way to get to know the truly local places nearby.
2. Visit the Fabrica de Arte Cubano
The Fábrica de Arte Cubano – Cuban Art Factory – has quickly become one of the hottest places to visit in Havana. This former cooking oil factory turned mixed-use art and nighlife space has multiple galleries, several bars, and a mix of concerts, movies, fashion shows, and other performances and installations every night. It isn’t exactly off the beaten path any more – Michelle Obama visited, Anthony Bourdain got a early tour with one of the founders, and Times Magazine even ranked it one to the Top 100 Greatest Places…on Earth. However, it is one of the few places in Cuba – especially when it comes to the nightlife – where foreigners and locals regularly mix. For this reason, it is such a favorite recommendation for getting to know the real Cuba. This isn’t the Cuba that many outside of the island know yet – the absolutely thriving art scene, the ingenuity and creativity in impossible circumstances. But it is definitely a Cuba you’ll love seeing.
3. Get out of Havana and Varadero.
Havana and the nearby beach town of Varadero are the most popular places to visit in Cuba for a good reason – they offer an incredible travel experience. However, they just begin to scratch the surface of the largest island in the Caribbean and all the undiscovered gems it has to offer. Visiting other cities and beaches in Cuba, you’ll find world-class attractions with just a fraction of the tourism.
A popular “second city” for travelers to visit is Trinidad, a colonial gem unmatched in Latin America for its historic architecture and beauty. The nearby Playa Ancon makes for a fantastic beach-city pairing with Trinidad. Closer to Havana, Las Terrazas and Soroa make an incredible escape from the city with picturesque lookouts and waterfall hikes. Even if these trips outside of Havana are too far, I recommend taking a tour of the countryside just outside the city and visiting a local farm to learn about how the revolution reshaped land ownership in Cuba, plus having a homecooked meal.
Next on my own list is a hike in the Sierra Maestra mountain range and summiting Pico Turqino, Cuba’s highest point. This mountain range is where Fidel Castro and the leaders of the Cuban Revolution made their camp and launched their attacks against the dictatorship. You can still visit the field hospital set up by Che Guevara – a doctor before becoming a revolutionary.
4. Sit on the Malecón and watch the sunset.
The Malecón is Havana’s favorite gathering place – the famed arching seawall that stretches along the length of Havana and creates a perfect place to hang out with friends, share a drink, and listen to music when evening falls and the city cools down. This is the most democratic evening spot in the city – no cover charge, but still absolutely the place to be.
Visiting the Malecón isn’t something that can just be checked off your list of attractions to see while in Cuba – it is one that has to be experienced. The Malecón is about finding the perfect spot on the wall to stretch out with friends, reflecting on the day surrounded by others doing the same, sharing a drink and feeling the energy of the city on one side and the ocean on the other.
Isn’t that the real local, off-the-beaten-path experience for a traveler anyways?
Not checking things off a list of attractions to see, but actually opening up space to sit, to observe, to absorb. It is the same for Cuba as it is anywhere in the world. How many times can you recall running from attraction to attraction in a new place, camera in hand, only to feel like you haven’t done or seen that much of anything?
Traveling in a way that lets you truly experience a place, in Cuba and beyond, isn’t always about an itinerary of places to go and things to see. It’s about slowing down and appreciating what you’ve seen, taking time to soak in.
Carley Rojas Avila is the founder of Home to Havana, a travel blog dedicated to inspiring transformational travel in Cuba and beyond. She and her husband, José, launched Home to Havana as a way to share their story of moving from the United States back to Cuba, and inspire travelers to transform their own travel dreams into reality. Carley’s writing has been featured in a variety of travel publications online and in print. When not obsessing over creating inspirational online content she can be found trying to befriend street cats and personally taste-testing every pizza in Havana.
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Comments (2)
guidance point
31 Jul 2023This is something new I saw on the internet today I want to thank you for writing such a great and helpful blog. I really appreciate your efforts.
Janhavi Dalavi
27 Feb 2023I liked the tips, especially staying with the locals. It will be a lot cheaper than Airbnb and hostel. Plus, it will give a deep insight in the Cuban culture and help the local to tun their livelihood.